So when all my friends jump off a bridge...eventually I follow

¡Hola amigos!

So a lot has happened in the past week, but it is going to take more than one post to catch you up on my misadventures in Ecuador.

Lesson 4: When in Ecuador do all the things your mother told you never to do (or at least some of them).

What am I referring to here? Remember how we were always told to be a leader, and not to follow. For example, my mother always asked me when she was trying to prove one point or another, ¨If your friends jump off a bridge, would you do the same?¨ Well on Friday my answer was YES. This of course was not without much resistance.

Walt set up a special opportunity for all of us to jump off the Puente de La Gonzales Suarez.

So of course he has to go first.

For all my readers, this is just a random bridge in the middle of Quito that is about 120 feet high. No big deal. Before we got to the bridge, and probably after we had been there for an hour, I was still set on not jumping. I was just there for moral support and to observe. But soon enough I was a victim of pure pressure. This of course leads to Awkward Moment #3.

Awkward Moment #3: Is really just a combination of my awkwardness before I finally jump off the bridge.

First let´s look at two of the many ridic photos from the event.

I know, I think I look pretty good too. Real confident looking. I think the hardest/most awkward part was not getting into the harnesses or jumping, but climbing over the little barrier. That is what scared me the most.

So after climbing over, I put up a fight. We go through several countdowns, and everyone is trying to say encouraging words, but you know it is just not working for me. I am begging for someone to jump with me, but they are all telling me I have to do it myself. Then come the pep talks, especially from Haas.

Check it out:

He was really convincing and one of the main reasons I was able to overcome my fear and jump, but after this talk I still couldn´t do it. I had not overcome the fear. So I made Addison jump before me and promised to go next. So I had to awkwardly crawl back over the barrier, but now there were not only kids from Ole Miss watching me but also some people who had stopped their cars or had stopped when they were walking by to watch. I am very entertaining. I probably stood in my ready position for about 15 minutes being reassured that I would be okay. I feel like a wimp looking back on it but remember in mind I had not prepared for this moment, I was only going to watch the others jump. I had no plans all day of actually jumping myself. By now we had been there for almost two hours and everyone but me had jumped and loved it. So I climb back over, and I am still really nervous, and not going to do it. I plead and tell them I know I am lame but I don´t care. Everyone is a little impatient...okay a lot. Then I see Mary Alex´s face. I know that face. The one when she is really pissed and disappointed. I know she wouldn´t talk to be for a few days if I didn´t jump. That is when I knew I had to do it.

I let the guy in charge, El Gringo, hold my arms out and kinda just push and let go and then there I went. I flipped in the air, and then it was like I was on a huge swing, going from one side of the bridge to the other. I might I have said a few words that I should not mention here. I loved it and would do it again. But the second coolest thing to the jump was how supportive everyone was. I mean everyone. I know this is kinda sappy but the students from Ole Miss here really do care and look out from each other. They pushed me so hard to jump because they knew I would regret it, and they were right. I am so happy that I jumped.

This only cost me $15.00, and in my pocket I had exactly $15.00. It was meant to be.

I think I am going to jump off an even higher bridge sometime in July, but next time I am not going to waste time trying to talk myself out of it.

Next post: a night out with the locals.

¡Chao!