(Written by a friend who is an engineer in Shengdu)
The Chinese have a weeklong vacation for their National Day. They often spend the time in travel, and I’m no exception. I took the opportunity this holiday to return to my old university and meet with classmates and teachers I hadn’t seen in 10 years. Though that seems like a long time, it could never rub off the love we have for each other.
Before having lunch, we reviewed old times and brought each other up to date. The teachers were obviously more aged; they appeared wrinkled, weaker, but their eyes revealed their joy at seeing their students again and hearing of their accomplishments. Some of my classmates have had brilliant careers. The General Manager of a plant in Henan Province is now one of my classmates, another became the General Engineer of a plant in Jiangsu Province, a third was promoted to be head of the Electrical Bureau of Huanggang District.
Since many of them had to go back to work, we only had two short days together, and at the end of that time, we were reluctant to leave each other because we’d had so little time together – not nearly enough to tell our brothers everything there was to say.
Although I have had a much lower position than many of my classmates, I rarely felt envious of their achievements. On the contrary, I felt stimulated and encouraged. The nuclear industry in China will undoubtedly speed up in the next ten years, and when I grasp opportunities that I know will come my way, I believe that when we have our 20th anniversary party, my classmates’ sights will be focused on me.