I am currently 20 years old, almost 21.
I can hardly remember when was the first time I started to have interaction with other people.
And I am sure that after another 20 years, I won’t remember all the interactions I have made in my early 20s.
But there will always be one thing I will remember
My parents taught me how to walk when I was … I can tell for sure I made quite a show there with my whole family cheering.
I learn how to talk when I was 3. My parents thought I was a slow learner, they plant on getting me to a specialist. But I decided to make a dramatic entrance, even though it costed my parents a few years of age worrying.
I know what friendship at 7 years old. Our kinder gang included a big-fat kid, who claimed to have enrolled 1 years later. And a smaller, more fragile. We used to pick up on him, call him “a toothpick” so the fat kid can use after his meal. Sometimes, jokes went out of hand, we fought, using all kind of weapons: shoes, sandals, books, …
I made a girl cried. She cried a lot, I remembered. We teased her, and she threw a comic book in the fat kid’s face. Her dad came, with a phone in his hand. That’s the first time I shed a tear. We got to disciplinary report 100 times with parents’ signature. I never hurt a girl’s feeling since. That’s when I was 10.
My parents’ signature didn’t stop there. I forgot to do homework. I used phones during classes. Again homework. I took my moms’ money to buy games’ inventory. I stayed up late, watching anime, playing FPS games. I slept during classes. All the bad stuff happened at the same time. To a moment, I looked at my mom. I then knew what hopelessness was. It was too painful for her. I was 14 then.
I failed my high school entrance exam. I guess I had to pay something back. Luckily, my mom investments on the extra class worked. I got into a school specializing in language, even though I had to pay more. I couldn’t thank my parents enough. They are truly heroes.
I once met a girl. She was in the same English extra class with me. I was in 9th grade then. Everyday around her my life was colorful. We texted every day, she visited me at my school. We used to video call every New-Year Eve. We didn’t go further than being friend, I wasn’t ready for her. I didn’t know I can feel happiness and pain simultaneously.
I studied harder in high school. I never wanted good grades, I just don’t want to finish last. I saw responsibility, leadership, hard work in so many gifted people, that pushed me harder every day. I finished almost last, but I was genuinely proud to see my progress. And my parents’ didn’t have to meet the teachers for troubles.
I had the chance to go study abroad. I had to pass the German Certificate Exam and the entrance exam. Night before that day, I couldn’t sleep. I lied there for a long time, thinking about my life. I was 18 years old when I had those reflections.
Corona was a bitch. I couldn’t visit my grandma before I went to Germany. I couldn’t even go out to enjoy the street in Hanoi. But I got how important it is to spend quality time with family, even though it was boring. Time is limited and your parents won’t be there to wait for you when you need them.
And then came Germany.
I had goals, ambitions in Germany. While talking to an Uzbekistan. He was my first mentor. And above all, we shared the same vision.
I had my first job. I got treated as a grown-up. It was stressful, but I can surely take more of it. My manager helped me a lot, and I owed him and his family. Also all the people I was working with, they all left a piece of good memories. I knew how to appreciate the good relationship in my life.
I have lived for 20 years. Bad and good things happen. People come and go. We will soon forget everything from today. But there will be one thing that stay the same: The lessons. Lessons learned are the precious gems that endure, shining brightly even as years pass. Through the highs and lows, we grow and evolve, sculpted by the hands of life’s lessons. The beauty of these lessons lies in their resilience; they accompany us, shaping our perspectives, influencing our choices, and guiding our actions.
In the end, it is not the things we possess or the memories that fade that define us. It is the wisdom etched in our hearts and minds, the timeless lessons that stay the same, guiding us toward a life well-lived.
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