Bong Finds Trust
Tuesday 30 August 2011 Any surfer knows that before he can tackle a wave he must trust his abilities. In his third instalment Bong masters the art of being a teacher. He discovers how surfing bridges a gap in not only getting his class to trust him, but also how it instils a feeling of trust in them.
Today`s surf session was a total surprise to me. I was greeted by Tim and then I steadily looked into the car only to see six brightly unfamiliar faces. Suddenly everyone climbs out and then Tim introduces me in a very informal and brief manner. Today I meet a new group of learners and this will be their first very first introduction session into surfing. The group is very evenly mixed as it consists of three girls and three boys.
We head into the lifestyle surfshop and get kitted into our wetsuits proudly sponsored by the guys from Ripcurl. Some very entertaining laughs got passed around the group because one of the boys is wearing his wetsuit incorrectly. The amusement really helped break-down the sense of nervousness from the guys. Once everyone has finally managed to get dressed we do a formal introducing session based on everyone`s life goals and biography. Shortly thereafter the new group receives a briefing on the surfboard and the dangers at the beach. I am not good with remembering names it should take a while getting to call everyone by name.
I was actually in charge of one lesson on the beach and I was nervous, the lesson was based on trust. My role was to communicate to the group and make them see why trust is important in building a community because we are about to build our own small community. It is very vital to solid foundation with everyone so that the community will grow rapidly like the shacks of Masiphumelele. There is not a day that goes by without a shack being erected on the dusty streets of `Masi`.
The weather was very kind today not too windy just very mild moderate conditions which is good for any beginner. The group progressed with minor difficulties but with regular practice everyone will definitely progress finely. Evidently the boys showed more confidence than the girls in the water. The highlight of today was definitely one of the guys called liberty catching a wave without any help from me or Tim.
The feeling of seeing the group make progress is quite overwhelming; it was a moment where I just wanted everyone to just disappear so that I could just pour out my tears of joy. I Caught only one wave today but my sense of stoke came from seeing everyone progress well with their surfing and reach their personal goals set. By supporting everyone in the community we can all stay safe and live in harmony J
The real fun comes after the surf when we head down to the bakery for some refreshments. At the bakery we get time to know each other better. The main reason we have to sit down is to chat and recap on the lesson. The talks are always serious and we tackle the real situations that occur daily in the township and relate them to surfing. Primarily the first group session is all about breaking the ice and allows the group to feel welcomed. Together united we can stand together and fight the spread of HIV and AIDS.