The following story was written by Bernice LeBlanc, from Shediac, New Brunswick. Bernice was recently enrolled at the Seaside Community Academic Services Program (CASP) in Shediac.

Road Trip to Florida
by Bernice LeBlanc

My friend and I decided to go to Florida for a vacation. We had never gone as far as a tank of gas could take us, let alone a trip of hundreds of miles. We were kind of scared to go by ourselves, so we decided to go with a bus tour. All the people on the bus were over fifty years old and I was thirty-six, but I had the time of my life! We passed the time on the road by singing and laughing. We went visiting all kinds of beautiful places. It was a learning experience for me.

It took us three days to reach Florida. We stopped at Cocoa Beach for another three days and it was very nice. Our accommodation was next to the beach and closest to all kinds of restaurants and music. We invited all of our fellow travelers to join us on the wharf for Karaoke night. Some folks came. We all participated in singing on the stage and most people stayed with us until nine o’clock, although it was past their bedtime.

I was almost crying when we had to leave, but the trip wasn’t finished. We visited Disney World and also spent one day at Sea World. We also had time to shop. I bought a pair of Cocoa Beach shorts.

It was almost time to begin the journey home and, although I felt sad, I was also looking forward to the drive back. Everybody now knew each other quite well, and we played Bingo, told jokes, and sometimes sang to pass the time.

I’m really glad that we went with the group. It has been three years since that trip and I’d love to go back again someday. It’s a memory that I will never forget.

[This story was taken with permission, from The CASPer, April 2003, the Moncton and Area CASP Newsletter.]