Water rushes between two steep banks, over rocks and under trees. My nine-year-old self sits on the top of the bank with my two brothers. The trees, alive with the sounds of birds, insects and crunching leaves, obscure most of the light, and everything appears coated with a dark layer of green film. We look strange, fully clothed but for our shoe-less feet despite the near freezing temperatures. I am terrified. Although I know how to swim, the coursing rapids dashing against sharp rocks create in me a fear of water. I imagine the possibility of falling in and being swept away by the current, but I try to push that thought to the back of my mind.   Read More