Your Heath, My Heath, Our Heath.

Hampstead Heath, no idea how many people really know it around London, and how many Londoner had been there in their busy modern city life. It covers two London boroughs - Camden and Barnet. The Heath is just four miles from the centre of London. When I had first time been there, I cannot believe that that is such a wild area in a big old international city. It quiet stands there inside London’s heart, does not care how the outside world changed, and keeps the ways it is probably century ago. It is a miracle from my eyes.

I have to say I got predestined connection with Hampstead Heath. Because Three years ago, I applied a degree course to study in UK, the offer gave me one-year English language studying at a college in Hampstead garden suburb. But, I came to the college when I was in London. They told me the college was full at that time. They couldn’t take me. I had to find other college even I quite liked that area when I took bus pass through it. I found other college and lived somewhere else near that college. It seemed I missed Heath because of this incident. Two years later I finished the language studying and was going to enter Uni in September at that year. But, it was June and I got nowhere to live at that moment. A friend called me and said I can live in his house before I moved to Uni’s accommodation. I had no choice and moved to his house where it is located in Golders Green. Who knows, guess what? That provided me other chance to get into Hampstead Heath where I missed at first time.

From Jun to September, three months I got really free. That meant I didn’t need to touch any book about English, because I passed the exam and I had it enough even I cannot use English properly. Also I didn’t want touch any book about the course I chose to study in the Uni, because I didn’t know what I was going to study even I could check it on Uni’s web site. Fed up with the old and scared with the new. What could I do? Didn’t bother about it. Find something to do instead of it. In the beginning couple of weeks I was in that mood and strolling around that area where I lived. Though I am writing now, still don’t know how could I find Heath? It just happened one day when I was walking around with no idea where I was going.
It gave me a surprise when I walked into the Heath. It was a hot day that I remembered in some day beginning of July. Originally I was planning to walk from Golders Green to Finchley looking around for passing the time. Half the way round, about passed three bus stops, I felt thirsty and sweat. I was wandering where I could go to have a rest. By chance, Hampstead Heath was in front of me just couple of step away. There are lots of trees and also I saw a pond there. I deliberately made my step bigger, so I could get in fast and avoid the afternoon sun. It was suddenly getting cool under the big trees and felt like drank a cup of chilled water. I slowed my step and enjoyed this wild area in the middle of this international city London. I really appreciated the person who made the effort to keep a big wild wood area in London. That was just beginning. Another finding made me happy than this and still pleased me whenever I remembered it.

Walked on the small rough road about ten minutes. Two big ponds appeared in my front. One had some persons sitting there fishing. Other one was amazed me, cause I saw some person were swimming in it and even amazed me is that the ducks were swimming in it also. Believe it or not, this scene I never saw it before I came to London. Human and animal stayed together in a harmony mood. No one care about each other inside a same pond. Both enjoyed the way of their life and did not get disturbed by other side. Oh, it is a dream life that I would like to live with.

The rest thing was when I knew swimming in this pond is free of charge. I ran back to home as fast as possible to pick up my swimming things and got inside the pond to enjoy this natural pool. Woo, it was so nice that you could not describe it. In a hot summer sun-shine day, you swim in a natural pond with different kinds of duck, even fish if you are lucky and the duck did not catch them. Can not say how nice the feeling is. Ou, forget to tell. In the coming times I went to swim in this pond, I found an interesting thing. One duck seemed would like to compete with me whenever I went there and made a movement in the water. I swam fast, so did him. I stopped, him too. It was quite a funny thing when I realized it. I deem he could feel I was different compared with other peoples here. I am an only Chinese inside this London pond and got different skin color maybe. Anyway, it really gave me a happy time in that past three months before I went to Uni.

The day passed so fast and sooner I had to move to Uni’s accommodation. I moved out Golders Green and could not go to the pond, cause it is far from where I live and studying is quit difficult so free time is less for enjoy the life. I missed my pond, my duck, and my Heath. It gives me a good memory for London-my oversea life.

Ooh, if life is the way always like I was in Heath, I could not imagine how happy I am. But, it is not, i have to study, to find job, to work… Can not write more. It makes me depress. Forget it, let us remember the good things always.