Have you ever been so terrified about an experience or trying something new that you almost could not go through with it? Well this was me when we went to Mexico last year. It was time to go on an adventure that at the time filled me with horrifying thoughts. I can not explain the type of fear that I was overcome by, but what I thought would be the worst day turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences I have ever encountered. This is a life lesson that I will always remember and carry with me as the time comes to face something scary and unknown.
Every year in April, my family and I take a vacation to Cancun, Mexico. The tradition started three years ago. Every time we visit, my mom always has an astonishing, fun, and amazing experience planned. This year, we went swimming in a cenote. The name cenote actually means sacred well. These are located in the Yucatan Peninsula and other places around the world. A cenote is a naturally made underground sinkhole. Rainwater pours over the soft limestone bedrock, and after time this stone collapses and forms the underground river system. The Mayans treasured cenotes because they were a source of water in dry times. Pretty awesome, right?
When my mom told me that we would be swimming in underground caves I was terrified. The thought of swimming with bats, fish, and other unknown creatures in the water sent chills throughout my body. I begged to stay back at the hotel. This was not my idea of a fun or relaxing vacation. However, I was forced to participate and join my family on this adventure.
When we arrived, I was having second thoughts. Jose, the cenote tour guide, took us down a set of slippery, skinny stairs into the entrance of the first cave. Vines hung over the side of the rock walls as we climbed further down the stairs. It was narrow in some places, and we had to twist our bodies to get through. Once we made it to the bottom, it was like we were in another world.
Jose walked us to a very special place at the base of the stairs. Right in front of us was a pile of valuables, including a silver watch sitting next to an orange lit candle. There was also a pair of sunglasses, a gold ring, and crystal gemstones. These items were all found by other people who have swam throughout the cenotes. Jose said that whatever was found in the cave belonged to the spirits. If any one took a valuable with them they would have bad luck. There was no way I was touching those collectables.
Next, Jose led us to the underground swimming pool. The water was crystal clear, and the darkness of the cave was unsettling. We each had a flashlight to help us see. I held onto the stair railing as I dipped my foot in the water. The water was freezing. Again, fear was starting to take over. I was hesitant to go in, but it was too late to turn back. I talked myself into going in further, and with shaking, trembling legs, I finally made it in. It was amazing. My flashlight lit up under the water, and I began to swim within the cave. The water was smooth like glass, and the light glimmered like fireflies in the dark night. The silence of the cave was like nothing I had experienced. Bats flew around my head, but I was not scared anymore.
The beauty of the cave inspired me to want to swim further. The limestone shimmered a faint gold color. The texture of the stone was smooth like silk. The only sound we could hear was the swishing of the water as we swam through. Jose then lead us to a shallow sandy area. We stood on this pile of soft, sticky sand that poked out of the water. It was a nice break from swimming. All of a sudden, he told everyone to turn off our flashlights. My eyes went blind in the lightless cave. I heard bat wings fluttering around me and the movement of the water from the tiny fish living in it. I could not wait to turn my flashlight back on. The excited, inquisitive group was led through a narrow tunnel. I felt the smooth limestone rubbing against my legs as I swam. My favorite part of the adventure was the sinkhole. Looking up at the top of the cave was a hole with blinding sunshine and a tree growing through it. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a once in a lifetime kind of day!
Looking back on this memory, I am so happy that I was able to experience this adventure with my family. If I let the fear take over, then I would have missed out on something pretty amazing. The lesson to learn here is to always try new things, even if they seem scary at first. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. You could miss out on a lot of amazing things in life if you let your fears take over and hold you back from experiencing life. The butterflies that you feel at first will give you wings to fly through bigger and better life experiences.
-Brooklynn S.
In your writing, I really liked how you used all of those strong vocabulary words. My favorite sentence was, “Every time we visit, my mom always has an astonishing, fun and amazing adventure planned.” Because I liked the words that you decided to use.
ReplyDeleteBrooklyn, your story was amazing! Brooklyn shares a very important lesson in her personal narrative. Brooklyn wrote, “The butterflies that you feel at first will give you the wings to fly through bigger and better life experiences.” This sentence really showed the central idea of the narrative. It was a perfect way to close off an awesome writing piece. From reading Brooklyn’s narrative I feel like I could conquer my fear and do anything!
ReplyDeleteOne lesson that I learned from Brooklyn's Personal Narrative is that you should never be afraid to try something new. Brooklyn points out, “what I thought would be the worst day turned out to be one of the most amazing experiences.” This shows me that you should always have an open mind to something and never be afraid until you actually try it. I will apply this to my own life by remembering to have an open mind and to not be afraid of trying something new.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how every adventure you experienced had a new outcome. For example after you swam you became very comfortable realizing you lose fear. But once you got let into the cave you became uneasy and feared again. You had so many mixed emotions, throughout your adventure. Another thing I really liked with the specific sentence, “The water was smooth like glass, and the light glimmered like fireflies in the dark night”. This was described so boldly and alive, I could almost feel like I was there. I also like how bold your message/lesson was to your story. Always try new things even if it’s scary at first, I loved that! Overall great job Brooklynn I loved it!
ReplyDeleteA technique she used was to hook the reader and ask questions. My reaction to this: it's nice how they started a traditional trip. The way she wrote it made it sound kinda scary at first but more towards the middle it sounded more calm. How I can relate to Brooklynn's writing. It was the first time I learned how to swim when it was scary too. Even if you're scared, don't let it take over your experience.
ReplyDeleteIn brooklyn scavios story I really like how she is asking the readers questions. In her intro paragraph I like how she talks a little about what is going to be going on in her story.Also doing a good job at not leaking everything that is going to happen in her story. I really like how she gives so much details like, when she goes there why she goes there why she likes going there and why she doesnt like going there, and what she likes to do there and what she sees there. She also does a really good job at explaining everything she is telling us about. She does a really good job at expressing how she is feeling by using really interesting words I barely ever hear people use. I think that she describes the places she is going to really well for example, she says “when my mom told me we were going to be swimming in underground caves it sent chills down my spine, the thought of swimming with bats and fish was really scary, and when we arrived the tour guide took us down some really slippery and skinny stairs”. I like how she tells the readers life lessons. Also I really liked about brooklyn scavios story is that she was really good at mentioning every little detail. One last thing I loved about this story is instead of saying the light in the cave made me want to swim farther she said, The beauty of the cave inspired me to swim further.
ReplyDeleteFrom Kieran:
ReplyDeleteLots of excitement and detail on what's going on and some info before even the main part happened, “ I heard a loud whoosh from under my seat” and with a great climax like that it puts you in the same position she was in at that time.
Pretty exciting and interesting, I remember when I was on my first roller coaster flipping at 180 degree angle and boy, that was scary.
Rachel is right, you always will have fear to overcome no matter who you are or how old, at least something scares you, for which I can relate as back in my first roller coaster ride as well, I didn't have the best stomach. And trust me that was scary.