Summer days in my Second Home - My Family Travels
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The sun danced in the sky, on this warm summer day in Bavaria, Germany. After days of rain, the spirit of delight hung in the air, as young and old greeted the clear blue sky. This summer, was spent like many summers, visiting family in Germany. Since I was four, I have lived in the United States, far away from my relatives. But my family never forgot the importance of the loved ones back home, and so every year, we travel to Germany for several weeks to reconnect with those we love. 

       For the past couple of days, my mother, brother, and I have been visiting my aunt and grandparents in the small town of Waldershof.  

Ò–º  QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP

We had decided to spend our beautiful summer day at a charming lake, called the Untreusee. It was here that the tall trees reach for the sky and the cool, fresh water draws families from near and  far. One can hear children laughing as they tumble on the playground, and adults sit at the café, enjoying a marvelous view. And it was here, that they built a little wooden labyrinth, in which I now found myself with my brother, grandmother, and my little cousin. We had been walking for an hour, the sun slowly burning on our skin. Yet we found so much joy in each other's company, that the heat didn't matter. We were all having fun, but still it was clear my grandmother was getting older. She had reached the age, where she thought she couldn't do much, and believed that she was too boring for her grandchildren. It took a great amount of convincing, to sway her to join us in the labyrinth. My grandmother, having been raised during World War II, didn't like spending money on herself. Even the small fee for the labyrinth was too much. In the labyrinth, we walked a bit slower  so my grandmother could keep up. We believed my grandmother was a lucky woman, having survived many perils in her life. Thus we had her lead the way, counting on her luck to lead us out. When that didn't work, we found a little observation tower. My brother went on the tower and told me which direction to go."Take a right, then a left, another right, right again, make a u-turn . . ." he went on. Suddenly, where I stood looked oddly familiar. My brother broke out in laughter! He had lead me in a circle through the labyrinth! That day, was also the day we discovered my grandmother's great sense of humor. We found ourselves laughing about everything. We found humor in the fact that I needed to use the bathroom. Laughed for we had walked in a circle at least five times. There was nothing left spared from my grandmother's great sense of humor.

       After one and a half hours, we left the labyrinth with grins of success on our faces. My grandmother had found the way, once more proving how lucky she is.  As a prize for our participation and success, each of us was allowed to choose a marble. My little cousin chose a marble pink as a new rose. My brother's was hues of blues, like the lake and sky intertwined. Mine was a blend of greens and browns, the colors of the forest and the rich earth. My grandmother's marble, was a soft pearl white. A reminder to us, of the value of moments such as these, when our family  discovers the joy of warm summer days spent together.  
 
 

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1 Reply to “Summer days in my Second Home”

  • silvana.albarello

    A destiny I will never forget. 

  • 13CRoen

    This was by far, the best vacation I have ever been on. I hope be awarded the scholarship so that I can go on to college, graduate with honors, and get a great job so that one day I can show my family what a great place Yellowstone National Park is. Thank you for considering my application!

  • crishernandez4

    I hope you enjoy my essay. Thank you for your time.

  • crishernandez4

    My favorite city so far!

  • CarpeDiem8216

    It's such a beautiful place!

  • elinasahagun

    my trip.

  • Zoe.Paige.1212

    Hey Everyone,

           Thanks for checking out my blog. πŸ™‚ I hope you enjoy.

                                                       With Much Appreciation,

                                                                  – Zoe McDowell

     

  • srgaiden

    I have run short on space, yet I managed to squeeze in about 3/4ths of my trip. 

     

    Lordsburg and Demming are in New Mexico (I guess I should have edited that), and there are numerous other details I would have liked to have included…. 

  • cedar.weyker

    If you're interested in traveling in my footsteps, I highly recommend the Togwotee Lodge and Resort, which is where we stayed during our trip. 

  • ocurly.9

    While visiting Paris the summer I was fourteen, I was captivated my by its beauty. The city's rich culture, diverse people, and turbulent history fascinated me and captured my imagination. It was there that I discovered the wonder of adventure, and my never-ending love of Paris. 

  • albalderrama

    this is my actual scholarship submission. PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE THE PREVIOUS ENTRY. THIS IS MY SUBMISSION. THANK YOU. 

  • ruby34

    This was the most incredible vacation ever! All my classmates who attended agreed and have remembered every memory from Washington D.C. Thank you School Tours of America and my special sponsors Mrs. Nobel and Mr. Fitch.

  • msbrown96

    My trip to new york was wonderful. I even c reated a website to prove it. 

    http://nothinglikenewyork.shutterfly.com/

  • SarahChambers

    I almost did not go on this trip, worrying about what could go wrong, that summer would nearly be over when I returned, and how much it cost. But, I decided to take this trip to see a few of my German friends and their families, not knowing when, otherwise, I would see them again if I didn't take this opportunity. Now that I have returned home, I am very happy to have taken this trip.

  • effine0095

    My name is Inemesit Effiong.I am an avid reader and an ardent Colin Firth fan. I love outdoor activities, writing poetry, and volunteering. I have had the privilege of volunteering with several clubs like National Honor Society, Rotary Club, Interact Volunteer Club, and The Bridge Run. I enjoy watching Jeopardy with my father (mostly because of Alex Trebek) and I hope to pursue Nursing as a major. I entered this contest because I love exploring and I fell that my experience is very relatable, especially to teenagers my age, who would like to travel abroad, but lack the means or opportunity to do so. 

  • ciarrapeck23

    This is a blog about my trip with my mother to New York City

  • CarolynLaux

    I encourage you, go on a mission trip! You will never regret it. If anything it can help you to figure out your place in this world. 

  • Austin Joseph

    I raised money for this trip during the course of my Freshman year, first by a Bake Sale, which raised over $700, then by giving out poetry that I had written in exchange for donations. They expereince broadened me as a leader and created lasting friendships with other cultures.

  • sfspins

    This was my Italian experience. It was extremely fun and I can’t wait for the time when I get the chance to return.

  • LeaCordova

    Hope you enjoyed my essay! Just wanted to share my beliefs and personal experience. πŸ™‚

  • LeaCordova

    Hopefully you can enjoy my post! It's what I believe and is my own personal experience. πŸ™‚

  • kelseyr234

    My scholarship entry!

  • cheer2soccer

    Im glad to share my families trip with you. I hope this inspires you to go on a trip with your family to Hawaii.

  • rntgr1

    My vacation to Spain in general was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. The culture was rich and the archetecture was far more ornate than anything I've ever seen in the United States. I will defenately go back there some day if I am fortunate enough.

  • erplaneflyer

    This particular blog was submitted as a scholarship essay to myfamilytravels.com, enjoy!

  • cchan16

    I truly am grateful for the wonderful opportunity I had to travel to Hong Kong for a month! I'll definitely think about living in Hong Kong in the future!  

  • sjkim13

    I hope people can read this travel blog and see for themselves how great the aftermath of war is. Because of war, these children have to suffer every single day. ): 

  • saramasjedi

    This blog was very fun to write, it let me reevaluate what had happened during the trip and laugh about it once again. Maybe it will inspire someone else to do what what my family did and go through the indescribable little horrors that we all went through. Happy traveling!

  • Alexxis

    If you have ever wondered what a BIG city is, than New York City is the place for you to go! i had a blast there! Check it out!!

  • iffatb10

    I had alot of fun writing this essay. 

  • ilovestories4

    Europe is a great place to visit!

  • lizlozada

    it looks cool!

  • savannahchambers2013

    Here is my scholarship for the Teen Travel Writing Scholarship of my journey to Alaska! 

  • sndave12

    My trip to London.

  • clb2013

    I discovered that I was a pretty good photographer while on this trip. I now take all the family vacation pictures!

  • clb2013

    My trip to Yellowstone was truly amazing! Yellowstone is a must-see for all nature lovers and hikers! 

  • Anushka

    The wedding took place on August 6, 2011.

  • CheyenneBB

    this was a wonerful trip with friends & family

  • acesjoe247

    My experience was amazing here!

  • batmandude123

    My essay describes the emotional connection to the effects of a storm which would seemingly ruins a trip to Lake Michigan.

  • Megan G

    I wish I could have written more about Germany, but summing up a vacation such as that in only 600 words seemed impossible to me. I would have never guessed I would have learned so much about myself there. We did activitivities I would never seen myself doing in a million years. Many of the students that went on the trip I would not normally be friends with, but at the end of the day no matter how different we were from one another, we were all friends and family to eachother and still keep in touch till this day. I don't know when I will be able to go on such an amazing adventure again, but my advice to whoever comes across this is, if you have the oppritunity, take it. Even if you are apprehensive, take the risk because I'm willing to bet you will learn so much more.

    Thank you all for reading this and best of luck to everyone who entered this contest! smiley

  • alyssavallero

    We love going to the Hawaiian Islands.  Maui was one of our favorites.  Molokini Crater is just off of the Maui coast.  I couldn't believe at the variety of fish we snorkeled with–we even glimpsed a reef shark!  Snorkeling at Molokini Crater was a great experience and was the inspiration for this short essay. 

  • maddykate

    This is my scholarship essay, please confirm that it has been entered. Thank you!

  • LadyKiwiWorld

    The reason for my visit to Nigeria was because of a death in my family. In the attatched picture, I am in the middle, surrounded by my family members as we walked toward the area where the ceremony was to be held. The whole experience of visiting Nigeria a third time (but as a teenager) opened my eyes and made me realize that there are things in the world bigger than just me and my problems, and it's my job to find a way to give back before time runs out.

  • caytlinwalker

    This was my family trip to Missouri…never forget how important learning and family is.

  • WyattBertsch

    I am a young international traveler interested in seeing the dynamics between different cultures acted out out not only through travel but through international relations on a global stage. Trips to Belize and across the world have cemented my belief that nations working together is for the good of everyone on earth.

  • evsumner

    I wrote this for the Scholarship writing contest.

  • amartino

    This is my entry for the FTF Teen Travel Writing Scholorship!

  • LoganM

    I hope that everyone can learn a little about this unique country from my blog. There are so many more things I wish I could say, but space is limited!

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