8 days and a life long message

"Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same"

Here's a short story that happened to me in the summer. It was the first trip to Cancun. It was our first trip with my sisters, my dad and I without my mom. My dad the frugal man that he is chose the most inexpensive package for our airplane tickets and hotel. My sisters and I filled with excitement didn't care; we were in paradise for goodness sake. We swallowed our words when we arrived at the 3 star hotel. First of all there was not air conditioning! All the guests were young smokers and our room was so small we felt suffocated, not to mention the annoying ring the elevator made throughout the night. We felt miserable and homesick. We would not survive here for 8 long days. The best part of our room was the view. For some reason the sunsets in Cancun looked so much more beautiful than the ones in LA.

Its funny how talking to a stranger can lead you to a 5 star hotel. Then buying a time share, then being able to spend your vacation in a 5 star all inclusive hotel, and free activities. We were thrilled to finally leave our stuffy lame hotel for a 5 star palace. Our vacation began to feel like paradise.

One of our activities included in our packages was 4 tickets to famous Chichen Itza (in my opinion in of the 7 wonders of the world). Mayan pyramids and geological artifacts amazed me. My two sisters only concerned with the heat. As I stood in the center of an old Mayan ball game arena a young Mayan native vender approached me. Instead of asking me to buy something he asked me if I lived in the U.S. He asked me if it was beautiful on "the other side", I said yes. Our conversation had to end because my group was leaving, I never caught his name. On our last day in Cancun as we boarded the plane I thought about that young guy I met. It made me incredibly depressed thinking about how people must ignore him, and that he may never get to visit the U.S.

I guess you can say I had a manifestation, at that moment I realized that life isn't about air conditioning or fancy hotels. It’s about how the whole world shares the stars and sunsets. Who knew that a stranger could move me so much. I am grateful to have met him. Its like the saying goes" Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same." I like to believe that the young stranger I met in ancient Mayan ruins feels the same