By LINDSAY SILVERMAN
The term “snowbirds” brings to mind older couples dodging frigid temperatures, gathering by the pool at 9 in the morning, planning dinner at 11 a.m., watching movies at 3 p.m., eating supper at the local deli, and enjoying an evening treat at the ice cream parlor.
My grandparents Marshal and Karen Mankin have lived in Florida for over 13 years and are typical snowbirds. When I arrived for my recent vacation, they threw me right into their daily routine. We played Rummikub in the morning, hung out by the pool after breakfast, and listened to the formulation of dinner plans before lunchtime.
The sky was cloudy on the first day of my visit, so my grandma and I hung out inside and played plenty of board games. Then, I introduced my grandma to the app Bitmoji that allows the user to make her own cartoon avatar that can be sent in emails and text messages. I helped her make her Bitmoji and she became obsessed with it. She still keeps sending me different ones weeks later. For dinner we went to a local restaurant for the early bird special where my talkative grandpa has become friends with the owner.
The second day, we experienced the best weather. I sat outside all day by the pool. I tried to sit in the sun, but every few minutes my grandma coated me with sunscreen. We went to lunch and every 5 minutes another one of my grandparents’ friends came over to say hello. They are even more popular than me!
On my last day I tried to spend as much time with my grandparents as possible, and had an amazing time with them. I would like to thank them for letting me stay in their home and for giving me a nice break from my stressful junior year.
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