These two Explo at Wellesley thrill-seekers spent their morning soaring as they learned to [indoor] skydive on their weekend trip. Lily and Eloise appreciate the nurturing environment at Explo at Wellesley and feel blessed to have new opportunities for growth and learning, while being surrounded by friends and staff that give them the support to spread their wings and take flight!
Tell me what you did this morning?
Lily: We went indoor skydiving; it was incredible! There were these two giant fans blowing on us, so we felt like we were free-falling in mid-air.
Eloise: It's really crazy. When you watch it from outside, there's no sound and it looks so effortless, like you're just floating like an astronaut. But when you get inside, it's super intense and it feels crazy because it feels like you're falling down, even though you're being pushed upwards.
Were you scared?
Lily: I was very scared! I'm afraid of heights so this was a very hard and new experience for me.
Eloise: I was more excited than scared, but once you got up into the doorway and you were counting down the seconds, it was definitely pretty scary.
So what made you do it if it was so daunting?
Lily: I want to try something new. I know that things in life are always scary, but sometimes, you just have to go for it!
Eloise: I've always liked the feeling of adventure and trying new things that you don't normally get to do at home. Especially living in New York, there's not many places to [indoor] skydive, so I thought, this is a really cool opportunity, and I need to take it! And it was such a great experience.
What was running through your mind when you were in the air?
Lily: What if I fall? What's going to happen? Is this actually happening!
Eloise: There's a lot of complicated hand movements and I kept forgetting to lift my chin. My mind was racing! You kind of want to fall because you have to work hard with your muscles to stay in the right position. When you get out, there's so much adrenaline and it's so intense.
So now that you've finished skydiving, can you tell me how Explo has played a part exposing you to so many new and exciting things?
Lily: The people at Explo are such an amazing support system. Everyone is so welcoming and they reassure me that even at the last second, nothing bad is going to happen. And trying new things around your friends makes everything easier.
Eloise: Explo gives us all these awesome opportunities that I never would have had the chance to do if I hadn't gone here. And just as important, there are a bunch of incredible people supporting you to help you achieve those things.
How do you think Explo will help you figure out what you want to do and the person you'd like to be when you grow up?
Lily: I want to be a writer, so all of these incredibly creative classes and adventurous trips are giving me so much material to write about! They give you all these opportunities to try so many new things every day, so you quickly learn things you want to do and things you definitely don't want to do. You play to your strengths and improve your weaknesses. By exposing you to so much, Explo guides you on this path that when you're older, you have a whole repertoire of things to choose from because you've already tried so much.
Eloise: It's just such a great environment. You always have people supporting you, but also there are people there that teach you your boundaries and limits, and they're there to help you exactly the way you need help. You learn more about yourself and what you like to do with people, which is so important.
So, last question... If you could skydive again, would you?
Lily: YES! I would definitely skydive again.
Eloise: Of course! My goal is to skydive outside, but I need to practice a ton more before I'm ready to take the jump!
Jaryd Frankel