A Frightening Experience

Submitted By charliefabian
Words: 1024
Pages: 5
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Charlie Fabian
Prof. Hubble
Eng B50/10:30
September 6, 2013 Learning Can Be Frightening Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the toughest things I have ever accomplished was learning how to surf. Because of sharks, I had a fear to get in the water, but I believed this new skill would help me get over the fear of the ocean. It would also help me impress my friends and not make them believe i'm a coward. It was eight thirty in a hot summer morning and I called Alfonso, a tall, clumsy, and skinny friend of mine. I told him if we were still headed to the beach and replied, “yeah man, just let me get ready and ill head to your house.” The day before, my friends and I were talking about going to the beach and hanging out. They also mentioned surfing, which in my mind I was not going to try. My friend came, I could hear his old rusty car from my room. I walked ungainly to his car, I was still somewhat tired. I glanced at the back seat and saw my two other friends (Alexandra and Enrique). I also saw the surf boards tied on the rooftop of his car, my heart start beating rapidly, at that moment I knew we were actually going to surf. We greeted each other and we were off. As we arrived to Huntington beach, I could smell the the saltness and freshness of the ocean. It was a bright sunny day as we expected. My friend Alfonso was untangling the surfboards from his roof, and my other friends were taking a view of the beach from a far. I walked towards Alfonso and asked him if he really wanted to surf, he said, “Heck yeah man! I haven't surfed in the longest!” I helped him get the boards off and in my mind I was thinking that maybe I should have stayed home. We got the jammed seats out of the trunk and headed calmly to the shore. It was still early in the morning and we were all hungry, so we headed toward a small food shack, it looked like it was an abandoned house, but it was near our spot. The food smelled amazing (don't judge a book by it's cover I thought) but it didn't get the thought of surfing out of my mind. As I was playing with my shrimp and poking them with my fork, my friend Enrique, also a skinny and clumsy friend, blurted out, “Do you think the waves will be at our favor today?” I didn't even know what he meant by that. My friend Alfonso replied, “I think so, every time I come the waves are pretty high.” My tummy gave me a strange feeling, I didn't know why this was so hard for me. Sharks were my first concern, however, I also heard of rip currents, currents that pull people away from shore. We finished eating and walked leisurely to the beach. We finally arrived to the beach and my two friends didn't bother to waste time and went to grab their boards, however my friend Alexandra (a beautiful, funny, and athletic girl) stayed with me. I told her I did not want to surf and told her my problem. She told me, “don't be afraid, you got to face your fear some day.” She grabbed her board and ran off. I sat their thinking, digging my feet in the sand, “Damn shes hot.” I laughed a little bit because first of all I didn't even know how to surf, moreoverI told my friends I did so I wouldn't be the only one who didn't know how to surf and ruin it for them. I sat there, observing my friends cruising, jaunting the waves. I saw them stumble and get wiped out by the waves, looked as if they
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