My First-Time check out list - Ice Skating

A year experience in a foreign country is something remarkable in one’s life. Learning the language, trying new food and finding different ways to do similar things are just some of the points about being abroad.

When you go from a tropical in-development country to a developed tempered country like America you find additional differences, which give you many first-time experiences.

There is no snow in Brazil. All the American Christmas movies that we watch there don’t really represent the weather we’re facing. Christmas in Brazil has no snow, holiday cookies or Rockefeller Center sparkly Christmas tree. Also we don’t usually go ice skating in December since it’s around 95 degrees outside.

One of the things in my first-time experience list accomplished here in America is ice skating. I used to roller blade when I was a kid, but the rough asphalt is nothing like a slippery ice rink. But it did help.

The rink chosen was Wollman Rink at Central Park. The month was November (It wouldn’t be that exciting to go straight to the Rockefeller rink as tree was not there yet). It was funny to put the skates on and look like a penguin walking with them on the rubber mat. You get used after a while.

Stepping on the ice rink for the fist time is scary. The first steps are unsteady. You feel like falling at every move. A little girl gave me my fist lesson.

“Is it your first time?” she asked, as if it was not obvious. “When you feel like falling, open your arms.”

And that’s why I spent most of the time with the arms opened, looking like a plane ready to take off.

When I finally felt more confident and was trying to keep the rhythm of my moves I tried to go a little faster - not a very wise idea. You can bump into inexperienced people like yourself or try to make a turn, lose your balance and fall flat on your butt, like I did.

Although I looked ridiculous most of the time and felt humiliated by a girl who appeared to be 4 years old and ice skated better than she could walk, ice skating was a lot of fun! I loved it so much that I’m planning on doing it again, at the Rockefeller Center this time, as the Christmas tree is there. Maybe by the end of the winter I’ll be good enough to make it without freezing my butt out in the icy floor.