(Written by a student at Macao University)

          On the day final exams were over, I decided to walk to downtown Macao.  That was because the semester was over, and the days seemed to be kind of empty.

          I was soon among a flood of people.  The cars to my left could only move slowly along the narrow road.  There was the typical smell of a busy city.

          After walking along the modern buildings for awhile, I felt that I'd go back to the university; it was boring walking in a crowded city without having someone with whom I could talk.  I lost the rhythm that I'd used when starting off and started shuffling along, and it was then that I was swallowed by a flood of people so I eased back into the flow.

          Suddenly I paused, as I thought I recognized students on the other side of the road.  As I'd stopped without giving a signal of any kind, the man behind bumped against me and got angry.

          I used body language to express my apologies, but my eyes were still focused on the people I'd seen, and I was sure they were my friends - students who lived on the same floor at the university.  I took a deep breath and nodded my head as I made a calculation.  One, two, and three - ah, there were about half a dozen guys I knew.

          My heart b eat faster, and I suddenly felt very warm inside.  I raised my arm and shouted to them.

          I wasn't alone!