Home Away From Home by Courtney Garcia (top rated ebook readers txt) 📕

Where in the world have I been? Well, I've actually traveled a lot for only being a teenager but my favorite place to go is Guatemala. I have been there many times and each time I learn something new. My dad grew up in a small town on the very top of a mountain in Guatemala. The town is called Pachalum and it is my home away from home. I don't know many people that have even heard of Pachalum, but luckily I can say that I have. I have been going there with my family every other year since I was just one year old.

Each one of our visits gets a little more enjoyable for me as I realize that it's not really all of the fancy places you travel to that make your trip memorable, but the quality time you spend with your family, and enjoying their company. There are so many exotic places in Guatemala such as; volcanoes, ancient cities, hot springs, dark sand beaches, and Mayan ruins. I have been to all of those places over the years and of course, I had the time of my life in every single place! Those places are definitely some of the most exciting and different places I've ever been to but nowhere compares to Pachalum. The times I remember the most from all of our trips are the times that we did something in Pachalum together as a family.

At our house in Pachalum, it always feels like home. Every morning I wake up to birds singing right outside of my window and a fresh breeze blowing through my curtains. I love being able to go up on the roof of our house to write down my thoughts or just to observe the beauty surrounding me. On one side of our house I can look out and see all of Pachalum. The swimming pools, the soccer fields, the plaza, everything there is to see, I can see from just one side of my roof. If I look off of the other side, I can see all the beautiful scenery. I see mountains, and the bright blue sky decorated by the white clouds with the sun shining through them. I can honestly say that there is nothing more beautiful than a sunset in Guatemala from the top of my roof.

There are a few soccer fields in Pachalum that we would drive to often. Going to watch the kids play soccer and seeing how they put all of what they have into the game is very inspiring. They stop at nothing to play their best game and to have fun even when things are hard for them. One day we went to play volleyball as a family and we saw that there was already a bunch a Guatemalan kids playing volleyball(not with an actual volleyball but with a ball that would cost about 50 cents in America). We joined their game and after a while, they were losing by a lot yet they were still laughing about everything and having a good time! My family and I on the other hand kept getting more and more frustrated with each other when anyone messed up.I never thought that playing volleyball on a team with my family against a team of Guatemalan kids could teach me such a valuable lesson, but it did.

Surprisingly, one of the things I most look forward to in Guatemala is riding in the back of my dads truck. The thrill it brings to have the music blaring in the front as we drive really fast through the mountains or through the town with the wind blowing through my hair. You can't get that feeling anywhere else. All of the time we would be driving around in the mountains and we would just see families walking. We offered them rides because we had room and it always ended up that they still had a few more miles to walk before getting home. They live hard lives and are still really thankful for the little things like a ride for a few miles that they would normally have to walk everyday.

I always notice how hard the kids in Guatemala work for their parents. You see them collecting wood or selling ice cream on the street just to earn a little extra money for food. A great example of that is my dad. He started working when he was seven years old to help provide for his big family while his dad was off doing the opposite. People in Guatemala don't have it very easy and it amazes me how they still seem to enjoy life and have a positive attitude towards things.

Guatemala teaches me to be a better family member, a better friend, and just a better me. Experiences I have there everyday humble me and I'm so lucky to be able to go there as often as i do. It teaches me and helps me grow as a person and is by far the most influential place I have ever been. Pachalum is 2732 miles away from where I am now but it is without a doubt my home.

Publication Date: 05-13-2012

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