Kweonho Lee/Chapter 4 Essay(1st Draft)/Narrative Composition/Tues. 9-11 a.m.

The Reminder of My Childhood

           I had never felt so nostalgic just by seeing an old building. 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. There stood my old school which reminded me of my childhood memories.

           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. 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. Until now, 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. When our eyes met, she gave me a big smile.

           After having a short conversation with her, she took me to my old classroom. As I pushed open the front door, I had to put an extra force because the door was old and stiff. 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.