Sydney N. sydneynickell@q.com Literature and Composition March 18th, 2018 Jumping Through My Fear Wow! This is way too high. I don t know how I can do this. I remember thinking those exact words before I jumped. I was so pumped before I saw that hanging platform. This was my first time bungee jumping and this was one of the highest bungee in the world. I saw the platform and my heart dropped to my knees. There was no way I was going to do this. I was not ready for this. Beep, beep, beep. Ugh, really? I do not want to get out of my warm, cozy bed for anything, especially at 3 AM. It s raining and freezing cold. My plane leaves in a few hours out of rainy New York, New York all the way to lovely, warm Wellington, New Zealand, but first I had to go pick up my friends Quinn, Kennedy, and Harlow. I have to roll out of bed here soon and make breakfast, and get ready. After I got on my comfy pants and a sweatshirt, I drudged down the stairs. I put on a pot of coffee so that I wouldn t look like a walking zombie. I got out the eggs, milk, bread and a pan. Eggs sounded pretty good so I decided to put in a little extra effort before I went to the airport.
By the time my eggs were cooked and my toast had popped out of the toaster, my coffee was ready. I got my favorite mug and filled it to the brim. I enjoyed my favorite book while I ate my eggs and toast with my coffee. After I ate and did the dishes, I went back up stairs to get at least a little bit of makeup on before I go so that I look at least presentable. Good enough, let s go. I grabbed my keys, suitcase, phone, and book. Heading out the front door with all of my stuff, I locked the front door and walked over to my car. I lifted the suitcase up into the trunk of my black Jeep Grand Cherokee and hoped in the driver s seat. The car started up with no problems so I was on my way to Quinn s house. This was the turn and had been for so many years. When I went to Quinn s house, I was on auto-pilot because I had driven there so many times. Her house is a dark brown with cream trim. She was waiting by the front door when I came to the door, and while her dogs were barking like crazy, we loaded my car up with her suitcases. She went back into the house and said her goodbyes to her brother, parents, and dogs. As she climbed into the passenger side, she started ranting about how fun this trip was going to be and how much sisterly bonding we were going to do. I agreed and started to back out of the driveway. Next stop was going to be Kennedy s house. She lived fairly close to Quinn so it was a short drive. Kennedy had a dark blue house with a nice green garden in the front. She was the artsy type and gardening was one of her interests. I asked Quinn to go to the door and get her so I could keep the car running and warm. She stepped out and came back a few minutes later. Quinn was carrying Kennedy s
suitcase and threw it into the trunk. She told me Kennedy was saying her goodbyes and would be out in a few. Kennedy came to the car soon thereafter with her backpack with, I guessed, all of her art supplies. She would probably spend a lot of this trip with her paintbrushes. Ready? I asked. Oh heck yes! I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I started on the way to Harlow s house. It was a little farther drive but at least it was in the way to the airport. I got onto the highway and the girls started quizzing me on what I had planned. I had planned the trip but I refused to tell them what we were doing. I had done this before and it was so much fun. I loved surprising them during the trip because the trip is a good mix between leisure and excitement. On our last trip I planned, I rented an RV and we spent two weeks in it. We were in Utah the last time, and we had so much fun. I decided to go a little crazier this time and I chose New Zealand. I ditched the RV though because that was just too much to worry about on top of planning the rest of the trip, so we are staying in a hotel this time. They were trying to get some kind of clue to what we were doing, but I shut them down. By the time they gave up, we got to Harlow s house. She lived in a modest craftsman's house that had been in her family for years. It was a nice dark green with a huge front porch that we made many great memories on. She was sitting there waiting when we arrived. She waved and called out that she was going to say goodbye to her family and her cat and that she would be right back out. She disappeared for a quick minute and then returned with her suitcase and backpack. Harlow hopped in the back with Kennedy when she had stowed her stuff in the trunk. Energetic greetings were exchanged and then we were finally on our way to the airport.
We had been on the road for about an hour and a half and we could finally spot the New York airport. I took the exit and headed towards the parking lot. We found a spot quite easily and started unloading the car. We all had a small, carry-on suitcase and a backpack. We made our way through security without any hitches and so we were on our way to the gate. We got to our gate in plenty of time and so we found some seats and relaxed for a while until the flight was scheduled to leave. We decided to get some food before getting on the plane and so Kennedy and I went and looked for a good place to eat. We found a Noodles and we knew the other liked it, so we ordered our food and went back to Quinn and Harlow. They went and got their food while we stayed with the bags. They returned shortly, and we enjoyed our meal together. The flight time rolled around and so we waited till we were called and when we were, gathered up our stuff and got in line. They checked us in and we found our seats. I had booked our seats so we were all in one row. Harlow got the window seat for the first half of the trip and Quinn got it for the other half. We had a long flight but it was enjoyable. We talked for awhile and then we all did our own thing. I read and slept a little. It seemed like no time before we arrived. The book I read made the time run like it was in a race. I was absorbed in my book I almost didn t feel the plane start to descend. I was so excited for this trip that I almost couldn t
stay in my seat. I leaned over Kennedy s lap to see out Quinn s window and we burst into laughter. The view was beautiful, green everywhere and no skyscrapers like New York. This was a different kind of beauty. This was natural beauty. I couldn t wait to see this display of life up close. The ocean was off in the distance and it sparkled like a diamond. By the time I was done admiring the beauty of New Zealand, the plane was starting to land. We were some of the last off the plane because we didn t want to fight people on the way off. Our conversation consisted of what we were going to do when we got off. I told them I had rented a hotel room this time so that we didn t have to worry about parking our house. I rented a Ford Escape and so that was the first thing we had to do. I figured we could all fit in my Grand Cherokee, so I thought this would be a good fit for the four of us. When we got off the plane, we were immediately sweating. All of us were dressed for rain and cold, not sun and heat. I was in a sweatshirt which was roasting me alive. We wanted to get out of this sweltering airport and get the car to crank the air conditioning. We found our way through the maze of terminals to the security. We all got through without any setbacks. I was very thankful. We were finally on our way to get the car. It wasn t a very far walk so I volunteered to go and bring it back. Harlow said she would go with me so I wouldn t have to be alone. We started off and walked for about ten minutes before seeing the company I rented the car from. I pointed it out to Harlow and we made our way to it. I checked in and got the keys. The employee that worked there lead us to the car I got. It was exactly what I expected so I thanked the man and
climbed in the driver s seat. Harlow got in the passenger seat and closed the door. I started the car and turned up the airconditioning to full power. I start heading back towards the airport to pick up Quinn and Kennedy. When I got there, I parked the car and we went to find Quinn and Kennedy. We found them very easily and headed towards the car. The bags fit in the car nicely and we all fit comfortably. While we were sitting in the car cooling off, I mapped the directions to the hotel we are staying at. It was about an hours drive away. We arrived at the hotel in good time, around 4 o clock in the afternoon. The scenery on the way there was so gorgeous and enjoyable. I loved the change from New York. The smell of the ocean drifted over the land and gave a real tropical feel to our trip. We checked into the hotel and made our way to our room. It had two queen beds and so we had to share. It came down to whoever got to it first. It ended up being me and Kennedy. Quinn and Harlow shared the other bed. We were going bungee jumping tomorrow so we didn t have anything to do until then. I decided to take a quick nap because I was exhausted from the traveling and driving. The others decided to take a quick walk to stretch their legs and stroll around downtown. I slept until about 6 o clock and decided it was time for dinner. I called Quinn to find out where they were and they were fairly close. They were heading back and wanted dinner as well. I hung up and started looking at what was in the area. There were some fast food places like home and some were not familiar to me, so I decided to ask at the desk. I got a good idea of what each restaurant served. The girls got back soon after and so we decided to try
something new. There was one called Mama Brown. It served burgers and tacos mostly but we all knew we loved those. We piled into the car and Harlow drove about 15 minutes to the place. I ordered a burger and so did Harlow. Quinn and Kennedy ordered tacos. They were all very tasty and the service was great. I hoped we could return later this trip. After we all filled up our stomachs, we left a tip for our waiter, paid the check and started back to the hotel. It was about 8 o clock and we decided that we should be well rested for tomorrows adventures. We chilled in the room, watching television or reading, until about 10 o clock. We started getting ready for bed and soon thereafter went to bed. Beep, beep, beep. Again, with the beeping? Time to get up. We all gradually woke up and got ready for the day. The hotel provided breakfast so we made our way down there to eat. They had a wide spread of food and a lot of choices. We all had our fill and then went back to the room to get our things. We gathered our purses and other assorted things and then headed to the car. I mapped out the bungee jumping company during breakfast and it was around 45 minutes away. It was Kennedy s turn to drive so she hopped into the driver s seat as the rest of us got in. It was one of the longest and most tense car rides ever. When we finally arrived at the bungee jumping place, we were all very excited but when I saw the platform we were going to jump off of, that changed to fear. This was one of the highest bungee jumps in the world. It was a hanging platform that hung over a canyon. The reality set in. We went into the building and signed in. I had already booked us and payed, so we were ready to go. We met our
guide and he introduced himself as Braxton. He took us to get harnesses and helmets and all that. After we were set in our harnesses, Braxton took us out to the gondola to send us out to the jumping platform. We had to wait until the last group was done jumping and came back. They got off and we were next. We stepped in one by one because we had to be clipped in. After we were all secured, Braxton wished us good luck and told us to have fun. We started moving towards the platform and so we could see down the canyon all the way to the bottom. I tried not to think about how high we were but how beautiful the scenery was from this point. We could see for miles. When we arrived at the platform, the instructor introduced himself as Dane. He opened the gate and unhooked us one by one and hooked us into the platform. As soon as we all got onto the platform, Dane asked us which one of us wanted to go first. We all looked at each other and then Quinn offered to. I didn t object and neither did Kennedy or Harlow. Dane introduced his partner as Archer. Dane told Quinn to walk over to Archer so that he could get her strapped into the bungee cord. Quinn had always been the fearless one out of our group. I was thankful that she did go first because that meant I didn t have to. We were talking to Dane while Archer strapped Quinn into the contraption. Dane was assuring us of how safe this was. He had worked here for 4 years and he has seen people almost decided not to do it because they are too scared. Each and everyone had no regrets when they eventually decided to jump, that they always said they would do it again. Quinn was ready soon thereafter, and so we said our last words to her. Archer asked if she wanted a countdown or if she would jump when she was ready. She wanted to just jump. He told her she could jump when she
was ready. She waited about four seconds before she went off the edge. She screamed all the way down and back up. We were laughing so hard and yet we all knew we would do the same soon. It felt like an eternity before she quit screaming. Quinn wasn t much of a screamer so this was the first time I had heard her scream that much. She came back up and she was telling us how much fun it was while she was being unhooked. Once she was free from the ropes, she ran over to us and wanted to see who was going next. She noticed that I had a dazed look on my face and I hadn t said much. They all suggested that I go next. I tried to persuade them that I was just tired but they didn t buy it. Fine. I am really terrified, I finally admitted. Dane and Archer tried to assure me that nothing would happen and that I was safe. I shakily made my way over to Archer and he started hooking me into the harnesses and ropes. It seemed like an eternity before he was finished. I still wasn t ready to jump when he was done. I assure you, you will have so much fun and you will be back to torture me, Quinn teased. I laughed and Archer commented that laughter could release some nervousness. Are you ready? I responded with a small whine and pleading look at Archer s question. Is that a yes? If it is, then everything is ready and you can jump. Do you want a countdown? I decided I did because that would motivate me to jump. I nodded my head and made my way to the edge of the walk. Archer started counting. Three, two, one, go! I jumped. I felt like I was rushing towards the ground faster than cars at the Daytona 500. As I came close to the ground, way too close in my opinion, I finally let out a scream. It was the loudest I screamed, ever. I felt the bungee cord catch me and the ground rushed away from me as I bounced back up towards the brilliant blue sky. I felt like I was flying, both ways. As
I finally slowed, I finally got to look around me. I had enjoyed myself so much. I felt like I could do anything now. The girls were at the top with Archer and Dane, cheering as I came up. They were all so proud of me. I loved it! It was Kennedy s turn, they decided so Archer got her clipped in. The one thing about Kennedy was that she didn t scream, she laughed. All the way down and back up, loud. Archer and Dane were laughing with us at the top as she came back up from jumping. Harlow was the last to take the plunge. She screamed good and loud as well. Everyone had a great time jumping and wanted to come back. We said farewell and thank you to Dane and Archer as they hooked us onto the gondola to return to solid ground. We talked for whole trip back to the cliff edge and as we were unhooked by Braxton, He asked us how it was. We all responded at once with Awesome! We thanked Braxton as we left and made our way back to the car. We drove back to the hotel and all crashed for rest of the day. I had nothing planned for the rest of that day so we ate and chilled until bed. This trip was just beginning and we were already worn out. I had planned for us to go on a giant swing over the city, swim with sharks, climb on a ropes course, and, of course, stroll the beach. That was only a small amount of what we were going to do overall. This was going to be a crazy trip and it was going to be so much fun with Kennedy, Quinn and Harlow. I hope we would meet more great people like Archer and Dane along the way. The best part about the trip was that I conquered my fear with the encouragement of some great people.