Under Bali’s blue sky, the waves came one by one, as if lining up to test my courage.

I walked into the ocean with confidence, surfboard in hand, looking like a professional surfer. But inside… I was a little nervous.

My instructor shouted from behind,
“Paddle! Paddle! Now stand up!”

I tried to stand up with full enthusiasm…
and plung! I fell straight into the water.

Seawater went into my nose, my hair was a mess, and my board slid somewhere far away. From the beach I could hear my friends laughing, and I couldn’t help but laugh too while wiping my face.

The next wave came again.
I tried again… and fell again.

My instructor just laughed and said,
“Relax, in surfing falling isn’t failure… it’s part of the package!”

Finally, after falling so many times, I managed to stand on the board for a moment. Not long—maybe just a few seconds—but it felt like winning a world competition.

Under Bali’s blue sky, I learned one thing:
sometimes the waves knock us down… but that’s exactly where the fun is. ☀️🏄‍♂️