Writing – Unit 12

For my fifteenth birthday, instead of holding a huge party at home, I decided that I wanted to take a trip. A
memorable and once-in-a-lifetime trip could only mean, for me, going to the Walt Disney World Resort. A longing
since I was a child, was what it had been.

My sister and mother were the companions of this fascinating adventure. Not only was it the first time that we
visited another country but also the first time that we got into a plane. Today, I laugh at the recollection I have of
the whole experience but at that time I was scared to death about flying, leaving my country or even speaking
another language. If I close my eyes I can see myself as a completely bundle of nerves and anxiousness, all
wounded up, downright uncomfortable at the airline seat. But when the plane took off and the city started to drift
past the window, I slowly got mesmerized by the dazzling city lights in the middle of the cold and frosty night. An
ineffable feeling the one of being up in the sky. Literally, I was floating on air.

The minute we reached our destination, a feeling of pure contentment was brought to me. Any sensation related to
unsettling nervousness simply vanished. I would not be able to put into words the sensation of being in the place
where the happiest scenes from my childhood lie with. An abiding memory that keeps coming flooding back is the
imposing Cinderella Castle that perched on a rocky outcrop. Such an indescribable beauty. My five-year-old self
came on scene extremely chipper and chirpy, full of the joys of spring. Powerfully vivid images from the fireworks
flashing and exploding high in the deep blue cloudless sky is what I recall the most. What makes that trip so
nostalgic is the bittersweet feeling of memories that take me back to that moment and the slight sadness of
remembering something that is in the past.