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Narrative Vacation

Decent Essays

Over the summer, my family and I travelled to Manila, the capital of the Philippines for three days. It was already 90 degrees and dreadfully humid once we arrived. My body started to sweat profusely, making me drink a gallon of water in less than a minute. Not only that, traffic was horrendous. Traffic lights were nonexistent, vendors were knocking on the windows trying to sell newspapers, and people in their jeepney were screaming, “Go! Go! Go!” All of this was not new to us, however. We lived here for two years, then moved to America when I was seven years old. Many view “vacation” as a time for relaxation and living the lavish life, but for me it was a realization of how I should be grateful for my life. Hours before the flight, I felt ecstatic. I was ready to spend my hard earned paychecks on new clothing and shoes. We arrived at five in the morning the following day and it took almost an hour to arrive at my relative’s house. My sister and I were surprised by the housing conditions. It reminded me of favelas in Brazil. Houses were cramped, the power kept on turning off and on, trash was everywhere, and roofs were leaking. We were terrified, wondering if this place was safe, but my parents did not care. They were too busy laughing and telling stories with one another. Early afternoon, I was excited to take a nap on a Tempur Pedic quality bed, but it was not what I expected. It felt as if I was sleeping on cardboard while sandpaper is rubbing Libed 2 against my back as

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