In a Step from the Dream

The heart was beating terribly, throat was dry and it seemed that she tried to say something in vain – words were taken away with the wind, and lips just imitated mute shouts. The legs were giving way, eyes couldn`t dare to look down. It seemed that three minutes would never end. Mentally she understood she shouldn`t delay.

-                As longer you will wait the harder will be to jump, - the voice in her mind said.

-                 It`s easy to say, - Olga thought, - but I have to jump! And this tree doesn`t look like trees from my childhood on which climbed. Ten meters is not a joke!

The girl was almost on the top of the pine, or more precisely on the plank shelf nailed to the tree, and underneath friends were cheering her up all out. She needed to make only one step, but what a step!

-         Come closer to the border, - the voice didn`t stop.

 Just jump from the pine wasn`t enough: in one meter from Olya was a horizontal stick, for which she should grab. The stick symbolized a goal which the jumper tried to reach. That goal was so close that the task looked like a joke the more girl was belaying by reliable rope. You also can, standing on the earth, try to jump on a meter in front - it will not be a problem for you, but on high this distance seems a lot longer. And yet the desired goal is just in one step from you.

 Standing on the edge, you can be surprised by the thoughts which visit your mind. Olya thought about many things during those three minutes. For instance, she thought that people dream a lot, especially in childhood: boys want to become cosmonauts or outstanding football players, girls sees themselves in the role of famous ballerinas. Children believe in their dreams, but, becoming adults, they transform them in unattainable fantasies. Why we have this situation? How we can help ourselves to believe in our forces? There are created a lot of books, seminars, films about this topic… but the question of confidence in ourselves stays the main problem for many people. And often because of it we are afraid to make a step. There are a lot of ways to overcome uncertainty. Olga chose “the jump to the dream”.

At that time her worries were growing and she understood that the moment for action had come. The girl believed in her target and she didn`t want to accept the defeat. She can do it! She will not give up!

Coming to the border of the shelf, Olya looked to the woods. The energy of that place was very strong, air was clean, nothing was distracting from the goal. That was the reason of choosing that place: pine wood is very appropriate for such activities. That day in the forest was a training arranged by team building company. The goal was to build an effective work collective. So it was necessary for each employee to believe in themselves, become a reliable link of whole corporate structure. During last years this service is very popular in companies which understand that staff policy is very important. This is a story how Olga appeared on the pine`s top: it was the corporate training for employees.

Olya breathed out and concentrated on the goal which she had to reach, and in the same time on the dream which that construction symbolized. Gradually the situation stopped  remind the story of typical action movie, when the main character, running from the explosion, jumped from the ten-floor building and caught a rope ladder which so conveniently was hanging from the waiting helicopter.

Finally she dared. Only one jump – and her fingers touched the construction. At that moment she felt breathless, all thoughts and fears leaved her, and the only thing which occupied her mind was flying. For a few seconds she hanged in the air, but then her week hands couldn`t stand, and Olga fell off, but she touched her dream. It means that in real life she also can reach goals which on the first sight seem unattainable.

Believe in your dream and don`t be afraid of going to it. Even if at the beginning it seems that first step you did was in pursuit after it, eventually, it will turn around to your face!

Thirteen Tourists and Caves` Secrets

Human created a lot of sports. As for me, I often hear about new ways of active rest. For example, alpinism is spread among travelers. The sense of this one is aspiration to conquest the highest tops of our planet. There is nothing surprising in the popularity of this sport, because people tend to desire a height. Long since romantics conquered the sky.  

And how often alpinists think about the underground world? Yes! There are wonderful things under our legs. And the world actually isn`t limited by that we see, it is wider. If you think about speleology, you are right. I would like to speak about this sport.

This year I was lucky enough to visit Karaby (massif in Crimea). This amazing place counts hundreds caves of different depth. Yearly a lot of spelunkers arrive there to take a break from the city fuss that took root in modern society. Our team of thirteen participants also went to explore the depths. That was really relaxing place. To understand what I mean try to come in a wood and live in a tent. But remember to leave your mobile phone at the house or to switch it once in several days – it`ll help you to forgot about everyday problems. All anxieties must leave you for a time. Karaby can guarantee it, because cellular there is bad. So your talks will be very short or you even could just to write messages.

Finally, what is the speleology? It means the caves` study. There are a lot of characteristics of evaluating the caves, for example, depth. Tortuosity is also important: will be it straight trajectory or on the path the sportsman will face a lot of refastening to avoid rope fraying. Although I`m impressed by another characteristic. On probation call it “narrow places”. Different caves amounts unexpected number of entrances, because underground world doesn`t look like an empty room. No! It rather can be compared with a huge megalopolis with bystreets to the most beautiful rooms, underground fresh lakes and bats as inhabitants. It should be admitted that these animals are the caves` owners while people can be just tourists.

Returning to the “narrow places”, I want to note that sportsmen need to get through such little windows, which at first sight seems too little even for children. But speleologists can evaluate own possibilities and to grouped rightly. There are several rules of body position, in which it needs the least space. For instance, chest needs the minimal volume if the person stretches its arm along the body and hold out the second one above the head. As for hips, need to note it like second problem zone, that always want to stick somewhere, you should move it. In horizontal cleft it possible to climb on your side – in that way it wouldn`t hinder you. But if such clef is vertical you can fix yourself, turned over on your stomach. It`ll give you extra time.

There exist a lot of other nuances. It`s only a small part of them.

One more interesting question: what is the most fearful in the speleology? I asked it many participants of the expedition and, of cause, answers were variety. Somebody is afraid of rope braking, somebody of bats attack. The third is afraid of getting through the narrow places or walk far from the rope. You bet! Nobody want to lose oneself underground or repeat the Winnie-the-Pooh`s story, sticking in the cleft!

There was one more point in that list and simultaneously several people were afraid of that.  They can`t entrust their lives to rope and sport equipment. I`ll explain. If we compare speleology with rock climbing, in the last case rope has a safety equipment role. So if the sportsman falls off, the rope will not allow him to fall to the ground, saving his life. It means that rock climber more relies upon oneself: he climbs on the surface, but doesn`t down in the empty space. So if the sportsman doesn`t fall off the rope even can be unnecessary. In that case rock is a kinda support, lifeline on the way to the top.

Speaking about descent into the caves, climbing technique is can`t be use enough. Number one, caves` walls are very wet and it`s often covered by fresh lime. That`s why sportsmen may easy slip. Number two they need to come down with one rope when the nearest wall is situated in several meters from speleologist. In such situation it`s necessary to control emotions, because personе begin to realize that his life is hanging not by a thread, but by a rope. Sometimes speleologist overcomes half a path, but all the same he is locating at the huge height. Just image these feelings: the man is hanging under the earth in darkness. Only lantern is illuminating one side and it helps to look around. And in fact below is darkness and the top is filled by emptiness. To understand the speleology, maybe, you should feel it. This situation will scare someone and another will breathless with delight. But you will not stay indifferent to the caves.

I think you`ve understood that speleology is a risk sport. But it has a lot of other interesting moments. Not everything in speleology is connected with danger. I described only hard moments of the descent. They need to be passed, but it isn`t a goal. The goal is an opening an underground world for yourself, an opportunity of walking through the caves, to feel an absolutely another atmosphere, another time passing. Frankly, my first descent was so awesome that first half an hour I couldn`t be objective in evaluation the room in which I found myself. The filling a solid ground was the main for me, everything else were secondary. And what there was room? That cave was like my four flats and it was just hall leading to other rooms and that in turn – to new corners. It seemed that I could walk several days. People need time to realize such thing. After half an hour excursion I was heard that four hours had been passed and we need to begin ready for ascent. That information seemed absolutely unthinkable. My mind could believe rather in watch’s breakage than in a crazy time passing.

The most of the time could be spend near the lakes. In the fact that are bathes among rocks, but even that sizes are big for caves. That`s why they are called lakes.

   Of course, I can`t ignore newcomers` impressions of stalactites, stalagmite and stalagnateses. Those look like stone icicles growing in different sides. And when you realize that all is created by water during hundreds ages, you begin better understand the nature straight and see the world wider.

Finally I would ask you one thing: it you ever deep in a cover, pay attention to the walls (especially beautiful are white walls). Please, don`t touch them. It`s an elementary speleologists` etiquette. Often tourists can`t keep from white stalagmite and not to touch it. They leave marks and in future walls lose their first view.

Our team opened for ourselves a completely different side of our world. I wish you the same. And if you ever come to Karaby, use this opportunity of dive into а new world. Enjoy the best views of that place. Try not just to go to the excursion, but feel the nature and renew your connection with it. That will be the best way to get rid of stresses following us in modern megalopolises. Good luck in in subdue new depths!

Inside

Boring lessons fit only to creating hate

towards teachers and towards all they teach.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

How many times have you thought about the essence of study? About the learning process? About its results… goals for which we accumulate knowledge?

Human brain with its characteristics could be compared to a computer. It has important features similar to random access memory, hard disk capacity, and operating system inherent to a machine. Such approach implies tuition based on knowledge accumulation, reading the program literature and learning by heart. During long years I had been considering such system to be only correct… till I got to know about a completely different method – the method of learning by doing.

 For me everything began with a chance to take part in a youth exchange program with European Union countries. It wasn`t just a students` camp, it was a serious international business school and I had an honor to be one of my country representatives. I think to say that I was happy is like to say nothing. That moment I was incredibly happy. And it is quite natural, because I was an ordinary girl, who just secretly let herself to dream about such a possibility.

This program is called Youth in Action. The name explains the main goal of the project – to let participants create their own businesses. One of the important organizers` tasks was showing young people that everyone can open a company. But you should remember one verity: first steps are the most difficult but also the most important. Youth in Action is still sponsored by European Union and anyone could take part in this program, even if you are living outside the Eurozone. You should just fill out an application on the official program website.

But now let`s go back to my story. Finally it happened with me. I was among Ukrainian participants, and we were flying to the project destination - Estonia. The subsequent week was very busy. I got skills that were useful for me after the project. For instance, I realized more clearly in which sphere would be better for me to work – it was a big problem for me being a fresh Master degree graduate. Moreover, project taught me that any idea deserves to be heard. So you shouldn`t be afraid of failing, you must be able to express yourself. I also learned a lot and, most importantly, I learned to believe in myself more. I want to note that I didn`t have to sit at the desk and to write lectures. All tasks were built on the principles of trainings and team competition. During the studies participants were often faced tasks that they solved creatively.

The first program part taught us to work in a team, the next step was to identify and develop leader qualities. After that the organizers helped us to generate ideas for our own businesses and to collect similar ones to realize that in a team.  Yes! Learning by doing included the creation of a business at the project! We had everything necessary for that, and then we, like managers of real companies, were competing with each other for bigger profits and market share, building creative advertising campaign and promoting real products with utility value.  

 The project had given participant a lot… so should I mention that they parted like good friends?