Greater Meaning
4/29/2008 0 Comments
Will Tant is a professional surfer and model who lives in New York City. He wrote this account of Dia de Luz 2008 for Surfline.
Some of my favorite lifetime memories came thanks to surfing. I can still recall the excitement of my first surfboard, my first trip to the North Shore, and my first boat trip in Indonesia. Now, our recent sojourn to Nicaragua will always be with me.
Cheyne Cottrell, Nathan Carroll and I spent a week searching for surf spots in this secluded land that, at first, we believed were just rumors. What we found on land and in the water surpassed all our expectations.
Offshore winds combined with virtually flawless swell lines and empty lineups to garner up "dream trip" status in all of our minds. Nathan easily conformed his surfing to every wave, once uttering, "this is one of the top three beach break sessions of my life." Cheyne approached the waves as he does life, with a grom-like enthusiasm and boldness. We found ourselves continually expressing our disbelief that we were the only ones surfing these amazing conditions.
But unlike the few who had walked this path before us, ours was not your typical surf trip. We found it difficult to search for perfect waves the entire time, knowing that there is something more important simultaneously taking place just inland of our memorable surfs.
There is a community of Nicaraguans who spend every day searching through trash to survive. They make their home in the Managua landfill, where mountains of burning waste pollute the air they breathe. Children and parents scour through the remnants of disposed goods, searching for something they can recycle for money, but often settling for cardboard to improve their homes or barely edible food to fill their stomachs. If they are fortunate enough, the children attend school within the landfill. Tragically though, many find themselves involved in drugs or prostitution instead.
As a reprieve from their harsh daily life, folk musician Braddigan along with his organization Love, Light and Melody orchestrated "Day of Light" for these families. For the second year, this unique humanitarian event drew hundreds of college students, artists, musicians and athletes together with the community for a day filled with joy and music. We helped to search for items of value in the trash, played soccer and flew kites with the children, and then hoisted them on our shoulders to hear Braddigan perform a full concert at the end of the day. While raising awareness of this heartbreaking situation, we left the day changed by the love and kindness of the Nicaraguans.
Though I will not forget the incredible surf of Nicaragua, my greatest memories were made during this "Day of Light." As I continue to travel the world surfing, I will forever remember the impact of the children who rarely have the opportunity to travel outside of the dump. They're the real reason I will return to this country time and again.
Some of my favorite lifetime memories came thanks to surfing. I can still recall the excitement of my first surfboard, my first trip to the North Shore, and my first boat trip in Indonesia. Now, our recent sojourn to Nicaragua will always be with me.
Cheyne Cottrell, Nathan Carroll and I spent a week searching for surf spots in this secluded land that, at first, we believed were just rumors. What we found on land and in the water surpassed all our expectations. Offshore winds combined with virtually flawless swell lines and empty lineups to garner up "dream trip" status in all of our minds. Nathan easily conformed his surfing to every wave, once uttering, "this is one of the top three beach break sessions of my life." Cheyne approached the waves as he does life, with a grom-like enthusiasm and boldness. We found ourselves continually expressing our disbelief that we were the only ones surfing these amazing conditions.
But unlike the few who had walked this path before us, ours was not your typical surf trip. We found it difficult to search for perfect waves the entire time, knowing that there is something more important simultaneously taking place just inland of our memorable surfs.
There is a community of Nicaraguans who spend every day searching through trash to survive. They make their home in the Managua landfill, where mountains of burning waste pollute the air they breathe. Children and parents scour through the remnants of disposed goods, searching for something they can recycle for money, but often settling for cardboard to improve their homes or barely edible food to fill their stomachs. If they are fortunate enough, the children attend school within the landfill. Tragically though, many find themselves involved in drugs or prostitution instead.
As a reprieve from their harsh daily life, folk musician Braddigan along with his organization Love, Light and Melody orchestrated "Day of Light" for these families. For the second year, this unique humanitarian event drew hundreds of college students, artists, musicians and athletes together with the community for a day filled with joy and music. We helped to search for items of value in the trash, played soccer and flew kites with the children, and then hoisted them on our shoulders to hear Braddigan perform a full concert at the end of the day. While raising awareness of this heartbreaking situation, we left the day changed by the love and kindness of the Nicaraguans. Though I will not forget the incredible surf of Nicaragua, my greatest memories were made during this "Day of Light." As I continue to travel the world surfing, I will forever remember the impact of the children who rarely have the opportunity to travel outside of the dump. They're the real reason I will return to this country time and again.
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