Personal Narrative: My Trip To Southern California
“Badly Burned”
I fly out to Southern California every summer to visit my mom who currently lives there. I always get beyond ecstatic to travel on a plane and return to my large escape from a small town world. We always do more than enough fun and exciting things when I’m out there. We’ve traveled to Hollywood, Universal Studios, the San Diego Zoo, and many more exciting places full of adventure and experience.
Although all of those tourist attractions are fun to visit, there is one destination that will always have a special place in my heart: the beach. My mom, her wife Tina, and I love going to the place where you get sand in your toes and vitamin D on your skin. We usually end up there at least 5 or 6 times every time I’m in California. …show more content…
There are many different beaches in San Diego, including Mission Beach, Coronado, and La Jolla, which are the three that we went to.
Mission Beach was a blast, zipping through the famous old roller coaster and eating mountains of fair food, not to mention boogie-boarding in the ocean. La Jolla wasn’t as ginormous and exciting as Mission Beach, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.
Coronado Beach is a relaxing, off the map destination that is really quiet and peaceful.
You have to travel across this blue, curved bridge in order to relax on a wonderful beach filled with white sand and high waves. Surfing, fancy eating, tanning, and many more leisurely activities are enjoyed there by many tourists and visitors every year.
July 15th, 2015, my mom had the day off of work, so we decided to take one last trip to the beach before I had to pack up my suitcase and fly home. Since it was one of the last few days to spend in my little paradise, we decided to go all out and spend the whole day at Coronado. Packing a picnic, the boogie-boards, some beach chairs, and a few other little things, we thought we were prepared for a day of fun and relaxation. What else did we need on a hot sunny day at the beach?
The first part of the day was incredible; we jammed out to my mom’s 80’s tunes, which is surprisingly some of my favorite music, in the car on the way up there. Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson will always hold memories for me, not just from that day, but for pretty much every time you got into the car with my mom. While listening to “Seven Wonders,” we drove across the bridge overlooking the water and made our way to the
beach.
When we got there, we set up our chairs and our food for the picnic. We had tuna sandwiches and chips while the seagulls stared at us with jealousy. After our feast, we sat back for a little while and watched the waves roll against the sand.
We let our stomachs rest before we were ready to take on the treacherous waves that pulled and pushed you like a rag doll. Boogie-boarding is really fun, as long as you don’t get whiplash like my mom did, as she was more prone to it with her older age. We rode the waves on our stomachs as the sun shined on our backs.
While we were there, I also decided to work on my tan. I sprawled out on my comfy beach chair and sat back as I watched kids playing in the water and viewed the attractive lifeguards in training. I was tanning for quite some time as I was looking at this curiously attractive boy who was sitting on a beach towel close to me. It was hard to pay attention to anything else but him, as he was shirtless, tan, and just downright gorgeous. My mom and Tina were also working on their tans and reading a book because I guess that’s what middle aged people do when they’re on a beach.
We stayed laying there for a few hours, not having a single care in the world. After a while we finally decided that it was time to go home. We packed up all of our things and walked to the car, lugging all of our stuff with us.
It was not until about 10 minutes into the drive home when we realized something very important as my legs and arms started getting a tingling sensation. The whole time we were there, all 3 of us forgot to put on sunscreen. I was very upset and agitated with myself and also with my mom for not reminding me to put it on. I wasn’t even aware of how bad it was; I thought it would be a little red and I knew that it would hurt, but I’ve never really had a bad sunburn before. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.
Once we got home, it started to hurt worse and worse. Although it still didn’t hurt that bad, my skin was starting to turn into the color of a ripe tomato. My mom and Tina also had a new shade of red that replaced their natural skin tone. I knew that we were all in for some trouble.
Later that night, I eventually went to bed after my usual routine of staying up too late because I was watching Youtube or Netflix. I could usually fall asleep pretty fast, but I had so much trouble that night. I kept tossing and turning, getting hot and taking the covers off, but then being freezing and pulling the covers back on. My body would be cold, but my skin was on fire, almost like I had a cold or the flu. There was no chance of me getting any sleep at all because when I’m in pain it’s all I can think about. My head was also pounding and I started to become dizzy, even though I was laying down. I also took my pajamas off because they were burning too much against my skin, so all I had on was my underwear.
I eventually decided that I needed to get up and go to the bathroom, but when I started to get up, I was dizzier than I’ve ever felt before. My head was spinning like a merry-go-round. I couldn’t even stand straight as I was wobbling around in my room. It took me longer than usual to make my way to the bathroom, which was just down the hall.
Once I finally got there, I managed to actually sit down and go. When I got up, though, it was hard for me to stand again. I staggered over to the sink to wash my hands, but my body and my mind couldn’t quite process what was going on. All of a sudden, I couldn’t stand anymore, so I fell forward, hit my head on the sink, and fell back into the hallway. If you’re wondering how, the sink is right next to the door, which I forgot to close.
It was a loud thud. My mom heard it because her room was right next to the bathroom; she opened her door and started freaking out because her daughter was lying there on the floor unconscious in her underwear.
She woke me up, and I didn’t know what had happened. She took me into her room and laid me in her bed. She made me sleep with her for the rest of the night because her room was colder and her bed was bigger. I actually managed to fall asleep after that.
I woke up the next morning and my body still burned all over, but it was even worse than before. It was hard to even move, and the clothes rubbing against my red skin was an unbearable feeling. I had to wear loose clothes and have several ice packs on my body, aloe vera also being my best friend. My head still hurt a little and I still felt dizzy and sick to my stomach.
I had to go home a few days after that, which is when my skin started to peel. Since I was literally burned from head to toe, it started to peel all over me, and of course, the natural thing anyone would do is pick at it. My face was even starting to peel as it was also very red and burned. My mom, still upset at herself for letting me get this way, was not very happy about sending me home looking like a red hot mess.
On the plane ride home, I was covered in my own skin peels, and I “shed” a lot. Feeling like everyone was staring at me, I was beyond embarrassed. It still hurt a little to sit or stand a certain way, feeling like I was always slightly in pain somehow.
I definitely learned my lesson about getting a little too much sun. For someone with very pale skin to begin with, I should’ve known better than to go a whole day at the beach without some kind of SPF. This might not be a “life changing” experience for most people, but for me, it’s one of the biggest regrets I have to this day. If you ever spend a whole day at the beach, please, remember to wear sunscreen. I will forever and always love the beach, but this will be something I will never forget.
I fly out to Southern California every summer to visit my mom who currently lives there. I always get beyond ecstatic to travel on a plane and return to my large escape from a small town world. We always do more than enough fun and exciting things when I’m out there. We’ve traveled to Hollywood, Universal Studios, the San Diego Zoo, and many more exciting places full of adventure and experience.
Although all of those tourist attractions are fun to visit, there is one destination that will always have a special place in my heart: the beach. My mom, her wife Tina, and I love going to the place where you get sand in your toes and vitamin D on your skin. We usually end up there at least 5 or 6 times every time I’m in California. …show more content…
There are many different beaches in San Diego, including Mission Beach, Coronado, and La Jolla, which are the three that we went to.
Mission Beach was a blast, zipping through the famous old roller coaster and eating mountains of fair food, not to mention boogie-boarding in the ocean. La Jolla wasn’t as ginormous and exciting as Mission Beach, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.
Coronado Beach is a relaxing, off the map destination that is really quiet and peaceful.
You have to travel across this blue, curved bridge in order to relax on a wonderful beach filled with white sand and high waves. Surfing, fancy eating, tanning, and many more leisurely activities are enjoyed there by many tourists and visitors every year.
July 15th, 2015, my mom had the day off of work, so we decided to take one last trip to the beach before I had to pack up my suitcase and fly home. Since it was one of the last few days to spend in my little paradise, we decided to go all out and spend the whole day at Coronado. Packing a picnic, the boogie-boards, some beach chairs, and a few other little things, we thought we were prepared for a day of fun and relaxation. What else did we need on a hot sunny day at the beach?
The first part of the day was incredible; we jammed out to my mom’s 80’s tunes, which is surprisingly some of my favorite music, in the car on the way up there. Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson will always hold memories for me, not just from that day, but for pretty much every time you got into the car with my mom. While listening to “Seven Wonders,” we drove across the bridge overlooking the water and made our way to the
beach.
When we got there, we set up our chairs and our food for the picnic. We had tuna sandwiches and chips while the seagulls stared at us with jealousy. After our feast, we sat back for a little while and watched the waves roll against the sand.
We let our stomachs rest before we were ready to take on the treacherous waves that pulled and pushed you like a rag doll. Boogie-boarding is really fun, as long as you don’t get whiplash like my mom did, as she was more prone to it with her older age. We rode the waves on our stomachs as the sun shined on our backs.
While we were there, I also decided to work on my tan. I sprawled out on my comfy beach chair and sat back as I watched kids playing in the water and viewed the attractive lifeguards in training. I was tanning for quite some time as I was looking at this curiously attractive boy who was sitting on a beach towel close to me. It was hard to pay attention to anything else but him, as he was shirtless, tan, and just downright gorgeous. My mom and Tina were also working on their tans and reading a book because I guess that’s what middle aged people do when they’re on a beach.
We stayed laying there for a few hours, not having a single care in the world. After a while we finally decided that it was time to go home. We packed up all of our things and walked to the car, lugging all of our stuff with us.
It was not until about 10 minutes into the drive home when we realized something very important as my legs and arms started getting a tingling sensation. The whole time we were there, all 3 of us forgot to put on sunscreen. I was very upset and agitated with myself and also with my mom for not reminding me to put it on. I wasn’t even aware of how bad it was; I thought it would be a little red and I knew that it would hurt, but I’ve never really had a bad sunburn before. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.
Once we got home, it started to hurt worse and worse. Although it still didn’t hurt that bad, my skin was starting to turn into the color of a ripe tomato. My mom and Tina also had a new shade of red that replaced their natural skin tone. I knew that we were all in for some trouble.
Later that night, I eventually went to bed after my usual routine of staying up too late because I was watching Youtube or Netflix. I could usually fall asleep pretty fast, but I had so much trouble that night. I kept tossing and turning, getting hot and taking the covers off, but then being freezing and pulling the covers back on. My body would be cold, but my skin was on fire, almost like I had a cold or the flu. There was no chance of me getting any sleep at all because when I’m in pain it’s all I can think about. My head was also pounding and I started to become dizzy, even though I was laying down. I also took my pajamas off because they were burning too much against my skin, so all I had on was my underwear.
I eventually decided that I needed to get up and go to the bathroom, but when I started to get up, I was dizzier than I’ve ever felt before. My head was spinning like a merry-go-round. I couldn’t even stand straight as I was wobbling around in my room. It took me longer than usual to make my way to the bathroom, which was just down the hall.
Once I finally got there, I managed to actually sit down and go. When I got up, though, it was hard for me to stand again. I staggered over to the sink to wash my hands, but my body and my mind couldn’t quite process what was going on. All of a sudden, I couldn’t stand anymore, so I fell forward, hit my head on the sink, and fell back into the hallway. If you’re wondering how, the sink is right next to the door, which I forgot to close.
It was a loud thud. My mom heard it because her room was right next to the bathroom; she opened her door and started freaking out because her daughter was lying there on the floor unconscious in her underwear.
She woke me up, and I didn’t know what had happened. She took me into her room and laid me in her bed. She made me sleep with her for the rest of the night because her room was colder and her bed was bigger. I actually managed to fall asleep after that.
I woke up the next morning and my body still burned all over, but it was even worse than before. It was hard to even move, and the clothes rubbing against my red skin was an unbearable feeling. I had to wear loose clothes and have several ice packs on my body, aloe vera also being my best friend. My head still hurt a little and I still felt dizzy and sick to my stomach.
I had to go home a few days after that, which is when my skin started to peel. Since I was literally burned from head to toe, it started to peel all over me, and of course, the natural thing anyone would do is pick at it. My face was even starting to peel as it was also very red and burned. My mom, still upset at herself for letting me get this way, was not very happy about sending me home looking like a red hot mess.
On the plane ride home, I was covered in my own skin peels, and I “shed” a lot. Feeling like everyone was staring at me, I was beyond embarrassed. It still hurt a little to sit or stand a certain way, feeling like I was always slightly in pain somehow.
I definitely learned my lesson about getting a little too much sun. For someone with very pale skin to begin with, I should’ve known better than to go a whole day at the beach without some kind of SPF. This might not be a “life changing” experience for most people, but for me, it’s one of the biggest regrets I have to this day. If you ever spend a whole day at the beach, please, remember to wear sunscreen. I will forever and always love the beach, but this will be something I will never forget.