Salt in the wind

I spent my childhood in Idaho, so I never really had the chance to visit the ocean. I grew up surrounded by mountains, dirt always beneath my fingernails, and the smell of pine and fir trees always takes me back to some of my fondest memories of camping. However, I am now living on an island for a year, and for the first time in my life I am surrounded by the ocean.
Once again, I have fallen in love.

I love the smell of salt on the wind, the cool breeze that comes off of the water, the feel of wet sand between my toes. Last weekend I spent an entire day exploring the coast of Tamsui and wandering the Qianshuiwan beach with a few other exchange students, and I discovered this new love of mine.
The ocean is terrifying. It is big, and deep, and so much of it is still unknown. Yet, as I look out into the waves, listening to them as they crash against the shore, I am filled with an intense feeling of calm and serenity. I dig my toes deeper into the sand, close my eyes, and I can let my stress be pulled out with the waves.
Oh, I still miss the mountains with their sturdy trees and the murmur of wildlife everywhere you go, but here in Taiwan I have found my safe haven in the salty air and wet sand of her beautiful beaches.