It has been more than a year, almost one and a half year since you decided to leave the private university and went on an adventure to focus on learning English and to prepare for retaking university entrance exam.
Remember the day you cried, I cried, our dad and mom probably cried inside too and many other people worried about the decision you made. They all had doubts and to be fair, you and I both had some concerns too. However, all in all, to me, it has been worth it your journey and your brave decision. Up to today, there were 859 written notes you did to practice writing and around 400 hours you spent to practice speaking with me, I am so proud of how much effort you have put into and how much you have grown, personally and professionally. Your English pronunciation, speaking, writing and listening skills have improved a lot. And most importantly, you must have gained the lessons of hard work and persistence as well as belief in yourself. Never ever let your weaknesses decide who you are.
I know that in Vietnam and specifically in our small town, college is the most popular way to be successful and to have a better future, yet, I am sure you have realized it is not the only case and not everyone’s journey has to be the same. There are many people in the world but there is only one YOU who is unique. You can be successful in your own ways if you keep believing in yourself and learning about yourself. Reflecting on the past year, you will see that you chose to commit one hour to practice speaking with me every day and you chose to study by yourself. Without that hard decision of quitting an environment you do not like and of stepping out of your comfort zone, you would not be granted that opportunity for growth. It was hard, I remember the moments you called me and cried and doubted on yourself because you let others’ opinion get into your way and because you have nothing to prove to them yet. Remember that you are young and making mistakes is a great way to learn, do not be afraid to fail.
I saw many strengths in you by guiding you on this journey. You are always very committed, never miss a day practicing with me, only me who were one who did that. You are also very kind and thoughtful, always willing to listen, which made me enjoy teaching you and I guarantee that this will take you far on the journey of a learner. I saw you learnt that there will never be a perfect environment for you to study unless you create for yourself. It will be the same thing if you go out into the world, do not expect perfect things coming to you, instead, make good things happen. You must also have got that if you do not communicate to others, they cannot understand you so let whatever you think be heard. Last but not least, you matter, I and your brother always love you. Whenever things get hard, go home, home is where love is.
Whatever you do in the future, always remember that you have to work really hard to achieve what you want and even when there is no one believing in you, you need to believe in yourself. There will be someone like the one who asked you “why you are always staying at home, not going to the city”. There will also be someone like chi Tuyen who cares about you no matter what. So do not be upset about what happens, just open your eyes and learn from those experiences.
Whatever happens to your exam result this year, I do not worry because you have learnt English and you have learnt about the world as well as how to lead your own life. I convinced you to go home and study because home is the best environment in which you are taken care of. When you go out there, things will be harder, and you will be challenged but it is good for your growth and never give up. I was strict to you, and I let you tear down because all I wanted is for you to grow, being more than yourself and not to waste your time. Life is very precious, and we are lucky to have a good family, good health and good mind so make it worth. Our parents have sacrificed for us, they deserve to see us happy.
If there is one thing I learnt from America, it is that you can be anyone and do anything, listen to yourself and put all of yourself to make what you want happens. I believe in you!
