North America

Santa Barbara During the Pandemic: Reflecting On Our Hardships, Uniqueness, and Bright Future Ahead

My alarm goes off at 5:30am, on what normally would be an average Saturday. I get up, hydrate, stretch, and run out the door with my surfboard and coffee in hand. Feeling refreshed by the early morning sunrise, I rush down the steep stairs hugging the cliff at my favorite springtime surf break and enter the water, in the present moment, without a care in the world. Immediately, I am reminded that this is not…

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Asia

An American Surfer in Japan

Moving to Japan from California in the summer of 2009 was an exciting experience but also a bit daunting for an avid surfer like myself. I was not well informed about the quality of surf in Japan before getting my teaching gig. However, upon arriving in my seaside town during the start of typhoon season all my doubts were shattered. Through gaining fluency in Japanese and being social and curious I became informed about the…

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