Surf Senegal.

 
 

 

Once upon a time I lived on an Island off the coast of Senegal. I had a dog called Bob Marley who belonged to no one and everyone. We'd get up and practice yoga on the cliffs before heading for a morning surf. He'd jump in the water and swim alongside me and was one of the many reasons why I dream about getting a dog of my very own and surfing everyday. I was in a bikini always and bare foot most of the time, I got to live with amazing surfers from all over the world and expats with all their interesting life stories. I surfed and partied with Senegalese surfers who made me see surfing not just as a hobby but a lifestyle, a lifestyle with African flare. 

I got to teach yoga everyday, to pro surfers, the beautiful ordinary people and maybe one famous singer... 
My life was a series of sunrises, hot days and gorgeous sunsets. I'd got to the Italian hotel on an evening to eat pudding and steal their wifi but most of the time I was at the beach loving every moment of it. I was poor, could barely speak the language and slept where I could be fitted in but I will never ever forget you Senegal. 

Until next time 
Stay strong, surf well 
Love

Roots.

Reggae is as much a part of Birmingham city (UK) as Birmingham city F.C is and even though I'm a white British girl I proudly hold onto the notion that Birmingham was one of the first cities to embrace reggae and help bring it into popular culture. This credit is obviously owed to the many Caribbean people who made the West Midlands their home and with it bought the unique sound of reggae, dance hall and bashment.
UB40, Steel Pulse, Musical Youth, Pato Banto, Apache Indian and Birmingham was the first place in England Bob Marley came on tour to...

I'm lucky that in the suburb of Handsworth I am able to live and breathe a multitude of different cultures and in this part of town Jamaica can be found in the newsagents, the beauty parlors and in the record shops dotted about the place. Suddenly, knowing that I'll be leaving soon I am filled with sadness- Ironic isn't it. I've spent the best part of two years moaning about being a land locked surfer and now ocean living is a mere few months away I am over come with sadness for going. 

Ever noticed how reggae and surfing seem to go together? Watch a surf documentary and guaranteed you'll hear some reggae music going on in the background. I think its because the unique reggae rhythm compliments the smooth laid back styles of the surfer catching a wave. 

When I was living in Ethiopia I got to know lots of Rastafarians and had the privilege of listening to some wonderful live reggae. Bob Marley's face is everywhere and its hard not to go a day without hearing one of his songs. When I was in Addis Ababa I was still healing, finding myself and figuring out how to proceed with my life. Its why I attribute such a lot to music for helping me (along with surfing of course) to be the happy, balanced person I am today. Regular readers will know Jack Johnson holds a special place in my heart for getting me back on even ground but it was with ceaseless listening to reggae, which helped me return back to myself. Bless reggae!

 




           



















Until next time, 

Stay strong and surf well 
Love

 

Captured Moments.

 

There's this video instillation in the museum which I'm temping at that's got me thinking. Its a film of a hand drawing on the back window of a car which is driving past greenery. Initially I sneered at it, in the 'I don't appreciate contemporary art' kind of way until I read the concept note. It was supposed to symbolize how we spend so much time trying to capture a moment that we stop actually experiencing it.  

I often catch myself wanting to take photographs or keep little tokens from an event (I have numerous scrap books from my youth filled with gig tickets and pieces of wrapping paper from presents I've loved)! Wanting to remember a moment isn't bad but being so preoccupied with capturing it that you forget to be there is. 

Working as a temp is proving to be a bit of a life lesson, it's teaching me to live in the moment as I never quite know where I'm going to be, when I'll be working or how much money I'll have. I'm still doing my refugee youth work but this is only a few hours at a time, so my weeks for the moment are very cut and paste. I'm beginning to find value in simple things, magpies on my walk to the train, reading a wildlife conservation book on the cramped commute, cups of tea after hours of standing and having Antonio surprise me at work, by popping in to say hi. Life is in the seemingly mundane moments, the little fragments of scene which make up the bigger picture. 

Time here is space. Space here is time.  

Funnily enough January is proving to be productive despite some set backs. I've applied to the masters course 'Global Wildlife Health and Conservation' at Bristol University which I'm crossing fingers and toes I get onto, I've taken up rock climbing again and I'm searching for full time jobs with a vengeance. Creativity is in surplus, I've got not one but two zines on the go and I'm feeling inspired all the time. To a spectator you could say within my that I'm treading water or stuck in limbo, but quite frankly I'm pretty darn happy! 

 

So this week (praying that the snow staves off by Saturday),

I'm going surfing near York!! I am so monumentally STOKED and excited that just mentioning it makes me shake in my boots for fear of jinxing it. I've reconnected with a University acquaintance, a fellow soul surfer who I think might be my surfing partner in crime. Isn't it wonderful the people who touch our lives? I think when you encounter passion in a person, someone who reflects your own hopes and ideals its important to keep hold of that kindred spirit, special people don't come along very often. 

Winter surfing in the UK...what could possibly go wrong? 

Today's Inspiration.