biography
Mon premier voyage
My high school French group arrived in Florence, Italy.I am a junior in Roosevelt High School and it is my first time ever that I am going to another country. I have never been anywhere off the islands of Hawai’i before. I am excited and scared to explore the world for the first time by myself. When we arrived in Milan the tour guide took us to a leather shop. They showed us how Italian’s famous leather was made and what they did to make it so strong and durable. Giving us a map and two hours of free time the tour guide left us around the leather store to meet at a plaza latter on. Finished browsing the leather shop I started walking around Florence by myself, since none of my friends could come. At first it was fun I walked around Florence it was so completely different from what I was use to, filled with historical sight. I was fascinated with all the new things that I saw all around me the old hundred year buildings, painter, language, culture, and people.
After an hour I decided to go back to the meeting point. I started off walking around the streets that I thought looked familiar hoping it would lead me to the street leading to my meeting place. I walked for over thirty minute before I started noticing that the streets I was in did not even look familiar at all. I am lost. Even though I had a map, I think that the map confused me. I am directionally challenged and another problem was that not many Italian people speak English. The ones that did are tourists. I asked so many people for help tourist, police, locals and I couldn’t figure out where I was. I was scared out of my wits, having been wondering for over two hours. One local’s advice is for me to catch the bus, but I knew from experience to never catch bus because then I would be moving father then where I started.
The sun was setting. I think I walked half way across town because I arrived at the main train station. Going through dark alleys, crowded area, and strange places I continue to walk. I always made sure that to circle around Florence’s famous Dome and not stray to far away from it. The Dome was the main attraction in Florence and the most easily spotted thing in Florence due to it’s size. I knew that the meeting spot was somewhere close to the Dome but not in which direction. It was also very different to find where I was, Italy’s street sign are on the walls, it took me a while to figure this out. I also got distracted along the way while walking. I saw this market place when I was walking by that I really wanted to just stop and browse around but because it was already getting late I stopped myself and continued walking.
Finally, I figured out that I got the wrong place because people keep pointing to me around this building but it is not where our group was supposed to meet. I walked around this building over ten times. A lot of people told me this was where I am suppose to be but that is not correct. I was supposed to meet at the famous fake’ David statue, but the one I kept heading toward the real David statue. I did not really know there were two statues so that might be why I was lost with a map. The map had a picture with a David statue and so I thought it was the meeting place.
Distressed, teary eyes, anxious, sluggish, and dragging myself to move, I gave up and decided not to rely on the map. It is already pitch black and there was no tourist out in the streets anymore. Everything was getting quiet all the stores closing up with little local people wondering about at night. Asking one more time I asked an Italian guy for direction. I hope he spoke English but I used facial expression, gesture, and pointing to talk. Finding quickly that he couldn’t speak an ounce of English and spoke so fast in Italian that I didn’t think he could help me. I asked him where am I and how do I get here, pointing to the location of the real David statue. I showed him the map, we did hand signal for a conversation, and expressions to converse because we did not understand each other. “No, not that way.” The direction he showed me was wrong. I went that direction over twenty times, it lead me to this plaza with a horse statue but it is not where I was supposed to go.
It hit me! Why did I not do this before? I mean relying on this map that kept leading me to the wrong place must be because something was wrong. I was thinking what can I say to describe where I am supposed to go? Then I remember! I can’t believe I am such an idiot to not use my camera. I took out my camera and pointed to a picture of outdoor statues that were right next to where the meeting point was supposed to be. The Piazza Della Signoria. I didn’t know the name at that time I only remember what it looked like. They have some very famous outdoor beautiful statue right in the plaza and I took many pictures of it. To my luck, this was what helped me get back to the meeting point. He was nodding his head and mumbling in Italian. A surge of hope filled me as he stated to draw on my map to where I was supposed to go then he started pointing me in the right direction of where I was supposed to go. I still remember the man who helped me, probably not, what he looked like, but a person who did a good deed and helped me. Bowing my head as a sign of gratitude and thanking him I hoped he understood that I was very thankful. I left.
I was so happy that finally I was heading in the right direction. I was running toward the meeting point stopping and asking in which direction the Piazza Della Signoria is in case I was going the wrong way. I kept running and stopping for fifteen minute. By the time, I arrived at the meeting point it was dark with very little people around. Tears burst forth from my eyes relief that I am safe and at my destination. I was over two hours late it’s already six o’ clock. I already made an emergency plan that if by the time, I reach the meeting point and if I find no one there I would call a taxi and go to the hotel name my teacher gave us. I remember that we switched hotel, but I figured that getting to that hotel and having them call the tour guide was better than waiting at a place where there might be no one there. There was no one there at the meeting point. I looked around frantically for someone I would recognize, no one. There was only ten people walking by. I was scared and it was dark. For three minutes long I just stood there waiting until suddenly our tour guide holding a walkie-talkie saw me and to me and said, “Okay, I found you”. He led me to a restaurant where everyone was eating, and they clapped that they found me. Then I sat down ate and then we all went back to the hotel.
I tremble remembering what I had to go through by myself. What if I was kidnapped and if I was lost and could never return. I only had money and a phone that didn’t work internationally. I am so glad that nothing bad happened and I reached my destination safe and secure. This was a life time journey enough for a couple years.
My high school French group arrived in Florence, Italy.I am a junior in Roosevelt High School and it is my first time ever that I am going to another country. I have never been anywhere off the islands of Hawai’i before. I am excited and scared to explore the world for the first time by myself. When we arrived in Milan the tour guide took us to a leather shop. They showed us how Italian’s famous leather was made and what they did to make it so strong and durable. Giving us a map and two hours of free time the tour guide left us around the leather store to meet at a plaza latter on. Finished browsing the leather shop I started walking around Florence by myself, since none of my friends could come. At first it was fun I walked around Florence it was so completely different from what I was use to, filled with historical sight. I was fascinated with all the new things that I saw all around me the old hundred year buildings, painter, language, culture, and people.
After an hour I decided to go back to the meeting point. I started off walking around the streets that I thought looked familiar hoping it would lead me to the street leading to my meeting place. I walked for over thirty minute before I started noticing that the streets I was in did not even look familiar at all. I am lost. Even though I had a map, I think that the map confused me. I am directionally challenged and another problem was that not many Italian people speak English. The ones that did are tourists. I asked so many people for help tourist, police, locals and I couldn’t figure out where I was. I was scared out of my wits, having been wondering for over two hours. One local’s advice is for me to catch the bus, but I knew from experience to never catch bus because then I would be moving father then where I started.
The sun was setting. I think I walked half way across town because I arrived at the main train station. Going through dark alleys, crowded area, and strange places I continue to walk. I always made sure that to circle around Florence’s famous Dome and not stray to far away from it. The Dome was the main attraction in Florence and the most easily spotted thing in Florence due to it’s size. I knew that the meeting spot was somewhere close to the Dome but not in which direction. It was also very different to find where I was, Italy’s street sign are on the walls, it took me a while to figure this out. I also got distracted along the way while walking. I saw this market place when I was walking by that I really wanted to just stop and browse around but because it was already getting late I stopped myself and continued walking.
Finally, I figured out that I got the wrong place because people keep pointing to me around this building but it is not where our group was supposed to meet. I walked around this building over ten times. A lot of people told me this was where I am suppose to be but that is not correct. I was supposed to meet at the famous fake’ David statue, but the one I kept heading toward the real David statue. I did not really know there were two statues so that might be why I was lost with a map. The map had a picture with a David statue and so I thought it was the meeting place.
Distressed, teary eyes, anxious, sluggish, and dragging myself to move, I gave up and decided not to rely on the map. It is already pitch black and there was no tourist out in the streets anymore. Everything was getting quiet all the stores closing up with little local people wondering about at night. Asking one more time I asked an Italian guy for direction. I hope he spoke English but I used facial expression, gesture, and pointing to talk. Finding quickly that he couldn’t speak an ounce of English and spoke so fast in Italian that I didn’t think he could help me. I asked him where am I and how do I get here, pointing to the location of the real David statue. I showed him the map, we did hand signal for a conversation, and expressions to converse because we did not understand each other. “No, not that way.” The direction he showed me was wrong. I went that direction over twenty times, it lead me to this plaza with a horse statue but it is not where I was supposed to go.
It hit me! Why did I not do this before? I mean relying on this map that kept leading me to the wrong place must be because something was wrong. I was thinking what can I say to describe where I am supposed to go? Then I remember! I can’t believe I am such an idiot to not use my camera. I took out my camera and pointed to a picture of outdoor statues that were right next to where the meeting point was supposed to be. The Piazza Della Signoria. I didn’t know the name at that time I only remember what it looked like. They have some very famous outdoor beautiful statue right in the plaza and I took many pictures of it. To my luck, this was what helped me get back to the meeting point. He was nodding his head and mumbling in Italian. A surge of hope filled me as he stated to draw on my map to where I was supposed to go then he started pointing me in the right direction of where I was supposed to go. I still remember the man who helped me, probably not, what he looked like, but a person who did a good deed and helped me. Bowing my head as a sign of gratitude and thanking him I hoped he understood that I was very thankful. I left.
I was so happy that finally I was heading in the right direction. I was running toward the meeting point stopping and asking in which direction the Piazza Della Signoria is in case I was going the wrong way. I kept running and stopping for fifteen minute. By the time, I arrived at the meeting point it was dark with very little people around. Tears burst forth from my eyes relief that I am safe and at my destination. I was over two hours late it’s already six o’ clock. I already made an emergency plan that if by the time, I reach the meeting point and if I find no one there I would call a taxi and go to the hotel name my teacher gave us. I remember that we switched hotel, but I figured that getting to that hotel and having them call the tour guide was better than waiting at a place where there might be no one there. There was no one there at the meeting point. I looked around frantically for someone I would recognize, no one. There was only ten people walking by. I was scared and it was dark. For three minutes long I just stood there waiting until suddenly our tour guide holding a walkie-talkie saw me and to me and said, “Okay, I found you”. He led me to a restaurant where everyone was eating, and they clapped that they found me. Then I sat down ate and then we all went back to the hotel.
I tremble remembering what I had to go through by myself. What if I was kidnapped and if I was lost and could never return. I only had money and a phone that didn’t work internationally. I am so glad that nothing bad happened and I reached my destination safe and secure. This was a life time journey enough for a couple years.