Ashton and I have always been close friends we’ve probably known each other since we were toddlers. Well that’s because our families are very close and because of that, its not unusual for our families to go on vacations and spend holidays together. When my parents told me that we were going to Paris this year, I was extremely excited and I was beyond happy. What I didn’t know was that this holiday would be unforgettable.

The day before the trip went by surprisingly fast. We didn’t do anything else except for pack. My parents advised me to bring a lot of clothes since they told me that we would be staying in Paris for a while. The day of our trip started out really cloudy for a summer’s day but I didn’t mind since I enjoyed looking out the window and admiring the clouds while waiting for us to arrive at the airport. Ashton called me a few minutes before I got into the car to tell me that his family was almost on their way to the airport. I was really excited to meet Ashton since I hadn’t seen him in two weeks. I don’t know how I managed to survive two weeks without my best friend, but I did. My parents told me when I was younger, I was apart from Ashton for almost a week and I went crazy. So being a part from him for two weeks without losing my mind was a big accomplishment. I guess you can tell that we’re really close.     

It took us quite some time to arrive at the airport but I wasn’t complaining since the scenery outside of my car really entertained me. To be honest with you, there wasn’t much to look at except for gardens and houses but they somehow were interesting to look at and admire. When we went into the airport my parents were trying to contact Ashton’s parents to ask where they were and of course they weren’t here yet because they’re always late. When Ashton saw me he instantly ran to me and engulfed me in his arms.

The plane ride to Paris didn’t feel very long and I sat next to Ashton but I ended up not talking to him at all since I slept through most of the flight. The airplane food was surprisingly good unlike some other airplanes I’ve been on. A few minutes before we landed, I had time to admire the view outside the window next to my seat. After we went exited the plane we met up with our parents and we tried to find our luggage. It didn’t take us a long time to find our luggage bags which was a relief since the only thing I wanted at that moment was to go to the hotel and sleep.

The moment I stepped into my hotel room I instantly took my shoes off and jumped onto my bed but of course something had to interrupt me and today it was the hotel phone ringing. The person who was calling was apparently Ashton who wanted to explore the city and because I hadn’t seen him in two weeks I agreed to join him. I wasn’t surprised when our parents allowed us to explore the city since we’ve done this a few times before. Since we weren’t familiar with the city, we bought a map from the hotel’s reception desk.

We decided not to use a taxi since we wanted to feel adventurous. We walked down a street that was really crowded and it was surprisingly very breezy for a summer’s day. Ashton wanted to go to a bakery because he said he was craving macaroons. I was honestly a bit miserable since I just wanted to sleep in my hotel room and because of that Ashton was trying to cheer me up by making a few jokes, which were really bad. When I was laughing at one of his jokes, the map I was holding suddenly flew out of my grasp. Ashton and I looked at each other worriedly since it was our only map and we didn’t know how to get back. We quickly followed the map that was flying in the air. It landed in an alleyway that looked different from the rest of the street. It looked like the opposite of the street with shops and the other alleyways that were surprisingly colorful because this alleyway was really dull and a tad bit creepy. What made the alley a little bit creepier was the fact that I could here noises from one of the doors in the alley but they weren’t  ordinary noises they actually sounded more like screams. I was obviously freaked out and Ashton was to, surprisingly. You see, Ashton is someone who never freaks out. Never.

I stupidly decided that it would be a fantastic idea to go inside and “rescue” the person who I made a conclusion of being in danger, which is probably the worst thing I could have ever done. Ashton wasn’t too keen on the idea since he was really freaked out and just wanted to grab the map and find a bakery but he ended up giving in and he agreed to go inside with me.

The door was opened so we went inside easily and I almost slipped since there were stairs leading downstairs right in front of the door. Both of us took out our phones and turned our flashlight on since it was really dark and there wasn’t any light switches or any lights. When we finally reached the bottom of the stairs, it was a dark room. I knew that my phone was going to die and I was pretty sure that Ashton didn’t charge his phone in the hotel either. We walked around the dark room and didn’t see anyone but we did see two other openings. It looked like tunnels or it might be a maze. Ashton and I split up and in the middle of walking through the tunnel/maze my phone died. I tried calling for Ashton but no one replied. I wasn’t exactly surprised since we did split up. I ran through the tunnel and I could feel someone following me. At this point I was extremely scared and all I wanted to do is to go back to the hotel. I kept running until I tripped over something on the ground and bumped my head on one of the walls. I could here footsteps behind me and I thought that someone was going to murder me. I still couldn’t see anything since it was all dark so I just accepted my fate. Then I could feel someone’s hand on my shoulder and I was honestly trying my best not to cry. Then that person started speaking and it took me a few seconds to realize that it was actually Ashton. I hugged his legs since I wasn’t exactly able to stand up because my head was throbbing. He helped me up and fortunately his phone was still on he lead us through the tunnel until we found stairs that lead upstairs which we assumed would lead to a door that lead outside.

When we walked out the door, I noticed that my legs were covered in dirt and that my arms were also dirty. We decided to go back to our hotel and when our parents asked us why I had dirt covering my arms and legs we told them that I accidentally fell into a puddle of mud (which would be almost impossible since it hadn’t rained). We didn’t want to worry them or get in trouble so we decided not to tell them the truth. In the end, we ended up ordering macaroons and eating them in Ashton’s hotel room.

Family celebrations are one of the most exciting events to attend. Every year, my family arranges an event. Usually, we would eat dinner together in a fancy restaurant but a few years ago we attended my uncle’s wedding. At that time, I’ve never been to a wedding before and the idea of going to one scared me. The only wedding I’ve ever seen at that time were the ones in movies and because of that I actually thought that the bride would wear a long white wedding dress and that their wedding cake would have ten layers, but I was wrong.

The day before the wedding was very hectic. All my family members were rushing around to prepare things for the wedding. One of my family members told me that my uncle’s wedding would be a traditional Balinese wedding and not the typical ones I’ve seen in movies. I was really shocked since I didn’t know that you could have weddings that are traditional. The night before the wedding was extremely nerve wrecking for most of my family members since most of them hadn’t finished preparing things for the wedding. I wasn’t nervous at all. I was actually really excited. The next day, everyone had to wake up really early in the morning. I’ve always hated waking up in the morning but on that day, I woke up easily because I was so excited. The traditional wedding ceremony was held in my grandparent’s back yard. It was a weird ceremony. My uncle and my soon-to-be Aunt sat on top of a platform and on that platform was a priest. It started off with the priest saying prayers then after a few hours of praying and cleansing them, the finally put their rings on each other’s fingers.

The day after that was the day of their reception. We stated in a big hotel. All my cousins and I waited for our turn to get our hair and makeup done. We decided to explore the hotel. First, we went to the area where the reception was going to be held and saw a few of our family members that we haven’t seen in a long time. We weren’t allowed to go inside the room since there were security guards in front of the entrance of the room. A lot of the staff from the hotel was moving tables, chairs and other furniture into the room. After that, we decided to explore all the other floors inside the hotel and we met even more family members. A few hours later we went back to the hotel room we were previously in and got our hair and makeup done.

A few hours before the reception, one of my cousins and I decided to visit our uncle and aunt’s room. When we arrived, our Aunt was trying to put on her traditional wedding dress while getting her hair and makeup done. She wore a lot of makeup that made her look even prettier.

When the reception started, I saw a lot of people crowding outside the room for the reception. When the doors finally opened they all rushed inside. I noticed that next to the entrance of the room, there were a few tables that had a box under them. My parents once told me that people would five money to the couple by putting the money in an envelope and placing the envelope inside the box.

In the reception I ended up eating a lot of the food that was served since it was all really delicious. I also met a few of my family members that I’ve never met. Attending this wedding was a rally fun and unforgettable experience because it was the first wedding that I’ve attended in my whole entire life but one of the things that made me a bit disappointed was because they didn’t have a wedding cake.