|Journey 1 - Home leaving| A story of the first step for my maturity.

Thai Binh: My home - The place of peace.

I was born in 2003 in a small province to the North of Vietnam which is Thai Binh whose English meaning is Peace. I spent 15 years here peacefully living with my beloved family, studying from kindergarten to secondary school with warm and friendly friends, immersing in the love and care of my neighbours, enjoying the fresh air of my village, and getting more mature in such a good living condition and well-educated environment. All of these memories are embedded in my mind and stay here forever.

Hanoi: My second home - The capital city in Vietnam

- Getting the chance -

2018 was the year when I turned 15 and finished my secondary school programmes, which means that it was the time for every 15-year-old student to cram for exams so that we could continue studying in a high school. On May 28th, 2018, due to the fact that I became the valedictorian in the English Contest for Gifted Students in Thai Binh Province and had such excellent grades for 12 subjects in school reports, I was admitted into High School for Gifted Students, Hanoi National University of Education which is one of the four brilliant high schools in Hanoi - 100 km far from my house, Vietnam and I also have a choice to be admitted into another high school near my house called Bac Duyen Ha which is ranked as the most qualified education institution in my district in Thai Binh Province as well. Instead of studying at Bac Duyen Ha, I was encouraged to study in Hanoi where I could have more opportunities to develop myself by participating in clubs and projects in addition to studying; therefore, become a well-rounded student by both my parents and my relatives. After thinking and reflecting on myself, I decided to opt for High School for Gifted Students and I was eager as well as ready to move into a new city, study and live for successive 3 years independently. Personally, I think it is not a feeling, it is an experience.

- Meeting -

Although I had 2 months to prepare both physically and mentally for my upcoming journey, I was still overwhelmed when I packed my luggage and thought about saying goodbye to my family. I still remember the last evening in my hometown, I could not sleep but imagining about the hustle and bustle lifestyle in Hanoi, thinking about how to adapt to it, and hugging my mothers as tightly as possible.

July 28th, 2018, I officially left my home!

After 3 hours on the coach, I reached the capital city - Hanoi and I knew till now I - a 15-year-old girl needed to do everything all by myself. First, I took a deep breath as a way of saying “Hello. Nice to meet you and wish you could embrace me.” to my new life. After that, I went to the dormitory and took the key to my room on the 9th floor of a 12-storey building. Fortunately, I lived with two other girls who were so nice and generous. We met each other, unpacked the luggage, cleaned the room, and arranged our own study space as well as bed together. All these moments are unforgettable and deserve a position in my mind.

- Encountering and overcoming hardships -

For the first few weeks, I cried a lot as a baby when I got bad marks for the first day at school, when I needed to wash the laundry by hands, when I had to spend 3 hours cooking for myself, when I found difficult to make friends and get used to living in new environment, when I missed my parents and family meals, and when I thought negatively that it was my wrong choice to be here. During this time, I called my parents and said that I wanted to come back home and transfer to Bac Duyen Ha high school. It seemed that I intended to leave everything, deny all my previous efforts and lose all the motivation due to the problem of adaptation. However, I was lucky enough to have such supportive parents who inspired me and motivated me as much as possible when I needed them most. Besides, my two roommates were always sharing with me their homesickness but they did not forget to encourage me and we tried our best together, which made my day and finally I was in a good mood.

Overcoming this distress, I deeply understood myself and gradually got used to the lifestyle and studying ways here. I became an open-minded student, joined the events held by school and clubs, applied for an English club and was selected as the president after one year actively working as a member. Besides, I also tried to apply for some projects and totally passed three ones as different roles in various departments. In addition, I was also a vice-monitor of an English-specialised class and always got a high GPA because I knew how to strike a balance between studying and developing my soft skills. Looking back, I am so proud and satisfied.

- Falling in love with Hanoi -

Honestly, I want to say “I love Hanoi”. Hanoi gave me a lot of nice friends and unforgettable feelings. Hanoi embraced me when I was lonely. Hanoi “cried” when I felt disappointed (and I loved seeing this rain). Currently, I miss all the projects I took part in, I miss my club, I miss every corner of Hanoi, I miss the moment a 15-year-old girl running in a hurry to some meetings, I miss all the cafes I sat for hours to study and work, and I miss all my friends so much. I wish we had had a party to say goodbye and remind them to keep in touch with me under any circumstances.

- Saying goodbye to Hanoi -

August 19th, 2021,

It was shining to say goodbye to me...

Journey 1 ends, but my gratefulness for it stays. This is my own story, but in the near future, it is yours - 15-year-old students. Leaving home is a challenge at this age, but why don’t we consider it as a motivation? Thank you all readers for your reading until here, I really want you to respect every minute living with your parents, to be grateful to everything around you, to grab every good chance you can, to prepare well for your future and to stay motivated despite all hardships.

I can do it! and so can you.