Eventful would be the best way to describe the past month of my semester.
A trip to Sydney dispensed raw realization that Townsville is utterly perfect for me. Being in that big city was a slap-in-the-face reminder of why I left DC—to get away from the hurried, aggressive, cab-happy metropolis lifestyle. After those four days, all I could think about was sinking my bubblegum painted toes into the cozy sands of the local Strand Beach.
Following that New South Wales escapade, I found myself on a Greyhound bus en route north to Cairns, the “Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.” My friends and I explored bars that were filled to the brim with young, adventure-hungry backpackers. The next day we arose at the ripe time of 6:45 to dive the reef. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience to see such a sublime ecosystem that is slowly, but surely, dying from both man-induced and natural triggers.
The birthday of all birthdays arrived a week later—my long awaited 21st. That Saturday was an adventure itself, but I will supply sparse details so the gaps may permit imagination to play. I will never experience another birthday that involves a wild python, fake bachelorette party, bats, male strippers, $16 drinks, BBQ pizza, a foot-long from Subway, walking barefoot on ant-infested asphalt, and waking up early the next morning to go parasailing.
Words of advice: do not go parasailing after a night out. Ever.
And, finally, on September 23rd, at 7:45 AM, after signing a contract that discussed death and dismemberment, binding my body into a harness that left bruises on my shoulders, and climbing into a miniature airplane, I went skydiving over Mission Beach.
Scuba-diving Australia is remarkable, but skydiving Australia is mind-blowing.
A river of adrenaline relentlessly surged through my bloodstream, giving bursts of energy, terror, joy, confusion, regret, disbelief, and nausea. Once I boarded the plane, I was feeling pumped. But then the tiny craft propelled us to an elevation of 14,000 ft, and suddenly, I wasn’t feeling too eager anymore. Suddenly, I was feeling very, very scared.
Being the last one in the craft, I was the first one out. When my tandem instructor threw the door open to the cloudy void, my numb brain told my legs to swing over to the edge of the plane- but they wouldn’t budge. I literally picked them up and tossed my petrified limbs to the threshold.
We were only in the air for five minutes, but those five minutes were the best five minutes of my life. The free-fall was a distortion of ocean, sky, profanity, and shrieking, but once the shoot deployed, it was as if curtains were pulled back and I saw a dream. Shadows of massive clouds were cast on the bluest of waves, green islands reached toward my feet, and the waking sun gave the world a fresh hue. I will never get that view out of my head.
This month has been the one that has shed light onto the truth I have made sincere friends here, awesome things can happen early in the morning, and has shown me the type of woman I want to be—one who dives right into life, whether it be diving into a metaphorical abyss, into the sea, or even the sky.