My Holidays

In the holidays I didn’t get up to as much as many others did. I was free all along, but that’s not it. I’ll tell you one of the best days I enjoyed.

The first week nothing happened. Not at all. But the second week got exciting. We found out that we were going skiing! So on the 23rd of July, my family woke up at 8AM to drive a 3H drive up to the amazing skiing range, on Mt. Ruapehu. But something lowered my mood. My brother didn’t want to come because my dad said the ‘harder’ track is closed. My sister said she didn't want to ski because she didn't feel like it. So my parents decided to just pay for my rides.

We arrive there at 11:27, we wanted to stop for some breakfast on the way. I dress into my proper skiing clothes and we walk up to the escalator. The queues were incredibly long, it took 20 minutes to get to the counter. We got sorted and I finally went out to the range. I wave good-bye to my dad who stood near the exit, and ski right off. It felt so weird skiing, I didn't ski for 2 years. And I wasn’t surprised…

I trip up, right on my face. I hear people laughing at me from above, they're sitting on the seat thingies that you sit on and, it brings you back to the start of the course. I don't know what they're called though. But what was important was that I get up. I found that my skiing sticks were scattered around behind me, along with my left foot ski’s. The laughter continues and I stand up with my right ski still on. I click my left foot shoe to the ski, pick up my sticks and continue. In that one round I fell 5 times. Don’t blame, I said I haven't been skiing for 2 years.

Luckily the next few rounds I only fell once every time, but even better, the rest of the time I didn't fall at all. The wind was so cold, slicing the air and bashing my face, luckily I had ski goggles, which stopped the snow from flying in. Since I didn't have anyone to ski with, I had other people to sit with on the ‘flying chairs.’ Some people sat quiet, and looked the other way, some people said a few words. Sometimes I was by myself, which meant I finally had some time to think properly. But most of the people I say with talked, and were very nice. Their questions weren't too personal, but not so weird either. Like, “what town are you from?” Or, “how old are you?” Sometimes “what's your name,” “do you like skiing?” Those people were really nice, and that's what lightened my mood.

It's not like I never fell again while skiing, I fell every now and then. I’d say skiing is like a book of choices. Either go this way or that way, that way or this way, downhill or straight. Wrong choice and your tripped. Exactly what happened to me. I decided the wrong things, like going slightly downhill leading me to bashing straight into a rock, or going left and tripping over someone's ski’s, even staying straight and crashing right into a pole. Those didn't hurt too much, despite my great speed. Once I even nearly bashed into a little child, but somehow I thought so fast, I turned right sharply, and nearly fell! Nearly fell! I saved myself! Fortunately the child was safe- so was I.

Skiing was so fun, and I’ll never forget it. When it was 4:00, the whole business had to close because of some reason I didn't know of, maybe because it was getting darker. My starvation was so large, we stopped at subway in Taihape, then returned home safely.