姓  名：李美子                   学   号：20065111026

系  别：经济系                   专   业：06级国际经济与贸易                

Name: May                 Director: Courtney Nottingham

                    

        May, Running after the Flame

                                         

 

Excitement at Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Centre

      When it got light, I was on a speeding bus. The driver was as impatient as much as we were. Within an hour, we arrived at the Baiyun Intentional Convention Center, the place where the Olympic torch was lit up in Guangzhou.

     One golden building caught my immediate attention because it was ringed by about twenty thousands enthusiastic citizens. Numberless eyes were kindled with excitement, expecting for the torch.

     While waiting in the crowds, I talked to the people around me.

     “We are playing hookey for my country,” some students chuckled when they told me how they were able to get there.

     “I asked for sick leave,” a man with a camera chimed in.

     “We just landed Guangzhou,” an old couple added.

     "I got here at 1:00 AM to take this incredible spot."  A woman standing at the very front said, pride lighting up on her face.

       Their passion was hot enough to light up the torch, even melt it.

     As the sound of drummers began, cheers greeted the appearance of the Olympic torch. I saw the torch was held by a torch bearer and escorted by dozens of officials. I was so excited to see the torch that I forgot to breathe. Yet before seeing it lit up, I was flooded away.

     My excitement mingled with disappointment. I couldn’t help but run the torch relay route, hoping to catch a sight of the flame on the Olympic torch.

     Half an hour dripped away. The cheering was getting louder. My pulse was quickened by excitement. The very last thing I expected was the flame flashed by in no time. What a shame that I was standing in light by so many tall people!

     Being disappointed one more time didn’t discourage me at all. How many times had China been disappointed before she became the host country for the 2008 Olympic Games? The answer was “A LOT!” So I made a bee-line for the next station without any delay.

Long journey to Baiyun Mountain

      Before long I found a bunch of students in bright red, marching along the street. They lifted up huge banners said "One world, One China!" simultaneously. Obviously, they were on their way up to Baiyun Mountain, pursuing the spark of the flame. The patriots sang the chant rhythmically, “Cheerio, China!” which rocked Guangzhou thoroughly.

     People from all walks of life flocked to them after hearing their tremendous voices. Gradually, the shiny red group grew larger and stronger. I just followed their steps fascinatingly.

     Sometimes they ran with the speed of light. I could never get to the front of the group, not to mention see the flame in that huge group. Following them for two hours, I made up my mind to drop out and galloped to the next station by myself.

 

Lost in my way   

      Unfortunately, not knowing what the next stop was or how to get there in time, I got lost. It seemed all light in my life was going out. 

     In desperation, I asked my uncle, a policeman, for help. He gave me red light by insisting "It's too crowded! Why don't you just stay safely at your dorm and watch the live show? Why do you have to see the flame so badly in hell?"  He put out my light crudely.  

     I was in dead silence because watching live broadcast was next to the last choice according to my light. He who is sitting safely on the fancy car will never see what I saw, feel what I felt, and love what I loved. I had to stand on my feet and find the way back to my destination.

 

Hope was back

      I bought a local newspaper at a tiny tent beside a bus-stop which was not that easy, as the newspapers were snapped up by citizens. A sponsor reminded the residents in the headlines:

         Put on red clothes to welcome the Olympic holy flame.

         Cheer for china.

         Chinese, red up!

     "Why was everywhere in the city filled with bright red color?" was answered. Then came my savior, a bus would pass the Sun Yat-sen's Memorial Hall. I jumped on the over packed bus, thinking to myself that “I have two hours before it passes there. I stand a good chance to arrive there beforehand, and explore a higher, safer place as my private watch-tower.”

    

     In front of my target place, a great number of excited people were waiting vexedly, streaming out of the pavement. It was an ocean of red shirts and red flags. The roads were red. Their passion burnt up Guangzhou intensely. They might never get to know me, not knowing that their patriotic action moved me to tears.

      Since the Sun Yat-sen's Memorial Hall was occupied, I turned to go to the Haizhu Square.

 

Anxiety in McDonald’s

      Hundreds of customers’ body heat burnt up the fuse, making the air conditioners quit, boosting up my fatigue.

     I ran into my friend accidentally. And she offered a chair to me immediately. I couldn’t thank her more, sincerely.

     In a short period of time, she helped me make a reasonable plan to watch the flame, giving me several tricks. My energy boosted thanks to her inspiration and encouragement. And she became my company ever since.

     Waiting in the restaurant impatiently for two hours, we discovered the stairs down the road might make a terrific spot. Then we got it.

     The Butterfly Effect worked perfectly. The teens rushed behind us. Within a minute, we were surrounded. The coke in the Olympic Cup from McDonald’s was heated up by the folks instead of my hand. I was taking the risk of being crushed to death. At that point, I completely understood why the followers going on a pilgrimage to Mecca. I was one of them, to some extent, in some way.

     An hour crawled by, the cheers intensified. In this long distance, the torch was a tiny sand in the desert. The worst thing was it appeared like a meteor, disappeared in one seconds. Some were sorry for missing the flame. Some were in the dark, not knowing it had gone.

     As it turned out, any plan encountered with the passionate Chinese was far from perfect.

Conscience told us we should speed to the subway, and go for Tiyuxi Road.

     In the subway, I experienced numerous Chinese, overloading the train. Everyone in Guangzhou was heading for the torch.

 

Endless Waiting at Tiyuxi Road

      As my friend and I rushed out of the subway entrance, we were part of the wave which welled up the Tiyuxi Road. Then we captured a not-so-front position. Four hours ahead of the schedule time didn’t offer us any advantage because hundreds of thousands of people were hungering for the torch. Long period of waiting kicked off.

     Half an hour slipped by, a blonde girl stuck a mini five-star flag on her boyfriend’s forehead merrily. The slogan “One World, One

Dream” had it right. We were all dreamers pursuing the torch in our

own way.

     Two hours passed, some happy children were raised on their

fathers’ wide shoulders. If only I had two more meters in height.

     Three hours later, some anxious country laborers climbed the

trees as well as the buses. I prayed for their safety, whole-heartedly.

     Four hours passed, the windows of the skyscrapers were opened

by some sneaky white-collar workers above. I hoped the

absent-minded action would get some special forgiveness from their

bosses.

     Four and a half hours more, the workers joined us excitedly right after they were off from work. Hey, buddy! Welcome!

 

There came the torch

      I daydreamt in the crowds, traveling tediously through millions of years.

     As the cheers skyrocketed to a new peak, I knew it was coming. I jumped up with my maximum strength in order to catch it through the block of my thick layers of fellows.

     The first try, no torch.

I took a second chance, no flame.

A third shot, nothing.

I kept on until I heard a girl sobbing uncontrollably behind me. I turned around, and I discovered a bright light in a tall black girl’s eyes.

     At that point, I was so shocked that I forgot to breathe. I got the Olympic Holy Flame finally. In her gorgeous emerald eyes, the flame lit up all colors of faces flooding in Tiyuxi Road; it lit up the glory of the People’s Republic of China; it lit up this magnificent planet.

Time stood still…

 

Way back home

      I didn’t remember how exactly I returned to the place where a bus would come and send us back school. Then I delightfully discovered a lot of students from our school, PeiZheng College, wearing clothes with "I love china more than ever!” on it, front and back.

     “I didn’t see the flame clearly.” A girl complained.

     “Whatever! Feeling the patriotic passion is the only thing that matters!” A boy comforted her.

That was also a bright red flame burning in my eyes as well as in my heart. They made me see the bright picture of china.

China, my mother land, I love you!

You are worth every single Chinese to fight for!

 

My trophy

      I’ve took a glance at the torch, even not with the flame on it. I saved that precious moment in my everlasting memory with the help of one mini Chinese National Flag, a newspaper of the special day, and a bright red Olympic Cup from McDonald’s.

     Lying in bed with heat exhaustion, I could still picture the flame, my dear zealous fellows, and my cute foreign friends.

     Region, nation, race, gender, and age don’t matter at all. There was a very same flame burns deep down in our hearts. And it sheds a light on us:

We are from one world,

We have one dream!