Feng Ping, University of Warsaw

“I am much older than you. I have two daughters. But I strongly suggest you to meet more people, and look around the world, especially if you want to become a writer. I will tell this to my own daughters too,” he said.

“Of all the places that you have been, which one do you like most?” I asked.

“Norway,” he said at once. “I went there in the summer last year. When I drove to the forests, I felt everywhere was so quiet. It was at the moment when I believed there was God in this world. I wished time could have stopped there at the moment. I wouldn’t think of busy life, and of hash reality, but I was in a dream state.”

“Are you a liberal?” I asked.

“No, I am a realist. But at that special moment, I would give up being a realist, and become a liberal.”

“Okay. I would like to go there too in the future,” I said.

Last year, Mr. Park and I spent a lot of time together. We talked about the relations between China, Japan, and South Korea, the adventures in Poland, and our own lives in Polish society.

He accompanied me many miles everyday on my walks in Warsaw, helping me to lose weight. He also gave me a lot of help in my study. I often discussed with him the topic of my thesis. A firm friendship was established between us.

The day when he finished his thesis and left Poland, I met him again in the cafe. He was excited, but a little depressed. He bought me a chess board as a parting gift. I gave him the book that I recently published in Warsaw.

“Ping, I think you will become a writer. You have that talent. What you need is just more experience in life. Thank you for teaching me how to play Chinese chess. I wish one day, we could meet again in Warsaw, or somewhere else in the world,” he said.

I didn’t realize at that moment how much his absence in Warsaw would affect me. I accepted his gift, and bid him the last farewell.

When Mr. Park left Poland, I began to feel loneliness overwhelming me. Especially when I met the fine sunny days, I would miss the interesting coffee talks with him. I still lacked the courage to walk one hour towards the city center, without other people’s accompanying. Though we still wrote to each other every now and then, I still had the feeling that I had lost a dear friend.

Overseas student life was very lonely. Sometimes, I could meet many friends like Mr. Park, but they were just passers-by. The friendships with them would flash away in a second, and at last, I found out I was still alone in Warsaw, greeting every sunny day, or rainy days. However, the warmth of remembrance in a few moments could add color to my lonely gray life.