In 1995, my mother did something she had always wanted to do. She had always dreamed of going skydiving at some point in her life. Little did she know, that 'sometime' would come in the form of a Christmas present that year. Her time had come. For those of you who know my mother, the last thing you'd think she'd want to do is jump from a plane... at will. Mom is not that adventurous. Her idea of adventure is braving the crowds at Wal-Mart.
Dad and I just knew she'd chicken out, especially after all those medical forms she had to fill out - "If in the event that death should occur...", and after the training videos we had to sit through. Finally, she was ready. She was going tandem, so that made us all feel a bit better. We watched the plane go up. We looked for Mom's parachute to open. What we didn't know was that Mom and her instructor would be jumping last. As other parachutes would open, our hearts would skip a beat, hoping that Mom wasn't plummeting to her death. Finally, her chute opened, just as planned.
Once she had made it down safely, we ran over to where Mom and her instructor had landed. With a smile painted across her face, she gave us the thumbs up! Her hands were a bit shaky, but she was more than willing to do it again.
Looking at pictures and video of my mother, it was hard to believe she actually did that... Who would want to do something like that? Can that actually be fun?
My parents and I had these same thoughts as I made my move to China. My time overseas was much like my mother's experience in skydiving. Leaving the United States, I was thinking, "What AM I thinking?"... I knew I had wanted to live in a foreign country, and though I seemed prepared to jump, I wasn't sure if I'd actually make it. And I wasn't going tandem - I had to do this all on my own, which made things a bit more complicated and much more crucial. Once you jump, there's no turning back. You can't climb your way back in to the plane. The first few months in China I was free-falling, waiting for my parachute of acclimation and know-how to open up so I could soar through the rest of the year and enjoy the view without the nausea and the whipping wind. Once I adjusted, there were moments of turbulence, but overall, the ride was incredible... Skydivers rarely land where they are projected to; it's virtually impossible. I, too, did not land in the same spot from where I started, spiritually and emotionally speaking. I am a different person in these aspects. I have hit the ground running, like skydivers must do as it makes the landing much softer and easier. Life has continued since I've been away. I have to move on and keep things going for my next phase of life, taking my experiences and learning from them. My hands are a little shaky, but I am more than willing to do it all again.
Folks do this kind of thing all the time (both skydiving and living abroad), but that initial plunge requires a sick individual. Heh. Though I have been away for a year, China went as fast as a skydiving jump. It really feels like a dream. My time in the sky is over, and I'm back on solid ground.
