Advantage | Teen Ink

Advantage

June 13, 2016
By OwenRuddy14 BRONZE, East Hampton, New York
OwenRuddy14 BRONZE, East Hampton, New York
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Over Spring Break I had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic. My Dad and Mom sat down together and looked on the internet and found this really cool all inclusive resort called Barcelo. My family doesn't really go on trips like this because my Dad doesn't know how to swim. When were about to go on vacation our family got that nervous excitement. Everyone in my family went shopping for clothes and accessories(all the stuff you would want for vacation). The days were flying by and I couldn't wait,. I got a new backpack and shirts and I was so excited I couldn't wait.


On the Monday we left we had woke up at 5:30 am and we headed for the airport. I was brain dead at this point with the two hours of sleep I had. Our plane was at eleven so I downloaded “The Force Awakens” to keep me occupied. I slept most of the plane ride, when we got to the Dominican Republic I was blown away. It was sunny out, 84 degrees and palm trees everywhere. When I got on the bus that brought us to the hotel I fell asleep again. When I woke up we were at paradise. The water was blue and the trees were green.


At the hotel you were able to sign up to go ziplining so my Dad, brother and I all signed up. Three days into the trip we went ziplining. The bus left 12:30 and it was thunder storming the whole time.The bus took us into a village in the jungle where we began to zip line. Before being able to zip line we had to be shown how to do it. All of the instructors suited us up and we headed up the trees. Most of the lines were about 100 feet up and 300 yards long. As soon as we got up to the lines it started to thunderstorm. The instructors said that the rain made the ziplines faster and more fun. The whole experience was amazing and one of the best times of life. Our zip lining trip ended about two hours later and we got back on the bus to go to the hotel.


What I saw on the bus ride back will stay with me forever. We drove through one of the main cities in the Dominican Republic and it was rough.The streets were filled with garbage and all the animals that you think were pets had been dirty, beaten up, and abandoned. Every kid in the street didn't have shoes and the boys didn't have shirts. Every house was practically a shack that no one would want to live in. I couldn believe what I was seeing. I just sat there and thought. When I got back to the hotel I was lost for words.


All I could think about was rich people and selfish they can be. Don't get me wrong there are some that are amazing though like Bill Gates. But the others that have all his wealth and travel to places like the Dominican and do nothing. They can buy all these expensive houses but that can not help people that actually don't even have a house. But I thought about it, everyone does it. No one really needs an iphone or Gopro. Clothes are one thing but no one needs a closet full. These people barely have a house and we iPhones to play Angry Birds. Just think about that.


The author's comments:

When ever I visited the Dominican Republic I saw what the people were going through around me and I realized how lucky I was in life. 


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