My family and I sit on our porch, bathing in the peaceful melody of crickets chirping in the darkness of the night. Hearing the melodious chirping of crickets is such a pleasant feeling that soothes our souls. The silence of this night reminds me of the summer of June 2009, when my parents decided to go on a family vacation to Bangladesh. At that time, I remembered being extremely happy. As the wind gently blows through my hair, my thoughts shift and I remember the negative experience I had with my cousin. Contrary to popular belief, not every vacation ends with happy memories. I was a freshman in high school when my parents announced that we were going to Bangladesh for our family vacation. I was extremely excited because, after ten years, I was finally going to meet all my family members in Bangladesh. I come from a Bengali background where family ties are respected with utmost importance. I was born in Bangladesh, but came to America when I was five. For this reason, American culture greatly influenced my life and I distanced myself from Bengali culture. Before boarding the plane, I remember my sensitive older sister advising me to stay away from family arguments. While I was eating breakfast, my sister started talking about what we call “do’s and don’ts.” Shahida, my sister, is a fun-loving person who always looks out for her family members. That day, she started lecturing me saying, “Shammi, don't trust anyone and stay away from people who seem suspicious to you. I thought, "Am I on some kind of survival game show where I can't trust anyone?" Shahida realized that I was ignoring her. She continued talking anyway, assuming she might get my attention... middle of paper Since I was from America and didn't know anyone's background until this summer. The truth came out when the entire family confronted Shaniya. Shaniya admitted that she could have said a few things here and there. As always, I learned my lesson the hard way. I found myself involved in an unnecessary situation. I should have shut up and enjoyed my vacation, which was the only reason I was in Bangladesh in the first place. Now I know to always mind my own business. However, my intentions were pure and I wasn't trying to create any misunderstanding and luckily for me, my family understood that. Shaniya then apologized to Runa and everything got better in my family in Bangladesh. I'm glad my name has been cleared, but next time I'll try to stay away from conflicts like this, especially during what is supposed to be a fun and relaxing family vacation..