Now, he is a skydiving instructor, taking people soaring in the blue sky every day.
Skydiving instructor is a very strange profession for many people, and many people's first reaction is danger. However, for Nemo, who loves skydiving, this job makes him feel the adrenaline rush and the freedom of his mind.
More importantly, he can work all over the world and realize his dream of traveling around the world.
Wen | Nimo
Editor | Li Qiao
The engine of the plane buzzed and I stood by the door. The huge wind opened my eyes, and there was endless night outside the hatch.
Looking down at the altitude of 4000 meters below, my heart has been pounding. I looked back at the foreigners waiting in line behind me. My heart crossed and I bravely jumped into the darkness.
I never imagined that I failed in skydiving, because I could not see anything because of temporary night blindness. The umbrella rushed to the ground with my crazy rotation!
"At this point, I can't just fall to my death." I tried desperately to solve the problem, and finally successfully recovered the parachute and landed safely when I was close to the ground.
This is one of my exams as a skydiving instructor, "Skydiving at night", which is the last level and also a very dangerous level. I passed and officially became a skydiving instructor!
Dark subway driver's career
After graduating from college, I became a subway driver. This job is hard and boring. I drive in the tunnel all day. There are no holidays, only shifts, usually four shifts at night.
Day shift is good. I'm going to work from 3: 00 p.m. until 12 midnight when the subway ends. I'll take the subway back to the base and live there. I have to get up at 3 am the next day and go back to work until about 10.
After the night shift, it is another day's rest, and so on.
Driving the subway day after day, drilling in the dark tunnel all day, holding the salary of ordinary people, narrow promotion space and endless driver work make me want to resign.
The idea was completely inspired by an incident.
On July 20 13, my colleague was diagnosed with leukemia. We all went to visit him. I saw many leukemia patients in the hematology ward. They are all lying in hospital beds, suffering from chemotherapy, and their colleagues are getting thinner in a short time because of chemotherapy. The confusion in his eyes made me unforgettable.
"I think I have failed in my life" is the last sentence I heard him say when I was 2 1 year old.
Since then, I have often thought of his words, and at the same time began to think, what is people living for? Did you pay the best decades of your life for a house and a good car?
Once, I saw a video of others traveling around the world. I saw them galloping on the African prairie and watching the aurora in Iceland. I envy others that they can have money to go out to play and live a carefree life. So in the following year, I began to save money to resign.
"I intend to travel around the world. At least the day before I left this world, I have seen this world and I still have memories. "
bristle with/be beset with difficulties
Many people will think it is easy to travel around the world. That's true. Experienced various setbacks such as parents' incomprehension, lack of money, groping in confusion, injury, and almost disillusionment of dreams. Five years later, I basically began to realize my wish.
My parents are standard employees of state-owned enterprises. I was raised to be safe and reliable. They think I should live a good life according to their ideas.
"Mom, I want to travel around the world." I had a showdown with my mother.
"You can feed yourself first." Mom thought I was joking.
However, my mother underestimated me. I have been a maverick since I was a child, and I do whatever comes to my mind at once. In college, I once rode a broken bike around most places in China.
Riding a second-hand Merida, I have been to Shennongjia, Three Gorges Dam, Qinghai, Hainan Island and other places. When I spent all my money on traveling, my parents didn't understand. Later, I couldn't help myself and went.
On the day they quit their jobs as subway drivers, their expressions were really indescribable. Looking at me is like looking at someone else's unfilial son. But they didn't force me to stop, and they still silently supported my hobby in the days to come.
Since you want to travel around the world, you must have money first. After resigning, I tried many occupations, taught myself, and opened a handmade leather workshop for a year, but I didn't do it. I also worked as an instrument teacher for a year, and I was very happy, but I didn't make any money. In the end, even the insurance was sold, but the training of insurance companies was too brainwashing. My character can't do such a thing, so I gave up. After five years of tossing, I didn't find a way out.
(making handmade leather goods)
Just when I was confused, I saw Zhang, a parachutist from China base, on TV, wearing wings and obeying Tianmen Mountain. I was shocked. Can I still play like this?
I began to learn skydiving, and the more I learned, the more excited I became. I especially wanted to learn skydiving.
But where can I learn skydiving and how can I become a skydiving instructor? 20 16 skydiving has not been developed among the people in China. Only local professional teams and national teams can skydive, but I am too old to participate.
However, foreign skydiving has developed for decades, and I began to search for information on foreign skydiving forums. Finally, I found that as long as I become a skydiving instructor, I can make money by taking others to experience skydiving, and I can support myself completely, and my salary is not bad.
Because there are skydiving bases all over the world, you can work in all the places in the world where you can skydive as long as you get a skydiving license from the American Skydiving Association, then upgrade slowly and finally get a skydiving instructor. Traveling around the world while doing interesting work, perfect! ?
It's not that simple.
20 16 if Chinese want to learn skydiving, they have to go to the United States, which is a developed country in skydiving. After discussing with my family, I sold my car and went to America with 50 thousand yuan alone.
The learning process is not always smooth. It was February, California was still very cold, and the temperature was less than 10 degrees. I had to complete 25 independent parachutes from an altitude of 4000 meters.
It was the first time I carried a parachute bag, at an altitude of 4000 meters, without any protection. The moment I opened the hatch, the cold wind of MINUS several degrees blew on my face, and my hair suddenly became stupid, and my brain went blank: Who am I? Where am I? Why should I skydive?
Then, I want to stand outside the cabin door with the propeller blowing in my face. I just watched, and the coach pulled me by the leg, but I didn't respond, because I was completely at a loss. However, he was finally dragged out by the coach.
It's much better to jump after that, and the rest are very smooth. The coach explained to me that my reaction at that time was normal, called sensory overload. People will have a short memory loss in the first few seconds when they do extreme sports for the first time. They have no idea what they are doing. Most passengers who have experienced skydiving will do this when they first leave the cabin.
Finally, after a month's study, I successfully obtained the certificate of single skydiver of American Skydiving Association, which is also commonly known as A certificate in the industry.
(learning skydiving in America)
At the same time, it also made me feel the parachuting atmosphere abroad. Most skydivers are extroverted, and they all have aunts and grandfathers in their sixties and seventies, which surprised me. Everyone is very friendly and gave me a lot of help in the process of my textual research. There is no difference between generations and races.
I will go back to China after studying, but I can't be a skydiving instructor yet, because an entry certificate is far from enough. It can be said that the distance is 108 thousand Li, and it takes hundreds or even thousands of jumps to be a skydiving instructor. Practicing skydiving in China is not as good as abroad, so we can only wait for opportunities in China for the time being.
Here comes the opportunity.
From 2065438 to 2008, several skydiving bases were opened in China. I learned from a friend that there is a skydiving base in Guangdong that recruits "base volunteers", and free labor can be exchanged for a skydiving opportunity.
Without saying anything, I packed my bags and headed south. From that moment on, I really entered this industry. This year in Guangdong, it can be described as taking pains and having fun. My job is to pick up guests, clean and fold parachutes every day. A parachute weighs 50 Jin, so you have to throw it around against it.
When I first learned to fold an umbrella, it took forty minutes to fold one, and I was exhausted. Even if I fold an umbrella in an air-conditioned room in Guangdong, my clothes are wet and dry every day. Fortunately, if you are skilled in the back, you can only fold a double umbrella in ten minutes.
Put away your umbrella after skydiving. This is a manual job.
At the same time, in order to catch the free flight, I have to fold my parachute in a short time. Basically, the flight interval is 30 minutes. I want to play two umbrellas, then go skydiving, and then come back to play two umbrellas as soon as I land. This is a cycle of the day.
Sometimes I have to take students to take photos of third-party skydiving. However, no matter how hard and tired we are, all our skydiving staff are harmonious, encouraging and supporting each other every day. I have learned a lot of knowledge and skills from every coach, and my skills are getting better and better as time goes by.
At the same time, I also met many friends who studied skydiving in China. What impressed me the most was a student the same age as my father, a big brother in his fifties. I admire him for going to our base to learn skydiving alone. This big brother is very modest and kind. He has no airs with us juniors. They all called us "teachers" and invited us to dinner after work.
During my one year in Guangdong, I made many such good friends, which is the most precious wealth I got.
At that time, as an umbrella folding worker, my boss gave me a monthly subsidy of 1000 yuan and a free room. But I have to face huge equipment costs, a second-hand parachute bag costs 30,000 to 40,000 yuan, and the worn equipment is replaced by thousands, as well as training fees and living expenses.
Fortunately, my family and friends have given me great help in money and spirit. When I want to give up because of injury, call to support me, comfort me and let me finally stick to it. Without their help, I might not be who I am now.
Speaking of injuries, paratroopers can actually be counted as a kind of athletes. After a long time, there will inevitably be occupational diseases or accidental injuries. When I parachuted, I once missed a hidden hole in the grass in the landing area and accidentally stepped in, resulting in a broken ankle. I had to rest for three months, and the steel plate was taken out two years later, which gave me a great blow both physically and mentally.
Many people are injured because of improper operation, which happens every year. Even when I was working abroad, some skydivers had accidents because of improper operation. Therefore, this industry needs to have a high sense of safety, know what it is doing and how to operate safely in order to work for a long time. This is also the benefit of occupational injury, which makes me realize that I should be careful to sail for ten thousand years.
The last test before becoming a skydiving instructor.
In 20 19, I ushered in the 500th skydiving in my life, and finally reached the minimum standard for taking the skydiving instructor exam, so I resigned and went to Dubai to take the last trial of "skydiving at night" before the coach exam.
Everyone needs to skydive three times at night to get the highest level license. In fact, the risk factor of night skydiving is not high, which is the last threshold to get the highest D license in that year. Most skydivers also take night skydiving as the last project to get the D license. Moreover, night jump is not an assessment as long as it can land safely, so night jump is the final test for a skydiver.
However, it is not easy to parachute in poor visibility, land safely, adapt to night blindness caused by darkness in a short time, and land safely at 1000 meters and 4000 meters respectively.
(Before skydiving at night)
I was the first to leave the cabin that night, and I was actually scared, but I was the only one from China in the cabin, thinking that I couldn't embarrass my people, so I had to bite the bullet and jump out.
Unexpectedly, when I opened the parachute, I encountered a parachute failure. Later, I found that my new parachute line was seriously aging, causing rotation. I couldn't see anything at that time, and the umbrella rushed to the ground with my crazy rotation. I thought to myself: now, I can't just fall to my death, so I desperately want to solve the problem. Finally, the parachute was successfully recovered and landed safely when approaching the ground.
(Obtained the certificate of skydiving instructor)
Later, I also reflected. It is very important for the use and maintenance of equipment, especially for skydiving in unfamiliar environments. Be sure to use your familiar equipment and check it well.
Modern parachute bags are mature in technology, and generally there will be no failures caused by the equipment itself, which are caused by the carelessness or improper operation of the paratroopers themselves. This also makes me more cautious in my later career. ?
Of course, I didn't tell my parents about skydiving at night. I just told them that I went to Dubai for the exam.
Where dreams begin.
After returning from Dubai, I began to plan my first stop around the world: Asia.
The skydiving industry in Asia, mainly in China and Thailand, is relatively prosperous, so I set my sights on Thailand, and it happened that the Thai base was recruiting China coaches, and I hit it off immediately.
I have been working in Thailand for almost a year, where the living environment is good, the weather is good, the winter is not cold, and I am very comfortable to go to work every day. There, I also met skydiving coaches from all over the world, including those from Russia, Brazil, the United States, Britain, Thailand and Finland.
(I'm in charge of taking pictures)
A couple, Ann and Dave from Germany and South Africa, left a deep impression on me. They parachuted while traveling to make money and went to many countries. Boys are responsible for skydiving with clients, and girls are responsible for shooting third-party videos.
(Dave and Ann)
Two people are doing the same thing, working together every day, very happy. During the holiday, I also went to the islands around Thailand for a holiday with them. They snorkel together in the morning and drink and chat together in the evening. It seems that they have something to talk about, which is really enviable.
There is also a Finnish coach who only likes the same sex. He found true love in Thailand, a country that advocates gender freedom, and they lived happily there.
Most of the coaches here come to work in the base for a while, then go out and continue to work in the next place. This working environment is becoming more and more solid. I realize my dream by skydiving.
Go back to China.
Having said so many nice things, being a skydiving instructor actually has some disadvantages, that is, just like drifting in the north, you have to sacrifice the company of your relatives and friends, and even your personal feelings, because few people will be willing to drift around with you. Therefore, while this job is happy, it is also lonely most of the time, which requires a strong heart to complete the goals in my heart.
Moreover, a foothold in this industry requires a lot of investment, physical and mental input, and continuous learning. In recent years, I have seen many people being discouraged at various stages, but most of them can persist.
In addition, this sport does have certain dangers. For example, many skydivers like to do all kinds of thrilling actions in the air, such as spinning and ground speed skating. Some people can land at a speed of 100 kilometers and fly low on the ground 100 meters. If ordinary landing is road driving, fancy landing is professional racing. However, these tricks are rarely played in China and are played by foreigners. Since I fell, I dare not play tricks.
Now there are professional fancy skydiving competitions in the world, such as canopypiloting, which is very dangerous. The world champions are all steel plate "Iron Man", and the China skydiving team has not participated so far. China's strength is fixed, that is, to see who will land accurately and slowly.
I feel that many foreigners have different personalities in their bones. We pursue stability, and they are willing to go out and do what they like. In fact, this is their ultimate pursuit of freedom. There are too many old women aged 60-70 who are still skydiving abroad.
I know a foreigner. His three brothers and one sister were ordinary office workers, and the other three brothers died accidentally playing extreme sports, but his sister simply said, "Please send my brother's ashes back."
These have a great influence on my values.
Returned to work at the end of 20 19 and worked as a coach in a skydiving base in Jiangsu.
In the past two years, domestic skydiving has developed rapidly, and there are already more than a dozen skydiving bases. But skydiving needs a lot of people, which leads to few people participating. There are hundreds of domestic enthusiasts, which can't be compared with skiing and paragliding.
There are all kinds of people who come to skydive, men, women and children. The oldest person I took in China was an aunt in her sixties. Interestingly, girls are generally more courageous than boys, and it is all boys who get on the plane and escape when they get cold feet.
At present, the level of people involved in skydiving in China is uneven, but most of the double parachute coaches who can take customers are trained from abroad in the early days, and their skills are no different from those of foreign coaches.
Now, because of the epidemic, people in China can't go out and have to jump at home, so more and more paragliders are being trained, and the circle of people in China will become bigger and bigger in the future, which is also a happy thing.
These years of experience are precious to me. No matter happiness or pain, it has written a heavy stroke in my life. I don't regret it, and I hope to tell you by sharing my experience. As long as you have an ideal in your heart, you should realize it while you are young and brave.