Taken for Granted Moments

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Finding out that I was going back to Aruba at the age of twelve was a Déjà vu for me. When I was seven in 2004, my grandparents took me and nine other relatives to Aruba for the first time. All of us went snorkeling, saw lizards and iguanas, had strawberry daiquiris, saw the natural bridge, and etc. Going back to Aruba I thought the memories would happen all over again.

Flash forward to our arrival at the resort. Nine other relatives and my grandparents weren’t with me. Instead I now had my five-year-old brother, three-year-old sister, step dad and mom with me. At our resort we were informed that we would be on the second floor due to the first floor being flooded. I didn’t mind this for any fact other than the waiting time.



Once we were settled in, I put my bathing suit on ready to go swimming. The disappointment starting to kick in when my mom told me that there was a big undertoe in the water and I wouldn’t be able to go swimming. Scratch off swimming for making memories. The next suggestion I made was going get strawberry daiquiris. Thank god that was still there. CHECK! This day had been a success.

The second day the undertoe was gone, the sun was shinning and just like when I was seven back in the same resort, I saw the green lizards and iguanas.

Next part in making the Déjà vu come back was going to see the natural bridge. We rented a silve jeep wrangler and I was ready for anything. WE would see the bridge…Just not in all one piece. I later found out that the in 2005 the bridge had collapsed. Cross off yet again another one of my favorite memories from this place.

I was disappointed with this trip so far but there was still one thing left to do to make my day! I was excited to go snorkeling with my family, I couldn’t wait! But when I made the suggestion to my mother I knew what the answer would be. She told me we couldn’t due to my sister not being able to swim and my brother barely knowing how. All of these memories made five years before were not being made in the first three days of our vacation. I thought it would never get better.

The next day was Easter and my mom decided she wanted to go to church to celebrate the holiday. When we took a taxi to the nearest church we didn’t relize that we were in the poorest area in Aruba. For the first time in my life, I had an eye opener. We saw the poor living on the streets, standing in line waiting for food. I looked at the world for the first time in a different way. I was a twelve year old from Gibbsboro, New Jersey. I was spoiled with grandparents, family and friends who loved me. When I saw these hungry people, I knew that I should not have complained. The next three days I decided to take every moment I could to be thankful, and I was! I was thankful for my parents taking care of me, for the weather holding up, for the safe plan home. I was thankful to have a home! Nothing in this world could have made me more thankful then I was right there in that moment. The moment I had took for granted.

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Photos

Aruba Weather
The sky during our first day of vacation

Jeep Rangler
The Jeep we drove to go and see the bridge

Myself
Me at the bridge

Family
My family and I