Teen Travel to Jamaica

I had been anticipating this trip for years. This would be my first time going to Jamaica to see my family and riding on a plane. On our way to the airport my mother started to go hysterical she wondered if she would be able to handle the turbulence. As my family and I arrived at the airport and boarded onto the plane I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. I couldn’t wait to touch the clouds. As I found my seat next to the window I struggled to find a way to open it up, that’s when I realized that the airplane windows couldn’t open. Being able to see the white fluffy clouds up close and feel the turbulence was the next best thing to touching the clouds. After a couple of hours the pilot told us to look to our right and we will see the beautiful island Jamaica. For the first time in my life I saw the islands majestic mountains. Once the plane landed and we boarded off the plane we found our “taxi” ride and loaded the luggage into the trunk. I noticed one of the taxi man that would be accompanying us smiling at me.

â–º  QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP

I shyly smiled as we piled into the van to go to my uncles house. On our trip there the “taxi man” drove FAST!! The road was steep, narrow and dangerous. I was horrified! As night time approached we arrived at my uncle’s two-story house. As I stepped out the “taxi”, I noticed green fluffy patches that I thought were mold. It was all over the drive way and on the hill. My aunt, grandpa and cousins came out to greet us. I was happy to meet them for the very first time. Once we unloaded the trunk and got settled in, I noticed that the two “taxi man” were still there. When I asked my dad why the taxi men were still there, he told me that those “taxi men” were my uncle and cousin. I turned around and gave them a great big hug. Then we ate steamed fish and white rice with fruit juice. After dinner my aunt and uncle sat around the table cutting out the inside of the ackee so we could eat it. The next morning I was awaken by a loud crowing sound by my grandpa’s pet rooster Maddie. After freshening up, I crept past my cousins who were sleeping on the couch and went down stairs to the kitchen to tell my aunt good morning. She was cooking bread fruit, dumplings, ackee and salt fish. I smelled wood burning so I went outside to find my grandpa roasting some more breadfruit for my aunt. That’s when I spotted the mold-like appearance on the floor. I went to my grandpa to ask him what was this strange substance. To my surprise that mold was GRASS!?! Later that day we went to a beautiful beach in Negril and swam. We went inside of a lighthouse and got to climb the steep narrow stairs that led to the top of the lighthouse. The tour guide explained the history of the lighthouse along with stories of ghosts that lurked around the property. I learned so much in such very short time. I learned that grass comes in different textures and that you will always wake up bright and early with Maddie around. This trip had open my eyes to the different things the world has to offer and that I should go out and explore them.