Written by Beija, age 11.

The harnesses were heavy as Omar handed them back to me. I shifted. The rusty carabiners dangled against my pants as I stared back onto the Cuban jungle. Royal Palms, Tourist trees, tall pines, and towering green many others lined the ground, the thick forest floor hidden from sight. A squeal came from my right, and I watched a woman fly through the air. My heart skipped a beat. The zipline was a thin line spread across the horizon, and I watched her zip across the space between the two towers, and then she disappeared through the trees.

“Beija, come on!” my mom shouted.

There was two Cuban zipline staff named Julio and Roberto. They were coming with us on the zip line tour. They waited for me to board the back of the beat up truck. I hopped on and joined my parents. I soon felt the wind flying across my face as we raced along, the truck bouncing, making by butt complain. I was sure gonna be sore tomorrow. We made our way to the first stop. The start of our adventure. We arrived at the crumbling tower where he gave us the intro. Safety, gloves, stopping, blah blah blah. I was excited. We were about to fly over Cuba, a once in a lifetimes chance to see the unique, Cuban landscape of Las Terrazas from above.

“Are you ready?” my dad asked as we climbed the stairs up to the top. He was holding his Go-pro out in front of him getting nothing but his finger.

I scrunched my nose. “Maybe,” was my only reply.

I was nervous. Exhilaration, fear, and excitement whipped around me. Was I really ready? I could do this I told myself as I watched my mom go first.

“Go momma!” I shouted, impressed at the level of simplicity it took for her to take flight. You step up to the block, Roberto clips your in harness into the line, you wait, and then… your gone.

It was my turn. Roberto clipped me in and waited for the signal from the other side, the side that my mom had just landed. Wait, what? I was pushed of into space, my feet no longer touching the ground. I was suspended in time and space. I whooped. It was amazing. The trees, the birds, the air. It whipped around my face surrounding me in a halo of peace. This was so worth it. I had rejected the feeling of fear, of uncertainty, and stepped into what seemed the impossible.

Chances needed to be taken in life; they are just waiting for you. So now you go and find them.

Cuba zipline in Las Terrazas.