Personally, I have always wanted to travel to the Far East. I think I gained this ambition because of books I read when I was younger. As a child I remember reading a book called Missee Lee by children’s author Arthur Ransome. The book was about some young children who were captured by Chinese pirates and taken to China after the boat they were sailing in sank. It mentions many Chinese customs related to food and the Dragon Festival and I was fascinated by the description of such an exotic place. Later on, as an adult (!!), I read a book called Japanese Pilgrimage which is a true story of a North American man who spent a year travelling around some Japanese temples on the island of Shikoku . Many people in Japan who are followers of the Zen religion do this as spiritual journey. They leave all their possessions behind for a year and do a pilgrimage of 88 temples. Local people leave food for the pilgrims every day and the people who make the journey walk and meditate. I was really impressed by this idea and it is something I would love to do (though I doubt I ever will). The other book that made me want to travel to the Far East is my favourite book Titus Groan by British author Mervyn Peake. Peake’s parents were missionaries in China at the turn of the 20th century. Peake lived there until he was 7 years old and his books are filled with oriental imagery.
All of these books fuelled my desire to visit China and Japan. I hope that my wish comes true one day!
Write about an ambition you have.
Say:
What your ambition is,
Why you would like to achieve this ambition,
Who or what inspired your ambition,
What it would mean to you to fulfil your ambition.
Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on your teacher’s blog and the blogs of at least 3 classmates.
