As a 15 year old boy you are the toughest person ever and nothing can hurt you. At least that’s what I thought until I had one bad day, it changed who I am and what I do. I was just sitting on my chair hating the person next to me because he didn’t speak English. I was on a plane to Europe and the language the person next to me was speaking polish and that could have helped me so much but who cares I am a teenager and I have all the power and knowledge.

I landed with my family and it was a 7 hour flight but we had a second flight the next day so we went around London looking at all the fancy buildings and eating weird and strange food. I could not pronounce or even explain what the food looked like. Well I was sitting next to some lady on a trolley ride and she was teaching my family some words in different languages like where, what price, and different phrases to know. Next thing I know I was just day dreaming on the top of the trolley looking at a big Farris wheel and when I looked around no one was next to me no brother, no mom, and no dad. I went down the lower level and got off at the next stop. I still am not worried because I am a teen and nothing is wrong so I start walking in the direction that I think my hotel is in. I realize I have no phone because I am in Europe and didn’t know anyone, didn’t know the name of the hotel I was staying at, no map, no cash, no people to call, and I am all alone. Well it was 10pm and didn’t know where I was so I stared to walk back to the bus stop and got on. I had to fallow the bus around one more time and got off the stop where I thought my parents left me. I walked down streets fallowing familiar things and trying to find my hotel. It was very late and when I found the fancy circle drive with the cool plants I remember, I walked in my hotel. It was about 130am and saw my mom. I will never forget the expression on my moms face because it was like a mom in tears when they see there kid come out of school in kindergarten. That was just the first night on my trip and that in my head I got lucky.


We got on the plane in the morning and I was all excited to go to Spain but I needed sleep because I had a exciting, long, and nerve racking night. I slept the whole plane ride and when we got to Spain we rented a car and hit the highway. We got to a hotel on the lower half of the Spain, we stayed in that night the next morning my mom has the best decision in the whole wide world is to take a boat to Africa. I had no choice everyone was going and I couldn’t just stay. We went to the boat and got in Africa at 5pm and walk around with a tour guide until 7 and went to dinner at a unique and interesting restaurant. I think I ordered chicken but it looked like beef and tasted like fish so I must have made a mistake. We are on our way back to the boat but I didn’t know that my mom had to pick up something that she bought earlier. My little brother and I kept walking down towards the street. This town was not normal, it was not like the USA it was run down, alleys were streets, and to get down hill you have to walk down grass hills. I lost my mom in seconds and I was fallowing my brother but he walked into a flee market type of thing. He was gone in seconds too. I was lost twice on one trip and now what should a teenager do when lost in Africa?



It was getting dark and I knew that the boat was down the hill near the water but I was far away and we took a taxi up the hill to get to the restaurant. One thing that our tour guide told us was to keep our hands in our pocket so no one would pick pocket us. I would have loved to be in gangland in the USA then to be in Africa lost. BOOOOOMM!! I heard something to the left I had no clue what it was so I covered my head. To this day I think it was a shot gun going off or something falling from the roof. I have been hunting before and it sounded just like a gun shot. My heart was pounding, I was shaking, I felt sick, was hungry, and it was dark. I had no plan so I sat on the curb making sure this was no dream just hoping I would wake up. I didn’t know what that sound was. Just decided to try and talk to someone so I waved a cab with no money and used sounds and hand motions to tell him “police anything” I get in not knowing where I was going I could have been trapped or something. When the cab stops and I got out. My older brother was saying “you are an idiot.” I was just glad I knew someone that I understood. I walked that day for maybe 20 miles if not more. I was confused and feeling I was carrying the world in one hand and my life in the other.

I have changed from the second I saw a familiar face and looking at all the possible out comes that could have happened and all the what ifs? The 15year old boy that was a smarta** that wouldn’t learn languages from that lady and they boy on the plane annoyed by the people speaking something else than English was gone. I had a different Europe trip then I was expecting. It turned out to be fun and was not just another vacation with pictures for memories but stories to tell, lessons I learned, helpful people I met, and how to help people if they are lost or need help.