Joanna Ramirez is a senior communication major with a concentration in public relations. She has a hunger for travel and enjoys experiencing different parts of the world.
While studying abroad in Lugano, Switzerland, my classmates and I decided to take a weekend trip to Interlaken, Switzerland, the capital of extreme sports, located two and a half hours northeast of Lugano.
While planning our trip, my friends and I decided that we must participate in a sport. We narrowed our options down to three different sports: skydiving, paragliding and bungee jumping. We found bungee jumping to be the most appealing and within our budget. After making our decision, my classmates and I booked our activity and were off to Interlaken.
The day of our excursion came and we waited at the hotel for the excursion leaders. Once they arrived, 12 of us climbed into a small bus. We were offered some beers from a cooler by a couple of Australians who were living in Interlaken and run the tour. The ride from Interlaken to Stockhorn took about 45 minutes.
We arrived at Stockhorn and met with another group of 12. We then took a 15 minute gondola ride up the mountain. Once we made it to the top, we found an incredible view of the Stockhorn lake surrounded by incredibly large mountains. We were informed that we would be jumping out of the same 5×7 foot gondola that we took up the mountain. That’s when the nerves kicked in.
We were dropped off on the side of the mountain to get weighed and put in chronological order based on height and weight. My friends and I were placed in the second group of 12. This put my mind a bit at ease, since I would now be able to see the first group jump. While waiting for the other jumpers to go, the Australians offered us a couple of vodka shots. At first, I was confused as to why they would offer me alcoholic beverages before doing something so extreme. Quickly, I realized that they use this to help with nerves. I now had gained courage and was ready to make the jump of a lifetime.
We got settled into the gondola to go over the lake for the jump. The excursion leader asked which one of us would like to go first, and without thinking, I yelled back to him, “Me!”
I wanted to get this over with. Immediately, the guy started harnessing on my straps, first around my shoulders, then between my legs and finally around my feet.
The excursion leader then said, “I’m going to count to three. Once I say the number three, you will jump. OK?”
I answered him, “OK.”
“1…2…3,” he counted.
I found myself jumping out of the gondola into the fresh, crisp air of the Swiss Alps.
For a moment, I thought I was going to pass out. It was as if time stopped for a couple of seconds, and I got to soak in the spectacular view. The rope whipped me back and forth, up and down. Finally, they lowered me down into a canoe in the lake where another Australian held a pole up towards me to grab it. Once I got in the canoe, I grabbed the Australian and gave him big a hug. I was thankful that everything had gone OK and that I had actually done something this extraordinary.
It was truly an experience of a lifetime.
