Jia-Yu as a parachutist

Jump, jump into the air

Some people are born adventurers. They enjoy exploring the highest mountains and the deepest seas. They are not afraid of taking up the challenges under risky situations. I am not that kind of person. However, I have done something that even the bravest friends of mine have never done -- jumping out of a flying airplane.

I served in an airborne brigade for my military service, which was decided by drawing lots. I cannot remember what I felt when that unlucky lot fell on me, but I do remember how sad and worried I was in the following two months. All newcomers to the brigade must pass the basic parachutist training, or he will be reassigned to other army units, mostly those located on small islands apart from Taiwan. I was not afraid of the severe training. It was the possibility of accidents while jumping that made me uncomfortable.

The training of a parachutist is severe and fatiguing. We did a lot of exercises to make our body, especially our legs, strong enough for the thrust on landing. We practiced the correct actions at every stage, from leaving the plane to landing. We learned to overcome the fear of the height by jumping out of a 5-story tower with only a connection to a cable, which we slid along to reach the ground. In the training field, there is a big sign that reads "Strictness is Safeness." However, there were several people injured in the training, and several others quitted. I still feel unbelievable that I could carry through the training and successfully passed the final check to be qualified to board the plane.

We got on board in the following days after the final check. I felt that the situation on the plane was totally different from what we were told, but fortunately the skills we had learned acted correctly as they were taught. Although there were a few accidents causing slight injuries to some people after our first jump, some of us started to enjoy it.

Being suspended in midair is a really rare experience. It is extremely silent up in the sky, and the only you can hear is the coach shouting at you through the microphone from the ground. It is also the only time that you could see birds flying far below you. I have to confess that I dared not jump out of the plane with my eyes opened, but I was still proud of myself after I landed safely at the final jump. I think it was probably the fear that made me concentrate my attention and prevented me from being injured.

It has been two years since I finished the training. From then on, whenever I encountered hardships or experienced bad fortune, I could comfort myself quickly and encourage myself that every difficulty could be overcome. After all, which difficulty is greater than the one that is at the risk of a person's own life? And for me, strictness is now not only safeness but also the way to have things go right, which eventually leads to great success, just as it did two years ago.