Recently, thanks to a friend who was admitted to my alma mater, I had the chance to return and spend a beautiful afternoon there.
The Most Unfamiliar Familiarity#
The once well-trodden path home now feels strangely distant and unfamiliar. On the taxi ride back to campus, that long-lost sense of familiarity had completely vanished. Although the destination remained the same, the scenery along the way had quietly transformed under the chisel of time.
As the car entered that familiar small town and wound through the streets surrounding the school, a long-absent feeling of warmth washed over me like a tide. Gazing at every street corner evoked fragments of memories with different old friends, like an ancient lamp being relit, quietly casting its warm glow in the long river of memory.
Arriving at the school gate, I found the road leading to the main entrance blocked, allowing me to walk along the small path from memory. When that familiar school gate came into view, sealed-away memories of the past were instantly awakened. Strolling along the winding stone paths of the campus, the afternoon sun filtered through lush leaves, casting dappled shadows. The air was filled with a gentle, humid scent, exactly like the unique campus aroma on those summer days when school began.
Yet, I could no longer find those once-familiar figures by my side.
The Original Starting Point#
The library at the heart of the campus was once the beacon on my path of learning. It was the rich collection of books here that opened the door to my professional field and allowed me to step across the industry’s threshold. Fifteen years have passed in a flash. When I stepped into that familiar study room again, it was as if I could see my younger, more naive self—sitting alone at a corner desk, intently flipping through heavy tomes, diligently absorbing those profound and obscure professional knowledges.
Walking past the animation building where I once poured out my youthful energy, memories of projects spent sweating and striving alongside friends came vividly to mind. It was heartening to see that the seeds we planted back then are still taking root and sprouting in this soil—game-related courses continue, though the changing times have made the program more pragmatic. Design-focused courses have faded, replaced by programming development and art production with broader employment prospects.
A Brief Farewell#
During this afternoon, I chatted with the senior who had guided me into the school back then, reminiscing about those stories from the past.
The cafeteria I once loved no longer exists. The McDonald’s we used to have to leave campus to enjoy has now made a home right within our school grounds.
Walking to the cafeteria on the other side, I bought a simple Cantonese roast rice plate. Even though I knew those beautiful times were in the past, that unique campus flavor could still evoke the warmest memories from deep within.
Sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria, watching the endless stream of students, their youthful faces filled with boundless anticipation for the future, their innocent eyes instantly pulled my thoughts back to my own student days a decade ago. Back then, we naively believed time was as long as a river, the future distant and unreachable, never realizing how precious and rare those youthful years truly were.
Now, I will set off again, stepping into a brand new life.
The Unchanging Original Heart#
After walking around the campus, I was surprised to find that the greatest change wasn’t in the buildings or environment before my eyes, but in the transformation of my own inner state of mind. Ten years ago, I couldn’t wait to escape the campus and embrace the vast world outside; ten years later, I yearned to return here, to seek that initial purity and childlike heart.
Perhaps this is the true meaning of growth—we traverse countless mountains and rivers, witness all facets of human experience, endure life’s ups and downs, and finally realize: the most precious beauties have never actually left our original starting point.
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