Reflection
Personal Narrative
Personal Narrative
When thinking of something to write I have an endless amount of options, if i’m being honest. My life is kind of like a roller coaster, because one minute everything is going well but all of a sudden it spirals out of control. This perfectly describes my trip to Europe because although in the beginning it was fun and relaxing, towards the end it became kind of a mess.
When I woke up the morning of my flight I couldn’t contain my excitement, I had the biggest smile on my face. I happily jumped out of bed and quickly got ready to leave my house. I grabbed my bulky suitcase that had been stuffed with all the clothes I thought I would need and headed to the airport. When we arrived, I gave both my parents a lengthy hug goodbye and was ready to get to my gate. After checking in and going through security, my grandma,aunt and I excitedly rushed to the enormous lounge to wait for our flight to board. The lounge had a gigantic sparkly chandelier, shiny tile floors and was filled with so many people who were waiting to board their flights. After being in the lounge for quite some time, we grabbed our things and headed to our gate. We finally got to our seats and I happily chose the best seat, also known as the window seat. After what felt like an eternity we finally landed in Amsterdam for our two hour layover. The flight was pretty long and our stomachs were growling because airplane food isn’t the best so we headed to starbucks. The two hours passed and in no time we boarded the plane again. It was getting closer and closer and finally we landed in Paris, we grabbed our luggage, went through customs and got into an uber. After settling in at our little airbnb, you can all tell we were exhausted and starving from our flights, so we ventured out to find some place to eat. Walking down the cobblestone streets, I felt like I was in a whole different world, even the air felt different. The scent of freshly baked croissants and the chatter of people filled the streets and after walking for what felt like forever we settled on a cute cafe. After exploring the city for a little while more before going back to the airbnb we went to see the Arc De Triomphe. Since it was dark the lights from the cars headlights illuminated the whole area and it was truly beautiful. As the days continued we ate many croissants and fulfilled our tourist duties by visiting the Louvre, The palace of Versailles, Notre Dame and of course the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the Eiffel Tower was truly beautiful, especially at night because the lights would be turned on. Sadly it was time to leave the city of love, although I was upset, I was also happy because Greece would give me the warm weather I was looking for. After going through the airport with my gigantic luggage for the second time we hopped on the plane ready for paradise. Two and a half hours later we made it to the beautiful Santorini, Greece and immediately getting off the plane I had felt the hot mediterainan sun. After a crazy taxi ride of twists and turns through the mountains we arrived at our hotel. Just like in Paris we quickly settled in and wanted to get something to eat. After eating at an amazing restaurant we walked along the beach, but it wasn’t like a regular beach,the sand was black from the volcanic ash that had been washed up. Greece was nothing like Paris in the slightest, the weather and the atmosphere was completely different. After spending a few nights in Santorini we took a ferry to the island of Mykonos, which in my opinion was my favorite place on this trip.driving through the island all I saw was clear blue skies, calm water and white buildings/homes along the mountain. Before even really exploring the island i knew this was going to be my favorite. Our airbnb was beautiful and so cute, the view we had from the pool overlooked the sea and it was nothing like i’ve ever seen before,honestly everything was perfect maybe way too perfect. We went into town the first night and explored the little shops and I ended up buying more things I didn’t need. The next morning we woke up and went to the beach and the sound of the small waves crashing and the smell of the sea water was very relaxing. I truly loved it here and honestly all I wanted to do is relax, but my aunt insisted on a boat tour around the smaller islands. Me being the stubborn child I am didn’t want to partake in this, I just wanted to relax by the pool for the day. Unfortunately this cause a huge argument not only between my aunt and I but my grandma as well. The whole night and the next day we didn’t talk much and by then it was time to leave and go to Athens. The ferry ride was full of awkward silence and me holding a grudge and still being mad. I quickly realized I shouldn’t be still mad over a situation that ended, and just like that everything went back to normal. Not only did I realized my mistake by myself but Athens also in a way helped me realize things.
The economy in Athens isn’t the best, many people are living off the streets or living paycheck to paycheck. Thinking about it now I realize that not many people get to travel to multiple places in Europe at 17. Seeing people in Athens on the streets begging for money made me feel upset because I complain about the smallest things that in their eyes is probably a blessing.
When thinking of something to write I have an endless amount of options, if i’m being honest. My life is kind of like a roller coaster, because one minute everything is going well but all of a sudden it spirals out of control. This perfectly describes my trip to Europe because although in the beginning it was fun and relaxing, towards the end it became kind of a mess.
When I woke up the morning of my flight I couldn’t contain my excitement, I had the biggest smile on my face. I happily jumped out of bed and quickly got ready to leave my house. I grabbed my bulky suitcase that had been stuffed with all the clothes I thought I would need and headed to the airport. When we arrived, I gave both my parents a lengthy hug goodbye and was ready to get to my gate. After checking in and going through security, my grandma,aunt and I excitedly rushed to the enormous lounge to wait for our flight to board. The lounge had a gigantic sparkly chandelier, shiny tile floors and was filled with so many people who were waiting to board their flights. After being in the lounge for quite some time, we grabbed our things and headed to our gate. We finally got to our seats and I happily chose the best seat, also known as the window seat. After what felt like an eternity we finally landed in Amsterdam for our two hour layover. The flight was pretty long and our stomachs were growling because airplane food isn’t the best so we headed to starbucks. The two hours passed and in no time we boarded the plane again. It was getting closer and closer and finally we landed in Paris, we grabbed our luggage, went through customs and got into an uber. After settling in at our little airbnb, you can all tell we were exhausted and starving from our flights, so we ventured out to find some place to eat. Walking down the cobblestone streets, I felt like I was in a whole different world, even the air felt different. The scent of freshly baked croissants and the chatter of people filled the streets and after walking for what felt like forever we settled on a cute cafe. After exploring the city for a little while more before going back to the airbnb we went to see the Arc De Triomphe. Since it was dark the lights from the cars headlights illuminated the whole area and it was truly beautiful. As the days continued we ate many croissants and fulfilled our tourist duties by visiting the Louvre, The palace of Versailles, Notre Dame and of course the Eiffel Tower. Seeing the Eiffel Tower was truly beautiful, especially at night because the lights would be turned on. Sadly it was time to leave the city of love, although I was upset, I was also happy because Greece would give me the warm weather I was looking for. After going through the airport with my gigantic luggage for the second time we hopped on the plane ready for paradise. Two and a half hours later we made it to the beautiful Santorini, Greece and immediately getting off the plane I had felt the hot mediterainan sun. After a crazy taxi ride of twists and turns through the mountains we arrived at our hotel. Just like in Paris we quickly settled in and wanted to get something to eat. After eating at an amazing restaurant we walked along the beach, but it wasn’t like a regular beach,the sand was black from the volcanic ash that had been washed up. Greece was nothing like Paris in the slightest, the weather and the atmosphere was completely different. After spending a few nights in Santorini we took a ferry to the island of Mykonos, which in my opinion was my favorite place on this trip.driving through the island all I saw was clear blue skies, calm water and white buildings/homes along the mountain. Before even really exploring the island i knew this was going to be my favorite. Our airbnb was beautiful and so cute, the view we had from the pool overlooked the sea and it was nothing like i’ve ever seen before,honestly everything was perfect maybe way too perfect. We went into town the first night and explored the little shops and I ended up buying more things I didn’t need. The next morning we woke up and went to the beach and the sound of the small waves crashing and the smell of the sea water was very relaxing. I truly loved it here and honestly all I wanted to do is relax, but my aunt insisted on a boat tour around the smaller islands. Me being the stubborn child I am didn’t want to partake in this, I just wanted to relax by the pool for the day. Unfortunately this cause a huge argument not only between my aunt and I but my grandma as well. The whole night and the next day we didn’t talk much and by then it was time to leave and go to Athens. The ferry ride was full of awkward silence and me holding a grudge and still being mad. I quickly realized I shouldn’t be still mad over a situation that ended, and just like that everything went back to normal. Not only did I realized my mistake by myself but Athens also in a way helped me realize things.
The economy in Athens isn’t the best, many people are living off the streets or living paycheck to paycheck. Thinking about it now I realize that not many people get to travel to multiple places in Europe at 17. Seeing people in Athens on the streets begging for money made me feel upset because I complain about the smallest things that in their eyes is probably a blessing.