Punching Through The Clouds

"Parachuting and Skydiving are potentially dangerous activities. There is a risk of serious injury or death with every skydive or parachute jump." - Skydive Hawaii Disclaimer

Today I signed roughly 8 pages of paper which thoroughly described the methods in which the above disclaimer could come true. I received approximately 2 minutes of instruction from my jump guide before I found myself in a single engine airplane rising to 12,000 ft and preparing to jump out into the wild blue yonder....


Me, James, Erika, Dan, and Nathan prepare for our jump

My instructor Mark takes me to the plane


Getting ready to climb aboard

Minutes before an alarm sounded, the plane leveled off, and I found myself in the great blue yonder.

The view of the Airfield on the way up

The view of the North Shore on the way up

One last look at the airfield


Nearly to our drop altitude... And above the clouds...


GERONIMO!!!


The first few moments were INCREDIBLY exhilerating


WOOO HOOO!!!


Falling through a cloud

Preparing for landing


Coming in for landing


Successful touchdown!

I also had a videographer make the jump with me so check out the video!

Journey's End

As I sit here pondering I find myself in disbelief about what I've just done. I just completed a journey around the world and saw more things in a few months of my young life than many will see in their complete lifetimes. In three and a half months I've experienced complete strangers becoming central and important parts of my life. I've grown as a person and I feel I've a new found respect for the great quantity of things I am privileged with that I previously took for granted.

I'd like to take this moment and thank all of the people who's paths crossed with mine along the way. This trip afforded me the opportunity of encountering some of the kindest, most genuine, and all around wonderful human beings I've ever met! The experience wouldn't have been the same without you!

Though our ship has sailed on without us and I'm struggling to cope with the fact that people who were for months mere seconds away and are now splintered out across the country and the world, I feel a great sense of happiness. Though I've been moved to tears by the end of one of the most incredible periods of my life, I'm also moved by the opinion of a figure of my youth. Dr. Seuss once said "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" I have found more comfort in those words than I thought possible.

Though I would give anything to be back in that sweltering line in the Bahamas, about to begin the adventure, I also feel that the changes set in motion by this experience will lead to even greater things which will resound throughout the rest of my life. I have learned that the world is incredibly immense while at the same time remarkably small. I have learned that despite our seemingly great differences we are all people and merely different shades of the same color.

I am so thankful to have had this experience and fully intend to use the passion it has instilled in me as a primary motivating factor in all my future endeavors and adventures!

Thank you Semester at Sea Spring 2008!!!

More Pictures

I'm working on another entry but here's some photos till then:

Japan
Ambassador's Ball
Costa Rica
Panama Canal
Journey's End: Arrival in Miami