Sylvia Bernal
February 3, 2015
English 101-Paper 1

For most people a vacation is filled of happiness and fun. Sadly my vacation was the exact opposite of that. I always imagined going to where my parents where born which is Mexico City, I wanted to learn more about where they grew up and came from. I wanted the experience to be so joyful and for it to enlighten me with knowledge I never knew about Mexico. I didn’t have time to feel excited that I was actually going to Mexico or even getting on a plane for the first time. All I could feel was an empty heart and sadness throughout the whole time, I wanted to get this over with but I knew it would not be easy. I was finally going to be reunited with my brother after five long years and go to a city I had only envisioned for so long. Never take someone for granted always show them how you feel because it might be the last day you get to do that.
On November 24, my family and I were headed out the house to go to a family party when we suddenly heard the phone ring. My sister rushed to go answer so quickly so we would be able to leave already. Something about this phone call didn’t feel right to me even before my sister answered. My sister picked up the phone and stayed silent just holding on to the phone. My mom and I asked her what was happening, and the only person that came to mind was my brother. My sister just kept repeating “why why why” and “no it’s not true, stop lying” I had never seen her cry so much all she could do was fall to the floor. She couldn’t even speak, but she managed to tell us what they had told her. She told us “he’s dead” right away I knew she was talking about my brother. I was in such a shock I couldn’t move I just felt the tears run down my face. Family started coming over to the house as soon as they found out. I locked myself in my room and continued to cry as I hoped that it was all a night mare. Over the next few days we had to arrange things out in order to go get my brother. They told us the news on Saturday and we did the planning on Sunday and before I knew I was headed to Mexico that Monday having me miss a week or more of school. I never thought my first time visiting Mexico would be to plan my own brother’s funeral. My sister and I felt so alone we had no family there to support us and we had to go through it just ourselves. As soon as we arrived to Mexico we left our luggage at a relative’s house and headed to the police station. We headed to Toluca, Mexico which is where my brother was living. We had to identify that he was our brother with the proper documentation and identify his body as well.
My sister and I had to continue with the funeral arrangements although we really did not want. We decided we would have his funeral and invite all the people he lived with for the past five years, we knew he considered them as family so we would as well. He lived in home with lots of young men that where recovering from different drug addictions. His friends arrived to pay their respects and one by one talked to us and told us “your brother was genuinely so kind” “he cared more for other than himself.” Throughout the night we heard so many stories that made me proud to know that he was my brother. One story that stood out was told to us by his friend Jose. He told us that my brother would go out to bad neighborhoods in Mexico filled with prostitution, drug dealings, and gangs, he would then pickup people from the street and take them back home and help them get back on