A small-town teenage girl took her first adventurous trip outside the United States to one of the most beautiful and interesting places in the world last summer.
Banks High, a current freshman English Literature major at Anderson University, went on the trip of a lifetime to the tropical location of Jamaica. She received this trip as a present from her parents to congratulate her and her twin brother on graduating from high school.
High said this trip was a chance for her family to bond and spend time together before she and her brother started afresh at their respective colleges.
“It was like my last time being a little kid with my family,” said High.
The trip to Jamaica was an extremely interesting trip, not only because the place was fascinating but because the journey there was one of the most adventurous and chaotic parts of the trip, High said.
“Our journey there was not smooth sailing at all. We got stuck in the airport for seven hours,” said High.
After an exhaustive time at the airport in Charleston, SC, High and her family finally boarded a plane headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Once landing they rented a car to drive down to Miami, Florida to stay the night. Finally, the next day the High family were excitedly seated in an airplane headed to their destination.
Once getting off the plane, High and her family climbed into a car bound for their all inclusive resort, Jewel Grande. With exquisite views, this resort was incredible, as well as comfortable, said High.
Jamaica is known for being a warm and sunny place, and High said she enjoyed experiencing the sunny tropical climate. She spent long hours on the beach and by the pool soaking in the sun. Because the UV rays were high it did cause several lobster-like sunburns, which was the only downside to the vacation, said High.
She and her family snorkeled together in Montego Bay, and they even took an exciting hike to a local waterfall. It was beautiful just like everything else in Jamaica, it was an amazing sight, she said.
“There are trees everywhere. It is very lively. It is very busy. Everywhere we went there were people everywhere. I went to a market and it was very colorful, loud, and a lot of people were talking,” said High.
When not lounging by the pool or splashing in the ocean, she was taking in the local culture by visiting and shopping at the nearby market and having conversations amongst the local Jamaican people.
The people and the culture fascinated High and her family. There were no unkind people, all the locals were extremely friendly and welcoming, and they always were smiling, said High.
“Since it was my first time out of the country, it was my first time being exposed to a different culture, and it was interesting to learn how different people live,” said High.
She said the locals loved teaching all the tourists more about their rich culture and shared how to pronounce certain words in their language. They especially found joy in sharing their slang terms with travelers.
To remember her fun filled trip to Jamaica, High purchased a bracelet made from a local Jamaican gift shop. She often thinks fondly of her trip to this beautiful location. High said she 100% recommends the country of Jamaica as a destination that all should visit because of the fascinating culture, stunning scenery, and warm climate.
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