High Tides & Good Vibes

Way down we go

Have you ever been on the beach, and it hits you that this is the coast of America? In this article, we’ll dive deep into my trip to Florida, and the things I learned about while I was there. Without further ado, let’s sail into this true story!

Baby, you’re a firework

On July 4th, my parents drove down from North Carolina to Florida, where we were greeted by my grandparents, my brother, my sister in-law, and my nephew. Along the way, I tried a new drink called ‘Alani’. It was SUPER SWEET, but it was delicious. When we got there, the fireworks started to come on, and I got to watch them with my sister in-law and my nephew. Even though we didn’t have a clear view, it was worth it to spend time with my family. The next day was much busier, though.

the ancient city

After sleeping for what felt like forever, I woke up and prepared for the day. We would be going to a place called ‘Mojo’s’, then we would walk around St. Augustine, which is known as the ‘Ancient City’. Around 10:00, I and my family drove to ‘Mojo’s’. It was a taco restaurant, and the food was SO good. I was glad I came along. Then, we went to downtown St. Augustine, which was packed wit small businesses. I got a bag for $26, which was very useful to hold my essentials. After walking some more, we realized we needed a refreshment, so we got ice cream. I got a flavor called ‘The Tonight Dough’ which was chocolate, cookie dough, and peanut butter. It was a delicious day, I will say that.

Sesame Street

After getting back to the house, my parents sat me down and we went over some rules. And since my bank account is now nonexistent from buying the bag, they gave me $20. Early the next morning, they went back to Florida, while I was about to have so much fun at my grandparents’ house. They don’t know what they missed out on. When I woke up, me and my grandparents watched some tennis. Then, I and my grandma got ready to go out and about. One day, we went to the Asian market and got some sesame balls, carioca, mochi, and milk tea. The second day we did this we went to the Avenues mall, where I got some very cute pink nails. Another night, me and my grandparents went to play ‘Bingo!’. My grandpa jokingly said that I was bad luck when it came to ‘Bingo!’, even though I was SUPER close multiple times.

surf’s up, dude!

Thursday, July 10, 2025. I wake up after days of fun and being busy, and I get ready to spend time with my nephew, my sisters, and my brother. They pick me up around 1:00, and we go to their house first. My brother arrives not long after, and we decide to go swimming. It takes 20-30 minutes to get there, but it was worth it. When we got there, my brother gets the kayak for a small pool, because he’s funny like that. I tried it, and I’m actually very good at it for a beginner. It started to rain, though, after 30 minutes. But we would have a lot more fun for the remainder of the day, and the next day. I spent the night, and the day, we went to the beach. We went to a splash pad first, then we walked on the hot sand to the coast of America. That’s when it hit me that I was on the border of a country. After that, we went back to their house and hung out. Later that evening, we went to a Thai restaurant called “The Green Papaya”, and I got sushi. I was taken back to my grandparents house, and I packed up to leave the next morning.

Just keep swimming

In this article, I talked about my trip to Florida, and in my last two articles, I talked about traveling. I hope that these articles help inspire you, or give you something to think about.