Personal Narrative: Going To Southern California

Going to Southern California, no one would think of packing an umbrella. Why would they? California is in the middle of a drought. When someone thinks of California, they think of baby blue skies and palm trees along the streets. But, of course, the weekend my family decided to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld is the weekend Southern California experienced what the local news called a “tropical depression.”

After driving five hours from San Jose to Los Angeles in a compact Honda Civic, my mom, brother, me, and my cousin, Harneet, rushed to get to our first stop, Disneyland, as fast as possible. We knew the park would be full because the temperature was going to reach the upper 90s and it was the 60th anniversary of the happiest

We arrived at SeaWorld fairly early and the day was postcard-perfect with bulbous clouds drifting hazily above us. From the weather that morning, we inferred that the day would not be as excruciating as both Universal Studios and Disneyland. We bought our tickets and proceeded to the Shamu Stadium. Five minutes before show time, gloomy clouds began to appear and I was praying that the day would not end up like the day before. After the show, my cousin and my mom wanted to leave because the pitch black and ominous clouds were rolling in quickly, promising heavy rains and another bad day at an amusement park. My brother and I, however, wanted to ride the Journey to Atlantis ride and we promised we would leave after our turn at the ride. We got in line and just like the day before, it began pouring almost immediately, hitting the scorching pavement and causing a musty smell to linger in the air. At this point, my family could not stand the rain anymore and my brother and I were forced to get out of the line and into the car as soon as possible. When we were exiting, I noticed that the rain was pouring faster and faster, causing immense puddles in the parking lot. Because I was the only one with deep pockets, cousin gave me her phone to put in my jacket and as we got closer to the car, I pulled it out to check what time it was. Immediately, it fell into the puddle at my feet and I stared at the phone submerged in