Boarding School

Thirsty for culture, Sharon McKinley heads to the sun-drenched shores of Lanzarote in a de attempt to learn surfing and Spanish simultaneously. Photography by James Bedford

It’s 9.30am and I’m doing yoga on Famara Beach in Lanzarote. Seb Hugon, my surfing instructor for the week, insists on an arduous routine of stretching and limbering up before we hit the water.

I manoeuvre myself into a downward dog and look back through my legs at an upside-down view of the island’s perfect coastline. “Yoga for life,” exclaims Seb, as we take deep breaths of salty sea air. “We must prepare the body before we surf, so when we fall we won’t get injured.” Great, I think, I’m preparing to fall in before I’ve even got my feet wet.

Stretching over, Seb explains the class rules. “Number one, you must keep your surfboard by your side.” Apparently, women have a habit of frantically fixing their post-wipeout hair while their board drifts off into the path of other surfers. “Number two, you must stay in the area of surf directly in front of me at all times. Number three, never fall headfirst off your board, you never know how shallow the water is.” Again, I’m nervous about the fact that we’re talking about the consequences of falling off the surfboard before I’ve even set foot on it.

“The smaller the board, the better the surfer,” Seb tells me as he unloads mine from his van. It’s huge, about the size of a big door. Apparently, this means it’s more buoyant, extra stable and will be easier for me to learn to stand on. If it were a bike it would have stabilisers.

My lesson begins with how to catch a wave lying flat on the board. This is pretty easy on a beach like Famara, which has great surfing conditions all year round. Lanzarote itself is a genuine wave machine, enjoying North Atlantic swells and fine weather 12 months of the year. Lying on my stomach, I paddle my surfboard in the same direction as the wave until I feel it accelerate. Then I put my hands flat on the board on either side of my hips in what Seb calls “tiger position”, and enjoy the ride back into shore.

Once I’ve mastered that, Seb wastes no time getting me on my feet. With more than 20 years’ surfing experience, if anyone can get me up on this board it’s him. We learn the choreography on the beach before we take it to the waves. Standing, or “take off ” as it’s known in surfing-speak, involves getting up on all fours, putting one foot forward between your hands, then jumping up onto your feet, turning to the side and squatting low. Sounds easy. And it is – on sand.

Back in the water an hour later, and still I haven’t managed to execute a successful take off. Not only that, but my board has thrown me off more times than I can remember. It adds insult to injury by knocking me on the head as I come up gasping for air. Traitor!

Seb hauls me out of the water for a pep talk. He seems to think I have control issues with my board. “Who is controlling this board?” he asks sternly. “The waves?” I venture. Wrong. Apparently, I am.

Back in the water my attempts to wrestle my board into submission prove futile and, exhausted but exhilarated, we head back to Costa Teguise. For today, at least, the surfboard has won – but I vow to learn how to control it by the end of the week. Seb assures me that, with a little practice, I’ll be riding waves in no time. And he might even take the stabilisers off and give me a proper board.

Back in Costa Teguise and I’m meeting my Spanish teacher, Marcela Zarza, in a local tapas bar for my first lesson. I’m having a couple of hours’ private tuition to get me up to speed with my fellow students, who I will be joining in class for the rest of the week. Marcela has taught more than 5,000 students from all around the world, and her ethos is simple: to learn Spanish you need to speak it at every opportunity.

Marcela is going to have her work cut out, because I don’t speak any Spanish. Not a single word. So she starts by teaching me how to ask what something is in Spanish: “¿Cómo se dice ___ en Español?” This will be my conversation crutch over the coming week.

Over the next few days, Marcela mixes the technicalities of Spanish verbs with practical phrases such as ordering coffee, asking for directions and greeting people. Classroom lessons are combined with optional outings to nearby bodegas for wine tasting, as well as to the Sunday market in the town of Teguise and the cinema in Arrecife.

“Watching Spanish films will help your pronunciation – it doesn’t really matter how much you understand. It’s also a good way to get used to lip-reading Spanish, which can help you follow conversations more easily,” she says. On outings with the school, Marcela insists that everything is done in Spanish, from ordering popcorn (“palomitas por favor”) to asking for the bill (“la cuenta”).

Lessons are between two and three hours long and can be private or classroom-based. Marcela recommends taking two hours of Spanish a day when doing lessons alongside an activity such as surfing. A timetable to suit your energy levels can be worked out in advance.

The great thing about learning in a Spanish-speaking environment is that I’m never short of an opportunity to demonstrate my new skills. “You need to lose your inhibitions,” Marcela tells me. “Don’t be afraid to try – the only way to learn Spanish is to speak it.” I find myself ordering coffee I don’t want, requesting the bill instead of paying at the counter, and asking where the toilet is when I don’t actually have to go. Well, practice makes perfect.

I’m getting such a kick out of using my phrases that I actually start to believe I know what I’m doing. Pride does indeed come before a fall though, as I order a glass of water – “Agua sin gas por favor” – then accidentally proposition the waiter. Apparently, the direct translation of “I’m hot” into Spanish means an entirely different kind of hot. I’m not sure that’s what Marcela meant when she told me to lose my inhibitions. Perhaps a few more lessons will be required.

SURF SPEAK

Surfista = Surfer
Una tabla = Surfb oard
La playa = The beach
La ola = Wave
La marea = The tide
Costa = The Coast
Una caída espectacular = Wipeout
El tubo = The tube (part of a wave you ride)
El invento = The leash (the length of cord that attaches the surfb oard to your ankle)
El traje = Wetsuit
La parafina = Surf wax

HOW TO DO IT

Thrillseekers: For surf lessons contact Sebastien Hugon at VolcanoSurf Lanzarote, tel: +34 928 592 226, www.volcanosurflanzarote.com. One week of surfing lessons, Monday to Friday, costs €235 for adults and €205 for children.

Skillseekers: For Spanish lessons contact Marcela Zarza at Academia de Español, tel: +34 928 591 307/+34 659 583 505, www.academia-lanzarote.com. One week of Spanish lessons, Monday to Friday for two hours a day, costs €130. Lessons can also be booked on a private and hourly basis and package deals are available. If you want to do surfing and Spanish, contact Marcela who can arrange the lessons plus a timetable to suit. Group discounts may apply.