When was the last time you did something for the first time?
Most of us are creatures of habit and because college and work can be pretty demanding, we also usually follow a set routine day in and day out for most part of the year. But sometimes you have to spice things up to keep life interesting. Else monotony can set in and that’s never a good thing. Here, The Week asked some people when was the last time they did something for the first time and the answers we got had us making plans to change things up in our own lives. Read on to find out more.

Sambandha Rani Giri, Student
I recently went rafting in Sukute beach for the first time. It was adventurous, thrilling, and scary at the same time. I went with my friends and most of us failed to understand the concept of rafting properly despite the instructor being clear about it. Hence, our boat turned upside down and I kind of drowned in the river for some seconds. It felt like a near death experience and I was thinking of all my family members. When I was pulled back up, it felt as if I had gained a new life. I finished rafting all the way and had fun. I would have regretted not going.

Bhagya Laxmi Kachhepati, Model
This Dashain, I tried paragliding for the first time in Pokhara with my family. It was something I had been meaning to do for a long time. When I first took off from the ground, I was a little scared but there was no turning back then. But as I ascended further up, I got more comfortable and started enjoying the experience. The view from above was definitely very satisfying and I’m glad I gave paragliding a shot. Another new thing I tried recently was changing up my hair. I’ve always had long black hair but a few weeks ago, I decided to chop it short and color it. I like my new look very much.

Akash Dahal, Counselor
Just a few months ago I went to Jaipur to attend a destination wedding. I got to see a typical Indian style wedding with all its various functions. There I also wore a Rajasthani outfit, rode a camel for a dessert safari and got on a hot air balloon. I touched a camel for the first time and its skin felt eerily smooth. Also, on the hot air balloon I was scared and excited at the same time. I felt like I was flying. I also visited a lot of forts and places of cultural interest there and learnt quite a few things. I realized you have to venture out and try different things, and not just stick to what you regular do or are comfortable with, if you want to spice up your life.  

Julin Rajbhandari, Student
Recently, I adopted a dog for the first time. One of my friends posted about stray puppies that were in her area and asked us if anyone wanted to adopt one. I came across the post and immediately decided to adopt one of them. It’s a cute little male puppy with soft brown fur whom I’ve decided to name ‘Simba’ because he reminded me of Simba from The Lion King. I do have a dog at home but this was the first time I adopted a pet instead of buying one from a pet shop. And so far, I am extremely happy with my decision. It has made me feel good about myself.

Dhanraj Kachhepati, Roll Ball Player
A few weeks ago, I modeled for a shoot of an Australian wine brand – which was a new and exciting experience for me. My elder sister is a professional model but this is my first modeling gig and I got to work on this project with her, which calmed my nerves a bit. I’m actually going to have another ‘first time’ experience very soon. I’m a Roll Ball player and am a part of the national team of Nepal. We will be participating in the World Cup that’s happening in Chennai in a few days. This will be my first international championship and I’m practicing very hard to be able to perform well.

Avatar Pathak, Student
Being an introvert, I don’t really have grand stories of adventures up my sleeve. The only thing that comes to mind is that for the first time ever, recently, I read a book backward. The book was ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ which is the final book in the Harry Potter series. I started reading from the last chapter and finished with the first. My main reason for doing this was because I had nothing else to do and was bored out of my wits. All in all, it was quite an experience and I had fun doing it.

 
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• routine
 
• habit