'I feel best being with my family'. COMMON APP

Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you? (650 words)

Being just seventeen years old, I have been told from a young age to be happy and enjoy these moments of youth before the hectic adult life soon occupies my life. Whether it was partying at friends' bar mitzvahs in middle school or riding roller coasters at Disneyworld, I began to miss those days of fun and carefreeness after choosing such an occupied and studious path. Today, even the shortest of vacations give me a peace of mind, from snuggling up in my bed even as my alarm continues to ring on a Sunday morning to browsing the Internet for useless gadgets that I would probably never use in my everyday life. However, the ideal place that I could describe being perfectly at peace would not be in the hospital I volunteer at or on the stage where I become sweaty and nervous. Instead, it would have to be in the safety of my family's SUV while on day-long road trips.

Ever since my sister had left for college, travelling and flying has become a rarity for my family and money had to be saved up for college payments. Then again, it does not mean I do not miss travelling any more than the next family member. In the past, almost every vacation opportunity we had, our family would pack our bags and schedule road trips to various cities. Sometimes we would visit our cousins down in Chicago and Toronto, while other times we would drive somewhere extravagant, such as Phoenix or Orlando. Sure, packing my clothes, being nagged to wake up for the big day, and the anticipation of arriving at our destination may have been a pain in the rear, but in the end, it was all worth the hassle. With my headphones plugged in playing alternative rock, I would stare outside my window and scan the horizon as lush farm fields, crystal blue lakes, and neon lit buildings would all fly past us. Even falling asleep under the sunroof was a unique feeling as I would gaze up at the puffy white clouds that would drift above our fast moving vehicle until I slowly fell into slumber.

But bear in mind, this was just half of the experience that I felt most at peace. That other half would be how I never felt more content or more connected with my family until we were all huddled in that car together for once on a 10-hour road trip. With my mother and father in the front and my sister to my side, we would constantly joke, laugh, play games, and yes, even argue. But above all, it was the experience of being with my family and having that feeling of security as I sat in the back seat, beside my family where I had found solace. So in short, the place that I am most at peace would be on these road trips to new and fascinating places, alongside the people that I hold very close, making these seemingly brief experiences and memories to last a lifetime.

Address what path you chose.

.... I am a little confused with the first section - Being just seventeen years old. I think it would sound better without that part;
Since very young age, I have been told to enjoy every moment of my childhood while staying happy before the hectic adult life would soon invade my life.


Be it partying at friends' bar mitzavahs in the middle school or riding roller coasters at Disney World, I still cherish all those happy carefree moments.