Running Late - My Family Travels
trail 1_0

“Good Lord I’m late!”,I screamed as I barreled down the hall. I looked up at the clock. I could feel it mocking me …”6:45a.m”, shamefully late as usual. I scurried down the stairs to ask my father for a ride. As I banged on his door with the fury of a thousand fists, two things came to my mind. One: my bus arrives at 6:50 and is driving away from the bus stop at this very moment, and two: my father leaves for work at 5a.m.

As I attempted to brush my teeth and my hair at the same time, I tried to calculate how long it would take me to walk to school. The late bell rings at 7:45, but it takes at least fifty minutes to walk along the highway (an hour if I valued my life). But it was already 7:00a.m and I just didn’t have the time. But, I grabbed my stuff and ran out the door anyway. I had to try.

I ran down the street with the quick speed of an escaped convict. I was so consumed by my efforts to avoid tardiness that I didn’t notice Mrs. Hieldly, my neighbor, strolling towards me. Had I noticed her, I would have certainly taken the long way out of my neighborhood. I eventually looked up and saw her waving. Even though she is a sweet lady, I couldn’t help thinking about how much she talked and how little time I had. I nodded and tried to scoot by her, but she grabbed my arm.

“Sweetie, don’t walk by your elders without saying hello. Why are you in such a rush?” she said.” “I’m sorry, I’m late for school.” I mumbled. “Young people, always in a rush! Punctuality is next to godliness. Don’t you know that?” she replied.  “Yes ma’am, but cleanliness is closer” I muttered. She frowned at me and said, “Don’t dawdle. If you’re late, take the Ashley Greenway Trail.” She grabbed my arm and walked me down to the trail.

Although I had passed the bike trail every day since first grade, I had never taken it. I turned around to tell her that I would rather take the highway, but she had already started walking away, so I kept walking. At first, I was walking very fast with my head down because I was afraid. The trail had an eerie silence. There were no cars, buses or street noises. But, as I slowed down and began to pay attention to my surroundings. I heard and saw more. The trees on both sides of me leaned towards each other, making a beautiful arching canopy. Their leaves were bright yellow and red, mixed with dark hues of brown. I heard sparrows and jays chirping all about me. Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by beauty and nature.

By the time I got to school, I realized that it had taken me an hour to walk a thirty minute trail. But, even as I folded up my tardy slip, I thought about how much I enjoyed my adventure. I have always had fanciful day-dreams about traveling to the Russian wilderness to be “one with nature”. Yet, here I was, longingly for some foreign adventure when adventure was all around me. My travel experience taught me that adventure is always in reach. I may not be able to go to England or Russia, but I can travel where I am and learn to appreciate the beauty of my own backyard, even when I am running late.

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1 Reply to “Running Late”

  • 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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