Personal Narrative: Quito, The Capital Of Ecuador

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

     Ecuador is one of the smallest countries of South America. It lies on the West Coast of the continent between Colombia and Peru. The equator crosses Ecuador and gives the country its name. Ecuador is the Spanish word for equator.

It was still about five hours until our flight and Alfred looked starved after going without food for an hour. We found a parking spot to abandon his car in until we came back from the trip. The bus to the terminal took a while, but it did not justify waking up so early for the 11 o’ clock flight. It wasn’t until we got inside that I found out just how much the airport has changed. We checked in our luggage and printed out our tickets at this machine that scanned our passports. We went up an escalator to find our gate, but before we could get to it there was this huge line we had to go through.

Initially, I was an Ecuadorian girl that had a Christian family, I grew up surrounded by my family and loved ones. My cognitive development was in progress, and I had created fundamental bonds in Ecuador. Provided that my dad is an American citizen and due to his work in America, he could not spend too much time with us in Ecuador, so, my mom, my little brother, and I immigrated to America. After three years of my life, our family reunited, and I became an Ecuadorian-American. Since I was very young, assimilating the changes came to be unnoticed, if it weren’t for the fact that during the next years I spoke Spanish at home and English at school. As a result, my translations of these languages affected my communication, creating slow comprehensive

Would you say that life has any sense? Or Is there an answer for everything in life? Three years ago I was completely messed up about this. Gustavo Adolfo Parra Chassaigne that’s how my parents called me and I was born in Maracay a little city next to Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. I used to be the first student of all my high school, also one of the first in tennis of my state and everybody said that my family was “perfect”. So, What did happen to me?

8 hours. Finally, over, of painstakingly mopping rugged floors of the crowded international terminal. Not how a regular 21-year-old woman should spend her time. Now, just cramming myself in my old Volkswagen and driving for hours under the dark and eerie atmosphere to a spine – chilling home ...

It was almost 4am and we had slept in the cold LAX airport on black and while marble floor. Very comfortable and accommodating. At this point a cardboard box on a heating grate in New York would be the Ritz Carlton. Jamie and I stared at each other coldly, hating each other, damp sweat and anxiety poured over us. Silence. We just want to get out of here. "This sucks." Was a common response to our deliriously back and forth conversation as we tried to keep our spirits up.

It's significant to me because when I went with my family to Cartagena, I was 7 years old. it was the first time I was going on a trip outside of the United States. when we got to Cartagena I was amazed by how beautiful everything is, and I was shocked with how different it was from back home. The differences I saw sparked a curiosity in me, that I never knew existed. from that moment I fell in love with learning about different places around the world and the culture that comes with that place. the trip to Cartagena was also the first time I got to see some of my family members. I have always lived in Florida and only knew about the family members I had in South America through what my parents would say about them. When we arrived to South

As soon as the door opened, the heat hit me. It was like putting a hot iron in front of my face. But it felt even worse as there was a slight wind which pushed the heat towards me. My body was surrounded in a blanket of heat and I even started to sweat slightly. My uncle told me to wait by the lift as he went to collect the car so I wouldn’t have to walk as far and drag my suitcase along. While I waited, I took time to look around at the surroundings. I could see mountains which stretched towards the clouds and the airport behind me. There were a vast number of people walking around from their flight looking drowsy and with no energy. The frequent red double-decker bus also came and a few planes flew above my head. I didn’t even have to look, but I could hear the planes departing and arriving. The planes all looked the same in the sky, big and white with some sort of logo. During the wait, I took a few steps to take away the cramp. Although I had trainers on, I could feel and see that the floor was new. The concrete looked

Life in El Salvador is complicated. With one murder per hour, living in a country with the reputation of the most dangerous place in the world took a toll on my childhood. At an early age I, did not like to talk to people or be around them, because I did not trust them and felt uncomfortable. When I was in class and the teacher ask a question, I did not raise my hand even if I knew the answer because such shy behavior became my most noticeable characteristic. At the age of 13, I came to the United States to live with my mom. Besides my excluding behavior, now I needed to go to a new school and learn to speak a new language in order to be successful. It was difficult for me to change my personality and adapt to this new environment. I had nutrition

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

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

I felt the eye of judgment piercing through me as I entered the plane. I could hear people whispering and giggling. While scanning the rows to find my assigned seat, I could see the looks of concern from those who thought I might sit by them. The clicking sounds of seat belt buckles almost sent me into a panic. I was dreading asking the flight attendant for a lap belt extension, or worse, having it offered without asking. Words were not necessary to feel the intensity of mass criticism. To make matters worse, it was a hot day, and my clothes were sticking to my body, outlining my multiple layers of over-indulgence. I was overheating and could taste salty beads of sweat trickling down my face.

On July 31st, 2017, my trip to Singapore commenced with a four hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at seven o’clock in the morning. Despite having woken up just a few hours after midnight and running very low on sleep, I was euphoric that I was finally given an opportunity to visit such a multi-cultured country. As the airplane began to ascend, I leaned back into the stiff seat and gripped on the armrest because although I have flown a couple of times in the past, I always seemed to get nauseous and apprehensive. However, my nausea soon subsided when the airplane levelled out and the flight attendants strolled along the aisles to distribute snacks. Shortly after, I peeked out the window and admired the thin wisps of clouds in the dawn sky until I succumbed to my much needed slumber.

The nightmare began long before I even set foot on the plane. To start, I was traveling from the international airport of Havana,