To finish up senior year in a memorable way, seniors embarked on Gradbash. Those who attended had Islands of Adventures and Universal to explore for eight hours and it was truly a night to remember with amazing friends.
Since this was my first time going to Universal and Islands, I had high expectations for this trip. After every student settled into their bus, we took off to Orlando with excitement. The bus ride consisted of singing, clapping, and laughter. Along with that came excessive sweating from the humidity and lack of air conditioning on the bus. I was suffering from the heat and had no source of liquid or food to keep me energized. The lesson I learned in that moment was to always bring water, always. When the bus took the exit that would lead us to Universal, I saw the Universal sign. I had so many emotions surging through my body: I was eager and anxious to get on the rides I heard so much about.
Once my feet hit the solid ground, my best friend and I ran to The Hulk. After buckling in, The Hulk gradually started progressing forward. Then in a blink of an eye, it dropped with such intense speed that my whole body stuck onto the seat. The Hulks sharp turns and upside down movements had my eyes feasted upon the hectic scene of Islands of Adventure. After hopping off, the adrenaline was still lingering and going on The Hulk was the best ride to start off Gradbash.
A few hours later, I went to a shirt display shop. As I was shopping, I hear a faint tone that sounds very familiar. When I looked ahead, I saw Trey Songz singing my favorite song, ”Oh Nah Nah.” After quickly purchasing my Minion shirt, I made my way to the fence to watch Trey Songz perform. When he finished his song, I mentally scratched off one thing from my bucket list, to see a famous person live.
As the night was almost creeping to an end, one of the final rides I rode on was The Mummy. When the wait was over, my friend and I got to the front seats to experience the action up close. A few seconds into the ride, the whole indoor area turned pitch black. My body was on alert mode scanning the scene for any sudden pop up objects. Then with full speed, the ride took started its course, plunging forward with speed. In the distance, a wall appeared in front of us. At that moment, I thought the ride would stop because it picked up slight speed and abruptly came to a halt and I truly believed that I was going to crash into this wall. However, instead of crashing into the wall, the ride started going backwards. I felt like I was floating in the air, like a cloud.
Through the butter beers and pizza, I ended Gradbash on a memorable note. The people I spent it with made it a night to remember with non-stop fun. After I graduate and begin college, the night of Gradbash will still be fresh in my mind and I will never forget it.
