Liteni (Cluj) – 10.09.2017
First of all, I need to say that I have wanted to fly for as long as I can remember. That’s why, when our coordinators told us that we had won a chance to experience paragliding (as a result of winning the contest for the best presentation ever, made by the best team ever, Reinvent Yourself), I could hardly contain my joy and I jumped up and down for a good 15 minutes. Everyone in our project team was as happy as me, and even some of the other volunteers asked for a chance to join us in this experience. Who ever said that volunteering is nothing but hard work? It’s also a wide array of opportunities hanging like ripe fruits on trees in the summertime, just waiting for you to catch them. And if you are smart enough, you catch them immediately. And so it began- last weekend we went paragliding. As always, thank you European Commission (and Wild Carpathia) for this (truly amazing) opportunity.
Jumps of joy when we heard the news
For those of you who don’t know it, paragliding is an adventure sport where a person glides through the air using a wide canopy, a fabric wing that’s made up of a large number of interconnected cells. In paragliding, the pilot “takes off” from an elevated position, usually the top of a hill or mountain, then he uses wind forces to help him maintain flight — sometimes even gaining altitudes. Throughout the flight, the pilot sits in a harness suspended below the wing, like in the picture:
Unlike other extreme flying sports, characterized mostly by free falling, paragliding (provided you have the skills to manage the wind and the thermal conditions), can last for hours and cover very long distances. Clearly, we didn’t really have the time to just fly around Romania for hours on end, so we made do with a short tour in the warm summer sky.
The experience in itself is largely made of waiting. You wait for the wind and for the optimal flying conditions to have the best possible outcome from your launch. At some point we were really afraid that the wind wouldn’t come, and we started praying for it, focusing our energy to get the most out of that experience. Apparently it worked – mind over matter, always and forever. One by one, we ran and jumped off a cliff with a big orange balloon. Personally, I highly recommend it to everybody – just remember the balloon, it’s pretty crucial.
Once the waiting is over and the real thing is happening, there is one emotion that usually takes over even the bravest adventurers: fear.
“When I was up in the air, I understood that you can only feel alive when you’re scared to die” – Laura.
However, you are only scared for a few seconds before the jump. After that, only good feelings arise. Excitement, thrill, adrenaline, or rather, just peace and quiet. For some people being up in the air can be even boring – that is, until the wind decides to blow or the instructor wants to play some tricks on you. But even without tricks and strong wind, the experience of seeing the world from above is something that leaves a mark on everybody.
“After a few seconds I just looked down and it felt like there was only me and the world. I felt really peaceful.” –Laura
“I was scared when I was looking at the others, but when my turn came and the instructor told me to run, I really wanted to run. I felt free.” –Liina
“This was my first paragliding experience, and now I definitely want to have a second… and a third one.. Moving around is very smooth and relaxing and all of the sudden making tricks with the kite gives you a good adrenaline boost!! You choose what you want and you can have it! I’m glad that a literally last minute spot opened and I was given the opportunity to be there.” –Stella
“At the beginning I was a little nervous. After that, I remember thinking, is this real? Because I didn’t think I could actually do something like that.” –Daina
“It was amazing! Adrenaline, unexpected feeling of freedom and lack of fear while jumping of the ‘cliff’, flying and seeing through a bird perspective, tricky landings…all was wonderful! I had luck to have perfect wind and I can say it was one of the best days of my life. I want to do this other seventeen times!” –Sanja
As for me, it was a life lesson. Or rather, a life reminder of something I already knew. Sometimes life gives us choices, tough choices. You have to have energy, generosity, blindness. There is even a moment right at the start where you have to jump across an abyss: if you think about it, you don’t do it. But if you don’t do it, well… those who don’t jump will never fly.
Article by: Michaela Sergi
Pictures by: Daina Laizane
