abelizegirl

N/A

I may as well just do it, it is all I think about. All day, every day. I am going to wait to get Belize residence and just have a work permit for the next year or so. That way I can come and go as I please. I am looking at Mexico for my AFF as it is an easy drive from Belize. Playa del Carmen has a DZ that offers AFF training and I like the area, so at first glance it seems like the perfect spot for me. But I have some concerns about doing the training outside of the States. I hope these questions don't sound foolish, they have just been on my mind. 1) The staff at Skydive Playa are trained by the USPA. I assume this does not mean they come from the States but are trained in the same manner as US instructors. My concern is that I do not always hear properly through accents and often have to ask for a repeat if the speakers' premier language is not English. It happens 100 times a day when I am talking to Belizeans. I don't want to be rude in requesting an English speaking instructor, but at the same time, I don't want to misunderstand or have to strain to hear what the instructor is saying. Would it be odd to contact them and have a few conversations with the instructors before signing up? 2) When I go to a doctor or dentist I ask him or her questions about their training and how they keep current in their field. Are the instructors open to talking about themselves and their experiences? Both good and bad. It is best to have everything happen perfectly each time one jumps, but it is necessary to know those times it doesn't go as planned. Isn't it? 3) Will that little voice in the back of my head stop screaming..."What the F*#K are you doing??? Are you CRAZY??? Why are you up here with your ass in a sling when the ground is way down there?!" I loved the jumps but there were moments when all I wanted was the canopy to open, the rushing wind to stop and the camera man somewhere other than in my face. Even now, having decided at 3am this morning to do this, I am nervous. I keep going over the things in my mind that scared me on those first two jumps. I am embarrassed to say that on my second jump I got caught up in the beauty of the freefall and forgot everything my tandem instructor had taught me. I didn't look at my altimeter once and didn't I pull. It still bugs me. I should have done one more to get beyond it. So, how do I trust myself to be able to handle an emergency situation should one arise and not panic? Will everything I learned fall right outta my head as soon as I exit the plane? Well, sorry for the dissertation but that's about it. I wasn't really sure where to post this, so hopefully I am in the right spot. There seems to be a level of trust between members here that I have not found in any other society, so it seems less threatening to just come out and ask for help than to go it alone. It's all Jimmy Buffet's fault.

Armpit sniffer for a deodorant testing company It's all Jimmy Buffet's fault.

I don't have an exact date, but I should be heading back south the first week in April. Once I have sold all my stuff here in the States the faster I get down there, the faster I get started on my new projects. Responsibility versus desire, impulse against obligation. Tough call, lol. It's all Jimmy Buffet's fault.

Last night I was talking to a friend of mine trying to explain the feelings I had during my jumps and I think I more confused him than anything. How do I make someone understand it was abject terror, a total body high, mind blowing freedom, thrilling beyond all measure and easily the most confidence boosting thing I have ever done in my life? He could not get how jumping that first time changed my life. It's like.....I can do anything I put my mind to....I jumped out of an airplane! I definitely want to do a static line jump next. It is easy to go out the door with a 200lb man harnessed to your back. I want to see if I can propel myself out the door alone. abelizegirl It's all Jimmy Buffet's fault.

This morning was the first time in 9 days that skydiving was not the first thing I thought about when I awoke. But it was a close second. Unfortunately, once I am here and applying for legal residence I cannot leave the country until I have gained permanent status and that takes about a year. So doing any classes would be impossible, as I need to be here in April. Until then, I shall live vicariously through the boards and contain my jealousy until the time comes that I can do it again or someone builds a DZ down here....(hint, hint). Take care and have fun.... abelizegirl It's all Jimmy Buffet's fault.

The "will" is certainly there, it is all I can think about. I tried to get some kind of fix yesterday and did a zipline jump through the jungle but while it was a fun and new experience, it didn't even come close to the thrill of the tandem jump. So if I can get all my things done back in the States in March I am going to try to do a static line jump before I have to come back down here for good. If anyone has a favorite place I'd like to hear about it. I'd be open to just about anywhere as long as it is not snowing Thanks, abelizegirl It's all Jimmy Buffet's fault.

What a feeling! I did my first tandem in Belize this past weekend. Then I did my second because I could not believe that anything could feel so amazing. My pocketbook shook it's head no to a third or I would have gone again. Now that it is over and everyone has gone home I am bored out of my gourd, just wandering up and down the beach trying to figure out what to do with myself, lol. I could become a full timer to the sport given the opportunity. And becoming certified myself. While tandem is great, I can only imagine the rush of being out there on your own the first time. abelizegirl It's all Jimmy Buffet's fault.