Sunshine, Beach, Palm trees, Breeze. With these four elements, the place becomes the paradise. Do you know where the paradise is?

On spring break, I went to Fort Lauderdale Beach in Florida. It’s not as famous as Miami Beach, but it’s really a beautiful and quiet beach. Along the seashore, palm trees are making shadows and people are tanned under the sun on the sand. Just being there made me smile.

On the third day of my trip, my friends and I woke up late since we went out to the beach for the last two days. We just rested all day and felt lazy, so we prepared really slowly. When we left our hotel, it was almost 2 p.m. We walked to the bicycle station and paid for the bicycles. It was sunny at first, but right after we were on the bicycle, it started raining. Not only raining, it started lightning.

Even though it was raining and lightning, I couldn’t give up the bicycle. It was my dream to ride a bicycle along the seashore in Florida. However, I couldn’t help coming back. Because, the rain got harder and harder.

Even after we got back to our hotel, the rain didn’t stop. There was nothing we could do but go to the pool in the hotel. Even then, we had to wait until the lightning stops. Fortunately, the lightning stopped and we could go out. We just changed our clothes and went to the pool. Guess what? Nobody was there! It was completely ours. We jumped into the pool right away.

I relaxed and recovered from fatigue. I finally could take a real rest. The real rest is being free from the obsession. I went to Florida to take a rest and hang out with my friends. However, I was obsessed with my plan and thought that I should do something fun. After I failed to complete my plan, I could finally reach my original goal of this spring break.

Being free from distracting thoughts like busy school days and my traveling plan, I could finally start “thinking.” I looked back my life in America and look forward to my last days in America. It had been over two and a half months and it was only one month left. I felt like it just passed too fast.

Looking back, I started thinking something bad like ‘I didn’t study hard. I also feel like I should have done everything harder.’

A habit of mine that I wish I didn’t was having lots of regrets. I knew that, so I tried to think something I did successful. I wrote many columns which was not easy since English is not my first language. I have done all the homework I had to do. I participated in a lot of extracurricular school activities, which only a few students participated in. I visited a lot of places in New York City like Metropolitan, the Natural History of Museum, Bryant Park Ice Skating, and I also watched some musicals. I did a variety of activites. Lastly, I was in Florida with friends who I met here in America. It is always hard to find new friends in new places but I had good friends with me.

After that, I started to think about my last days here. How should I wrap up my life in America? What should I do to finish off my time here in America?  I always ask these kind of questions whenever the semester is over. They encourage me to finish the semester well.

The last month will pass really fast. At this point, I, as well as you, have two choices. First, just spend the time. Just sleep, wake up, eat, and go to class.

Second, spend the time knowing what I do. I mean that whatever I do, I know that I am doing it. Not just go to class. I know that I am in the class. Not just take a rest. I know that I am taking a rest.

I chose the second one. In this way, I will remember my days much easier at the end of semester. I don’t want to go back home without any memory.

‘Unexpected.’

It’s what the trip gives us. It’s why we go traveling.

Thanks to the unexpected rain, I finally started “thinking.” I refreshed my body and mind in Florida.