Ruhika, Week 14 - I Stand in California With My Toes In the Sand

I hate bugs, dirt, and sand. Bugs are horrifying; I know they are a couple millimeters to a few centimeters big, meanwhile I am many centimeters big. However, their exoskeletons and buzzy noises scare me. I don’t mind the dirt directly, but I hate getting dirty. I don’t like the grime under my nails, and the powdery wet feeling enveloping your body when you trip and fall. I hate sand. It gets in every nook and cranny of your body and feels like for weeks sand is coming out of all of your belongings.

And yet, I still love the beach.

Some of my best memories live with me in the water, floating as if I'm weightless in the rush of a wave pulling me forward. Last summer when I was at UCSD for a program, I spent the entire day at the beach with my friends, swimming out farther and farther until my feet were no longer touching the sandy ocean floor. It was both terrifying as I was in so deep, but at the same time I felt exhilarated. The deeper I went in, more land disappeared and less shore was visible, leaving me suspended in an endless blue. 

That was the day I also saw the stingrays. At first, I froze. No longer moving forward, I stayed in place in the water. They glided right next to me; they're flat bodies cutting through the water.  I'd never been close to something that could have hurt me— I only ever saw them in an aquarium.  Despite my fear,  I was in awe to see nature up close. A split second later, I remembered what we were told to do in the situation of stingrays, and I waded my feet, which scared the stingray away. After they left, I continued to press forward into the ocean. No matter how far in I went, the stingrays were a reminder that I could only ever be in the water temporarily. Eventually, I  need to get out of the water, and once I am, I'm no longer floating.

 I still hate the sand. But the beach is the most relaxed I’ll ever feel. 

 

A picture from my beach trip in La Jolla 

Comments

  1. RitishaApril 7, 2025 at 8:03 PM

    Hi Ruhika,
    Upon reading the title of your blog I noticed how it reminded me of that one song called “California Girls” that's what compelled me to start reading. Just like you, I am also immensely terrified of bugs, if I see a spider no matter the size my first instinct is to scream for my dad so he can kill it. If I see anything else no matter how “small” or “big” I run away. Bugs are absolutely terrifying. And also just like you I love the beach! Your program sounds like it was so much fun! I also think your close encounter with the stingrays is beautiful, personally I’ve only ever been close to harmless fish in the ocean but nothing like that! I can only imagine the panic that set in during that moment. But you handled it so well! Thank you for sharing this blog with us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yumi LiuApril 7, 2025 at 10:43 PM

    Hi Ruhika! Is your title supposed to be a reference towards the song “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood? I found your blog to be so relatable. I love the vibe of the beach, the relaxation, and the overall connection with nature. However, I hate how sand manages to get into every crevice of your body. I also find the moment where you are trying to leave the beach, and put on socks and shoes. It's an awkward and difficult moment. I have to try my best to wash off as much sand as possible in the water and in the split milliseconds before sand sticks to me again, I have to put on shoes. I never swam in the beach but I love the feeling of standing around where the tide comes up and rescinds. The way the sand slowly moves away from the bottom of my feet is extremely relaxing and peaceful.

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  3. abdul_muhaiminApril 8, 2025 at 1:45 AM

    Hello Ruhika, I should preface this comment by telling the sad story of how close the first sentence blog is to me. I used to hold a deep disdain for bugs and small rodents, yet that did not last for long. Once upon a time, when I was in the wild I was drinking a sip from a bottle when suddenly an earwig crawled into my mouth and I had to try my best to spit it out. This led me to become free of the perils of fear of nature, reading your blog brought me a weird sense of amusement. I see a need for the beauty of nature while rejecting the true essence of its power, highlighting personal hilarity with a powerful muse of grace.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alexander NatividadApril 9, 2025 at 8:34 PM

    Hi Ruhika,
    I like how your introduction ended up being ironic in relation to the topic of your blog. I also like how you structured your blog by including a few negatives before changing subjects into the more positive parts of it. I am not a fan of these little critters either; they do not scare me, but they are just annoying to see and deal with. The only part I dislike about wading into the ocean waters from the sandy beachfront is the possibility of stepping on random seaweed or rocks when all I ever wanted was to swim ten feet from the coastline. Has this ever happened to you? Great blog!

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