Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, Essay - 1

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you - Essay Example It was getting late. My stomach rumbled to the thought of jerk chicken. Even though I was ignorant to what exactly the â€Å"jerk† component to the chicken was, I still wanted some to ease my demanding stomach. An American tourist, whom we had met earlier, had told us, â€Å"It’s an authentic Jamaican must-have. And the woman down about a quarter mile from here sells the best. Just look for the pink roofs.† I moved down to the beach from our cottage, letting my legs transport me to the transient line between the wet and the dry sands. The wind had stopped, leaving only calmness on the ocean surf coming in to greet me. Being alone, I could be myself, and allow the natural beauty open my mind to the foreignness of the landscape. I moved slowly down the beach, and as the pink roofs came into view, I emerged out of my reverie. The marketplace was crowded. There were no tourists in sight, and populated by merchants with dark metal food stands. Before I arrived, the community stood lively and laughing. After I arrived, the crowd fell silent. As I started to search for jerk chicken, a group of men approached. Their forearms and hands bulged with muscles. Their clothes held the dark dirt of the fields and were severely tattered in some parts, as if the men had just been done with a day of work. A familiar emotion came over me: fear to look into any one of their faces. I remember one of the men stepping to the front of the pack. Venturing no further up than his chest, I noticed a long diagonal gash running down his midsection. I wanted to cower down and crawl away. After a moment of silence, I mustered the courage to look up into his eyes dark, unforgiving, and questioning. He taunted, â€Å"Hi, litt’l girl! Dis ain’t da beach!† I ran, the gravel beneath my bare feet did not even faze me. My peaceful journey along the