From December 29th through January 6th, senior Markeeha Young traveled around the Caribbean aboard the Carnival Havana cruise line ship. While cruising through the Caribbean, she made three stops along the way: Aruba, Dominican Republic, and Curacao.

Young shares that she learned some essential life lessons while on her trip. The first lesson she learned was that she would much rather be out exploring the world instead of sitting in a classroom. Secondly, it’s the smaller things that matter in life, such as: music, family, art, freedom of expression, and laughter. Lastly, these things are what people  create for themselves, but are better shared with others.

The first stop of her trip was Aruba. “A fun fact that I learned while in Aruba was that the locals on the island rarely leave their homes because of how hot it is, since the island is right on the equator.” She toured the city, traveled to the highest peak, lounged on the beach, and visited a local church. 

The next stop was the Dominican Republic. Young shares, “There was such beautiful graffiti and art on posters, building[s], home[s], and even stop signs. Looking at them showed me not only about their culture but [also] about each artist’s life. Something I found interesting is that each of the homes in each country are [painted] different colors because almost all homes in the United States have the same style.” Some say that riding down the street looks like a rainbow. Being there and experiencing the day-to-day lives of locals further emphasized the importance of a positive mentality, such as kids running across the streets yelling for their mom and the old man walking his dog to the corner store. If one has a negative attitude based on material things, they might overlook the most beautiful things in life; however, if someone chooses to have a positive mentality, set goals, and find a form of self expression, they too can create a beautiful life in art, music, family, and anything else the heart desires.

The final stop on her trip was to Curacao. This was the shortest trip of the three, so there wasn’t much time to see everything. Young experienced, first-hand, the culture of the island by walking through the streets and eating in the local restaurants. 

Markeeha Young enjoyed her time away from her daily life exploring the Caribbean. She made unforgettable memories and experienced the cultures that the different islands have.