These are the times I have been to the ocean (or the sea), in roughly chronological order:
- (1995) Freshman year in college: May term Spanish class in Mexico. We had a long weekend in Acapulco, on the Pacific coast. I spent so much time swimming with Jess and Heather that I got the worst sunburn of my life and couldn't go dancing that night to the bar with waist-high foam. It was my birthday. The ocean was worth it.
- (1996) Participating in an archaeological dig in Israel: we had a weekend trip to Caesarea Philippi, on the coast. I splished and splashed in the Mediterranean with Becca all day. For some reason I remember an enormous blow-up beach ball. (We also got to "swim" in the Dead Sea on that trip, an extremely odd, abnormally buoyant and very tingly experience.)
- (1997) College service trip to Georgetown, South Carolina. We went there to participate in a Habitat for Humanity blitz build. I got up early every morning so I could go run barefoot along the wet sand. I never stepped on anything sharp. I ran more miles in that one week than any other week before or since.
- (1998) Extremely low-budget road trip to San Diego with two friends while I was living in Denver. We brought a tent and camped out in Utah on the way and at the beach at our destination. Carrie and I sat on the beach all weekend, chatting and watching Mika surf. I mistook San Diego for heaven.
- (2000) While in Namibia, I had a week off and traveled with some friends to Swakopmund, on the the coast. Hours passed by in seconds as I walked the beach, explored the dunes, talked to the seagulls.
- (2002) European backpacking trip before I moved to Munich: Lund, Sweden. My friend Andrea and I swam with jellyfish where the North Sea meets the Baltic. But not the poisonous kind of jellyfish.
- (2002) European backpacking trip before I moved to Munich: Barcelona, Spain. My friend Rory and I laid on the Mediterranean beach in our underwear because we were too lazy to walk all the way back to the hostel to get our swimming suits.
- (2005) Zingst, Germany: I jumped and skipped my way across the frozen sand with Helge, Steffi and Markus. We made a short film about the locals learning to see the Baltic Sea with new eyes.
To sum up:
Times I have been to the ocean or sea: 8
Times I have felt enormous, inexpressible tidal waves of happiness welling up inside of me at the sight of the majesty of the ocean: 8
Times I have found myself singing random songs as loudly as I dared, as a futile attempt at giving voice to my emotions: 8
Times I have sworn to myself: someday I'll live at the ocean: 8
Times your cheese-o-meter has probably gone off while reading this entry: countless. But it's all true anyway, even if it sounds cheesy.
3 comments:
The ocean is magical, primal, necessary. I had the good fortune to spend a lot of time at the ocean when I was little, to gain an appreciation of its beauty and power. It is still a major feature in my dreams, especially the one that got me back to seminary. I don't think I could stand to live any further from it than I do now; even when I don't see it frequently, I take some joy in knowing how close it is, that I can go and see and smell and hear it.
One of our Conference ministers said recently that apparently God calls many people to ministry within five miles of the coast!
I'm so happy that the comments are working again! Jess- it was really fun to read about your ocean experiences. Especially at a time when I have been associating the ocean with tsunamai images - scary, overwhelming, dominant, deadly... You're right, though, there is just something so cool about being right there. No wonder we all associate a great vacation with the word "beach."
Amy
Well, I think I have been to as many different kinds of oceans as you have - including a visit to the North Sea in Danmark where we could not set a foot into the water because there were so many poisonous jellyfish and a snorkel trip in the Maledives where we swam right into a swarm (!) of poisonous jellyfish the size of a thumb with tentacles more than a meter long...
I am not saying I don't like the sea - (sea my other comment on your blog above) but there are also some not-so-funny sides.
Not to mention that I once got into a dangerous current when I was about thirteen (in the US) and only a nice young man with a surfboard could save me (yes, it was just like in the movies...)
Post a Comment