Carnival（狂欢节）is a big party that is held in Brazil. .Brazil is the largest country in South America. Carnival is one of the biggest parties in the world. It is held every February, the hottest time of the year in Brazil.

People dance to samba（桑巴）music, wear colorful clothes and eat delicious food at this wild festival. Carnival is one of the most powerful symbols of Brazilian enthusiasm. The Rio Carnival is the most famous one in Brazil. Every year, more than two million people around the world visit Rio. About one-fourth of them come for the Rio Carnival.

The parades（巡游）are the most fantastic part of Carnival, with beautiful floats（花车）and thousands of dancers. The most interesting part is the “main parades”, when top samba schools perform and compete. There are big fields for the main parades. The schools parade down along alley （大道）, with thousands of seats along each side for people to sit.

The schools have different themes for their parades. This year, in the Brazilian city of San Paulo, one samba school had a China theme. Their floats had Chinese cultural icons （符号） like pandas, red lanterns, dragons and modern buildings. Dancers and drummers dressed like the Monkey King and other characters in a Chinese-themed parade.

I’m Jack. Now I want to share my story with you.

The turning point of my life was my decision to quit (放弃) my business job and study music. My parents didn’t think it was a good choice for me to take up music as a job. My grandfather had taught music for nearly forty years at a college, but he couldn’t make enough money to support the big family. Because of that, my parents strongly asked me to go to the university instead of a music college even though I was so fond of my violin.

Before my graduation from Columbia, the family ran into some money problems and I felt it was my duty to leave college and take a job. That was why I took a business job. I went into it for being able to help the family. Money was all I got out of it. I felt that life was passing me by. My wish was to save enough and then go to Europe to study music. Finally I made enough money to make myself able to go to Austria (奥地利). At the same time, the family got out of the trouble and my help was no longer necessary. I felt like a free man and sailed for (乘船去往……) Europe to continue my study of music.

I walked on air because I was again in the field I loved so much. The decision to break away from the business world was against the advice of my friends and family. But if I had stayed in business, I do not believe I would have made a success of living.

Last week, I finally managed to ask my parents to buy me a new football shirt for the school match. I was very excited and wore it to the training before the match, but I wished I hadn’t done that! My new shirt was torn after the training and only a tailor could help!

As I walked home worriedly, I saw a shop sign: All Kinds of Repairs and Services! I went inside at once. I looked around the shop and saw broken toys, broken chairs… I wondered if I was in the wrong place. Just at that moment, a man with white hair came up to me and said cheerfully, “Welcome! This is a repair shop and I can repair everything!”

To my surprise, he took the shirt from me, put on glasses and sat down on the sofa with my shirt in his hands. “I guess you are a striker(前锋),” he smiled warmly. How could he know? The man said calmly, “See that picture on the wall? That was me 30 years ago.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes! He was Orhan, the famous footballer who was on the city team years ago! I told him I was playing for the school team and I had been his fan for years. I told him everything, my dream, my practice and even my dad’s words. “Dad thinks I should be an engineer or a doctor.” I lowered my head.

“Follow your dream, choose a job you love and carry on.” The man smiled at me with his blue eyes. He patted(轻拍) me on the shoulder and put the shirt he had repaired in my bag.