Emily - Week 14 - The Best Memories
What’s your favorite memory?
Although this is a common question that I’ve been asked multiple times, I still struggle to answer with a specific moment. It’s pretty hard to think back on all my memories and choose a single one I cherished most. Was it with my friends? Family? Strangers? Or maybe by myself? It’s a constant ponder as I wonder what happened in each situation that made it unique and special to me. Sometimes it’s the people I met, and other times, it’s the places I went and things I did.
I still remember my first trip outside the country to Canada when I was a toddler, though it has since fogged. I also remember my first time on a cruise ship as a young child, experiencing the sea for the first time. It was called Princess Cruises, which sailed us to Alaska and beyond. I can still picture the gigantic icebergs, fearing we’d crash into them like the Titanic. I also remember the free soft serve machine my cousins and I would rush to early in the morning and late at night. I would always get chocolate and vanilla combined, eating more cones than actual meals. The food there was bland, but I always got the ABC noodle soup that was made of savory chicken broth and cute alphabet-shaped noodles. My cousin and I would scoop them up, spelling out different words until there were none left. And on the day the ship docked, we got to visit the glaciers of Alaska, drinking the fresh water that came pouring down the beach (we were told it was drinkable and later realized it wasn’t sanitary). I recall losing my bag of shiny seashells I picked up, crying because I had lost a part of the trip I treasured most. Yet getting to learn about the indigenous peoples of Alaska and their rich heritage was rewarding. I was gifted native jewelry, which I sadly lost years ago, and even got a collection of Matroyshka dolls.
The rest of the trip wasn’t too memorable, especially as my younger cousin and I were forced to join the kids’ club while my siblings and older cousins got to join the teens’ club. But I know each trip I ever took will always hold a place in my heart since I don’t travel much anymore. Nonetheless, I never realized how much I enjoyed the trip or how much I would miss it, because I would do anything to go back to those days where all I had to worry about was whether I would get ice cream before or after dinner…
Hey Emily! I also don’t have vacations that much anymore, and your blog reminded me of how fun these trips were, now that it has stopped due to the increasingly difficult amount of work and outside life that I cannot complete with trips. It feels like the era of trips and vacations for me has left, up until I’m the adult who would then plan the trips, instead of being the little kid who just enjoyed it all without a worry in the world. I remember going to these types of cruises that you mentioned before, and I believe that I only ate chocolate ice cream the whole time! It might have been the best 3 days of my life, and although I don’t remember much, the ice cream memories still stick. I also don’t know what my favorite memory of all time is, I feel like it would be hard to choose just one. I’m happy that you got to experience and remember many memories from your childhood, so vividly as well. I don’t remember where I went for the cruise, but going to Alaska must have been really fun! It was great and fascinating to learn about some of your favorite childhood memories, it was an amazing topic for the basis of memory. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHey Emily, this is definitely super relatable, because not only have I always been confused by the common question of my favorite memory, but vacations have always been something that I resort to when trying to answer that question. For me, my answers find their way to my family's trip to Europe in third grade, a trip that saw me run through the aesthetic streets of beautiful European cities and towns and plains with unbounded curiosity and awe. Remembering that feeling of awe and pure energy breathing in that air still makes me happy today. It's comforting knowing that your fondest vacation memories bring out a similar response from you...
ReplyDeleteHey Emily, I loved reading your blog this week! Your memories of your first time on a cruise ship are so interesting, and it’s impressive that you still remember the experience in so much detail. I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise, so it was really nice reading about all the fun you had. It is so cool your cruise had a free soft serve machine. I think all cruises have that actually! I would personally do the exact same thing you and your cousins did—rush to the soft serve machine every second of the day. I’m surprised the food there was so bland! I’ve always thought cruise ships would have delicious food, since almost every other aspect of a cruise is so well developed. I know you lost the native jewelry gifted to you. However, I would absolutely love to see any pictures you have of it! Alaska seems like such an interesting place to visit. I’ll have to convince my parents to take me there sometime. The picture you added of the cruise ship you went on is so cool. The ship is so large! I hope to go on a cruise this summer. I have been trying to convince my parents to take me on a cruise for such a long time now. Thank you for writing this blog. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Emily. If this was a few months ago, I would not have been able to relate to your story of a cruise ship, and I would simply have to take your word for it that it was a good experience. However, during winter break, I finally got to go on a cruise ship to Ensenada, Mexico. The first half of the trip was actually very fun. One of my major concerns was the likely possibility of boredom as I did not have high hopes for the entertainment on the ship. Unsurprisingly, I was right about there not being much to do, which made me empathize with you not having much to do easier. Luckily, my low expectations saved me from disappointment and gave me the hindsight to take books with me to the cruise ship in order to not be bored. And the memory I had there that most connected with your blog was the ice cream machine, as every child within a 12-mile vicinity was abusing that machine in the most horrendous ways possible (they treated it worse than the school bathroom, which made me feel bad for the workers). But the unlimited ice-cream was great. What was not great, however, was how I got sick on the second-half of the trip to the point of shivering at the thought of getting off the bed. Anyway, I liked reading about how you were irrationally afraid of hitting the icebergs. Obviously it must have been terrifying for you as a child, but I feel like that is one of those memories you can laugh about as you can grow older. Overall, this was a very heartwarming blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily! I loved reading your blog this week especially because “what is your favorite memory” is a question that I have been grappling with for a long time as well. Certain memories hold different places in my heart and I feel horrible trying to rank them in order. I loved hearing about the little details and feelings that made your Alaska cruise so perfect. When you described the vanilla and chocolate swirl soft serve, I wanted to run to Meadowlark in Pleasanton Downtown, especially because today was such a hot day. If I had one memory from a vacation that I just love to reminisce about, it would be my time snorkeling in Hawaii. We had spent the entire day in the deep water, admiring the colorful fish and sea life. At the second location, by the time it was time for lunch and we had all dried off, I noticed these girls jumping into the ocean without any life vest or snorkeling gear. I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t join in and so I jumped in as well leaving my life vest on the boat. It was the most powerful feeling, being in the ocean, with such a particular blue, all alone. That has to be my favorite. Thank you for sharing!
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