The Great Wall (Memoir)

A Story by CodeBlooded

Written for a school assignment

Curiosity filled me as I looked out the bus window, wondering our (my family, fellow tourists and me) next location in our tour of Beijing. Unfortunately, it was nigh impossible to discern anything through the rapidly falling snow. Letting out a sigh of frustration, I knew I would just have to sit and wait… (or I could just ask my parents, but where’s the fun in that?)

We had finally arrived, and I was eager to find out where we were. However, despite my enthusiasm, I was reluctant to leave the warmth of the bus and judging by the faces of everyone else, I wasn’t the only one. Even our massive piles of clothing couldn’t stand up against the cold! But the inevitable will always come to pass, so I just went with the flow.

A cold chilling sharp blast of snow hit my face as soon as I walked out. The sudden temperature change sent a frightening shiver down my spine. ‘Even worse than Canada,’ I concluded ‘Every day of winter in Beijing felt like a bad snow day in Canada. Finally adjusting to the freezing cold, I looked up at my surroundings, the area was filled with several shops and food stands among other things. I heard several awe-filled murmurs behind me, so I decided to find out what all the excitement was about. I was stunned, amazed by the sheer size of the massive structure, a structure that was only one part of many others. I was looking at… The Great Wall of China! (a part of it at least)

It’s hard to describe something so extensive, but if I had to choose a word, it would be “grand”. The Great Wall went upwards in seemingly endless steps. Each step worn down by thousands of years of use, through battles and wars, carrying the burden of soldiers and their hefty armor and weapons. However nowadays, use mostly/mainly came from tourists, tourists like my family and bus mates who were ready for the trek up (or decided it was too daunting of a task). My family and I were definitely going up. The challenge would just make it all the more memorable and rewarding memory

“Slow down!” my mom called after me, when I ran a fews steps ahead (maybe more than a few). This occurred several times,”Almost like a video game tutorial, having to stop after every little progression, even when you just want to play the game” I thought to myself. The pace we had going was painfully slow, especially for a eight year old who like all eight year olds, had endless energy (and no patience). However the slower pace was nice in its own way, it gave me time to think and admire the wall which, blinded by the goal of reaching the top, I had previously failed to do. It reminded me about a quote that went something along the lines of “The journey not the destination”. The wall was certainly amazing, yet creations are only as amazing as the creator (in this case, creators). I was curious to how long it took to build, but to find out, I would need to know how long the wall was first. So I did what all intelligent eight year olds do, ask my parents!

“Dad,” I began for attention.

“Yes?” he answered back.

“How long is the Great Wall of China?”

“Over 10,00 miles long,” he replied.

“...” really?, I thought to myself.

“Yup”

I hadn’t even realized I had voiced my suspicion out loud, I was astonished. With this new information, I quickly did the ‘math’, big wall equaled lots and lots of labor. How much exactly? Well... Fortunately I didn’t have much time to ponder upon it, for we had reached the top!

My previous one-word description of the wall (grand) could also express what I thought of the view. The sight mainly consisted of rugged mountains and dense greenery, however, the size of everything is what drew me in. Everything was so teeny tiny! It was amazing, it gave you the feeling of superiority, I felt like the king of the world in that moment.

The initial rush of adrenaline had started to fade as I continued to check out the landscape. But this time, at a completely different perspective. Instead of feeling superior, I felt… small. The universe felt so immense compared to me. However I knew through hard work and perseverance, big impactful things could be accomplished. Heck! I was standing on proof of that right now! The thought eased my mind a bit as I continued to examine the view. Watching as snowflakes slowly worked on covering the trees and mountains. Each snowflake meager but still contributing to something larger than themselves. A question nagged my mind, what could I do to have a meaningful life?

We had began our trek down the Great Wall. A wall that I had only begun to realize was the blood and labor of many people. Numerous had even died in the process, their grave being the wall itself. In every step I felt heavy, their spirit and presence weighing on my shoulders. Every one of them had a goal, something that I wish I had.

My trip to the Great Wall of China is one that I would surely remember. It sparked something in me and thus began my journey of finding my life’s purpose.