Today I went skydiving, and it was amazing! They made us fill out a bunch of paperwork and sign our lives away. Elisabeth was a little nervous, because she has some issues with height, so we decided to get her to jump first, so there would be no time for hesitation. Our instructors were awesome, so friendly, and Elisabeth's kept making cracks about us dying on the way down. Ha?
We got in the bus to the airport, and when we got there, both Elisabeth and I tried to get out of our seats without undoing or seatbelt. Safe to say, our minds were probably elsewhere. Once in, we all started making fun of the pilot, which is probably not the smartest thing to do. Elisabeth was really happy when I pointed out all the duct tape 'holding' the plane together.
Usually you are only in the air for about 10 minutes, but we had to circle around for about 30 minutes because planes kept flying underneath us, and apparently you aren't supposed to free fall past other planes; freaks them out a bit. It was an awkward 30 minutes since I was all strapped up to my dive instructor. We had to keep shifting around to sit comfortably, which meant I was sitting on his lap for about half the time.
Once we got the go ahead, Elizabeth and Steve moved into position. Her scream when she jumped was epic, and got me really excited to go! Then it was time for Muttely and I to take the plunge. With one last parting insult to Nick the pilot (your driving's crap, mate!) we were out the door and free falling.
The free fall lasted about 45 seconds, and included some funny faces at the camera, then he pulled the parachute and we drifted slowly for about 5 minutes. During this time we watched Elisabeth fall, Muttely pointed out the scenery to me, I drove the chute for a bit, and we talked about how Muttely dropped our of business school to be a parachute instructor. Sorry, Mom and Dad, maybe I'll do that instead!
We came in quick on the X and were able to do a standing landing, which was rad because then I didn't have to land on my butt.
The experience was exhilarating, exciting, and completely fantastic! I am so happy to check that off my bucket list! Plus, it was a great way to bond with my roomie Elisabeth
Besides throwing myself from planes, things have been busy adjusting to live here in the village. I've met a multitude of people from all around the world, including (but not limited to): Iceland, Paris, South Carolina, Australia (duh), Norway, Denmark, South Africa, and so on. I have yet to meet a person I haven't liked, everyone here is so happy. We'll see if that lasts once the exams roll in.
My days have been spent finding my way around campus, going to orientation sessions, searching out the local banks, supermarkets, restaurants, looking for a job, prepping for school, and meeting as many people as I possibly can. I've been to the beach a few times, into Surfer's Paradise with the Village on Tuesdays, because they have a bus that takes us there and back that night, and had a few movie nights in, because Elisabeth is a master movie downloader. I am having a great time, and I hope that everyone back home is having just as good a time as I am! If not, you should get here ASAP, because its great!
All my roommates have moved in now. I've got 2 roommates from Sydney (originally India), one from South Carolina, and Elisabeth from Iceland. And, since Elisabeth and I are the only girls, we get our own bathroom! Fantastic.
Real life starts on Monday, so I am going to spend tonight (Saturday) with a few of friends I've met here, before I have a 10 am wake up call tomorrow to have another Skype session with the whole family, Grandparents included this time.
Once I get into school I am still going to try to keep busy exploring this new city around me. The Hinterlands were amazing from that one tour I've done, and I've had a couple people express an interest in going back to Springbrook Park to do the 4 hour hike that takes you behind a waterfall. I will let you all know when I do anything exciting, until then, no worries!
Here is a link to some of the skydiving photos.
Where's my video??
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an awesome adventure! Way to get out there, explore and try new things! You're an inspiration!
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