I've waited so long to write this that I'm not going to be able to make it the week-by-week play-by-play that it has been. April was a month with a lot of ups and downs. Some really awesome things happened to me, I surfed the Severn River bore, which was one of the coolest experiences of my entire life. I also left my purse on a bus with my wallet and my camera with all of my pictures from that trip and more crushingly, from the second half of my trip so I had no pictures from Croatia. The next day I realized that I had managed to lose my passport. I struggled with some depression, not for any particular reason, but it meant that I was sleeping a lot and not getting done the studying that I needed to be concentrating on. Classes were mostly over, there was the occasional review class but that was about it. I did spend a lot of time at the gym and on April 18 I was made a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt! I finally started horseback riding regularly now that my vacation was over and made strides with the young mare I was loaning.
But let's focus on the highlights. The first weekend that I was back in town was Passover. It was also a long bank holiday (Monday and Tuesday off with the extra day to mark the Jubilee). Most importantly it was the weekend of the Bore. The Severn river estuary is such that the water is funnelled into an increasingly narrow channel as the tide rises, thus forming the large wave. Certain months the tide is large enough that the wave is rideable. I got an e-mail from Rob, a Welsh man I had been surfing with before mentioning he was going up to ride the Bore. I jumped at the chance, but didn't have the right kind of board, I needed a long board. I was in luck, Rob had an extra! We drove up first to Porthcawl to see what the surf was like at the beach. It was messy messy choppy windswell. I got in despite the conditions because I needed to familiarize myself with the surfboard I would be using the next day. I hadn't realized this before but you only get one chance every 12 hours to ride the Bore.The surge creates exactly one wave, if you miss it, or fall, that's it. With so much riding on one pop-up I was desperate that I do it right. I caught a few waves, enough to get my feet in the wax and then we were back in the car and driving back down to see the Bore go by in the dark so I could get a feel for what was coming the next day. On the way through Wales back to England we stopped briefly at a magnificent castle whose name I have since forgotten. Then it was down to a pub sitting along the Severn river. We got a drink and settled in to wait for the Bore to go past. We saw some kayakers getting in the water to try to catch the wave in the dark. We perched on the river wall, meters above the water, and I must admit I was pretty disappointed when the wave finally came by, it seemed pretty weak and none of the kayakers had managed to ride it much at all.
We decided to jump in the car and try to see the wave as it went past closer to where we were planning to ride it the next day. The bore doesn't move too fast so we had a chance. We drove to a small village, parked at the end of a lane and then marched off across a large field with just a couple of tiny flashlights, a map, and me in my flip flops. We got lost in the field when we came up against an impenetrable hedge, eventually we found a crossing and then finally the river itself. We stood in the dark and waited. And waited. And waited. And then we heard it. A rushing sound, like traffic in the distance, then a train coming towards us. And then it was there! I can't even describe it, the wave was so much larger than it had been when the river was wider, at least a meter tall or more, it ground past us and left a swirling mess in its wake as the water level rose by 5 feet or so all at once. It was terrifying and exhilarating.
We drove to Rob's sister's house nearby and discussed strategy. I was not looking forward to hiking across that field in the morning carrying a longboard and we weren't sure about the parking. Instead we decided that we would jump in the river at Over bridge and then "float downstream" until we got to the takeoff point we had been at that night and then wait for the bore wave to come for us which would hopefully then sweep us back to the car. In the morning we woke and drove to Over, parked the car and met up with Rob's friend. We suited up, grabbed the boards and walked down to the bridge. Then under the bridge, hopped a fence and slithered into the water. Literally, I've never been anywhere so muddy. I saw Rob fall into the water and stopped feet from where he had gone down when I was standing still I felt my legs go out from under me and then since I was already on my bum I just scooted down into the water. It turns out that the river current wasn't moving fast enough so the "floating downstream" I had signed up for became a mile long paddle down a river, which is not nearly as buoyant as the ocean, in the drizzling rain, with the river water splashing in my face every stroke. It was pretttty miserable and I just wasn't in shape enough to keep up with the two guys. Eventually Rob and I found the place we were planning to take off from, his friend Paul had disappeared in the distance. We grabbed onto branches hanging by the side of the river and anchored ourselves, him downstream from me a bit so we both had a chance to make it on. Then we sat. This is when it got COLD. I was excited and anxious and there was nothing to do but wait. Finally finally we heard it coming, that train rushing sound. It was incredible, I saw the wave coming around the bend, seeming to move both faster and slower than I expected. Inexorable was the best way to describe it. There were a couple of people already up and riding on it on the other side of the river and the wave was about chest high. I saw Rob start paddling and jump up. Then it was my turn I put my head down and paddled my heart out. I couldn't have come this far to miss it. I paddled and pulled and paddled and I felt my board rise under me. I took a deep breath, put my hands down and popped up. And just like that! I was riding it! I was riding a tidal wave!!!!! I was afraid to breathe and mess anything up, I inched myself closer to the nose to set the edge in and just watched in fascination as the river unrolled beneath me like a carpet. It was incredible. I spared a quick smile at Rob and a shakas to let him know how stoked I was. We rode for maybe half a mile or so when I felt the board begin to lose steam and I saw Rob go over the back. I made it another hundred yards or so before the same happened to me. There was no sign of his friend Paul. The river was rushing upstream so fast we didn't have to repeat the strenuous paddle of this morning, instead we just stayed on our boards as we were pulled back to the bridge at Over. This time we had a chance to wave and cheer with the people lining the banks to watch as the Bore went past. We were also overtaken by a man with a surfboard being taken by motorboat to catch the wave again further up.
We were able to pretty easily swing ourselves out of the water at the bridge and then we climbed back up to the car and got changed. Eventually Paul caught up with us, he was gutted that he had missed the wave. Rob and I were on an amazing high from our ride. It was probably not the greeting Paul was hoping for. We packed up the car, had lunch with Rob's sister and then motored back to London, grinning all the way.
Later that week Valerie hosted a delicious Passover dinner for everyone and afterwards some of us, Daniel, Syed, Sarah, her husband and her friends from Canada went out to Bookclub. That night I left my purse on the bus when it terminated at London Bridge, something I realized as the doors closed and the bus pulled away. I figured since it had terminated there was no chance that my purse wouldn't be found. Unfortunately I was wrong and it was stolen with my wallet and my camera inside. I was devastated. The next day I dealt with the repercussions, ordering new debit cards, oyster card, ordering a new camera and reporting the purse stolen. And then, when I realized I would need ID to withdraw money from the bank until my debit cards came, I realized that in the past week since I had entered the country my passport had disappeared. This was the last straw. I reported it stolen, (awesome conversation with the police: "I think I lost my passport I was wondering if it was reported as found or turned in?" "If it was we would have destroyed it immediately, that is the policy because it is literally the most important document a person could own we assume you noticed it missing and have replaced it right away" "Thanks for rubbing it in.") took out some cash and went to the beach. I jumped into a car with some London Surf Club people and off we went to Croyde so I could surf my troubles away. On the way down the passengers shared beers (apparently that is legal here?!) and when we finally got to Croyde we bedded down in Baggy's new beach hostel. A brand new, beautiful, hostel designed specifically for surfers. There are outside showers, doors that lead directly to the inside showers, heated towel racks, free hot chocolate. It was fantastic. The first morning we had a great session, the waves were waist to shoulder high, the paddle out was painless, the wind was non-existent and I had Simon's mini-mal to make the most of them. That afternoon I rented a long-board from the hostel and we went and chased ripples at another break. There were barely any ripples to catch. It was pathetic but in the water is always better than out. That night we had drinks at the pub down in the village and then played card games when we came back. The next morning we woke up early, looked at the waves, and went back to sleep. Hours later we checked again, weren't impressed with what we saw, shrugged our shoulders and went in anyways. Definitely the right decision. It was a great session. Could have been a little bit bigger but fun small sized sets about waist high and occasionally bigger. Crowded but I managed to catch wave after wave after wave after wave after wave. It was just what my soul needed. After three hours or so we made our way back to the hostel, checked out, packed up and drove back to London.
That is, for obvious reasons, the week that stands out the most to me in April. I was thrilled by how quickly the TFL (transport for London) was able to get me my replacement Oyster card (next day!). I was not surprised by how difficult it was for Lloyd's to help me through losing my debit cards. This included one girl who told me the copy of my passport wasn't good enough for ID even though it had already been accepted as enough before and I literally no other form of ID because my Driver's License was also stolen with my purse. I had a fantastic time with the American Embassy getting my new passport. And I don't even mean that sarcastically. I was really worried because all I had was my copy of my old passport and no other form of legitimate ID. I brought all sorts of paperwork and other non-goverment ID but each was rejected. And they still gave me a passport! Well, they ordered one for me. They also tried really really hard to dissuade me from ordering a passport card because they aren't good for anything, but I wanted a form of ID to carry that wasn't my actual passport since I no longer had my Driver's license. My passport arrived fresh and shiny about two weeks later. Things got a little messy then. My student visa was in my lost passport. Technically, according to the regulations, if I had more than 4 or 8 weeks (don't remember which) of validity left on the visa I didn't have to replace it. My visa was good until 31 January 2013 so I was supposed to replace it. But that was going to cost at least $400, $1200 if I did it in one day at an in-person appointment, which I obviously could not afford. But if I sent it in, it might take so long to process that I wouldn't have it back before I intended to leave the country to return to America in August. I called the UK Border Agency and asked for advice. They told me that I should definitely not send it in if I was going to leave in August because I might not get it back in time. I asked about leaving the country, would they let me back in? Of course they would! Not a problem! I could even just come in as a tourist visa which was 90 days. Should I bring my copy of the visa? Sure, couldn't hurt. It seemed too good to be true but who else could I ask besides the border agency? I put the issue aside and concentrated on other things.
On April 18 I was surprised to find myself promoted to Blue Belt at the gym. It was something I had been working towards for 3 years off and on. It was a big deal. I didn't feel ready. It felt like now that I had it, I had better work harder to make sure people thought I deserved it. It also meant that I started to lead a lot of the warm ups for the classes, which is frankly, exhausting, pushing myself extra hard to make sure that even the people more fit than I am felt it was adequate prep for the class.
Finally, my last little piece of April, I honestly don't even remember what month this happened in, so I'm sticking it in here. I very very briefly worked in Camden market. I have a friend from the gym that offered to get me in touch with her boss. We tried and tried to get in touch but then I left to go travel in April and we didn't get chance to meet until I got back. He offered me the job because I spoke English as a first language. I would be selling tzochkes like those glass bottles softened and then pressed down and turned into clocks and plates etc. I trained for a couple of hours a couple of days then one weekend was put in charge of one of the smaller stalls. It was great for people watching, Camden is full of fascinating people, and I loved the feeling when I sold something, but the interminable wait between people willing to buy was crushing. I think I worked two days total, enough to pay off my new camera, and then I texted Bilal, the boss, asking if he wanted me that weekend, and he said it wouldn't be busy enough because of the predicted rain. I figured he had my number if he wanted me to work in the future and left it at that.
At some point I my camera arrived, and Valerie had a flat-warming party at her new place in Islington (which I had already been to for the Passover dinner, it is gorgeous). For some reason I took zero pictures there? I got there late. There was a donut cake. That's really all I remember. Marissa and Daniel and I left from there to Camden to hear a friend play at a bar. We took the overground, my first time riding it! Remembering that I had my camera I took a lot of pictures during the ride.
We went and listened to a friend play electronic music at a vegan restaurant in Camden that becomes a small club at night. It wasn't my type of music but we danced for a while before heading home.
Then I went wild with my new camera, these are the last pictures I have from the month.
But let's focus on the highlights. The first weekend that I was back in town was Passover. It was also a long bank holiday (Monday and Tuesday off with the extra day to mark the Jubilee). Most importantly it was the weekend of the Bore. The Severn river estuary is such that the water is funnelled into an increasingly narrow channel as the tide rises, thus forming the large wave. Certain months the tide is large enough that the wave is rideable. I got an e-mail from Rob, a Welsh man I had been surfing with before mentioning he was going up to ride the Bore. I jumped at the chance, but didn't have the right kind of board, I needed a long board. I was in luck, Rob had an extra! We drove up first to Porthcawl to see what the surf was like at the beach. It was messy messy choppy windswell. I got in despite the conditions because I needed to familiarize myself with the surfboard I would be using the next day. I hadn't realized this before but you only get one chance every 12 hours to ride the Bore.The surge creates exactly one wave, if you miss it, or fall, that's it. With so much riding on one pop-up I was desperate that I do it right. I caught a few waves, enough to get my feet in the wax and then we were back in the car and driving back down to see the Bore go by in the dark so I could get a feel for what was coming the next day. On the way through Wales back to England we stopped briefly at a magnificent castle whose name I have since forgotten. Then it was down to a pub sitting along the Severn river. We got a drink and settled in to wait for the Bore to go past. We saw some kayakers getting in the water to try to catch the wave in the dark. We perched on the river wall, meters above the water, and I must admit I was pretty disappointed when the wave finally came by, it seemed pretty weak and none of the kayakers had managed to ride it much at all.
We decided to jump in the car and try to see the wave as it went past closer to where we were planning to ride it the next day. The bore doesn't move too fast so we had a chance. We drove to a small village, parked at the end of a lane and then marched off across a large field with just a couple of tiny flashlights, a map, and me in my flip flops. We got lost in the field when we came up against an impenetrable hedge, eventually we found a crossing and then finally the river itself. We stood in the dark and waited. And waited. And waited. And then we heard it. A rushing sound, like traffic in the distance, then a train coming towards us. And then it was there! I can't even describe it, the wave was so much larger than it had been when the river was wider, at least a meter tall or more, it ground past us and left a swirling mess in its wake as the water level rose by 5 feet or so all at once. It was terrifying and exhilarating.
We drove to Rob's sister's house nearby and discussed strategy. I was not looking forward to hiking across that field in the morning carrying a longboard and we weren't sure about the parking. Instead we decided that we would jump in the river at Over bridge and then "float downstream" until we got to the takeoff point we had been at that night and then wait for the bore wave to come for us which would hopefully then sweep us back to the car. In the morning we woke and drove to Over, parked the car and met up with Rob's friend. We suited up, grabbed the boards and walked down to the bridge. Then under the bridge, hopped a fence and slithered into the water. Literally, I've never been anywhere so muddy. I saw Rob fall into the water and stopped feet from where he had gone down when I was standing still I felt my legs go out from under me and then since I was already on my bum I just scooted down into the water. It turns out that the river current wasn't moving fast enough so the "floating downstream" I had signed up for became a mile long paddle down a river, which is not nearly as buoyant as the ocean, in the drizzling rain, with the river water splashing in my face every stroke. It was pretttty miserable and I just wasn't in shape enough to keep up with the two guys. Eventually Rob and I found the place we were planning to take off from, his friend Paul had disappeared in the distance. We grabbed onto branches hanging by the side of the river and anchored ourselves, him downstream from me a bit so we both had a chance to make it on. Then we sat. This is when it got COLD. I was excited and anxious and there was nothing to do but wait. Finally finally we heard it coming, that train rushing sound. It was incredible, I saw the wave coming around the bend, seeming to move both faster and slower than I expected. Inexorable was the best way to describe it. There were a couple of people already up and riding on it on the other side of the river and the wave was about chest high. I saw Rob start paddling and jump up. Then it was my turn I put my head down and paddled my heart out. I couldn't have come this far to miss it. I paddled and pulled and paddled and I felt my board rise under me. I took a deep breath, put my hands down and popped up. And just like that! I was riding it! I was riding a tidal wave!!!!! I was afraid to breathe and mess anything up, I inched myself closer to the nose to set the edge in and just watched in fascination as the river unrolled beneath me like a carpet. It was incredible. I spared a quick smile at Rob and a shakas to let him know how stoked I was. We rode for maybe half a mile or so when I felt the board begin to lose steam and I saw Rob go over the back. I made it another hundred yards or so before the same happened to me. There was no sign of his friend Paul. The river was rushing upstream so fast we didn't have to repeat the strenuous paddle of this morning, instead we just stayed on our boards as we were pulled back to the bridge at Over. This time we had a chance to wave and cheer with the people lining the banks to watch as the Bore went past. We were also overtaken by a man with a surfboard being taken by motorboat to catch the wave again further up.
We were able to pretty easily swing ourselves out of the water at the bridge and then we climbed back up to the car and got changed. Eventually Paul caught up with us, he was gutted that he had missed the wave. Rob and I were on an amazing high from our ride. It was probably not the greeting Paul was hoping for. We packed up the car, had lunch with Rob's sister and then motored back to London, grinning all the way.
Later that week Valerie hosted a delicious Passover dinner for everyone and afterwards some of us, Daniel, Syed, Sarah, her husband and her friends from Canada went out to Bookclub. That night I left my purse on the bus when it terminated at London Bridge, something I realized as the doors closed and the bus pulled away. I figured since it had terminated there was no chance that my purse wouldn't be found. Unfortunately I was wrong and it was stolen with my wallet and my camera inside. I was devastated. The next day I dealt with the repercussions, ordering new debit cards, oyster card, ordering a new camera and reporting the purse stolen. And then, when I realized I would need ID to withdraw money from the bank until my debit cards came, I realized that in the past week since I had entered the country my passport had disappeared. This was the last straw. I reported it stolen, (awesome conversation with the police: "I think I lost my passport I was wondering if it was reported as found or turned in?" "If it was we would have destroyed it immediately, that is the policy because it is literally the most important document a person could own we assume you noticed it missing and have replaced it right away" "Thanks for rubbing it in.") took out some cash and went to the beach. I jumped into a car with some London Surf Club people and off we went to Croyde so I could surf my troubles away. On the way down the passengers shared beers (apparently that is legal here?!) and when we finally got to Croyde we bedded down in Baggy's new beach hostel. A brand new, beautiful, hostel designed specifically for surfers. There are outside showers, doors that lead directly to the inside showers, heated towel racks, free hot chocolate. It was fantastic. The first morning we had a great session, the waves were waist to shoulder high, the paddle out was painless, the wind was non-existent and I had Simon's mini-mal to make the most of them. That afternoon I rented a long-board from the hostel and we went and chased ripples at another break. There were barely any ripples to catch. It was pathetic but in the water is always better than out. That night we had drinks at the pub down in the village and then played card games when we came back. The next morning we woke up early, looked at the waves, and went back to sleep. Hours later we checked again, weren't impressed with what we saw, shrugged our shoulders and went in anyways. Definitely the right decision. It was a great session. Could have been a little bit bigger but fun small sized sets about waist high and occasionally bigger. Crowded but I managed to catch wave after wave after wave after wave after wave. It was just what my soul needed. After three hours or so we made our way back to the hostel, checked out, packed up and drove back to London.
That is, for obvious reasons, the week that stands out the most to me in April. I was thrilled by how quickly the TFL (transport for London) was able to get me my replacement Oyster card (next day!). I was not surprised by how difficult it was for Lloyd's to help me through losing my debit cards. This included one girl who told me the copy of my passport wasn't good enough for ID even though it had already been accepted as enough before and I literally no other form of ID because my Driver's License was also stolen with my purse. I had a fantastic time with the American Embassy getting my new passport. And I don't even mean that sarcastically. I was really worried because all I had was my copy of my old passport and no other form of legitimate ID. I brought all sorts of paperwork and other non-goverment ID but each was rejected. And they still gave me a passport! Well, they ordered one for me. They also tried really really hard to dissuade me from ordering a passport card because they aren't good for anything, but I wanted a form of ID to carry that wasn't my actual passport since I no longer had my Driver's license. My passport arrived fresh and shiny about two weeks later. Things got a little messy then. My student visa was in my lost passport. Technically, according to the regulations, if I had more than 4 or 8 weeks (don't remember which) of validity left on the visa I didn't have to replace it. My visa was good until 31 January 2013 so I was supposed to replace it. But that was going to cost at least $400, $1200 if I did it in one day at an in-person appointment, which I obviously could not afford. But if I sent it in, it might take so long to process that I wouldn't have it back before I intended to leave the country to return to America in August. I called the UK Border Agency and asked for advice. They told me that I should definitely not send it in if I was going to leave in August because I might not get it back in time. I asked about leaving the country, would they let me back in? Of course they would! Not a problem! I could even just come in as a tourist visa which was 90 days. Should I bring my copy of the visa? Sure, couldn't hurt. It seemed too good to be true but who else could I ask besides the border agency? I put the issue aside and concentrated on other things.
On April 18 I was surprised to find myself promoted to Blue Belt at the gym. It was something I had been working towards for 3 years off and on. It was a big deal. I didn't feel ready. It felt like now that I had it, I had better work harder to make sure people thought I deserved it. It also meant that I started to lead a lot of the warm ups for the classes, which is frankly, exhausting, pushing myself extra hard to make sure that even the people more fit than I am felt it was adequate prep for the class.
Finally, my last little piece of April, I honestly don't even remember what month this happened in, so I'm sticking it in here. I very very briefly worked in Camden market. I have a friend from the gym that offered to get me in touch with her boss. We tried and tried to get in touch but then I left to go travel in April and we didn't get chance to meet until I got back. He offered me the job because I spoke English as a first language. I would be selling tzochkes like those glass bottles softened and then pressed down and turned into clocks and plates etc. I trained for a couple of hours a couple of days then one weekend was put in charge of one of the smaller stalls. It was great for people watching, Camden is full of fascinating people, and I loved the feeling when I sold something, but the interminable wait between people willing to buy was crushing. I think I worked two days total, enough to pay off my new camera, and then I texted Bilal, the boss, asking if he wanted me that weekend, and he said it wouldn't be busy enough because of the predicted rain. I figured he had my number if he wanted me to work in the future and left it at that.
At some point I my camera arrived, and Valerie had a flat-warming party at her new place in Islington (which I had already been to for the Passover dinner, it is gorgeous). For some reason I took zero pictures there? I got there late. There was a donut cake. That's really all I remember. Marissa and Daniel and I left from there to Camden to hear a friend play at a bar. We took the overground, my first time riding it! Remembering that I had my camera I took a lot of pictures during the ride.
Then I went wild with my new camera, these are the last pictures I have from the month.
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