Ruhi Week 13 - How to Ruin a Vacation in One Day
My family and I went to Hawaii for a vacation—my birthday vacation! I turned 16 amongst the sunny beaches and tropical forests and it was amazing. Two days later, we went to Waikiki beach.
On the way there, I borrowed my mom's phone to use her hotspot. I was wearing a cute tennis dress with pockets to match with my sister. When we reached the beach, I wanted to continue using my mom's hotspot so I shoved her phone in my left pocket and my phone in my right one.
We arrived at the sandy shores and my sister and I immediately ran to the water to take pictures. I ran around giddily trying to get the best shot of me at the beach. Five minutes later, my mom arrived and I decided to give her phone back.
I reached down into my left pocket to get her phone and stopped dead. I felt nothing. Where did it go? I looked around in the sand quickly to see if it had fallen but it was nowhere to be seen. No way anything bad happened to it, right? Maybe I accidentally left it in the car and I just forgot.
I let my worries wash away as I continued to play on the beach with my sister. Not even a minute later, I was running in the water when I saw my phone, in the ocean, about to float away. I instantly dove down and caught it before anything happened and checked to make sure it was still working. Phew, it was fine. But then the panic set in. Clearly, it was very easy for a phone to slip out of my pocket, and I was lucky I noticed my own falling out. What if my mom's had fallen into the water and I hadn't realized?
I told my family my worry sheepishly. Instant frenzy. My mom and dad ran to the car to check if it was still there. They spent one hour in there, checking under every single floor mat and every corner. It was nowhere to be found. While they searched the car, I searched the ocean. The guilt was already tearing me apart. I knew that if I lost my own phone in the ocean, I would be devastated and I didn't want to do that to my mom. I walked into the ocean again and again while my sister yelled for me to come back before I drowned. I couldn't give up.
But eventually, we had to. We couldn't find the phone anywhere. I thought I couldn't feel any worse but that changed two hours later when my phone stopped working because the salt water from the five seconds it had fallen finally corroded the insides. Destroying two phones in one day. Try finding a better lesson to teach the importance of responsibility.
Hi Ruhi! I have to say what attracted me to your blog right away was definitely your title since it really made me curious on what really happened. I really liked the subtle imagery and the internal thoughts you sprinkled throughout your blog since it really helped in establishing a better picture of the events unfolding while making it much more fun to read. The details you described when you confessed to your parents that you lost the phone and the frenzy that followed almost made the event seem comedic even though it wasn’t. It was really interesting to read about how such a peaceful afternoon had quickly tumbled downhill. I myself have had many similar experiences where I accidentally lost r broke something that was important to someone else. One of my most protruding memories of this is when I accidentally broke my dad’s beloved watch when I was only a few years old but it is still brought up to this day. I’ve been left with the feeling of guilt and have been taunted for it countless times. Because of this, I can understand your feelings very well and that it was a big mistake. I hope that your parents don’t mind anymore! I hope I work with you more this school year!
ReplyDeleteHi Ruhi, I really enjoyed reading your post despite the sad subject matter. Your narrative was so vivid. I experienced the excitement of your birthday trip, the carefree fun on the beach, and then the growing panic when you realized your mom's phone was nowhere to be seen. The suspense had me and I was really hoping you'd find it eventually! Your responsibility post actually resonated with me because it reminded me of when I lost a pair of diamond earrings when I was in first grade. Naturally, I don't remember everything, but I do know that awful sensation of knowing that they were gone and that I couldn't do anything to turn it around. It was awful, and your post brought me back to the same frustrated hopelessness. You brought that feeling to life, and your account was a reminder of how easily it all slips away—literally. Thanks for sharing this experience, and I'm looking forward to reading more of your stuff!
ReplyDeleteHi Ruhi! That sudden feeling of panic or alarm you described when you found out that your mom's phone was missing is something that I am all too familiar with. Oftentimes, it doesn't even necessarily have to be when I reach into my pocket and realize that something is gone; that feeling always seems to emerge when I realize that I've messed up and that I can't do anything about it. That shameful moment of telling your parents about your wrongdoings is another thing that I feel like is kind of universally uncomfortable, as there are so many reasons for that moment to be awkward. There's the fact that you have to admit that you messed up and for me personally, I often don't know how my parents would event react to something that I did wrong; sometimes they would be really upset and sometimes they would understand. Even though this definitely sucked in the moment, it at least seems like something memorable that you guys can look back on and laugh at after a while.
ReplyDeleteHi Ruhi! Celebrating your sixteenth birthday in Hawaii sounds amazing, except for the phone disaster, of course. I can only imagine the stress and guilt you must have felt when you lost your mother's phone, and then having your own phone give up on you. It's crazy how fast things can go wrong, even when everything seems to be going smoothly and perfectly. But honestly, you handled the situation with much determination and responsibility, even searching the ocean floor over and over again until your sister stopped you, showing how much you care. I also find myself losing things unconsciously sometimes, and I would usually be met with a long lecture of being responsible from my parents. I remember when I was younger, my mom asked me to hold her purse while she picked our some clothes for me, but being a typical child, I got bored and wondered off, leaving my mom's purse somewhere on the ground. When my mom found me again and realized her purse was missing, I also felt that same guilt, until the store's employee found her purse. I hope you family was understanding at the end, as mistakes do happen inevitably at times.
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