I had a very different and fun summer this year. I tried a lot of new things that I have never thought of doing.

When I went fly fishing I learned a lot about the sport’s aspects. My favorite part of my fly fishing experience was doing a perfect rollover cast. It is a hard cast where the line is in the water in front of you and you flick your wrist and the line basically flips and shoots forward. It was also a disappointing experience because I caught nor saw a single trout in the river.

It was scary when I decided to jump off the cliff in Sculptured Rocks. I built up my confidence that I would not hit a rock below. Also, I didn’t want to wait and chicken out like a few of the kids in my group. To solve that problem I jumped in as soon as possible because if I waited I would stand static on the edge for 2 minutes out of dread. The water was icy but refreshing. I swam down the river and hopped out. I faced my fear of jumping off cliffs/huge rocks near water.

My favorite part of my summer was when I went to Croatia. I learned so much about the country’s history and culture. When I saw the famous lizard at Postojna Cave I was fascinated by its physical traits like a lifespan of 100 years. It can endure 11 years without food or water and it only lives in that one cave. I bought a mug with the lizard on it. I went to Predjama Castle which is built into a CAVE!! It was ideal for defending against armies. When I first laid my eyes on the castle I was in awe. The view was breathtaking. When I walked inside I explored the different parts of the magnificent structure. They had a torture chamber, a chapel, and a safety bunker in the cave that had a small tunnel that led out the other side of the mountain. Those two places were the most memorable for me although I also had a good time kayaking on the Adriatic Sea around the islands. I kayaked 9 kilometers that day.

I felt a feeling of fascination on my trip to Croatia and when I went fly fishing on a river. This was because I felt very curious about every new thing I learned and all the new things I learned were very interesting.

When I jumped off of the cliff I felt a feeling of great satisfaction. The second my feet left the edge I felt like I could do anything. I felt unstoppable.

That was my reflection on my summer.