The hanglider?

I believe it was something in her mind.

(possible spoiler...)

























Later on, when she is alone at the house in the winter & having a hard time, she dreams again of that parasailing person. But now it is making a manoeuvre *to land*. ~Symbolic for what she has to do/ act like, I felt while watching.

{Spoiler}

I believe the hand glider was literal except for when she dreamt about it; the glider represented her freedom. Freedom to do something she's always wanted to do. In the dream the glider is landing. This signified that it's time to "stop dreaming and return to earth" as her mother told her in the beginning of the film. She now has doubts since the harsh winter is getting to her and her life was endangered. She returns to the big city, teaches a class, but realizes that she needs to return to the goat farm. She is also committed to return due to the goats and the funeral. In the end she is free again on the farm pursuing what she had wanted.

"Females under 18" on IMDB tend to rate masterpiece films at around a 2.