?Life starts at the end of your comfort zone?
As a update to my previous post, I would like to add, while I am already here at CHECC, that I got here with 3 of the oldest team leaders in my society, leaving early in the morning I was informed that we weren't going directly to CHECC, tha we were going caving first, apparently to a cave called "Darren" you might have heard of it, i was told it was going to be arround an hour of crawling, to which y imagined a long tunnel like cave where I would have to move on my hands and knees most of the times. Without making anymore questions I embraced the idea cheerfully. And before I gonany further, I would like to thank those 3 guys for trusting I was up for the challenge.
Well what I imagined it would be was far from reality, if you have ever been inside that cave you know what I am talking about, arround 500 meters of very very tight tunnels where you have to be most of the time laying full length on your side, legss fully extended and puling and pushing yourself however you can, and these tunnels are partly covered with water. That was how my fifth cave ever looked like.
Being quite honest I swore I was going to get stuck more than once, but I managed to free myself moving backwards and forwards several times, I also felt pretty scared several times, but I managed to stay calm and happy for having the opportunity to experience this amazing challenge.
After about 50 meters they asked me if I wanted to continue, letting me know that it was going to be like that for another hour. I answered that I wanted to continue, and I do not regret my decision, it was difficult, it was painful, but I enjoyed the challenge a lot. I have to accept a wasn't abe to go as fast as my other 3 teammates, but I managed to go all the way in and out the same way due to lack of time, without any problems and in arround 1 hour and 15 minutes.
As I said in my original post, before going back I plan to do a few more caves, and I am glad this was one of the caves I had the chance to do.
Felipe LCA
Original post
I?m sure whoever wrote the phrase ?Life starts at the end of your comfort zone?, didn?t know about air conditioning, a blanket, and Netflix, but then again, there are so many delightful things out there to experience.
I have been here in the UK a little more than 2 months, I am an international student and for some crazy reason I decided to join the caving club, something I had never done before in my life, for the contrary, I live above 2,000 meters over the sea level and I have done some mountaineering over 5,000 meters, and now I find myself going into underground caves. Because trying new things are the kind of adventures that will stay with me until I die, adventures I will tell my grandkids (if I ever have), adventures that will help me grow and overcome the difficulties and fears in life, adventures that will bring the best and also the worst in me, adventures that will shape me.
To be honest, I like to think I am not afraid of anything, but that is not true, I just keep saying that to myself hoping one day I will actually believe it. The first time I went into a cave and I had to squish through a very tight gap in the floor and go down several more meters, I was terrified I was going to get stuck there, my heart rate started to rise, and I was pleading to my teammates not to leave me behind if I actually got stuck. But I calmed myself down, or at least as much as I could, and I reached the bottom. I had to, because I had to get over my fear, because I was sure that wasn?t going to be the last time I would experience fear or difficulties in my life, or inside a cave, for that matter. And I was right, caves are full of different obstacles, like cold water, tight spaces, getting lost, being hungry, struggling to find the cave, and so on, but they are also filled with great things, such as the friends I have made, beautiful rock formations, underwater rivers and waterfalls, great amounts of fun and over all, great stories and experiences.
In the short time I have been here, I have managed to go on a few caving trips, giving me the opportunity to meet amazing people, beautiful places, challenging and delightful caves, and I can assure you I will go to a few more before I return home.
If you are reading this, and you are not a caver, I will encourage you to try it, at least one, because you might actually find yourself loving it, as I did, and appreciating seeing the sky and breathing fresh air a lot more.
Felipe LCA