So, I failed to mention, that on Tuesday I walked with Laura after speech class into town in search of a chemist (pharmacy/drug store). I used up the last of my mouse and hairspray in Australia- you will be able to notice my lack of having mouse & hairspray when you see the chunk of pictures when my hair is either, thrown up in a hideous up-do, braided, or straightened. I also needed contact solution. I finished up my big bottle in Australia and had half the amount in my travel sized bottle left. Contact solution was 12.99.... for a 120mL bottle.. That bottle is tiny! Granted it's not the travel size, but it's still small. All together I dropped 30bucks on that stuff; not cool. I then continued on to buy a $20 fleece, but its really cute and warm, and it only cost $15 in US currency!
I woke up late this morning, threw on a long-sleeved tshirt, jeans, and tennis shoes, brushed my teeth, threw up my hair, grabbed my backpack and fleece and headed along my merry way... with Laura and Savanna. After class we had a break, and came back to the apartment, finished a little work I still hadn't finished, and went to our next class. Today was only a half-a-day of classes, so I only had the two classes; although chapel followed. Chapel was all good and well, and then Miss Pam walks in......
[In and English Accent] "Good Afternoon, Isn't it such a lovely day outside.............. for skydiving?"
No one quite caught this last bit until....
"Alright! The first group leaves at 120, and [name], [name], [name]........ are in the first group!"
Ok, what!? The noise in the classroom spikes with quiet questions and 'what in the worlds'. we are just starting to figure out what is going on.
"The second group will leave at 2:20 today and ............... is in the second group."
She then repeats the same for the third group. Everyones mouths were wide open. Even mine, even though I had not intended to go; this was the most amazing thing ever! Everyone going skydiving was supposed to go the following Sunday, but the weather looked awful so Ms. Pam sprang it on everyone, and said they were to go today! Most everyone was freakin out, it was hilarious, and just plain awesome all at the same time.
Well we filed back to our apartments, excited chatter lining the whole way, and I open my apartment door to five girls freakin out and saying how crazy it was to go skydiving. A few were terrified, and I was just so excited for them even though I wasn't going.... or so I thought. I was jumping around and talking about how stoked I would be when I am asked "are you going" by Michelle, I said no, because I hadn't planned on spending the money to go and I had already chosen to do a couple different activites that I would be spending money on. Well to skip all the details I was talked into going skydiving, and I was ECSTATIC! I was soooo excited, I began to email my Mom when she decided to Skype me, and then she wished she had't skyped me because I told her I was going skydiving, and she freaked out a little and got all worried like Moms do (Love you Mom!). I then waited the hour until we had to leave the apartment and walk down to the Skydiving place. We arrived at NZONE, paid for our "flight", filled out a paper, loaded onto one of their vans, and set out to their skydiving zone in the country. It was about a fifteen minute ride, and we arrived in what looked like farmland (with ginormous mountains surrounding us), with nice, red, barn-like buildings. (They didn't look exactly like barns- they were quite a bit nicer, but it had a country atmosphere). We got off the van and our instructor walked up to us, gave us a two minute debriefing, then we had twenty minutes to sit around, use the restroom, and relax before our group headed into the building to start getting suited up! Our of the ten of us, my group that would be on the plane and jumping with me included Rachel, Jordan, and Michelle. We were so excited!
After sitting around for a bit and talking to our friends that had already jumped we were more than ready when our instructor took us into the open building (airplane hanger?) and gave us all jumpsuits to put on. As we were waiting for our plane to land, we met our jumping instructors who put on our harnesses and gave us caps w/ goggles, and gloves. Our jumping instructors would be strapped to us when we... well.. jumped. But can I tell you: My instructors name was Marius. He was from South Africa, had an amazing accent, and was GORGEOUS!!! He was a bit older, probably late twenties (POSSIBLY early thirties, though I doubted it), but I got lucky. He was definitely a keeper..... I mean cutie. (hehe). Well anyways! While we were still waiting Rachel's jumping lady took us outside to wait and showed us the proper position for when we jumped, and blah blah. We chilled on a picnic table for a little bit with two of the professional jumpers and can I tell you that Michelle's jumping guy was hilarious! He kept making jokes and messing with her, as in freakin her out about jumping, haha.
"How many times have you had to use the back up parachute?"--- "four times" --- "How many times have you skydived?" ---- "four"
hahaha, guess you had to be there. There were many other jokes like that too. He had actually jumped over 7,000 times. My hottie-jumping instructor had jumped over 7,000 times as well (I found this out later as I was falling through the air).
Our plane finally landed and all of our jumping instructors walked out; we joined them and headed to the tiniest plane I had ever seen! There was no way nine of us were fitting in this thing. But one by one we squeezed on in there. It was kind of awkward, but we sat in between eachothers legs; although this had to be done when they strapped us on to them in preparation for jumping. As the last guy came in (he was a photographer jumping by himself-taking practice pictures) they shut the SEE THROUGH door and off we went.. we took off and headed high, high, high into the sky. You could feel every turn in this plane. But it was the most BEAUTIFUL plane ride ever. I cannot even explain to you what it looked like from up there. Big Mountains on all sides, the sun shining off the giant lake below us. It was definitely "the most perfect day..... for skydiving" :)
Our tiny plane took us up to 12,000ft in the air. On our way up we all shimmied around trying to get hooked to our instructor sitting behind us, and trying to get our soft helmets, goggles, and gloves on. When we reached our elevation a light on the roof in the inside of the plane went from green to red. My instructor reminded me just to lay my legs outside of the plane and hold onto my harness, as I watched the photographer jump, and Jordan and her instructor follow, I was the second one in our Harding group out of the plane. I put my legs outside of the plane and held on to my harness and next thing you know Marius had pushed us out and we were falling.
The actual feeling of falling in my stomach only lasted a split second, then it was just the most amazing thing. Our free-fall time with 45 seconds. It felt like longer, and I wish It had been longer. Free-falling was fun, we spun around in circles and twirled and whatnot; fun stuff. The parachute then opened jerking us back just a tiny bit and then we began to glide through the air. Marius showed me were Queenstown was and named all the mountains (just basically told me what I was looking at). Then we chit-chatted a bit before he told me that when we landed I needed to pull my legs up and hook my arms underneath and straiten my legs outward. After that we continued down and landed. I wish It would have lasted longer, it was so amazing.
After Marius unhooked me I had a bit of trouble standing up, haha. But I stood up, high-fived Mario and headed back into the airplane hanger, met up with Jordan, then waited for Michelle and Rachel. We then proceeded to take a few pictures in our suits..... and I took a picture with Mario (hehe). Then we took off our suits collected our things, then waited in the lobby with some of our previous jumpers for the van to come and take us back into town. We received a postcard, $50 off our next jump, ad a certificate! ha..
I still cannot believe this happened today!!! We got back and it barely felt real.. once we were back in our normal, boring, school surrounding lives it was almost unbelievable. But It is definitely something I will NEVER forget. I cannot wait until I get to do that again! haha. I definitely want to skydive again. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. And now I have to write an essay. BOO! But omgomgomg, I went skydiving. I can't believe it. Ahhhh, it was the most incredible thing I have ever done! I just can't stop thinking about it!!! It was just all so surreal...
Peace to All <3
http://www.nzone.biz/
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