Personal Narrative: My Ocean Expedition

"Mealtime had always been the center of our family scene. In camp, and afterward, I world often recall with deep yearning the old round wooden table in our dining room in Ocean Park... large enough to

It was a bright day in Key Largo when I first arrived in Ocean Reef during the summer. Seeing the beige guard gate with green palm trees surrounding it at the entrance of this prestigious club reminded me of all the good times I have had there. My mom swiped our membership card and speeded off into the club with excitement. The car, speeding, turning, and almost crashing had made it to the golf cart rental station in one piece, where we rented a cart. This cart was freedom. Finally, I could embark on my journey and meet up with friends I had not seen in what felt like months. My cart made it to the “Raw Bar,” a restaurant known to all the club members at Ocean Reef. Before I got off my cart, I could already smell the fresh and salty tuna sashimi

As I lay basking in the intense, but pleasurable gulf sun, I can feel the calming rock of the cruise ship. The relaxing music played on a steel drum, flow through my ears. I can hear children laughing while they play poolside and zip down the waterslide. The overwhelming aroma of fresh cooked food from the all-american or Mongolian lunch outlets circulates the ship and makes my mouth water. I can not wait to eat lunch.

It didn’t seem worth it anymore. The whale sharks were nowhere to be seen. Our tour guide had warned us that the whale sharks feeding season in the area was coming to an end and that maybe we wouldn’t be able to see them today. I just didn’t think this would actually happen, a 10 hour journey for what? Suddenly I began to hear splashes of water coming from the side of the boat. A group of dolphins swarmed around the boat; this made me feel a little better. Although the sour taste of lime began to erupt my mouth as I begin to remember what we really travelled out here

I`ve been on planes, cars, and many things in my life but I have never been on a cruise, and on this Alaskan Cruise I was able to try new things. In our ship they had swimming pools, ping pong tables, casinos, and a extraordinary ice cream bar. One of my favorite parts of this trip was holding two baby sled dogs that were two weeks old. I also liked kayaking, plus I shared a kayak with my sister, Mia, and I controlled the kayak from the back. After that my family and I went on a bus ride to see caribou, bears, and glaciers. I also went on a hike and float with the Kendal`s (who are my cousins), because there daughter Annie was sleepy. I saw cool trees and fascinating wildlife. I even was allowed to eat berries that tasted like watermelon, but

We had been waiting for this trip for years. Every 5 years we go on a trip to someplace fun. When five years passed after our trip to disneyland we were all waiting to go on some other adventure. I had done this twice, but 2 things about our trip this year were special.

On September 1, 2012, I walked into my fifth grade teacher’s classroom for the first time in my life. Mrs.Cullen was standing in the front of the door with open arms ready to welcome her new fifth grade students. As I made my way to my desk and sat down next to Charlie Schutt and Quin Timmerman, I got the feeling that middle school would be a time of talking to some of my best friends and cruising through classes. As the school year progressed, and classroom seats changed, my thought of how Middle school would be changed as well. On the first day Mrs.Cullen explained our schedule, Homework detentions, and demerits. After about fifty questions, she sent us off to our first class, and the first step of our Middle School journey. The fifth grade

I am known to be extremely clumsy. With that, it’s expected that I often end up in awkward situations. In the past I have called numerous teachers “Mom,” fallen down while walking up stairs, almost fallen off a cliff; and it can be assured there were many more instances where my embarrassing clumsiness had led me into awkward, sometimes life threatening, situations. One moment that stands out in particular takes place in every marine animal welfare activists’ “favorite” place, Sea World.

The fresh air flushed into my lungs, as I took a deep breath of the soothing, calm air…

Meriwether Lewis asked William Clark and I to join him on an expedition into the unknown. We had to go west and explore the Louisiana territory that Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd president, had bought to expand the United States. This expedition will be the greatest change in history and I got to experience it. Traveling for 8,000 miles in two-in a half years only having one job; explore the new area and come back alive.

I'm back! This past summer was a whirlwind of working all the time. Raft guiding is a 24/7 job, even when you're only doing three trips a day. The internet at the boathouse was not the best and I was always getting off work after the library closed. I know, what a rough life, spending all my time on Clear Creek...it did make doing chores a bit of a challenge though. To summarize my summer in one post would take too much time and I wouldn't be able to find the words to describe all the wonderful people I met and the amazing experiences I had. I will say that living out of the back of my little green Subaru Outback was an experience in itself and has made me appreciate beds all the more. I can't wait to go back next summer though. The Creek has truly captured my heart for the time being.

So here's how it all started I was on a boat going to go hunt for game. Until the captain pointed out ship trap island in the distance. I heard 3 gun shots and ran to the rail to see what happened I dropped my pipe and tried to catch it but instead i plunged into the water. I swam with all my might to get to shore because the the water was freezing cold so i swam towards the shots because it meant shelter in my head then i fell asleep.I woke up and went to find some food I saw the remains of a dead animal and a rifle cartridge and some foot prints.

I was walking along the beach and all the sudden I felt a sharp pain in my foot. I looked down, and saw that I had stepped on a sharp piece rock that had washed up on the shore. I looked out to the horizon and saw a trawler pulling up their net and inside was a dolphin. It was thrashing and could Each time the seafloor or reefs are dredged, it results in a mess. The nets used are made of heavy chain mesh. When they are dragged across the ocean floor and the reefs, it stirs up sand, clay, rocks, shells, and sediment. This makes the water cloudy, unenjoyable, and it destroys the reefs that actually protect the shoreline! The rocks and sediment wash up on shore and if you step on a crushed shell or a piece of rock, it really hurts! The cost for

Ever since I can remember I have stayed busy by participating in every activity I could get my hands on. Spending so much of my time working on getting that perfect pass, mastering a triple pirouette, and focusing on school  has taught me what it means to have a hard work ethic. Through being involved in so much and having many people’s support I have learned who I want to be. My grandmothers have impacted my life in unimaginable ways and encourage me to strive for what I want to be: a marine biologist.

Like it was yesterday I remember my first vacation on a cruise. My Dad and I went on a three- day long cruise to The Bahamas. I had never been on a cruise, so it was a new experience for me. We needed to be in Tampa for our departure, so we drove the two hours from Orlando, Florida to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My Dad and I used this time to talk, make plans for the trip and think about our upcoming adventures on the cruise.