It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Me!

After another veerrrry early morning at the airport (this seems to be a trend of my traveling adventures), Brooks, Mary, Courtney and I arrived in Queenstown, New Zealand. The last 10 minutes of the flight was a sight to see in itself as we flew over the Remarkables mountains. The airport is in the center of the mountain range, and is one of the hardest to fly in and out of in the world, according to a local at the market. We were giddy as we walked down the steps of the plane and smelled the clean air. Living in a city as big as Sydney has made me very aware of the quality of the air around me, and Queenstown was refreshingly pristine.

The shuttle ride to the hostel was another treat as we oogled out the windows at the beautiful scenery. I thought Australia was beautiful, but Queenstown in April, just as the leaves are starting to turn and the smell of fall is in the air, is enough to bring tears to your eyes.

Mary and I on one of the many walks we took 

Queenstown

Me, Courtney, Mary, and Brooks in Queenstown

We walked around for a bit and wondered into an India restaurant for an incredible dinner, and got to bed early, excited for our early day, full of adventure.

We stumbled out of bed and dressed as warmly as we could for our full day excursion to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is this beautiful body of water within the mountains which there are many boat excursions through to see the flawless views that only mother nature could produce.

On the bus ride to Milford Sound we stopped along the way for photo opportunities and food stops here and there. I tried so hard to stay awake the whole way there and back, but I have a horrible habit of falling asleep in any moving vehicle that I'm not operating.

Thankfully, I still got some amazing pictures, including some of the place where they scened some of the shots for the Hobbit. However, I don't remember which one's those are. Whoops!

We stopped at a freshwater stream and filled up our water bottles with some of the best water I've ever tasted.

 Another favorite stop of mine was at Mirror Lakes! I couldn't resist taking an OHIO picture :)

Milford Sound itself was exceptional. There is something about being surrounded by mountains wherever you go that humbles you.

They put you in your place, as you're reminded how small and insignificant you and your problems are in the grand scheme of things.

New Zealand is so clean, and unpolluted, and I think a big part of the reason is that the people living in it see every day how magnificent the world around them is, and they feel obligated to do their part in keeping it that way.

I constantly felt at peace. Nothing can truly be wrong when the world around you looks that beautiful. I wish the pictures could do it justice.

Friday was the first day of the rest of my life.

 I jumped out of a plane.
I've been wanting to skydive for a few years now, but it's always been an "far off in the distant future" bucket list item. Once skydiving was canceled in Cairns I realised how badly I wanted to jump, and I could not wait to book my jump in Queenstown.

My view as I waited. Rough life.

Mary and I had a couple of hours while we waited at the jump site until it was our turn to suit up, during which I took full advantage of the full wifi to check in on twitter and snapchat some of my besties back home. While I was on twitter, a fellow alum of my high school and drama program tweeted a quote from my former director

"...reminds us that when we make those leaps of faith, the best council to follow is that of our own hearts"

Kris always did have impeccable timing. I took those words to heart as I walked to the plane in order to take my own, very literal, leap of faith. I was feeling excited, talking my Irish tandem master Brian's ear off. We sat in two rows on the floor of a tiny plane, in between the legs of the person behind us, and before I knew it we were shutting the "door" and taking off.

Me and Brian, my Tandem Master

This is when the panic hit. If you've ever been on a roller coaster with me you know I like to scream and laugh the entire time. And the scarier the ride, the more the screaming, the less the laughing. This flight up was a lot of laughing and rapidly talking in an attempt to not scream while crammed into a tiny plane with 20 or so people. The moment the plane took off the ground I knew there was no going back. We were going to climb into the clouds, and I was going to jump out of that airplane, whether I was ready or not.

It was a seemingly long pep talk to myself as I felt the atmosphere changing and the blood rushing to my head. Everyone put the last of their gear on, and then a brief moment of calm passed over me as all the guys who worked there started fist bumping and high-fiving everyone in the plane as we were nearing altitude. I joined in and my smile grew. They were all up here together, giving one last gesture of love and camaraderie before they leaped into a mountain range. They jump many times a day, all week long, all year long, and yet this jump was still special. This jump was just as important as every other. And for that brief few minutes, I was a part of their band of brothers.

The red light switched to green, the door opened, and before I could blink Mary was hurling towards the earth. The second girl started screaming before she was on the edge of the plane, and tumbled out shortly after. My heart stopped and in what could've only been 5 seconds, but probably started a few minutes earlier, I somehow thought all of these thoughts:

this is it.
even if I don't want to go, he's going to push me out if I don't say anything.
keep your mouth shut and smile.
keep smiling.
maybe try to laugh a little.
It's going to be fine.
oh good, there's oxygen masks up here.
whatever happens happens. too late now!
I can't wait to call mom and dad when I land
keep smiling.
this is the most beautiful place I've ever been
I hope I get good pictures
I think my heart is going to fall out of my ass when I jump
I really hope I don't pass out
I'm sure they have people pass out all the time
omg that girl is already screaming
holy sh*t we're moving towards the exit
omg omg omg omg omg
it's so far down
I have absolutely no control
oh crap I'm not supposed to look down
Philip.
1, 2,

And then the loudest, most earth shattering scream I've ever had fell out of me as we tumbled out of the plane. Time stood still, my stabiliser went up, and I soared as the air pressed against me, rather than feeling like I was falling.

Terror does not describe it. Nor does bliss. Or euphoria. Or freedom. But they all come pretty damn close. My parachute opened and I had five minutes or so as I floated down to take in what surely is the most beautiful place in the world to skydive.

Brian and I chatted about all the jumps he's had, and he took me for a few "spins" as I oogled at the majestic mountains and beautiful blue lake. I did all I could to soak in every second before we finally came to a soft landing in the grass.

I left the earth knowing with all confidence who I was, and returned with a feeling of freedom I have never experienced before. Freedom to explore the world in any and every way I see fit. Freedom to understand all of my options and run for whichever one I desire. I could work in non profits all over the world and work my way up. If I wanted to I could leave Uni and travel the world with no map and no plan, stopping as I please and putting roots down in as many countries as I can fathom. That thought would not have been possible before the jump. But now I think, why not? Why not pursue every dream I can think up. I've already taken the most literal leap of faith I could imagine, there is nothing left to hold me back. There are no limits to my paths. I have no need to plan. This is the new me. And I am in love.

Right After, A New Woman.

Talking to the people who leave home and travel for months, with a basic outline of where they want to go, but no plans until they get there, I've come to appreciate the rest of the world for the value they see in traveling, in life experiences, and in so much more than a 9-5 job with a nice house in a decent part of town. That could be nice, one day, but for now I have an incessant urge to travel and live in new places. Living in Sydney has shown me that I can still be connected with my loved ones back home, even if I'm living in a different day, and that I have the sky as the limit, for now.

Saturday we went to the market in town, and did a bit of shopping. We had dinner at a nice restaurant on the water where I had delicious NZ lamb, went over to the Ice Bar where literally everything is made of ice, including your cups, and ended with tea pots at World Bar.

We were supposed to go paragliding on Saturday, but the whether wasn't good enough, so we postponed to Sunday. We didn't have any luck, yet again, so we decided to climb the mountain instead.  Courtney made it all the way up, I made it about half way, and Brooks and Mary took the gondola. Even though I didn't make it to the top, it was still a beautiful view, and a rewarding hike! Then we were on our way to Auckland for the last leg of our journey.

If you've made it all the way here, you must really love me!
Bethany

Time and Change Will Surely Show How Firm Thy Friendship OHIO