Diaries of a B2B Client: Missing Spring Mexico Trip

     I grew up learning French in school, and developed a love for languages. Although French wasn’t terribly practical it also helped me appreciate the nuances of different cultures, their humor and different values and ideals. Looking back I wish I had learned Spanish. After living in L.A. and working in restaurants, it would have been much more useful. Many of my friends in L.A. and Nashville are Mexican and I’ve grown to love the food and culture. This is my first time south of the border and my appreciation has grown a hundred fold. The coast is beautiful, the people are incredibly nice and the city of Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa  has a great buzz. I can’t wait to come back, but before I do, I would like to get a better handle on the Language. Our Spanish teacher, Shirley (after Shirley Temple) is a Mexican local who teaches English and French. Her grasp of languages is evident; she’s incredibly kind and understands the Back2Basics program very well. She’s straight forward and values her sobriety as well. My understanding of Romance Languages, through French, has helped me greatly in grasping the basics of Spanish. The sentence structure and many of the words are predictably similar. The pronunciation is quite different, but I’m getting the hang of it and developing an ear for it.

     So far we’ve learned basic verbs and their conjugations, some cursory sentence structure, the alphabet, numbers and basic vocabulary. Yesterday we learned the basics of ordering food, and forming questions. I’ve noticed that I have begun understanding bits and pieces and with a bit more practice would feel comfortable getting around down here on my own.

     Last night we met up with Shirley after our Wednesday night 12 step meeting.  She introduced us to a couple of her students and we were able to get some real practice. At first I thought it might be really awkward, but it wound up being a lot of fun and a great exercise in getting comfortable using what we’ve learned. Her students even asked us some questions in English and we responded in Spanish. After that she took us to one of her favorite restaurants for tamales, enchiladas, and tacos. I felt comfortable ordering my food, changing my order and reading the menu. The waiter was patient and friendly and the tamales were excellent. For dessert we went to another spot for Eskimos, which are like airy milkshakes. I’m coming back for sure, hopefully soon.

     This experience, surfing here in Mexico, has been life changing. For me, it’s another activity that I hope to continue after this trip. Furthermore, it’s quite challenging, and our focused efforts over the past week and a half have yielded substantial results. I’ve made noticeable improvements each day, and have been able to build on those the next day. This sort of practice gives me more faith and confidence in my abilities to learn new things. Before sobriety I would have had no patience for a sport like surfing… there are so many subtle nuances and physical strains, but once I pushed through those, I have been able to enjoy it.

      Our teacher, Eduardo (Edgar), is a great surfer himself as well as a skilled teacher. He didn’t bog us down with too much technique or too many suggestions at first. He just showed us the basics and took us to Playa Linda, a forgiving place to learn, for some trial by fire.

       I had attempted to surf before, but those attempts mostly amounted to biting off more than I could chew and falling hard. I had a healthy respect for the sport going into the trip. The first thing I had to learn was how to catch a wave. Many people say that this is the hardest part. It’s certainly the most essential. Being able to watch the horizon and gauge incoming waves is a skill honed only through practice and experience. I quickly learned that I didn’t want the wave crashing right behind or on top of me. In surfing less is almost always more. It’s all about economy of motion, timing and balance. Once I had a better eye for choosing waves, Edgar helped me get a better feel for catching them correctly. I’d point myself towards the beach and paddle as soon as the water under me started pulling back. At first, he’d give me a little push to ensure I’d catch it, but quickly I got the hang of it. My next challenge is cutting into the wave so I can actually ride it, instead of just dropping in and going straight.

       In the past week and a half, we’ve surfed some amazing spots. We started out at Playa Linda, and once we all got a bit more comfortable, we drove north to La Saladita. There we cough long rolling waves that one could ride for over a minute. For a challenge we drove an hour south of Ixtapa to Loma Bonita, where the waves were steep and extremely powerful. They snapped Keegan’s board in half on his first run, and were too challenging for me to catch. I can’t wait to return.