Yesterday in my oral English class, my students and I had a heated discussion about our dreams and ambitions. I began the class with a short poem: Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly; Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow.
No sooner had I finished reading and explaining the poem than the students' questions and remarks began pouring in. One of them said he has been dreaming to be a photographer since he was young, but he is working in a petrochemical company now. He said he learned photography in his spare time, and that makes his life rich and full. Another said he held the ambition to run his own business in the near future. A younger girl, still a high school student now, surprised us all by saying that she strongly desired to be a teacher of art or English. Because we all think young kids now have more ambitious dreams. The class became so alive, and several of them asked me about my dream. And that triggered my train of thoughts.
I have been cherishing a humble dream for a long while, that is , I want to tour at least ten of the European countries with my husband and my daughter, and I don't just want to "look at the flowers while riding on horseback", I am preparing for a more thorough visit. My husband paints pictures, Europe will be such a paradise to know more about the western painting. And all the buildings, dresses, beautiful natural scenes, uh, I know he would enjoy it. And my daughter is right at the age of yearning to know more about the world, the exotic cultures will just fascinate her . It will surely be an amazing experience for her. As for me, I am studying and teaching English. What a great benefit it will do to my study and my work!
I don't yet know when we can make the trip, thinking of the time and money, and all the work at hand. But simply talking about it and planing for it is already bringing tremendous excitement and pleasure into our family life.
Hold fast to your dreams, my dear friends.
