in a wooden cabin near lake walden, henry david thoreau lived alone. he thought: “there is no great value to be had by rubbing shoulders with the mass of humanity.” though thoreau never lived in a megacity, he captured precisely one of its characters — urban life is largely about “shoulder rubbing”. i came to beijing 3 years ago, like what the writer says, it’s a city where the masses of humanity gather, but my life here is more than just confronting the huge crowds, actually i’ve found it be of great value.
as a freshman in college, i arrived in beijing, thrilled at the first sight of this dazzling city, but soon the gap between the capital and my small hometown gave me the culture shock. i lost the frequent contact with my old friends, same food was served in a different way, and the new taste wasn’t to my liking. in addition to my loss of appetite, i also lost my sense of direction, especially when i came to those sixteen–lane-wide crossroads. the sheer volume of the traffic, the density of the pedestrians, drove home to me the idea of a modern metropolis. like, the distance from my dormitory to the nearest wall-mart, back in my small hometown, that would cover the full length of the entire business district. and i am not proud to admit that i was disoriented.
now three years have passed as the city keeps on growing. philosopher herbert spencer says “life is the continuous adjustment of internal relations to external relations”, so i gradually adapted myself to get along and grow together with the city. there is no fear of getting lost, since many city maps are displayed in public, and i feel free to ask for help. once i even run into this old man who not only pointed out the way for me, but also briefed me the interesting history of the place that i was looking for. what is particularly worth mentioning is that when the summer olympics was held in beijing, i got the chance to be a volunteer. working with foreign delegations, my job involves being a personal assistant and tour guide plus doing interpretation. my shoulders were not only “rubbed” but heavily loaded with responsibility. yet when people told me the genuine “thank you”, their smiling faces and the joy of new friends led me to find a valuable thing here—a strong sense of achievement. besides, wearing the blue t-shirt, seeing it everywhere within the city, i knew i was a member of the one hundred thousand volunteers, an intrinsic part of the city.
whether it’s in the tranquility of countryside or the hustle and bustle of a modern city, people come and leave, always seeking for a better life. i’ve fall in love with the city because of its vitality and the hospitality of its people. and i am happily surprised by the change that this city has brought to my life.
