Remembering My Best Mexican Birthday

We were up before the sun was even set high up in the sky it was pitch black, hearing the roosters say, “Cock-a-doodle-do” as I feel the cold breeze hitting the back of my neck sending a chill up my spine. Mom, dad, Lj and I got in the new dark 2017 Escalade rental. The moment I got into the car, I instantly shut my eyes. Although my eyes were closed, I could still feel the bumpy uneven roads that are made from dirt and rocks. I knew after four long hours, that felt like an eternity we were finally there. Stepping out the warm truck into a cold quaint town near a large body water, searching for any sight of the sun to keep me warm made me feel aggravated. My mom was yelling “Kayla, Kayla don’t go so far you’ll get lost in the crowd”. I spotted a beautiful woman of age, she had long grey hair, with a vibrant, colorful embroidered blouse and she was selling hot chocolate. I bought a cup of hot chocolate, which drew a clown smile right across my face. While I was drinking the hot chocolate, it brought joy and comfort to my soul as if I was back home on a cold winter’s night wrapped in millions of covers. Minutes later my cousin calls and tells me it’s time to go by the boats, so we can go to the island.

When I arrived by the shore there were 6 boats and about 10 men were working on them, so we could sail off. They were conducting a full inspection of the boats as if there was a crime scene. There were so many people walking around yelling, “Chips! Chips! Hot chocolate! Tamales! Dried fish!” but all I could focus on was getting on the boat to finally see the place of my dreams. I overheard one of men whispering, “No, brother we can’t do this we can’t take them over there it will be dangerous”. As I over head them I became distracted by the potent smell of rain. I felt a raindrop land straight on my head, after that one raindrop fell millions more came down slamming against the once stale concrete. The rain made me so furious. The waves began to race each other in every direction, and moving the boats so violently which made people fearful. My dad with his cocked eyebrows, walked towards the boat attendants as if there was a bee chasing him he was furious as a bear woken from hibernation.

As my dad raised his arms, the rain instantly stops. Cheers, laughs and happiness was everywhere at that moment. The men then started to load the boats with these little orange rings, that can save someone's life. As one of the guys holds my hand to help me get on the boat, my heart sank to the bottom of the ocean. The long boat kept rocking back and forth, although I couldn’t show my fear. I felt as if 10 pair of eyes were on me. I then started feeling more comfortable once we moved towards the island. Seeing the fish under the water was shocking, as I watched their vibrant colors reflect through the crystal blue water surface. Men with huge butterfly-shaped nets were trying to catch them, this was all so foriegn to me. The ducks were flying over my head, water was splashing all over me and my moms voice was in my ear excitedly saying “Kayla, look! Look!”. This magnificent scene had me smiling like a little kid opening presents on Christmas morning. I knew this meant we had arrived to the island. I had entered this whole new universe. Getting off the boat was just as scary as getting on it, due to the fact it kept swaying back and forth as if I were on a swing. Although all I could think about was getting to the top of the Jose Maria Morelos statue. To climb that we would have to go all the way to the top of the island, which was the tricky part. As I walked onto the island, there were beautiful buildings displaying every color possible. I instantly fell in love with this place. As we walk in, I start to see the indigenous people with very poorly made house that appeared small and frail. They looked so happy rather than bothered, which brought happiness to me. I kept thinking about their lives and compared it to my life. Once we started going up the island, I notice a boy around my age climbing the whole island back to back with breaks in between and carrying a heavy bag of enormous oranges. I asked my mom, “How can he do that, it’s so hot and the sun is directly over our heads at times it felt as if I was melting.”

When we finally made it to the top, the sky was a vibrant baby blue, with small bright white clouds that looked as thin as paper. I saw many tourists paying to get into the “fun zone”. When I entered the “fun zone” my parents had a surprise for me. As I’m walking in, all I hear is a roaring “Happy Birthday Kayla” my mom’s side of the family was there and so was my dad’s. I was surrounded by so many people I love good vibes were all around me. I can hear the music, laughs, talking. Everyone was eating and my little cousins were playing, running all over the place. My mom had one hand on my back and my dad had his hand under hers. As I wore the biggest smile on my face, all I could think about was how happy I was as if sugar was running through my brain.