Dear Mom and Dad,

I don’t know why you won’t let me go to Mexico with my friends for spring break. Seriously, that’s SO uncool. You guys say it’s overrated, but if you ask me, it’s a rite of passage, and a bargain, too. According to NBC, the average sun-soaked spring break in Cancun is only $2,243. Practically chump change. Chump change that could pay for nine credit hours at Mizzou. Almost a semester of tuition fees or a week in Margaritaville. I think the choice is pretty clear.

I know you’re worried about those wild spring break stories you’ve heard, but there would be plenty of supervision. A handful of parents have generously offered to go and watch all 34 of us. They would keep a very close eye on us from the comfort of their all-inclusive resort rooms. And really, it’s not like we would even need them there anyway. We outgrew babysitters years ago, and what could go wrong with a bunch of responsible 18-year-olds having some innocent fun in a foreign country?

Besides fun, I daresay it would even be educational. There’s no better place to practice my Spanish than Mexico. ¿Puedo tener un bebido? I feel more confident in my abilities already.

Now back to the fun aspect, I would make so many memories. Well, I don’t know about memories, but I would at least have lots of pictures to tell me what happened all week. Maybe also a few pictures I’d like to forget, but don’t worry, spring break is basically the reason Mark Zuckerberg added the “untag” button to Facebook.

If you let me go on this trip, you’ll have no regrets. And neither will I, because if all those commercials are telling the truth, what happens in Mexico stays in Mexico.

Much love,

Ellen