The Jump
Her limbs flailed through the air as her body fell closer and closer to the vast stretch of blue that is the ocean. There was a thunderous crash as her body splashed into the water. The throng of people watching on the deck roared and cheered as she was swallowed under the water.
It is the second day of the 8th-grade Classroom Without Walls, or CWW for short. The whole 8th grade is at Telunas, Indonesia, and we will stay here for 5 days. Right now, it is C side’s turn to jump off the high deck.
The line of people shuffled forward. I watched as someone climbed the ladder to the high deck, the sun glistening off his back. There were two kids that stood between me and the ladder.
I started to doubt my choice to jump. I have always been afraid of heights. I can’t even walk over to the edge of a balcony without feeling queasy.
I remember the Christmas break when my family and I were visiting the United States of America for the first time. During our stay at New York City, we visited the Empire State Building. I remember the fear slowly growing inside me as we went higher and higher. Once we got to the top, I could not bring myself to stand near the edge and gaze at colourful nighttime New York City. I just stayed inside and watched through the windows.
The earsplitting crack of skin on water brought me back to the high deck. Someone had belly-flopped off the high deck and landed flat onto the water.
The line shuffled forward. Now, there was only one person between me and the ladder. I made a decision. I would jump off the high deck no matter what.
Two more people jumped off the high deck, both sending the water high as they collided with the surface of the ocean. I placed my hand on the ladder and took a deep breath. I will jump.
I climbed the ladder and reached the high deck. I looked over the ledge to see how far down the water was. From the high deck, it looked very high, but I stuck with my decision to jump off the high deck. I walked back to the center of the high deck, my legs shaking. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. I took another deep breath, ran forward… and jumped.
I did not know what to expect. The wind rushed into my face. The water got closer and closer. I was not aware of what my limbs were doing, but later I was told that I was doing a mid-air cannonball kind of pose. It felt like I was in the air for minutes.
Then suddenly, the water rushed to meet me like two friends having a reunion after so many years. I landed back first into the water. There was a stinging pain as I contacted with the water. As I became fully submerged, the stinging lessened to a bearable throbbing. The salty water then continued to rush into every open orifice on my body. My mouth, ears, and nose. I swam for the surface of the water, gasping for air. My legs were sore from landing on them, so I used my arms and the waves to get to the ladder that led back to the deck.
I did it. I jumped.
As the adrenaline died down, I realized that with some effort, I could conquer fear, which led to more possibilities. My conquering of my fear of heights led to me being more confident about myself and have a more positive outlook on life. It allowed me to take note of my surroundings and admire those who have done the same. It allowed me to have a better understanding of myself as a person.
Conquering my fear of heights had, ironically, brought me to new heights that I had never perceived in which I could reveal new opportunities and succeed in them.
