Canada

When I was in 9th grade, my family went to Banff in Alberta Canada, which is near Calgary, right above Washington and Montana. We went for a week on spring break to go skiing and snowboarding. The town was beautiful, covered in snow and exactly what a small ski town would look like. It was a lot of fun, until we actually started skiing. The first day on the first run my mom tore her ACL and her meniscus which ended her trip not even 24 hours in. We went to the hospital and spent most of the night there. The next day my dad and I decided to head back out right after lunch. We were going down the mountain and I slid out and broke my wrist. That night we were back in the hospital the entire night. Even the doctors recognized us that second night. What started as a beautiful trip turned into a week in the hospital. It was a fun trip for the little we spent on the slopes. But I dont think we will be going skiing as a family again anytime soon.

Paris

Located in Europe, just south of The United Kingdom, in France. During our week long trip to London, we took a bullet train underneath the English Channel into Paris and spent the day there. Since it is the shopping capital of the world, of course, my mother wanted to go. So we went. The bullet train underneath water was extremely cool, a quick hour trip and we were there. As soon as we got off the train was when I immediately stopped liking Paris. The odor was immense and disgusting. This was probably from the hundreds of homeless people who set up their cardboard boxes in and around the train station. The sight of a grown man urinating five feet away from me as I walked out of the train station was enough of Paris for me. But the train didn't leave till that night so we stayed to tour the city and shop. The city got better with time-the Eiffel tower, museums and more shopping that I can imagine. The last stop of the day was the Louvre to see all the art, especially the Mona Lisa. We waited in line to get in as if it were a ride at Disney, it took forever. We finally made it in and started walking around and there were tons of amazing paintings and cool artwork. We were there for the famous Mona Lisa though. We found her by following the crowd and when we finally got in the room, it was the smallest painting I had ever seen. It was about a 2x3 ft painting and you couldn't get closer than 10-15 feet from it. Guarded by bullet proof glass and guards, yet again Mona Lisa and Paris were a let down. We looked around a bit more and then headed home. I was the happiest all day when we finally boarded the train and I left Paris for good.

London

The capital of the United Kingdom which is located in the southern part of the country. My family and I spent a week there in the summer after 5th grade. It was the final trip before returning home from Kuwait. We stayed in a hotel right across the water from Big Ben and right next door to the Eye of London. It was one of the best vacations we have had. We toured the entire city including all the castles outside the city. Also we went in Harrods, which is a HUGE department store in the city, that had everything you could imagine packed in the 6 floor store. Out of everything we got to do while in London, my favorite was the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. This was one of the coolest things I have seen in all of our vacations and as you always hear the guards did not move at all. No matter what face you make or what you say they would not move. London was one of my favorite places that I have been and I am hoping to get back there someday soon.

Egypt

A country in the northwest corner of Africa where, as a 4th grader, I spent spring break with my parents. This was not the most ideal place since my sister was skiing the Swiss Alps, but needless to say, I tried to make the best of my time- and now I can say I have been to Africa. It was still a neat place to visit, we did all the super touristy things like visiting the pyramids and riding camels, which I had done in Kuwait but according to the proprietor, these were very different camels. The pyramids were very cool, probably one of the most amazing things I have seen. The land changed from complete civilization to a fence then immediately to desert and the pyramids which seemed odd to me but I was in Africa. We visited the Nile to see a restaurant my dad was opening by boat on the river. The restaurant was a very cool idea, but the Nile River was probably one of the blackest and nastiest things I had ever seen. The trip all together was very cool and a good learning experience, but I am not sure that I ever need to go back there.

Hong Kong

One of the interesting places in the world. It is not considered part of China, yet it still flies the Chinese flag. It is located off the southern border of China right on the South China Sea. On our way home from the Philippines, we decided to stay a few extra days in Hong Kong. The city was the biggest metropolis I had ever seen, it blew my mind. I could not even begin to take in all the buildings or people, yet there is one thing that I will never forget. We were walking down the street and there was a McDonald's on the corner- as a 10 year old this was the greatest thing I had ever seen. Of course I made my parents go in and buy me a Happy Meal (which they did have, even in Hong Kong.) It was the perfect thing to top of a great vacation in southeast Asia.

Phillipines

It's a chain of islands located southeast of China, way out in the ocean, which you can assume requires a long flight. it took about 16 hours of flying from Kuwait to get all the way down to Manilla- where we went in the Philippines. Being 10 years old, confined for that long seemed like forever. I went with my family, Dad had to do business and we were going to explore and have another vacation. That we did; we ate and ate all day, shopped and went sightseeing. It was a good vacation and of course, wanting to be like my Dad, going on a business trip was awesome. Though the trip was good, there is one thing that I'll never forget. We were passing by a hut that was about 10 by 20 square feet and our driver told us how about 11 people lived in that tiny space. That moment was when I really was thankful for all the thing that I had been given. This trip into yet another new cutlure was a great experience and one that will stick with me forever.

Colorado

Every summer, regardless of where we lived at the time, we would vacation in the mountains of Colorado in our RV. We would almost always be accompanied by my grandparents and this was the highlight of every summer. There was always so much to do and see we could barley get it all done in the week we were there. One of the first years we went was the year my grandfather taught me how to fish. We would go out to every river and lake in the area and just fish all day. This was what made the trips some of my favorites. Along with fishing, we would also go horseback riding, hiking and MAKE new friends. These trips were just the perfect time to relax and spend quality time with my family.

Germany

Between the third and fourth grade, we toured Germany for a week. It was one of the most historic places that I have ever been, also one of the coolest places I have been. We got to see and tour notable Nazi strongholds from World War II. The two best ones were his Eagle's Nest which was on top of a mountain where Hitler organized thoughts and planned out attacks but the most interesting place was the underground bunkers used in the War. These underground bunkers were extremely winding and tight, they had places where the Nazi's could shoot and kill you before you even saw them. Also, down in those bunkers is where Hitler actually killed himself they still have the room how it was left though sealed off so no one can go inside. Knowing that you were walking the same halls as Hitler was chilling and one of the most amazing experiences I have experienced. Germany was full of history, had great sightseeing and it was one of the best weeks of my life.

Dubai

In the United Arab Emirates, a town on the coast known for its amazing and outlandish architecture. This was not what Dubai was to me though. We were sent to Dubai while I lived in Kuwait for the fear of invasion from Iraq. This was a more than a 3rd grader could take in. Even worse, my father could not join us in evacuating because he had to stay and work. Not even a year after we moved to the Middle East we were faced with this adversity. Luckily Dubai was as beautiful and amazing as you see on television and the internet. The buildings, the ocean and mass amount of stores was overwhelming (which was great to take our mind off real life). About a week later we were allowed TO RETURN home, nothing had happened and everyone was safe but it was a very scary and real week. This was truly the moment I realized were not in Texas anymore

Kuwait

A little country in the Middle East that is known for one thing, oil. Kuwait is where I called "home" for three years of my life. I moved to Kuwait when I was in the 3rd grade and lived there through the 5th grade. During my time, there is one night that stands out the most. It had been planned that we would be going into the desert to camp and cookout. Little did i know cooking out involved going to the market and buying live chickens and watching their heads get cut off. This was only the beginning of a very different day. After that we went deep into the desert and set up tents in the blazing sun, we cooked and had a great day with friends. The night came along which i thought would be as hot as the day. I was wrong. With no blanket for myself I froze all night. It was a day and a night filled with new experiences and a lot of culture shock, but it was a lot of fun and a learning experience.

Idalou, TX

The place that I was born into this world, therefore the first place I have ever been. A tiny town located in the Texas panhandle, surrounded by nothing but cotton fields and football stadiums (it really is exactly what you think it is). With a population of 2,000 people and only a single stoplight, it is a town worth seeing. Or at least I think so. A town where most of my family still lives to this day in the houses that I grew up in, making memories playing in an old tire full of sand and fishing with my grandfather. This is the place that I hope to end up one day like the rest of my family. This is the most important place that I have been, this is home.