Soohee Oh / CH4 Final draft / Tues 11-1

A City in Peace     Whenever I looked outside, the color I saw was always green. From my room, from my school and from cars, there were trees and grasses. I lived in a small city called Abbotsford without my parents when I was in high school. There was not a once when the city became crowded with people or jammed with heavy traffics; it was such a quiet, peaceful place     There were some days I took buses to go home from my school. Then on the bus, through the bus windows, I could see some cows eating or sitting on green grasses. The slowly-moving cows seemed to make the whole place very tranquil. As I got out of the bus, what wrinkled my nose was the air filled with a smell of cowpats. On the other hand, it made me feel like I was a countryside girl. Passing by houses, I would hear "hi!"s from random neighbors who were watering their yard. The grasses then looked greener and lusher reflecting the sunlight. It seemed like not a single crime would occur in this town.     I sometimes walked to the closest 7-eleven which took about forty minutes. I had my friend with me on the walk and talking to her while walking along the trees and listening to birds tweeting was never boring but peaceful and calming. When we stopped talking, the birds filled the silence. On freezing winter days, I took a red muffler for the walk and wrapped my face with the thick, fluffy muffler. Because of the snows on the ground, she and I strongly held our hands together, with the other hand trying to keep the balance of our bodies. With reddish noses and cheeks, we either had hot chocolate or toffee nut latte from the 7-eleven. Holding the hot paper cup, I got to taste the hottest sip of the chocolate. I always thought that there was nothing sweeter than the first sip of those hot chocolate, melting down my frozen hands and body.     On sunny weekends, I went to a park with my camera. And I used to take pictures of my friends who lied on grasses and rolled around, making rustling sounds. My friends and I would be chatting for a few hours on the grass; and there was not a single pause. When the sun seemed to go down, we would go close to a lake in the middle of the park. In the lake, we often saw some big leaves and birds. After minutes, there was a beautiful, glowing sunset over the lake that made us gaze at it without a word. Watching the sunset with a gentle breeze was a motivation in my life, feeling thankful to have those moments.     All the memories in Abbotsford remind me of peace - the cows, fresh air and green grasses. I felt the years I studied abroad were like a three-year vacation. Now living in one of the busiest cities in the world, I wish I could go there again and feel the calm atmosphere that could refresh me.