The first time I experienced anything like this was when I was in the 2nd grade right after Christmas. Me and my dad had been walking around looking for a place to eat around 8 p.m. when two men told my dad to give him his wallet while they both were carrying knives on them. My dad who didn't want me to get hurt or potentially killed gave the men everything and they 

ran off. My dad said “Luke those men are hurt and the only man who can help them is god” to cheer me up. Even If that sounds like a rough way to be introduced to your family's home country there is still worse ahead. When we had finally made it to my aunt's house, where we would be staying for the 2 weeks we were in Brazil. She had forgotten to get another bed so me and my siblings for the first 3 nights were forced to sleep on the hardwood floors with nothing but a tiny blanket to share between all three of us. After that, my mom got into a heated argument with her sister and we eventually left my aunt's house on a not-so-good note.

 Thankfully my mom's cousin offered to take us in for the remaining week and a half. My mom's cousin's name is Chleno, he is a plastic surgeon and makes a fair amount of money. He was able to get me my own room with two 72-inch TVs where at night I would play video games while watching episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with my sisters. This kindness from my cousin really enlightened me and showed me that you can find good as long as you keep searching. He also made this trip one of the best trips in my life.

 Beach volleyball seemed like it ruled over all. In Saint Petes, the competition on the public beaches seemed as if it were the summer Olympics. One day you could see a family 

enjoying themselves just playing a casual game then 20 minutes later it seemed as if Team USA was playing because of all the tall and athletic players. Even my sisters noticed this saying things like “Jeez looks like he could be in the NBA.” 

The smell was so fresh and clean that it attracted me to stay out there with the bands playing their songs and instruments. 

The most special part of the whole trip was how it gave me my love for cooking. St.Pete’s is where my mom signed me up for my first cooking class because she knew it was something I would love to do. On my first day at St Pete's, I cooked up a nice chicken parm which was probably terrible looking back at it because I had zero clue what I was doing but my mom would always encourage me saying things like “Luke this is amazing, I love it.” This was all the motivation I needed to start cooking my own food at Home. 

Day 2 on the other hand consisted of a harder meal to make, We were tasked with cooking 2 big lobsters. This was the first time I had ever cooked anything alive and I felt terrible for it. On top of the two lobsters, I also had to make a Caesar salad and bake the croutons. This was especially difficult because I had never made a salad in my life because I was young so I had no idea what to expect. but while I prepared and ate the lobster I knew I had something special. I had a very good ability to cook and learn new recipes on the fly.

This is why I cherished St. Pete’s so much and why I feel it was one of the best places I could have ever explored.

  The food in Mexico was simply different. The food in the hotel had hundreds of options from Italian to Mexican. My favorite place to eat was the villa, a tiny spot about 50 feet out in the middle of the ocean where they made the best steak tacos. My mom, on the other hand, was 

not a fan. She would say things like “Luke, do you really like it here? I know a place that offers a better view.” 

She would express her interest in a place on the roof of the hotel where there was an all-glass restaurant. When you looked out you could see the beautiful view of the ocean. The tables had sand in them that a robot would come and make cool patterns in the sand which then would pop out and change the color of the sand.

 There were also lots of thrift shops outside of the walls of the resort which were considered dangerous. Thankfully our guide helped us through the neighborhood to the good areas. Being outside the resort brought me a sense of fear but also brought me into a world I had never been in. On one block, there were restaurants and people selling jewelry. Another block looked very shady and unsafe. Even my Mom had said things like “Luke stay near me I don't want you wandering off. This place is unsafe and not like anything we are used to.” 

This made me extremely grateful and happy that I lived in Fairfield and that my parents have given me the opportunity to live in America because the living conditions have a crazy difference when you compare Mexico to America.