Traveling: Caribbean Favourites

Traveling is probably my most favourite thing to do. I don't care if it's an hour, or a day away, I'd rather be anywhere than here. All I ever hear when I talk about how much I hate the place I live in is, 'why, there's stuff to do', or 'what's so bad about it'. The fact of the matter is, I hate to stay stationary for any amount of time. I'd rather be exploring or adventuring and learning about other cultures and discovering new places. To me, when I am away from home, I am happier, with the fact set aside that I miss my family, and the few true friends that I have. I have been to a few states in North America, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia(places I have actually been, and not travelled through). Outside of North America, I have travelled to Europe(Summer 2009); England, France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland(just stopped over, weather was rainy/dark/freezing!), and Italy. I have also been to parts of the Caribbean, my favourite place being The Bahamas while I was partaking on a cruise. The reasoning for The Bahamas being my favourite out of the Caribbean, was because I visited Atlantis and even at the young age when I was there, I took in everything, saw the most amazing structural designs, and witnessed the vastness of this resort. It made me want to live there, be there everyday, and molded my fascination for hotels and resorts. I believe that my trip just for the few minutes I was inside of Atlantis, I knew that I wanted to work there, maybe even govern it as my own. It was the most gorgeous thing I had seen as an older child, and I want to go back there so badly, and it would be a dream come true to even work there. It's beautiful and majestic and just fascinating.

*Among other favourite places in the Caribbean would be Ochos Rios, Jamaica and Cozumel, Mexico. Cozumel, Mexico is hilarious to me when I think about my visit because upon debarking from the ship, my sister, mother, and I were greeted by a hispanic man persuaying us to visit his shop. He bribed us with a shot of Tequilia for my mother and I. I believe at the time I was 15/16 and mom being fun-loving and adventurous as I was like, you're with me and I'm saying it's okay. However, the fact of the matter was that that morning, mom had to drag my younger sister and I out of bed, and in a hurry, we threw on clothes and left without breakfast. When we finally got to the man's shop, it was just like any other tourist shop, but now we had the pressure to buy something, since the man gave us a shot. I took the shot and remember it being the most horrible thing I had ever tasted, and on an empty stomach I began to whine and complain about how I didn't feel well, etc. So we went to Senor Frogs, where mom was talking to a few ladies that were on the cruise as well, and she got along with them, and I remember ordering Fries, and they were the worst tasting fries ever, but I ate them anyways because I needed food in my system SO BAD. So whenever I think of Tequilia, Mexico, Senor Frogs, or a cruise, my mind immediately goes to that memory!

*Ochos Rios was another amazing place because of the people and tours we went on. The natives were really nice and hospitible and made us feel very welcomed. My sister, mother, and I all went on an excursion and climbed 'Ochos Rios' meaning Eight Rivers. It was amazing! It took endurance, but not too hard, but at the end of the climb, you felt amazing because the scenery throughout the whole experience was brilliant, and also the teamwork of the whole group was required, so at the end you felt like everyone was for each other, it was a great experience. We also took a trolley tour and the tour guide chose me to try and climb up a coconut tree, and I failed miserably, and the tour guide totally showed me up, climbed the tree, picked a coconut, and cracked it open and fed it to the tour group!

Opera

Luciano Pavarotti    Thankfully, growing up, I was introduced to something extraordinary. Opera. I can’t remember any of my other friends my age growing up that were introduced to opera, but I can remember distinctly certain car rides with my grandma where she would have me sing like I was an opera star. I remember feeling so perfect and special and talented. I loved trying to mock-sing just how Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bochellli did. How they could sway his glorious notes along with the melody of the symphony. Whenever I want to cut my stress, or just remember the times when nothing was going on except a car ride with grandma and I, maybe to MOSI, maybe to McDonald’s, to wherever. I have always paired a sense of calmness and solstice with classical music and opera. Just the most magnificent and gifted individual’s vocal chords and ranges and how unmatched the orchestra sounds in each and every song. How the moods from each song differ from distress to bliss, and how each song tells a separate story. Whenever I listen to opera, especially, my emotions run rampant. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with happiness, or sometimes I burst into tears, but regardless of how I seem to react, I always feel better and relieved after I have had my opera fix. The only person I’ve ever listened to opera with has been my grandma, and I will keep it that way until someone worthy comes along that shares the same passion with opera and classical music as I do, because honestly, the only time I ever let my guard down and just deal with my emotions is when I am listening to opera. I am not aware of my flaws or inhibitions, I just let all my walls down and feel free and like I can accomplish anything I wish. Like I am five again, and singing in the Oldsmobile with grandma, naming the songs and performers, feeling like nothing in the world matters except this song and this moment. This feeling of ecstasy runs through my veins and engulfs my senses and body, and this is how I want to feel when I truly fall in love, when I walk down the aisle with my fiancé’, when things get bad but I am determined to make things get better. I want to feel like this all the time, but it would make this feeling less special. Most important of all, I know that when I feel this way, things are the way they should be.