While serving in the army, I participated in a literature contest. My writing was a novel about a park in my youth. Located near the Flemington station, Sydney, this park was nothing like any other parks that I have ever visited before. With endless amount of trees and grass, this imaginative area only seemed to care about being green. Despite its huge size, our family usually ended up being the only guest in that area.
This park was my playground while I was in elementary school. Since my school was located near it, my choice was to either go home or play in the park after school. The grass was completely green that I thought being the color of life meant to have value itself. Since it was located near a quiet residential area, me and my friends, or my family was always holding an individual concert. Sometimes there were dogs and cats wandering around, but they never seemed to participate in our family picnic. Along with the playground inside the park, any kid of my age at that time would have thought it to be the utopia.
Our elementary school held barbecue parties and picnics in that park. We played and ran while our teachers and parents would make hot-dogs and sandwiches for us to enjoy. The air this place had always gave me great refreshment. From my childhood memories, I can still imagine myself running around the park with a hot-dog in my hand chased by another friend.
One more thing remarkable about this park was that the road we took to get to the park was a beauty itself as well. Since the park was about 2 towns away, it took us about 30 to 40 minutes if we were to walk from our home. The trip was nothing I can ever experience in any urban areas. The street blocks were made to be natural red color while it was only my brother's stroller which was making a certain sound between the blocks. No experience about this park seemed special, but everything about it became a part of my life.
People say that anyone or any place that pops up in your mind during your military service is usually the most valuable one. While I dreamt about going home to meet my family, I also imagined our family, once again going to the park to enjoy the cool breeze and the quietness. In my novel, I pointed this park to be a welcoming place to start a new life. This was described just like it is in my childhood. The place resides in my memories so clearly that I can still imagine myself lying on the ground trying to grab as much grass as possible. I will go back to the park in a few years, but until then, it will always remain as the park of my youth.
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