Front Page National News

So during our orientation for australearn and through the University of Iowa TIPS program, they told us we would be experiencing many things, probably a lot of great things(trips, new clubs and friends!) and some not so great things like homesickness and personal illness. But with all the sessions that I have been through, we werent told how to deal with death of a fellow student while abroad. But that is what happened to me and a whole bunch of my friends this past weekend.

Last week, I joined the Alpine Club with the greatest hopes to conquer fear and have fun while camping, bungee jumping, kayaking, rock climbing, caving and horse trekking. About 100 of us in the alpine club were doing a introductory course of bungee/bridge jumping. I was number 9/100, so I was very early in the day.

However, later in the day, it was another student's turn to go, and she did her jump, but instead of swinging back and forth before reaching the ground, she fell 25 metres into the rocks. The police are still investigating what and why it happened. But after she fell she was rushed to the Palmerston North Hospital, than a few hours later she died of most likely severe head injuries. All of us cant comprehend why it was then, why did we land safely and not her? The group that was there will probably never forget the sounds they heard and what they saw. For me, whenever I go to sleep, I play that image in my head which is why I wake up and cant sleep.

Before coming to New Zealand, I could tell you a million things that would happen, like going to the beach, the south island, learning the haka and meeting a bunch a great people, but a student dying that was in the same group that I was in, wasn't going to be one of them. Nothing prepares you for a freak accident. Now I'm looking forward to more bonding with the Alpine Club and my friends, because nothing will ever be the same.

Ok, sorry I'll hopefully have more happy post later, like when I go down to wellington!