The Grand Bahamas
Melissa Hernandez
ENG121: English Composition
Instructor Alicia Giffin
May 20, 2013

The Grand Bahamas “I cannot believe the day is finally here, Bahamas here I come!” I shouted from the top of my lungs. As I pace back and forth in my fuchsia, lavender, and cream colored bedroom, I do not know where to begin packing as I will be setting sail in exactly 12 hours and counting. This is the furthest I will be traveling away from home, will I miss the comforts of my soft bed and the sounds of the birds chirping outside my window every morning letting me know that the sun has risen and it is time to start my day? Nervous butterflies flutter round and round in my stomach as I pray, “Please Lord, do not let me forget the Dramamine and my underwear, please, please, please.” I have dreamt of the lush tropical landscape of the Bahamas and its culture for an entire year and it is finally here. My inner-being was shaking with pure excitement of the unknown as I boarded the massive ship of the pristine Carnival Cruise Liner. I immediately realized that it replicated a small floating city. Every passenger busily buzzed by me trying to locate their cabin before we set sail bound for the Bahamas. Finally, I was escorted to my cabin located on the second floor, thank goodness because my hands were blood red from holding all of my luggage. You know how a woman packs like she is staying for a month every time she takes a vacation for 3 days or more. My stateroom was perfect; I was greeted with a little white elephant made of towels and my own little private deck. Immediately, I take my Dramamine as my Dr. instructed because the last thing I wanted was to be struck with sea sickness. I throw on my newly purchased turquoise and gold two piece swimsuit and cover up, slip on my flip flops and head out. I could not wait until we docked in Nassau because I wanted to experience the Bahamian culture, talk to the locals, shop until I drop, and sway my hips to the native tunes. Finally pulling off from the Miami shores’ dock, all passengers were summoned by the captain to meet on the main deck for our emergency training on the deep blue sea. It gave me tremendous comfort after going through the training just to know that the onboard staff was nearby and experienced in case something did happen. At the end of the training, we were all given a rundown of the ships scheduled events, which were very well planned. I made my way to the pool and found the nearest bar; it was suggested by the bartender