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So many anniversaries! On the 29th March 2004 I first arrived in New Zealand. On 6th April 2004 I did my tandem skydive. On 19th April 2004 I arrived in Rotorua and one year ago today on 21st April 2004 I did my AFF stage one jump! I can't believe that it's been a whole year. This time last year I thought I'd be in Rotorua for perhaps four to six weeks and then I'd carry on with the rest of my trip to Fiji and then the States. I wanted to do AFF just to be able to jump solo - to experience what I'd felt during the tandem without being attached to anyone. I think I might have had vague plans to get my license, but I certainly had no intention of buying my own rig. I didn't have any clue as to how much my life was about to change. Now I'm sat here with a New Zealand 'B' license, my own rig and a total of 103 jumps! When I got back from my trip last September I said that I'd learnt that all plans are useless because as soon as you make a plan, some bugger comes along and throws a spanner in the works. So I shouldn't be surprised to find that the vague plans I had about how my life was going to turn out following the amazing time I had travelling have all gone pear shaped! At the moment I've got no idea where I'm going. There are lots of things going round in my mind about what I'd like to do and where I'd like to be, but reality at the moment means that I'm going to be living in the UK for several years and I have no idea when I'm likely to be able to get back to New Zealand - even for a holiday. That being said, this time last year I had no idea about what was about to happen, so how can I know where I'll be and what my life will be like in another year? As for jumping, well I've still only done the one here in the UK. It's a mixture of bad weather and finances that's stopping me at the moment. I'm desperate to get back jumping on a regular basis but there is so much going on at the moment with getting a new life together here in Sheffield, settling back into work and sorting out the finances that it's proving to be harder than I thought. There I go with how I thought things would be again! However, I can't believe that I found skydiving and went through all that I did in order just to let it go. Doing the tandem was (at that point) the most frightening thing I'd ever done in my life. That I went back for more and then with the help of my friends pushed through even more frightening times doing AFF proves to me that it's something I just have to keep doing. Likewise, I can't believe that I found New Zealand only to not be able to go back there ever again. So there we are. It's a year ago since I started AFF! I wonder what the next year will bring? Cheers, Ian. |
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