“Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself — be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself — by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love — the more human he is.”
-Dr. Viktor Frankl
Reflection
Since December is usually a month of celebration, togetherness, and giving, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how I’ve changed in 2015. One of the biggest decisions I made in 2015 was going to Chica Brava in May. I consider myself a pretty risk-averse person, so traveling alone to Nicaragua for an all-girls surf camp was intimidating, but thrilling! It was at the end of my second year of a joint-masters degree and I wanted to do something I’ve always dreamed about. Since I’ve been researching female surfers in developing countries for a film project, I thought it would be important to experience surfing myself, not only to understand the sport but to challenge myself in new ways. 
Enlightenment
My experience in Chica Brava taught me a few things about myself. Being in a natural environment and spending a week with intelligent, compassionate, humble, and empowering women made me realize that it’s okay to not be in your comfort zone, and to embrace new experiences wholeheartedly. I’ve always loved the ocean, but to truly realize the power it holds as I was repeatedly clobbered by the whitewash was a humbling experience. The hard work and persistence (helpfully aided by Elsi’s chants to “Look up!”) paid off when I managed to get on that board and surf that longboard to shore. Joyful moments like these carried more meaning when I saw how the chicabrava crew respected the local culture, cared for the stray dogs and cats around San Juan del Sur, and engaged in charitable work to better the environment and the local community. This experience made me want to also add more value to my life by serving someone or something bigger than my personal goals or myself.
Growth
In the past eight months, I’ve been working both on bettering myself, my surf skills, and helping others. Seeing how the stray cats and dogs in Nica survived off the help off of the chicabrava crew and kind locals, I started to help foster kittens in Toronto since I’ve been back. I’m officially a crazy cat lady now – I adore them! I’ve also been working to help with the Syrian refugee crisis, donating to nonprofits that help newly arrived refugees settle in the city. In addition, I’ve been interviewing multiple refugee lawyers for my thesis film on the difficult refugee claimant process in Canada, which I’ll be filming next month with an all-female crew. My passion for surfing is stronger; now that I know how much work it takes to catch that perfect wave, I’m committed to getting stronger for my next surfing trip in the spring! Shortly after I came back from Nica, I signed up to Newsgirls, a women and trans-only boxing club in Toronto, to get the core and arm strength I need. Newsgirls also provides that safe and positive space for female empowerment that I appreciated at
Chica Brava, and I practice there with my girl crew every week (I have been ceremoniously nicknamed ‘Tidal Wave’). I also missed the ocean so much by August that I tried the next best thing – white water rafting on the Ottawa River – terrifying but also a new and thrilling experience!
I can’t wait to get back in the ocean – 2016 will be the year for more surfing adventures and new experiences, and I have Chicabrava to thank for that!
Best wishes to the Chicabrava crew for the new year.
Love,
Karam