Personal Narrative: My Vacation To The Dominican Republic

In 2015 my grandmother died. When I received the news I was on the couch and my mother told me “Miguel we have to talk” I was sweating because my mother was so serious and she told me that my grandmother was dead, and in that moment all I could think about was being back in the Dominican Republic, growing up with her, imagining the moments I spent in her house and the mornings that I sat in her living room, watching TV and smelling her amazing food wafting through the pass-through window from the kitchen. Then I snap back on reality and realize the future my grandmother would want for me.

When spring break began my parents gave me the opportunity to have 2 weeks of spring break, where I would spend the first week hanging out with my and fiends and the week they go back to school I go on a cruise. While I was on the cruise me and my family visited 4 different islands over the 8 day voyage. On the third day on the boat we visited the Dominican Republic, on the fifth day we visited St. Thomas, on the sixth day we visited Puerto )Rico, and on the seventh day we visited are final island Grand Turk.

It was a hot, searing day as the sun beat down on my skin. The lush green palm trees provided me shade as I sat and observed my surroundings. Children, barefoot and dirty, wearing tattered and stained clothes were running around laughing and playing. Their joyous giggles put a smile on my face and warmed my heart as I watched them.

What do you think of when someone says “Dominican Republic”? Do you think of spas, hotels and beaches? When I think of it I recall dirt roads, poverty and dilapidated shacks. My senior year of high school I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with my basketball team with the simple goal in mind to advance our skills as basketball players and to help the people of the Dominican. Little did I know this trip would change my life completely.

a rich and diverse society in which I grew up and partook in work at.

This paper is about the time I went to the Dominican Republic and Nassau, Bahamas with my family and the wonderful lessons I learned or thought about even more. I learned a lot when I was in those two places because there were a lot of examples of the lessons I learned. Both places are very large and there are multiple people who show the lessons in their everyday life.

The day has finally come to go on vacation. My family and I departed promptly from our house at 4:30 in the morning. Our flight was scheduled for 7 in the morning at Pittsburgh International Airport. We had to arrive their early because all people flying international had to be their two hours before the flight would leave. We boarded the flight out to Punta Cana, which is located in the Dominican Republic. I can remember that I was so excited to go, that I was the first on the flight. I am pretty sure that it took about three hours to get to the Dominican Republic from Pittsburgh. It was a really long flight to me because I could not wait to get there and I just wanted to land. Finally, the moment has come and we landed. When we departed

Growing up in a Chinese family sharing their traditional beliefs and in a different cultural environment, Dominican Republic, have make me feel inferior to the ones surrounding me; since they are fill with expectations and judgments. In most of Asian tradition the oldest are expected to have more responsibility and be an example for the youngest siblings. My parents are business person, who are always working and didn’t spend much time at home. Indeed, I played my parents role and took all the responsibilities at home. Since I was 13, I cook, clean, and take care my youngest siblings.

It was the last day of my trip, and while I was washing plates in my grandmother’s house, the sunlight was reflected on the plates to my eyes. The fear going through my veins, my mind confused with everything that have happened two weeks ago. Uncertainty of what event would destroy or rebuild my heart. What would happen next ?. The future is unpredictable, so far that is a concept that now I understand. Considering the time spent in my country Colombia , vacations, friends, and parties were the words that stay on my mind for the first two weeks, otherwise the next two weeks were not what I planned. Firstable I was not supposed to be there for these last two weeks, but I am grateful. “No puedes viajar hoy” were the words asserted by the airline

Since returning from a service trip to the Dominican Republic in 2016, I have strived to be a leader in my school in nearly every way. On this trip, I learned the power that an individual can make on a community. Whether the work as pouring concrete floors, digging sanitary latrines, or building water filters, communities were overjoyed with our work, and since then listening to stories of how we changed lives is truly inspirational. Since then, I have applied this learning of the power of an individual to tackle numerous problems in my community. Last year, I learned of a food pantry in a local Latino community known as the Guadalupe Center. It was two weeks before Thanksgiving, and they were nearly entirely out of food. Only a couple small

Realizations come along with every situation, you may realize more than one thing in a certain situation whether the situation is good or bad. Realizations are meaningful because there are lessons that will be learned in the middle of it. My realization was realizing that I should not take anything I have for granted and to be thankful for everything that I have in my life.

When you know, you know. The minute I enter Marist's campus, I fell in love. The beautiful scenery and peaceful environment reminded me of my hometown in the Dominican Republic. It brought back beautiful memories from my childhood as took a breath of fresh air. As I learned more about Marist and their ability to help guide me into a better and brighter future, I become more intrigued. As I walked through the classrooms I saw myself being part of something bigger than myself. I saw an opportunity not just to better myself but my parents and siblings. I want to lead my siblings by example and show them that where you come from does not define you or your worth. I want to show them, the importance of hard work and its amazing results. Here I see

just a year ago my parents bough four airline tickets or the dominican republic. My mom always wanted to go there. the airport was in warsaw. by plane you can go futher, faster and very often also cheaper. i was very stressed on this trip. the day before my stoach ached. nevertheless we want to the airport. after an hour of flight i didn't feel good. In the plane's toilet i vomited. i need an immediate assistance. cabin crew didn't lose one's mind. they gave me pills on my stomach. after awhile i got better. the rest of the flight was nice. i will be in the dominican republic for another two weeks. unfortunely we'll return by

Trying to find memories is like looking for treasure. You look at the surface and see something mediocre, but you dig deep and find something cool, pretty, and meaningful. It took a while to think of a fond memory, but once I thought of some, it was hard to choose a favorite. Growing up I have had many great experiences in the form of vacations. Between going to Disney World, owning a vacation home, hanging out with my grandparents in Arizona, traveling to Canada and more. They all make amazing memories that I will forever cherish. The vacation spot we go to the most, though, is Wisconsin Dells. A few times I have been allowed to invite friends to come with. When I am allowed to bring friends, it is always a ginormous amount of fun. We goof off in the hotel room, play in the arcades, and swim in the water parks.

As my eyes lit up like the fourth of July, I stood with my feet stuck to the ground, and my nerves tingle with happiness because of how marvelous it was. I didn't know a Mexico resort could be so nice.