|Journey 2 - Home country leaving| A story of efforts, worries, happiness and willingness.

Three years at high school passed by so quickly that I felt like everything seemed to happen just yesterday. Trust me. If you can, please respect and enjoy your high school life as much as possible and do not forget to well prepare for your university life. I know that a great number of Vietnamese students currently have a tendency to study abroad and I am not an exception. Since I won the scholarship to study in the Netherlands, there have been a lot of students asking me about my feeling about this special occasion as well as what I did after receiving it and how I prepared to go abroad in such complicated Covid-19 pandemic situation. I achieved my goal, reached the destination and I want to spread such a positive mood for you through my story below. Hope you read it and consider it as a motivation to keep trying your best!

February 11th, 2021: Interview day

I put all my efforts to persuade the interviewer that I deserved to be a Communication student at HAN University of Applied Sciences in the .

February 12th, 2021: Result day

There is no word which can express my worrying mood at this time. It was a coincidence that Result day was New Year’ Eve in Vietnam. Instead of being eager to start a new year, I locked myself in the room, waiting for the result nervously and thinking about going to the Netherlands. Finally, I was screaming in happiness when my email popped up, which told me that I was admitted into HAN.

April 28th, 2021: Scholarship day

Once again, I felt after relieved series of days struggling to write a motivation letter and perform well in the second interview. I was over the moon when I became one of the two Vietnamese students achieving the HAN-INEC Scholarship which contains 100% tuition fee for four years.

Only three months in Vietnam

I still had to self-study for the High School Graduation exam but not at an intensive and stressful level for two months in Thai Binh. Knowing the fact that I was about to leave my village for such a long time, I got up early in the morning to enjoy the break-taking view of sunrise in my village and did some exercises. In addition, I also grabbed this chance to hang out with my friends who were with me in my primary and secondary school and throwback many memories of ours. I also spent time cooking, doing the housework, talking more with my parents, hugging them every time I could and preparing well for my 2nd upcoming journey.

After two months, I went to Hanoi to take the exam for two days. According to my plan, I would spend the last two months staying in Hanoi; however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I needed to go back to Thai Binh. It was such a regret that I did not have the chance to enjoy the atmosphere of Hanoi before leaving for the Netherlands. Every planned meeting with my high school friends was cancelled, which was replaced by an online one via Zoom where we were only able to send each other virtual hugs. Instead of directly going to all corners in Hanoi ranging from my favourite cafe's to some places where I had memories with special people, I could only look at the pictures I took and rewind emotionally.

18 years living in Vietnam in general, 15 years in Thai Binh and 3 years in Hanoi in particular is long enough for me to have ups and downs and form the intense love for my beloved country. Saying goodbye to Vietnam with which I have such a long-term commitment is not easy. Being a girl who is always willing to learn and experience new things; however, pushes me to persistently keep going on.

August 19th, 2021: Leaving day

The sun was still shining and I was smiling…

It was the time for me to go to the airport and spend a total of 17 hours on a plane to reach the Netherlands. I had mixed feelings on the way to the airport, both a bit sad and eager. My parents could not see me off because they needed to follow the rules in the situation of Covid 19 pandemic which said that they could not leave Thai Binh for Hanoi, only I could because I had the school invitation and ticket; therefore, I was not able to give them the last hug and take the last picture at the airport before leaving. Luckily, my uncle and aunt who were living in Hanoi were allowed to take me to the airport and I still felt the love from them.

Honestly, this was not the first time I lived far from my family but the first time I went abroad in such a serious pandemic situation; however, going with four other students made me less nervous. To keep these moments, I decided to vlog all the activities during this journey in order to make a video and upload it on my own Youtube channel. I love this challenging but sweet start so much!

17 hours on the plane made my back ache a lot; however, I did not mind and feel tired. I could not sleep so I spent time watching films, reading books and eating. It seemed all the memories appeared in my mind at this time with the eager mood for experiencing new things in the Netherlands.

August 20th, 2021: Reaching day

Finally, the Netherlands welcomed me with a sunny sky in the afternoon and I also took a deep breath as a way of saying “Hi” to my four upcoming here - which is 9.7 thousand km from Vietnam. Suddenly, I had a feeling of disappointment and surprise, at which point, I kept thinking and worrying a lot. However, the reminder of one girl going with me brought me back to reality where I needed to complete the check-in procedure and take the luggage then go to the dormitory.

Unlike the time when I received the dormitory in Hanoi, I lived alone in a single room here so I needed to do everything alone. Though I felt a little exhausted and jet lag, I tried to arrange my room and then slept soundly for 8 hours. Waking at 7 a.m, I was bombarded with tons of messages from my family and friends and it took me about one hour to reply to all of them.

My new life starts, 
Other exciting journeys are waiting for me,
I am ready,
A 18-year-old Thu Ha.