My family and I are sitting on the porch, immersed in the peaceful melody of crickets singing in the dark of night. Hearing the mellifluous chirping of crickets is such a beautiful sensation that calms our soul. The silence of this night takes me back to the summer of June 2009, when my parents decided to go on holiday with their family to Bangladesh. At that time, I could remember feeling tremendously happy. As the wind blows gently through my hair, my thoughts change and I remember the negative experience I had with my cousin. Contrary to popular belief, not all holidays end with happy memories. I was a freshman in high school when my parents announced that we were going to Bangladesh for a family vacation. I was extremely excited because finally after ten years I would meet all my family members in Bangladesh. I come from a Bengali background where family ties are kept with utmost importance. I was born in Bangladesh, but came to America when I was five. Because of this, American culture has greatly influenced my life and I have become estranged from Bengali culture. Before leaving for the flight, I remember my sensitive older sister admonishing me to stay away from family discussions. 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 takes care of her family members. That day, he started lecturing me, saying, "Shammi, don't trust anyone and stay away from people who seem suspicious to you." I thought, “Am I going into some kind of survival game where I can't trust anyone?” Shahida realized that I was ignoring her. He kept talking anyway, assuming he could get my attention... halfway through the paper... yeah, considering I was from America and didn't know anyone's background before that summer. The truth came out when the entire family confronted Shaniya. Shaniya confessed that she might have said a few things here and there. As always, I learned my lesson the hard way. I got caught up in an unnecessary situation. I should have kept my mouth shut and enjoyed my vacation, which was the only reason I was in Bangladesh. Now I know that I always have to 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 this. Shaniya later apologized to Runa and everything settled down in my family in Bangladesh. I'm happy my name has been cleared, but next time I'll try to stay away from conflicts like this, especially during what should be a fun and relaxing family vacation.