Beijing

Beijing was not a perfect city. There were many faults. Too many people, too many cars, too much pollution. It was also a beautiful city. After I got home from school, I would run through the complex of apartment buildings. It was called the Central Park apartments, which I found funny after I came to America. There was a mini park in the middle of the buildings with fountains and grey gravel roads that crunched under my feet. I would run up to the giant yellow statue in the the park and climb up the leg of the horse, and I felt like I could see everything. After I got tired, I would run through the street that had little cafes and grocery stores and get candy or ice cream. 

I also loved how urban Beijing was. A minute away from our house was a giant mall that was split down the middle with a  300 ft long screen. As a child, I would stand under it for minutes, because I was so enchanted by the swirling colors and shapes that the screen constantly displayed. Twenty minutes away from our house, there was a mall that was like a combination of Tysons Corner and Tysons Galleria, with an additional two-hundred people. One of my favorite memories was seeing Up with my a few of my best friends and getting pizza afterwards. 

The thing I loved most about Beijing though, was the people. The people I went to school with were international students who were mostly kids of ambassadors and politicians. I saw people of different races and cultures everyday. I would say hi to the old man with the eleven grandchildren who sold fruits on the corner. I would greet my British teacher who speaks no more than six words of chinese. I would run around with my friend who dad is an actor that just debuted a blockbuster film. Even though I’m in America, I hold a spot for Beijing in my heart.

~ Aileen L.