It's not just a place to rest

Have you ever seen a lone writer typing his novel on his laptop in Starbucks to avoid his nagging wife? Have you seen a young woman indulging herself in karaoke at holidays, just to release her pent-up feelings after breaking up with her boyfriend?

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To the writer and the young woman, Starbucks and karaoke are their dream places.For me, it is the church that is my dream place. But don't just assume I'm Catholic.

I still remember the first time I discovered a cathedral on Sheshan Mountain on the outskirts of Shanghai. That summer, my friend and I had climbed the mountain for hours in the sweltering heat.

Suddenly, my sharp-eyed friend spoke out, "Look, there's the Sheshan Catholic Church! It must be a nice place to rest." We ran to it with our remaining energy.

Stepping into the church, I found it was not just a place to rest physically.
The entire space was silent. Time was frozen.

The glittering sunlight passed through the colourful semi-circular windows,
casting rosy shadows on the ground. The aged oil paintings hanging on the wall depicted the stories in the Bible so vividly that I thought the figures would walk out of the pictures at any time. I was enveloped in this mysterious and tranquil atmosphere.

From then on, I started going to church as a way to escape my daily pressures.The church is a place where I could listen to the voice coming from the bottom of my heart without any interruptions.

When I had time, I attended services at night. Though I'm not a member of the Catholic Church, I felt the congregation's hearts purified the moment.

The people who attend the church come from every corner of the society: several migrant workers with stained suits, a nanny seated beside me, a couple of student lovers holding hands, a patient in a hospital uniform.

Regardless of one's class, wealth, sex and colour, everybody here is all treated equally and receives respect. The place moves me and I say to myself, "I should hold a thankful heart towards my life."

I am convinced that one's dream place is where one feels the least restrained and can listen to the voice from the bottom of one's heart. Find it, and get a way from tiresome reality for a while. Then turn back to the world, with renewed energy and a thankful heart.

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cast: 投射
glitter: 閃爍
indulge: 沉迷
nag: 嘮叨
nanny: 老奶奶
outskirt: 郊區
pent-up: 被抑制的
purify: 淨化
semi-circular: 半圓形的
swelter: 熱得發昏

Comments
This writer did an excellent job of explaining why a seemingly ordinary place is so important to her. She has obviously put a lot of thought into this essay, and it really shows. She starts off with an attention grabbing introduction.Then, she puts the reader in her shoes. Instead of just telling the reader "I felt this way", the writer uses closely observed details to show the reader exactly how she felt upon first entering the church.

作者：魯心逸　學校：復旦大學經濟學專業　一等獎