Personal Narrative: The Dominican Republic

I was no longer considered a child on March 29, 2014 when I had celebrated my Quinceañera among family and friends.

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?

The Flores are a family of five that lives in Los Angeles, California. Elizabeth,32,is the mother. Lily,14,is the daughter .Bridget,13,is the daughter. Alexis,13,is the daughter, Katherine,14,is the daughter.Elizabeth is employed at two jobs a cosmetologist and a in Los angeles california why she chose that job was because for one she have four kids two they both make good money and three she enjoy both of my jobs and what she will do.

Sonia Sanchez taught me that it’s possible to not let my pain hold me from being the best that I can be. She taught me to take my past full of pain, make it great and use the talents that I have now to change this planet and become a creator of social values. I learned to have an unshakeable strength, a persevering courage and to be a fighter. I learned that I am capable of achieving the greatest things if I put my mind to it. How well I do is in my hands not in a past that can drag me down. Just like Sonia asked her teacher if she had any talent, and the teacher answered saying: “Yes, you have talent, now let’s see whether you are going to do anything with it”. She answered to the call and I am determined to answer the call too. She changed

I will be going into depth about a family vacation in Punta Cana that my lovely girlfriend had the chance to come along with. This was my second trip to this destination once while I was younger with only my parents and sister. But for the next time much more of my family got the opportunity to come along. The main reason being because my cousin was getting married here but everyone was also looking for a relaxing vacation. Punta Cana is a warm tropical destination and was the perfect place to do so. The views in this country are breathtaking. This place is also a very poor third world country outside of the resorts which we were staying at.

Holidays are great opportunities to change up a regular routine, visit new locations, specifically to see new things and try new activities. On July 31st, 2014, we as a family ventured out on a three-hour drive to the beautiful Cape Breton Island for a memorable weekend called, “Chestico of Days”. This weekend getaway was a nice break from our daily routine of going to work, keeping up with regular housework, and (and what else can I say?? ). We stayed in Port Hood with some of our family for this particular weekend in a cabin and tent trailer, which was in the middle of a forest, away from anything that resembles civilization. This allowed us to keep life simple and free from our regular schedule. We were fascinated by all the new sights

The first 17 years of my life were spent in the most beautiful place, Caracas, Venezuela. I was happy with my life over there. I had all my family and friends who made me happy and I knew I could depend on them, for any situation in my life. Everything changed when I graduated high school in 2014 and my parents decided to bring me and my older sister, who is only two years older than me, to Miami for a better education. On December 16 of 2014, I got on a plane and left my family and friends behind. I can still remember that day. If you asked me, I thought the world was coming to a blazing end.

My semi-open, almond shaped eyes felt the burst of energy as the sun's warm rays pierced through the diminutive window. Believe me, three hours on an aircraft cramped into a minuscule seat while cruising over the Caribbean is quite treacherous. The thought of being immobile for an extensive amount of time made me feel like a caged animal. Throughout the plane's descent, I felt the butterflies flutter in my stomach, my eagerness to get off the plane and hear the noisy streets once again was unbearable. However, the notion of experiencing a new country and relaxing in the rural towns made my heart pound with excitement. Traveling through the Central American country of Guatemala portrayed the idea of cherishing the least and most valuable things in life.

Miami was hot. It was an early Sunday morning in June when I found myself in Florida, driving to the port of Miami. Still tired from the red eye flight the day before, my excitement pushed away the grogginess that had enveloped me since touching down. The Adonia came into view, Carnival's new cruise ship, offering travellers the opportunity to help local communities on existing projects while on holiday. The ship sails from Miami to the Dominican Republic where we would be joining community projects for 3 days, before sailing back.

I bet you have heard about a paradise island, with paradise palm trees, translucent sand and turquoise seas, everyone desires to appear in that kind of day dream landscape, but hardly few people get to experience the wonders of a small but welcoming village bordering the pleasing waters of the Mediterranean sea. The warm touch of miniature rocks sliding through my hand, the salty smell of the sea, and the gentle breeze stroking my face where just few of the million senses I gracefully experienced from this inquisitive place located at Almeria in Spain, Carboneras.

We had arrived at a small cul-de-sac just outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico. My hosts paid the cab driver as I took in the mostly abandoned beachside village. I watched the locals standing in doorways of grocery markets and bars, or sitting in old lawn chairs speaking rapidly and laughing with each other as they watched me in return. This wasn’t a place use to outsiders.

I love when I go to Colombia because I always go to my favorite beach “El Cabo de la Vela”. “El Cabo de la Vela” is in a desert. To get there the street is awful, damaged, is like passing throw a street full of rock. Ones you get to the beach everything change, these place is a paradise. The sound of the water is relaxing like being in a spa. You can only hear the sound of the water and the birds. These place look like heaven, the water is blue like the sky, and the sand is white like the snow. When you touch the sand it is really soft like cotton, and the water it’s at a great temperature like being in a Jacuzzi. When you are there the smell s it’s amazing, smells like nature, refreshing. “El Cabo de la

My family and I strode along the dirt roads of a miniscule island known as Roatan, just off of the Caribbean Sea, with the gravel and filth crunching beneath of our feet. We could feel the scorching hot sun stretching down on our shoulders and faces, mid afternoon on one of the most fascinating islands you’d ever encounter. You could hear the melody of young children, running barefoot all around you, the melody of laughter filling the air. The soft music floating from home to home where the clothes hung up on the line to dry in the warm air. Stray dogs, skeletons - afraid to break their frail bodies as they took each new step.

When I was a child, I and my grandmother took a trip to my Dad hometown, Kingston, Jamaica. Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. In his hometown, there is not much to do on any night of the week, so many nights I found myself walking around town looking at the beautiful lights and buildings. After an hour of walking I often gets tired, and head home for some rest. Although it’s bored at night, that was not a problem at all many people like the night quit instead. It a whole lot of fun in the day time, most especially on the beach, it was always a great turn up spot. The other day we went on the beach it was very nice and hot outside. I went in the water it was very warm and salty after a few I left the water, I was sitting by the coconut tree, eating some fresh coco nut, and my grand brought me a fresh fish out the water, they cook it right there and I ate some. in fact that’s was my first time to eat a fish fresh out the water. I will never forget this memory, because this was one of my best vacation, I had over my winter break.

This summer my family and I had the chance to embark on a seven-day vacation to Barbados. Tucked just above Venezuela, the island country known for its rum, mahogany, and flyin’ fish is situated three degrees north of the equator. During our stay, we tried to avoid the tourist traps, seeking authentic cuisine and local lifestyle, hoping to experience Bajan culture in its purest form.