The Reminder of My Childhood
I had never felt so nostalgic just by seeing an old building. I did not know whether I was happy or sad. It was something more than that. The building was expanded with newly built facilities and it was renovated with a fresh coat of paint. Although it was trying its best not to look as old as it was, I could recognize its original structure from my memories. There stood my old school which reminded me of my childhood.
When I entered the entrance gate, the first thing I noticed was an old statue of a child reading a book. The child, who had been sitting in the same place for more than 10 years, greeted me with its cheesy smile. It was like seeing an old friend who was not really one of your best friends. His rusty body and cracked face was telling me that he got old too, just as I did.
As I turned my eyes to the whole view of the school, a cool breeze of spring gently touched my face. Golden leaves on the trees in front of the school swayed softly in the breeze. I inhaled deeply to feel the coolness in my nose and smell the fresh air. The wide open soccer field in front of the school looked calm and peaceful. There were only few kids playing with a ball in the late afternoon and their giggling voices across the field occasionally broke the complete silence. I watched them for a while with a smile upon my lips as they reminded me of my childhood. Hanging out with my friends after school was always my favorite part of the day.
I stepped inside the building to meet my old teacher. The teacher's room looked so busy with work. The room was filled with noises from teachers using a copy machine, typing documents and having serious discussions. It was quite contradictory to calm and peaceful soccer field. However, the disturbing noises in the room didn't bother me at all because I was too much pleased with seeing the old room again. I used to come to this place whenever I had a problem to talk with the teacher in my school days. She would always listen and give me the best advice she could. The familiar noise and the stuffy smell of unventilated room somehow made me feel relaxed and comfortable. While I was enjoying the cozy atmosphere in the room, I recognized the familiar voice yelling outside, "Be quiet in the hallway!" I looked up and there was my old teacher standing in the door. She was wearing a heavy make-up to hide her wrinkles which reminded me of the new paintings of the school. Her clothes were a classic black and white pinstripe suit with a long black skirt. When our eyes met, she gave me a big warm smile that reminded me of my grandma.
After having a short conversation with her to catch up on each other's lives, she grasped my hand and took me to my old classroom. Her pale hands were cool but not cold. As I pushed open the front door, I had to put an extra force because the door was old and stiff. The door opened with a rattling noise and I was amazed when I had a look inside the classroom. Although there were some changes, the light green colors on the wall and wooden desks were exactly the same as 10 years ago. The texture of the wall was cold and bumpy when I slowly touched them with the tip of my hands. Few bittersweet memories came alive as I stood still in the classroom. Good memories of hanging out with my friends and some stressful memories of studying in the classroom overlapped each other, bringing lots of emotions. I was standing in the place of my childhood.
1.
ReplyDeleteI like how the writer described his going into the school. Needless to say, he used a lot of senses and it emphasized his nostalgic feeling. However, especially, his sense of sight made me feel into his story. Newly painted school building, an old statue of a child on one side of the entrance of his school, golden leaves on the tree gently swaying and his footsteps going into the school...They made me feel like I was going along with him into the school.
2.
Yes, while reading I could follow his footsteps and could imagine as if I were looking, smelling, listening and feeling the circumstances of the writer.
3.
He used every sense except the sense of taste. As I mentioned in number 1, I liked his description about his sight. I especially liked this part:"She was wearing a heavy make-up to hide her wrinkles which reminded me of the new paintings of the school." It was interesting that he came up with the painted wall and as a reader, I smiled when the image of her skin and wall overlapped each other.
4.
I think the peacefulness is the main atmosphere of the school. Even the business of the teacher's room or noisy sound of children on the school's playground or on the hallway looks like parts of peacefulness.
5.
He went to the school he had graduated and felt nostalgic feelings. However, it was a mixed feeling that he felt there and it made him consider his school as an appropriate place to write about.
6.
I liked his writing in that it didn't make me hard to read and didn't make me frustrated because of some parts that make misunderstanding. Additionally, in my opinion, it was also grammatically well-done. Thus, actually, it is hard for me to pick up some points to improve, but if I need to pick one, I would choose the title. The title he wrote is nice in that it covers all of the writing and makes the reader expect what he is going to write about. However, it is a little bit plain. If it is possible, I think, more catchy title would work better with his writing.
201203589 Choi, Won-joon