Holiday in the Sun

The inevitable worst part of vacationing to a tropical destination is the day you have to go home. Not only are you trading bikinis and shorts for parkas and scarves, but forced to return to the reality of your Midwestern life. While in Cancun with my family, none of us used our phones for the entire week, with the exception of using them for music and pictures. The international rates kept us from texting and social media, and so we enjoyed a blissful week disconnected from the rest of the world.

The first time my sister and I had been to Cancun was last March during Spring Break. We were so excited to find out that we would be returning over our winter break! Since our schools are now on different schedules for the first time since…ever, winter break is the only time out of the year we both have time to travel!

After a rough start (the day we arrived was “cold” at 67 degrees, and rainy), our trip quickly became the best week of our lives.

Our routine started every day with a breakfast buffet followed by lounging by the pool. Some mornings at 10:00 we did yoga and At 12:00 every day my mom, sister, and I did water aerobics with the entertainment crew. One day we ventured into downtown Cancun, where I ran into a friend from high school at Mercado 28! Every night in the evenings there was a show; we saw the Caribbean dance show, the Mexico dance show, and the Michael Jackson “This Is It” show.

We became really tight with all the members of the entertainment crew; the majority of them started working for the holiday season right when we arrived. They were either 17-18 or in their late 20s, so we all got along really well as a group.

We also made friend with another family from San Francisco staying at our hotel the same time as us, and after the shows almost every night following the shows we sat in the lobby bar with them and sipped wine and sodas.

For Christmas Eve and Christmas, we had really nice dinners as a family in the resort’s Italian and steak restaurants. Spending time together as a family, especially during the holidays, is something I would not trade for anything.

My sister and I met new people almost every day. I have never really believed in making friends on vacation, since after a week or two everyone has returned to their own homes and will probably never speak again. But now, I know that keeping in contact is possible! Especially in the age of such abundant social media, keeping in contact across states, and even countries, is not only possible, but easy. I am truly thankful to have had the best experience abroad that I’ve ever had, and to have met so many wonderful people, and to have spent the holidays with my beautiful family.