My First True International Travel

I walked around unsteadily all day like a lost baby, far away from its pack. Surrounded by unfamiliar territory and uncomfortable weather, I tried to search for any signs of similarities with my previous country. I roamed around from place to place and moved along with the day, wanting to just get away and go back home. This was my first day in the United States of America.

Despite my limited Spanish and her limited English, our conversation continued in Spanish for more than an hour. Jessica, her name I later found out, had lived in Peru her whole life and was on her way to Cusco. With the occasional pause and an intermittent language lesson or two, we covered everything from her career, my interests, her son sitting beside us, and our travel aspirations. It wasn’t until the plane began its descent that we noticed that the once barren landscape was now scattered with houses and woven by roads.

What else do you need to know as you look ahead to your Mexican escape?

As I looked out the window and saw barren dirt roads, no overflowing shopping centers or even a Wal-Mart, I began to question where my parents had brought me. We were in Presidio, TX, a small town on the border of the United States and Ojinaga, Mexico. I questioned how my grandparents, or even my dad could have lived in such an underdeveloped town for years. The visits to Presidio became somewhat constant and rather than staying weekends, I stayed months. I developed an appreciation for the town and I could now communicate with the community shouting “Buenos Dias!” to everyone I ran into on our morning walks to the local market. During one of my prolong stays my five year old sister developed a urinary tract infection. The infection could have

Coming from Mexico was a difficult transition, but looking back at that memory, it is a reminder that anything is possible. I remember the sun felt like an oven most days. Sweat ran down my back and through my clothes. One summer day I walked to meet my new future,however, I kept thinking and admiring my beautiful country: Mexico. Time passed by quickly From the time I woke until the time I reached the airplane. My feet weakened with pain and excitement. Pain because I was leaving my family behind to find a better future or myself. I knew,the trees, the beautiful flowers: the lilies, the Violets, The marigolds, and the strong yet satisfying smell of el chile. I felt excitement because I would be able to see something new that would become

As I woke from what I thought was my bedroom, I felt a slight shiver and overheard ongoing commotion in the background. Unaware of the current situation I continued to keep my eyes closed and I tried to fall back asleep when suddenly I felt a grip on my right shoulder shaking me back and forth until I finally regained consciousness. "Estamos Aqui"-We are here, exclaimed my brother Alberto. I scanned my surroundings as I was forced to step out the vehicle. Intimidated by the crowded streets and baffled by the size of each building around me I froze in place trying to keep my composure. I was a six-year-old kid when I arrived in the United States from Mexico. Thus, initiated an entirely new world with a conglomerate of experiences for me.

Brandishing a pack of Post-it Notes, Miguel suggested we employ to mark each bag with its weight. Armed with a fish scale and Post-it Notes, we proceeded to weigh and mark each and every item we had. Deciding what to take and what to leave behind was difficult; we had brought only what we considered essential. For example, one of the bags held assorted medicines and extensive medical supplies which had all been purchased based on the

However, spending these hours thinking about the new country, and what we will face there, made these hours the longest in my life. The experience of traveling and visiting new countries was always one of my favorite hobbies, but not this time. I spent hours on the airplane thinking about how this new situation will affect my future. I only Knew the United States from my history lectures in school and movies, but I never thought about how living there will be. I spent hours just comparing between the country that I left and the U.S. like the language, different college style, culture, and even my friends. I could not think of a single thing as an advantage for me besides the feeling of secure that I missed from my

“It's time to go”, said my mom. My stomach was churning and anxiety was running through my veins. Today was the day! It was the time to start a mountainous trek to the Mayan city, Machu Picchu. We had signed up for a four-day trek through the Andes Mountains to get to the lost city of Machu Picchu. We started the trek in the city of Cuzco. We were not allowed to go by ourselves up the mountain, so we had to go with a group of people and a tour guide. We would stay with the group for the four days of the trek and would go where they would go. We had porters who would help carry our belongings to each campsite. As we started the trek on the first day, it started to rain. I wore my rain jacket and kept on going. By the time I got to the three-mile mark my legs were hurting and I wanted to sit down. I knew I had to keep going. Finally, after 2 hours I saw the campsite. I washed my hands and ate dinner. After a long day of hiking, we went to bed.

A journey across one of the driest deserts was the stepping stone for me to kickoff my life. At the mere age of three my parents and I went forward and traveled to the United States of America. Living most of their lives in Mexico and in Mexican culture the transition was quite intimidating. Travels can lead to many scary situations, but as time pass through fear ceases into the creation of a new life .

Mexico is a beautiful place, but it’s not the safest. My family and I were staying at a resort in Mexico. I loved the beautiful resort , the exciting activities, and the crystal clear ocean.(22) Everyday there would be a new activity, arts and crafts, swimming, zip lining! One day after sn I was going to go find my mom, I found her in the pool talking to some lady. I decided not to interrupt them and just wait on a lawn chair near by. While I was waiting , I closed my eyes.(11) Fed up with the wait, I decided to take a nap.(7) I pulled the shade over my head and fell asleep. I woke up feeling groggy and confused . When I opened my eyes it looked like several hours had past. Quickly, I started looking for my family.(4)I saw my sister, Sadie,

Our journey to Mexico was long, we traveled from Philadelphia airport to Miami airport. From Miami we arrived to Dallas/Fort Worth airport and then to Mexico D.F. and went through immigration. We got a taxi to the bus station, when we arrived at the bus station it was pretty late and we were hungry. There wasn’t any buses running at the moment and everything was closed; but somehow my dad got us

Emma Henderson yawned and rubbed her eyes as she stepped off the plane at Leonardo Da Vinci airport in Rome. Her vision was still a little fuzzy from leaving her contacts in during the flight. She hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder, and let out a sigh of relief as she walked down the airbridge that lead to the airport. There was nothing she hated more than airplanes, and she hadn’t been able to sleep at all during the eight hour flight from the U.S. Every time she began to drift off, the little kid behind her would jam his feet into the back of her seat, or the lady in the row across from her would rattle off yet another loud complaint. She was definitely glad it was over.

Cary put his feet up on the dash board and reclined the passenger seat and exhaled the feeling of relaxation that only the perfect May weather and the end of the semester could bring. Brandon looked at him and then turned his attention back to driving, but Cary knew he wanted to say something. His patience and tactfulness was an admirable quality of Brandon’s, but sometimes it was fun to test it and see his mind work in quirky mannerisms. Brandon licked his lips, as if prepping them for the vocalization of the challenge, and his gaze jumped from Cary to the road to somewhere down near his hands.

This event caused an enormous fuss at the airport, and I could feel the heat of my red face boiling of shame for being the center of attention at that moment. Once the clutter of the corrupt employee quieted down, I went to check my luggage. Although the line was not so long, it took an eternity for me to receive assistance, since the only two clerks available at the time for that function had a lively talk and did not appear to be in any hurry to attend the line of impatient travelers. Finally, my turn came! The young woman took my documentation with such slow movements that her arms gave the impression of having five-pound weights attached to each hand, and then she asked me to put my luggage on a digital scale to my side. I did not have much in my suitcase, only clothes for a week, a couple of family photos, and a small, fluffy, pink bag with my makeup, body lotions, and my favorite perfume that smelled like the ocean in Hawaii impregnated with the exotic fragrance of the Plumerias. Since everything was in order with the weight, they tagged my luggage and put it on the baggage belt while my eyes followed it until it disappeared behind the curtains.