Years ago, I took a trip to Costa Rica with my school. My chaperones had many things planned for us, but I did not know how terrifying, yet fun they would be. Costa Rica is known for its beaches and vast types of water recreations. However, ever since my dad senselessly threw me in the pool when I was five, I developed a fear of water activities. Kayaking was the first of many water related activities. At the time, I did not know any Spanish, yet they paired me with a Spanish tour guide. That made a lot of sense. We reached a little island in the middle of the lake, and parked the kayaks. Wondering why we stopped here, two of my friends jumped in the lake. Another one followed, and another. I ultimately did go in, but only went waist deep. I was still able to see what was in the water. Did I face my fear? I felt good knowing that I did. We called it a night, and it was time for day two.
Horseback riding was the next activity, and I’m not much of an animal person. To this day, I am still contemplating on whether or not I would do it again. Standing next to a horse that is three times your size is not a good feeling. I had to sit on it. Before the horse got to its trail, I started to smell a disgusting scent. I looked down, and realized that we were literally going through a pool of horse manure. This horse can easily slip and fall, and I will have a bunch of horse manure on my clothes. So, it was okay for me to panic. The tour guide, who speaks no English took it upon himself to whip my horse, and it started galloping. This horse, clearly forgetting that I am on it, decided to run through a tree. I ducked my head, and still got hit by a branch. I am more than sure that I lost a couple of brain cells. I faced my fear of animals, but that fear is still there (sometimes). There was still another fear that I had to face.
Although I am scared of heights, Costa Rica is also known for its zip-lining. Being in a school called Explore Charter School, of course the chaperones wanted to explore this activity. They said I was going to be okay, I was still scared. They said I was going to be in a harness, I was still scared. One of the guides jokingly said that one guy died, I was ready to pack my bags and get on the next flight. The first zip line was not as bad as I thought. It was only 10 feet long, and I was content with that. That same guy decided to tell me that the distance between the trees get longer during each zip line. That is nothing something you should tell a terrified tourist. The last zip line was over a thousand feet above the ground, and over 100 feet long. It required two people, and we zip lined with ease. I then approached the “Tarzan Jump.” It was exactly what it sounded like. I held the rope, jumped, and screamed. Two seconds later I was on the ground, and unharmed. There was nothing for me to worry about.
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