The Big J

Okay, here's the story before a story. I never afraid of height. Well maybe a little but not up to the acrophobic stage. I think that's just normal. So I thought I was brave hence immediately bought skydive voucher when it was on sale on GrabOne. It was a pure impulse and "why not" decision since I knew I'm going to live this country one day.

I made my booking a week before Christmas 2010. One the plane I enjoyed the sight. Even though it was a small Cessna plane, it didn't worry me since I love to fly anyway. But once we reach 12,000 feet above the ground and once the door was opened, then it hit me I was about to jump off from a perfectly safe plane for an extreme sport that won't be covered by insurance.

"Oh shit!" I could almost hear my thought.

Being on tandem, I was the first one to step out but instead I pushed us in. If you could see the video you would laugh at me. The jump was crazy, free fall for god knows how many seconds at about 200 km/h so it was perfectly natural for to scream for my dear life. Thought the free fall was the scariest part- I was completely wrong.

When the instructor pulled the parachute we were bounced upward. Imagine from a 200 km/h fall then you were jerk up again. I felt like my heart thrown out of my chest. But after awhile it started to get calm and we were gliding in the air but in my head it was no way near to calm. I constantly think about all the "what if" scenarios I could ever think off. Yet the view of Whangarei did distract me from those awful thought once awhile.

Once we touched down the first thing the crews asked me was, "are you going to do it again?"

"NO!"

Since then I developed phobia of height. I hardly came out to my balcony even!

Fast forward to last week. Few days before I left to Queenstown, I saw AJ Hackett voucher was on sale at GrabOne. I didn't had a long time to decide whether was I brave enough this time. But somehow something told me just grab it. Indeed, I did.

Then on Sunday 20th February, I booked the jump. I started to get panic when the girl before was begging not to jump. She had a second thought when she stood right at the edge. Then when I got all strap up by the crew and hopping to the edge, I looked down.

"Holy shit."

Immediately I got second thought after looking how high the jump would be- 43 metres! I bend my knee to jump but then I didn't jump.

"Look up" The crew said.

Took few deep breath, calm myself and....

Arghhhh.