Personal Narrative: My Trip To The Dominican Republic

The first day we got there we just hanged out at the hotel all day. It was 78 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. It was 8AM in the morning when I saw the pool. Now at first I was very disappointed that it was shutdown because they needed to put chemicals in it. At 11 it finally opened up and I was WOWED. The Pool was amazing. It was sparkling Blue and the water was as clear as glass. That's why we stayed in it all day. The second day we went to Sea World. We hadn't been to Sea World yet until that day where we learned why it's one of the best Disney parks. We entered at the gate where we saw the ride of a lifetime The Manta. The Manta is a ride that makes you go backwards on almost the whole ride. It is the scariest ride I have ever seen. None of my family did that for just that reason. First we went to the Dolphin show which was really cool. It was so cool because the actors and actresses would jump into the water and the Dolphins would come out and do tricks on them like skiing on top of them, and making them wave to the crowd. Then we to another show which is called Shamu. Shamu is a show about Wales that do all these tricks like splash us. I forgot to tell you but Garrett, Chloe, and I were all sitting in the splash zone and we were watching the Wales do all these tricks when the Disney people told us to get ready and Garrett and I didn't have enough time to react and two seconds later all of a sudden we got tsunamified, so soaked that there wasn't a single dry spot on my shirt. After that Chloe started crying and I had to bring her up to mom and dad who were in the last row of the stadium. Chloe was not happy for that part of the trip at Sea World. After both those shows it started raining so we finished up are day at going in a virtual helicopter and seeing all the Penguins and the Arctic Animals which was pretty cool. As soon as we got in the pilot we cranked that baby up until the heat felt like Florida instead of Maine. Speaking of Maine

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.

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.

When thinking of my memories it’s as if you were surfing through TV channels. Some making me wish I could go back to that day and relive it. Some I hope I will never have to relive. Most memories make me smile and think of how much I want to be little again. Although at that age, all I wanted was to grow up and live my own life. My memories can range from being at home to being anywhere but home. Although, some stick out more than others. One of those few fond memories is going to the Dominican Republic with my family.

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 I was about 10 years old my family and I took a vacation to Florida to see my great aunt Linda. It was a 14 hour drive down to Florida which is a long time in the car. We were going down there for a week. For the first two days we went to Sea World in Orlando, Florida. I was very excited to see my great aunt because I have never met her before. I knew that I was going to have fun on this trip.

I was born in dominican republic santiago in May 21, 1997. I'm 19 years old. My weight is 132 pound and my height is 5.9 feet. My skin color is dark and my eyes color are black. My favorite color is yellow and my favorite singer is Daddy Yankee. I'm a student from Bronx Community College. My major is Liberal Arts & Biology because I want something related with medicine. Now I was thinking about become a physical therapy or doctor with a specialization in pediatric.

Despair , a sharp tenderness in my feet every step i took, the smell of plastic and boxes flooded my nostrils like a tsunami , this is how i felt after my first officially as a working american .

My family and I left for Panama city, Florida in June of 2011. The trip was so fun; we sang songs and laughed hysterically during the whole ride there. When we arrived we were all ready for the beach warm sand and it’s cool waves. We stayed at the beach until about nine and everyone prepared for dinner. Once everyone settled in we sat and ate dinner, as always the dinner was great with my family. Everyone talked about any and everything; we even cracked jokes on each other.

I have visited the Dominican Republic and Mexico many times and I can personally tell you that many areas in these countries are very poor and don’t have access to the best technical equipment. There may be cameras that cost us $1,500, but in the Dominican Republic they might be $10,000 or the might not be available in the Dominican Republic because of the low market. A lot of the people in the Dominican Republic love baseball and they know a lot of knowledge about the game, so when you watch a live game, you will find it more enjoyable than you would if you watch it on TV.

When people think of gifts, they often think of something they have received from Christmas or from a birthday. One of the most special gifts I have ever received was not from a holiday or for a birthday. My most prized gift was from two little girls, Alexandria and Tatianna, in a different country. When I went to the Dominican Republic with a big group of people for a mission trip, I received three colorful bracelets from two of the sweetest girls a few days before we traveled home. These bracelets were my most prized gift for many reasons.

This past summer I took a trip to the Dominican Republic. I spent two weeks in a small town called Bayahibe. I went with a group of sixteen people and all of the others were learning spanish in school. I had no prior knowledge of spanish, so I had trouble communicating with the locals. I felt most left out when we took a break from our marine service and held a summer camp for a day. I tried my best to communicate with the kids but I had only been there for a week and had not gotten used to the accent or the language. The children migrated towards the others in my group who spoke spanish. I responded by using clapping, high fiving and hugs while we played games to show the children that they were doing great instead of trying to speak spanish.

"Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time" - Marian Wright Edelman. To serve others is to minister and help others in various ways; it is not an act to do for show or publicity, but simply to enrich and help the lives of others and your own life. Everyone can serve one another in some form or fashion without even realizing the impact. Over my high school and college career, I have volunteered for a multitude of community service projects, ranging from mission trips, to serving the local HESED house children. Although, out of all of these projects, the one that leaves a lasting impact to me was the mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

Brian turned his stare to Mr. Smith and voiced his displeasure. “Maybe I was not understood, Tim… I want Ms. Loran to accompany Mr. Johnson and me to the Dominican Republic. She can provide valuable assistance to Mr. Johnson since the main language in the country is Spanish, and she is fluent in the language.” I should not be surprised to learn he was aware I spoke four languages, but I was.

The day has come, finally my very first vacation. I got up with excitement and I remember looking out my window and seeing how the sunrise was spreading across the sky. I remember my mom calling my siblings