I’ve imagined a thousand times what will it be like when I set foot on this land again. Will I embrace the sunshine that is poured down to the Guanzhong region, or greet the warm wind that comes a long way from Kunlun mountains when meeting with the surging hot air filled with Qinling mountains?

On July 25, 2020, I bid farewell to my homeland where I spent the whole severe winter and took the high-speed train from Shanghai Hongqiao Station to Lanzhouxi Railway Station, heading to my dream land that has been hovering in my mind for so long. Finally I arrived in this land—my dear school.

Nothing has ever changed, no matter it is the mist that shrouding the Qinling mountains throughout the seasons, refreshing fragrance in the air, or the familiar Hanzhong accent. To my surprise, the “red vests” were waiting in the heaving Yanglingnan High-Speed Rail Station, guiding students of NWAFU to the exclusive channel on the right. It turned out that they were a group of dark-eyed young people wearing blue masks and red vests, keeping reassuring the returners with kind gestures, eye contact and greetings despite their tired and hoarse voice. Holding the tag bearing the words “welcome home”, I took the school bus and watched the campus getting closer and closer in July showers. Everything went so peacefully and smoothly. The considerate school arrangement made me feel at home, which drove away all the diseases and viruses as if a bowl of thick hot soup, guaranteeing the safe return of all students.

Who was calling in the drizzle? Who was thinking about us day and night and show the utmost solicitude for our safety? The air misted in the July showers, blurring the reality and turned it into a colorful dream. Inside, there were the help, protection and happy memories that NWAFU gave me during these days.

After the quick procedures and warm greeting, I heard my student advisor saying to me “Welcome home!” Suddenly, all the tiredness of travel disappeared and only happiness and excitement of getting back remained. Somehow, when I was caught by my teacher’s smiling face, I felt choked with sobs and unable to express my thanks that had been kept in my heart for half a year. Maybe it was out of the emotional holdbacks when I approached to this place after months of absence. We as students are bound to press forward to our dreams, but whenever we get tired and look back, there are always dear teachers holding a lamp in hands for us in the dark night. The precious warmth is filled with eager anticipation and courageous ambition, giving everlasting power to students of NWAFU who are running in their radiant and enchanting youth.

Finally, I finished tidying up the dormitory and ordering my items. The roommates gathered together and enjoyed the reunion. This was exactly what I had been dreaming about for over a hundred days. Staying in the dorm inundated with pleasant odor of the laundry detergent and watching my intimate friends, I could not help exclaiming over the delight and enrichment in life. We have too much to be grateful and care about too much to cherish the present. Only when we lose we know how to cherish and only when we meet we know that being together is the most valuable thing.

As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as peaceful times, and it is all because of someone who bears the burden for us quietly. The year of 2020 is deemed to be an unusual year. We have so much to remember and appreciate, including the angels in white on the frontlines of the battle against viruses, the militiamen fighting the flood ahead, and my beloved university that does everything for the sake of the students. Only if we regard gratitude as the theme of life can we find ordinary yet genuine happiness in our daily life and enjoy the nobility of life.

Long time no see, my second home!

In the blink of an eye, the summer is approaching silently. The constantly changing clouds tell us that time passes quickly like a white pony’s shadow across a crevice.

Keeping these touching memories and warm kindness in mind, I believe that with my enthusiasm and persistence, I will follow the school motto of “Honesty, Simplicity, Bravery, and Perseverance” and radiate the power of youth.