Nguyen Duy Hai: "Thank you, Mom, for letting go and allowing me to fly."“

That's life, you never know what will happen! Looking back after almost a year, I see how much I've changed and transformed. I never thought I'd be where I am today. Sometimes, when I miss home, a few tears fall, but those are tears of happiness and tears of gratitude.“Thank you, Grandma, for giving birth to Mom, and thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving birth to such a wonderful person like me.”.

I was a poor, dark-skinned student born in the central region of Vietnam, a place full of sunshine and wind that shaped me into the person I am today. My siblings often joked, "Are you guys born in 1997 just guinea pigs for the Ministry of Education or something?" Thinking back, it's true. The entrance exam for 10th grade changed from English to history, and the university entrance exam also changed, forcing everyone to scramble, and I was no exception. My scores weren't very high, but they weren't low either. I applied to two universities considered prestigious for my level: Da Lat University and Da Nang University of Architecture. I didn't think I'd get accepted into both, but when the acceptance letters arrived, my parents and I were overjoyed. My parents were very proud of me. I decided to choose Da Nang University of Architecture because it was close to home, about a 6-7 hour drive, and I also had a close friend studying at the Polytechnic University in Da Nang. After researching the school thoroughly, I decided to spend 5 days in Saigon with my sister (who works in Ho Chi Minh City) and then fly to Da Nang to enroll.

The first day, the two-day, one-night drive to Saigon almost completely exhausted me. But when I stepped out of the car at around 3 a.m., feeling the chill, I suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, is this Saigon?!" It was my first time here, and also my first time traveling so far from home—away from my parents, family, siblings, and friends. After three days, my sister took me all over the city. It felt amazing sitting on the back of someone's motorbike, gazing at this vast city, eating at street food stalls, and having fun… I suddenly fell in love with this city without even realizing it. Then the fifth day arrived, ending my days of fun. My sister booked my ticket to Da Nang, and my mother prepared my things to take to Da Nang. That morning, my sister booked a flight to Da Nang for the evening, departing at 9 p.m. That morning, when my sister booked my ticket, she said to me, "Why don't you stay here and study? Even if you don't go to university, college is fine too, as long as you have something to show for yourself after graduation." I thought about it for a long time. I realized that back in my hometown, people who went to university often ended up herding buffalo. University wasn't the only path, but it was the most common one. With a lot of thoughts swirling in my head, I called my mother. She wouldn't let me stay because people in the countryside are very proud of their children going to university, and she wouldn't agree to me going to college. After persuading my mother and with the help of my sister, my parents calmed down and told me...“Your future is your own decision.”"At that moment, I couldn't say thank you to my mother, but deep down, I wanted to express something."“"Thank you, Mom, for letting go and giving me my freedom.".

The next day, we went to visit colleges. My sister and I went to see FPT College because it had just moved to a new location and wasn't very modern yet. We had to travel a long distance to get a recommendation from a friend of my sister's about Viet My College. As soon as I stepped inside, I was amazed by how energetic the students were and how fluently they spoke English! I fell in love with the school the first time I entered and decided that my future would begin here. I stayed at my siblings' house in District 9, and the commute to class was about an hour. That first night, I couldn't sleep because I was 30 minutes late and got lost everywhere. Eventually, I arrived, listened to the teacher for about 15 minutes, and then had to leave. On Monday, the teacher asked a student to borrow a pen to write on the board. I volunteered, but it was too early and the librarian hadn't left yet. I went up and said something I'll never forget: "There's no one down there" ('nớ' is a local dialect word). Neither she nor the whole class understood; everyone stared at me with wide eyes, making my face turn bright red. After thinking for a while, I explained it to everyone. In class, I only knew how to listen and write; I didn't talk to anyone because of my language barrier. I didn't understand what they were saying, and no one understood what I said. When I read in English, the whole class burst out laughing. Oh, what a disappointment! I was hesitant about participating in Bonding Day, but decided to go anyway. For some reason, someone called and asked me to be the group leader. We couldn't communicate much because they didn't understand, but I took the plunge. At the end of Bonding Day, it felt great to have made many new friends, and even better to stand on stage and share my feelings with everyone – "I don't know if everyone understood," but whatever, I felt amazing.

The school has many interesting and beneficial activities that help me better understand my field of study and plan my future. The teachers are like family, like parents, caring for me in every little detail, which surprised me. The lessons at school are so interesting and engaging. I felt both shy and nervous standing in front of so many students practicing speaking for 1 minute, 2 minutes, then 3 minutes, but it helped me become more confident in front of others. The sex education class helped me understand things I'd never heard before; I understand why people in my hometown who are 1-2 years older than me are already married. There are subjects that surprise me, and the teachers' attention to each student is truly remarkable.

Looking back after almost a year, I realize how much I've changed and transformed. I never thought I'd be where I am today. Sometimes, when I miss home, a few tears fall, but those are tears of happiness and tears of gratitude. “"Thank you, Grandma, for giving birth to Mom, and thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving birth to such a wonderful person like me."” Thank you to my teachers, friends, and seniors for always being by my side throughout this journey. Life ahead is long, and assignments hold many challenges. I wish everyone success in their studies and work.

Oh, Vietnam and America, I love you forever!

NGUYEN DUY HAI (BMH2015)

Author: Viet My College - Date written: November 3, 2016

Category: Student life, News - Events, Training