Personal Narrative Essay : My Trip To California

One year it was spring break, my family planned a trip to Colorado. Two days before we left we went shopping. I got a lot of shorts and capris. Also shirts to match. Then got snacks from sams and went home to pack.

Growing up in Southern California, I was surrounded by coastal culture, which has influenced me in many ways. No matter whether I lived in San Diego or Ventura county, I was never more than ten minutes away from the beach. Every weekend, it seemed, my dad would take us to the beach as family so we could play in the water, build sandcastles, catch hermit crabs, see the tide pools, and most of all, spend time together. I was enchanted by all the beach had to offer. Every sandcastle built was a palace for a hermit crab and every tide pool a thriving community. Whenever I stepped into the water, my imagination would run wild. Despite how often we went, I always enjoyed our days at the beach.

It was April of 1999. My family was at home. Children were running outside. The asphalt was burning. Cars rolled up to the entrance of the apartments and BANG. I grew up in Stockton, California. Surprisingly, as a minority, I wasn’t really a minority. There were, in fact, a large and diverse population of Asian-Americans. But, Stockton is not the ideal place to live. It was hot and dry, almost to the point of a drought. Stockton was also ranked as the one of the top 5 most dangerous cities in California. So, having a nice and safe family is kind of difficult. Eventually, my family decided to move to Crescent City, California when my dad retired. It was a world of difference. There were trees, plentiful water, and a nice cool temperature. This

It was mid-winter of 1848, I was doing my daily chores when my neighbor brought news that two days earlier, on January 24, James W. Marshall made a discovery of gold on his piece of land in California. At first, I didn’t think that this would affect me in any way, but then I realized I could start a new life in California filled with gold and fortune, away from my small farm in Missouri. I decided to pack up my things and start on my long journey to California, I packed enough food, water, and supplies to last me a few months. The next morning I was surprised to see that not many others from my town were seeking gold, I knew it was unsafe for me to travel alone, but I was sure I’d meet others along the way.

It was the day we were leaving for Florida for a U16 soccer tournament in West Palm Beach, July 2nd to be precise. A drive to Florida from where we live takes around 18 hours. We finished supper at 5:30, completed packing, and were on the road at 6:30. We were traveling south on Interstate 83. Nothing much to see as we were driving down the highway. A few trees here and there, and a wide variety of fields that were thriving with crops.

Oakland, California, the city that people consider as one of the top five most dangerous cities in the United States. Growing up in the city next to it and having family there, I developed strong bonds to Oakland. I have always seen Oakland in the light for being outrageously diverse and being resilient. My first thoughts of Oakland never consisted of them of the city being dangerous or a bad place to live in. I knew that Oakland is dangerous but I have never experienced anything that made my outlook change. Despite a handful of my family living there and have experienced muggings, robbery and dealing of drugs, I still could not take in how unsafe Oakland is. However, just one incident changed my view of this city, 18 years of my life Oakland

I'm an established freelance writer based in San Diego covering environmental issues in the Southland and beyond. Although it's hard for me to

Ever since I found out my softball team could make it to California for Nationals I knew this would be our goal for the summer. Now here is where the challenging part came in, we only had three chances to make it to California. We made it, we were lucky enough to make our goal in the third chance.

Throughout my short life in Southern California, I have encountered a multitude of different natural disasters, strange weather patterns and a shift in climate. There have been three distinct phases of my life in which the occurrence of all of these can be found.

Waking up at midnight on a cloudy monday night, I walked outside and looked at the moon. Look at how far I have come. Living in hillbilly hick Iowa, to traveling all over the world. Listening to my mother has been one of the greatest things I have ever done. Without her I would have stayed in Iowa and probably married a ugly overweight farmer. Graduating from highschool I decided that I was going to go straight to college and get my masters in Biological Anthropology. Since I already had 20 credits completed at Iowa Central, I decided to stay for one more year. The money I would save would go into my traveling “fund”. Planning on living with my mother still, to me was not a bad decision. She fed me, clothed me, and loved me even though I can

One day we meet our cousins from Colombia off of Facebook. My mom was so excited when we found them because they have known each other since they were young. We started talking for a a few months and finally my mom asked them if they wanted to come to the USA and visit us. My mom said she wanted to meet up in Florida, so we started to plan. I was very nervous when she said we were going to Florida, I didn't want to speak Spanish to them because I was afraid they will make fun of me (really not that fluent in Spanish). After we were done planing our vacation a months later we were ready to go to Florida. When we left for Florida we dropped off my dog (Simba) at my friends and said our goodbyes to Gurnee. The road trip took hours to complete and it was treacherous, but worth it.

I was born on April 24, 1994, in Los Angeles, California to Patricia Andrade and Francisco Javier Garcia. My father was an immigrant from Mexico, and mother was Mexican-American born in South Los Angeles. I was the first born in my family. I grew up in the small city of Walnut Park. Walnut Park is located near South Gate and Huntington Park. The demographics of the city were and still are predominantly Hispanic/Latino. Many of the residents were newly emigrated from various parts of Latin American, mainly from Mexico. I was brought up Catholic, which was the dominate religion in the area. I was brought up talking English and Spanish. I grew up in an environment that was rich in Mexican heritage but lacked diversity.

Imagine laying on a private beach right now in California. You’re sitting in a comfortable lawn chair with a front-row seat to the Pacific Ocean. You have waiters bringing you any kind of drink or food you want, and the sun is making you golden tan. Now, imagine the thrill you get while being on a roller coaster. The sun is beating down on you while you’re standing in line, but the wait for the exhilarating roller coaster is worth it. I got to experience all of this and more on my trip to Los Angeles, California. I went on this trip the week of my birthday, which is July 31, with my parents and my two sisters. My second trip to California was an unforgettable experience that was important due to all of the locations I got to visit, all of the knowledge I now have from this trip, and all of the memories I made with my family.

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.

Last summer, my family and I took a trip to New York City. We’ve visited this city about five years ago, but I didn't remember much since I was only eleven years old. This trip changed my mindset on life. I got to experience the unexplainable and took pictures that were priceless. This trip is definitely a trip to remember and will always be special to me.