So long ago… In a universe far, far, far away November 2024. To set the stage further I was working at Walmart, and I had an annoying nagging girlfriend at the time. I was really at my peak at Walmart slaving at this point multiple good stories from this time like the Supervisor story, second girlfriend stories, The ones that got away allegedly.
-ooc- I’m still not sure how I want to sort my ideas here. I’d like to primarily share real life experiences, pose questions, and perhaps be relatable.
November 2024:
Alrighty getting into it up until this moment in my life I haven’t driven longer than maybe 2 hours consecutively. Going on this trip the lineup was as follows: My mother, Uncle, both Aunts, and a few cousins and stragglers. I was the only under-age person there I was 20 at the time. So the task was simple drive from Alabama to the most eastern side of Florida. My uncle drove for the first 3 hours then we came to a stop at a Love’s truck stop in Georgia then I took over all the way to Florida. The drive was relatively boring I made my mom and uncle listen to Bad Bunny the entire ride when I was driving. We stopped at an AirBNB for the night Ocean side then woke up early to board the ship. While boarding the ship they had the world supply of Drug dogs sniffing everyone, and you had to speak to like an agent prior to embarking the vessel. I remember this like no tomorrow, My mother and myself we were late to our emergency training, and they pencil whipped us through. Leaving dock and going out to the Gulf was pretty tame. I didn’t suffer from any sorts of motion sickness through the duration of our trip. The first night at sea at dinner we had a selection of what we could get I picked the Peppered Steak. From my recollection it was a mid steak, chewy, flavorless and cooked incorrectly. I order all steaks at medium-rare and only like 40% of them are ever that. Sitting at a table on a rocking boat eating is a very interesting experience especially when the waves are aggressive. After that shitty steak that was all she wrote for the first night on the boat exhaustion was kicking ass.
The next morning I awoke to the Bahama breeze in my hair. Now disembarking the ship was slow, but we made it off and into Nassau. The first half mile you walk off the ship into the Bahamas from the port is consumerism central. My first impressions of the Bahamas was crazy it was a bustling tourist attraction hundreds of people. Nowadays I’m Cali-Spoiled although up to this point I haven’t really been too much out of the South United States and like Missouri. Observing life in Nassau from what I was shown there were extreme highs and lows. I recall seeing a lot of houses that seemed decrepit and or disrepair. While the waters were crystal clear blue, I do not think all is sunshine and rainbows in the Bahamas.
Within 30 minutes of landing and disembarking a relative of mine happened to locate and find a plug for the devils lettuce inland. My number one mission after landing was finding and buying a nicotine vape. Unfortunately I was a fein then, and still now. I had like a seal 6 operation soon as I landed. I entered a store on the left down an ally. It was a dark establishment they had cigars on display in the window and a cute girl working the counter. I had never paid $24 faster in my life looking back I got scammed, but it kept me from tripping out. Then after that we went on a van tour since like 3/6 of our party was not capable of walking far durations. TJ our van driver was one of the most reckless drivers I had ever seen. Mans was Booln at 90KPH down an 60KPH road with 7 souls aboard. Traffic laws seem to be a suggestion. Interactions with locals mostly revolved around money in some way I had never had more random shit offered to me to my more than then. The island was beautiful although I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being lied to. I don’t think life there is beautiful not in the slightest. Our tour guide TJ if you have met him in the Bahamas LMK he was a spectacular man making the best of what he was given.
Anyways after the tour me and my uncle tired of dealing with the half of the caravan that couldn’t travel with their legs so we had them do their own thing. Me and my uncle went to a few jewelry stores and like I guess bars. I don’t know I know for sure I had my first shot of Jaeger in the Bahamas. I tried a lot of random alcohols over this trip my most drank award goes to the simple RedBull and Vodka. I will say there was a special white chocolate rum for sale they gave me samples of that was absolutely exquisite. While walking we seen a Kei Truck parked up I thought that was particularly interesting.
Then Getting back onto the ship was unfortunate, but you can’t stay forever. The rest of the trip was pretty standard. We attended a live comedy show aboard the ship it was pretty entertaining considering I was tipsy at the time. Through this entire experience my then girlfriend was blowing up my phone across the world talking about missing me. I ended up having a $350 bill from AT&T for overseas texts.
Directly after this trip Trump was voted into office the second time, I broke up with that girl, and complacency took over. November 2024 was one of the worst months of my life although nothing but my own creations. One thing I’ve noticed is there is always different standards of living these standards of living aren’t just across the gulf they are here inland US as well. Seeing firsthand what some family’s will withstand for a morsel of money. I realize I am grateful for all the opportunity, education, and my childhood. All things I see to be invaluable to the information I have now.
Nevertheless That’s Andrew Out thanks for reading my recount of travel outside of the US.
