Skydiving in Empuria Brava

The activities in this post were undertaken during the student’s free time and were neither sponsored nor encouraged by IES Abroad.

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to have my dad visit! It was so nice to get a little taste of home while being here and get to show someone whos new to the environment what my everyday life consists of here. My dad came to Barcelona with a few things in mind that he wanted to do before he left. Gaudí museum, Sagrada Familia, the beach, all of the regular things that someone traveling to Barcelona wants to to, but what was at the top of his list was something I was not expecting...Sky Diving. 

One thing you should know about me is that I have a crippling fear of heights. Roller coasters, skyscrapers, even jungle gyms scare me. However, if that was at the top of his list then I knew that there was no way I was getting out of it. 

My dad had made all of the arrangements, all I needed to do was strap up and get on the plane; something I never thought I could do. 

Morning of I had a ton of emotions rushing through me. It didn't even feel real. I could grasp th efact that in just a few hours I would be free falling out of an airplane.

Although I never thought it would happen, I did it. I jumped out of an airplane!

When taking a step back and looking at my experience skydiving, I cant help but see the similarities to me traveling abroad. Prior to going abroad, I was a nervous mess. I had no idea what lie ahead of me. I was unsure if I was making the right decision and I let my anxiety encompass my body. This is akin to my feelings prior to getting on the plane! I was sooo nervous thinking about what was about to occur and almost convincing myself that it wasn’t a good idea to follow through with it. Once I arrived in Spain a weird sense of calm waved over my body. What was once fear became excitement. Allow I still had nerves about what was next, I was finally accepting the fact that I was embarking on this journey. Similarly while in the plane prior to the jump, I a calm rushed through my body. I knew that there was no backing out now which gave me more motivation. I took that leap of faith going aborad just as I did taking that step out of the plane, and just like that, I was soaring through the air.

Skydiving was one of the most exhilerating and lif changing things ive ever done in my life; same with abroad. Although scary at first, I wouldnt trade any of this for the world. Its so hard to believe that my journey is almost coming to an end. I can see the ground getting closer and closer to me and I dont want to land. Im graetful for the opporunity that IES Abroad has given me to go abroad and cant wait to see what this last month has in store.