This past weekend a couple girls from my house and I planned
a trip to the small town of Zonte Beach, El Salvador. This small surf town is
home to a couple restaurants and tiendas as well as several beach shacks
housing locals who live a refreshingly slow-paced life. As we drove the winding
roads to this beautiful area I could literally feel time decelerate to a speed
where the only cares are when the tide is coming and going. After about 5 hours
of travel, including one incredibly backed-up border, we rolled up to our
hostel and surf house. Alex, the man in charge, warmly greeted us and quickly
explained our plans for the next couple days… BIG plans: surfing, sleeping,
eating and relaxing! However, there was one surprise in our plan that could not
have worked out better; I love when impromptu weekends result in unexpected rewards.
Alex explained that the following morning he would be holding a surf camp for
paraplegics and would love a few extra hands if we didn’t mind volunteering.
Didn’t mind?! I was ecstatic— in the words of my professor, Dr. Blanchard, “OT
rocks!” I am so lucky to have chosen a profession which continues to be
integrated into every part of life, no matter the country or culture in which I
find myself. I was so elated to have the opportunity to be able to bring
happiness and quality of life to a group of men who thought that the opportunity
of surfing was something which was never available to them.
In the morning, we
had a brief meeting to explain the logistics and be assigned to teams: 6
persons to each participant-- 2 deep to judge waves and push, 2 in the middle
to help guide, and 2 near the shore to catch the arriving surfer. In reverse order, we worked as a human chain
to float them back out to the waves to catch another ride in. I could tell that
the men (aged 16-40ish) were nervous… how incredibly trusting of them to enter
the ocean when most of them couldn’t swim and were reliant upon a team of
volunteers. Reflecting on their trust alone, it is evident how much this
morning meant to them.
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| Each man was piggy-backed to the beach while wheelchairs were carried behind |
We dispersed into our teams and slowly brought the men out
on the boards; I settled into the middle spot, prepared to catch, guide and tow
as needed. Watching the smiles on each participant’s face after catching the
first wave made waking up early, baking in the sun and choking on salt water
worth it tenfold. I never dreamed that I would get the opportunity to be a part
of something so magical and heart-warming. It is humbling to see people like
Alex and those who work for him volunteer their time and efforts to help
fulfill the dreams of others. There is truly no better gift than that of
opportunity and opened doors when something seems improbable or even
impossible. The men repeated thanked us… and I was just as thankful to them for
yet another opportunity on this trip to engage in OT in another culture and
context.
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| I love my job! |
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