A bit of my childhood

I was born in a “well-educated” family, as the first-born of two hard-working engineers. The word “well-educated” here doesn’t mean I was sent to any pricey private school; in fact, I was studying at a public school with normal kids you would find at any place in Vietnam. 

 

“You have to remember education, however, is the golden key of stability and career success” - This lesson I grew up with since I was a fetus. My parents were poor people of the post-Vietnam-war generations, saving up every single unit of money, hungry for letters and numbers. In my early days, my grandma questioned me every time I went out if I had done my homework: and she would shout at me even when I had completed, mocking why I would go out wasting time for playing the meaningless. Before I started working, the only question came up in my dad’s mind is whether I have studied hard enough for my upcoming test. My uncles, beautifully aligning on the same line of thoughts, never forgot to remind me of studying hard.

 

Don’t misunderstand I am blaming my family. Without them, I would not have been who I am today. The truth is I am satisfied with who I am today and I always express my deepest gratitude to those who have granted me the learning opportunity and reminded me how important education is.

 

So, my innermost belief of the key to survive was by “being educated”. One point I would like to stress is that education was not something voluntarily did, but instead, I followed. As long as I was educated by the older, I would survive. I once thought.

 

A bit of my adolescence

“What are they talking about?”

“Why I don’t know anything about the games they are discussing?”

“Why I could not play any musical instrument?”

It was all why and why.

 

I once hated myself for knowing nothing, for being less knowledgeable than my peers whom I met every day. I felt excluded, ignorant and lonely. At that very moment, whatever I had learned and had been educated was meaningless.

 

It is interesting now thinking back the time I considered myself a nerd. And, I was sick of that thinking. I thought I was abnormal.

 

I think deep down in my heart, I was curious about every change happening around me, but “learn to catch up with friends first” I told myself.

 

A bit of my adulthood

Now that I understand the values I am having.

Now that I understand perfection is hardly possible.

Now that I understand I am unique and special just by not knowing what my friends all know.

 

I started reading books, books, and more books. The biggest change happened inside me. My mindset. Education is no longer what I considered my responsibility. It became a privilege, an invisible form of power leading to opportunities and innovations.

 

The blog is part of my effort to mark the growth within my mind. It is personal. But, I want to share my output. 

It is the output (lessons and feelings) after finishing a book is more important than its content.

 

That’s about me:) 

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Warm greetings to all.