“Then, I am going to talk about Hong Kong, a small place with many people. The people there
are very enthusiastic and friendly. They also like keeping pets…” “What are pets?” curiously
I asked. “Pets are a kind of animal, but…” I started to imagine again. This time, I was in a
warm, cozy house, but the house was too small for me to make even a turn. There were cages
everywhere, and no animals around. I wanted to leave this place but it was too hard for me.
I left this small place and made a million steps until I reached the street. The street was
crowded with too many people. I could not move gracefully because people kept pushing upon
me. I followed their steps and saw quite a big concrete store with kittens and puppies inside. The
store’s name was “The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)”. I felt shocked
after I saw this. I thought people liked animals! There was a big sign outside the store saying
“animals for caring people to adopt”. Those animals were abandoned by people who were not
caring! I felt very angry. I discovered that most of the “pets” were small animals, and I finally
realized that pets were small animals in Hong Kong. That’s why people all around looked at me in
such a weird way.
I stopped my imagination and shouted at the old traveler, “Why didn’t you tell me that ‘pets’
means small animals in Hong Kong?” He replied, “I wanted to tell you, but you did not listen to
me! You should have listened to me, you innocent camel.”
I felt ashamed and at first I thought if I lived in Hong Kong, I could cross my arms and legs
and did nothing. I thought people would serve me with delicious food and play with me, but
everything in my imagination as a pet in Hong Kong was totally different in reality. My thoughts
were just thoughts. They were just my imagination.
The old traveler said he needed to leave then and he left without a word. I did not move. I
stayed there and reflected: I shouldn’t leave the Gobi Desert. It is my home, a place where I grew
up. Each place has its attractive sides and their undesirable sides. I shouldn’t judge it. Now, I think
the Gobi Desert is the best. I get my friends: snow leopard and other camels. I was born to adapt to
the desert and I could not change it. The two humps on my back store water for me and I cannot
and must not remove them. This is my place. This is my body. This is my home.
I am going to stay in the Gobi Desert and enjoy the rest of my life here. I can continue to listen
to the traveler’s stories about places without actually travel there. It saves me a lot of energy!
