SILVER LINING
The first year of living after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 was the most difficult for me. When I heard my president Minh Duong, in South of Vietnam, commanded us to give up and hand the weapons to the North Vietnamese Communist Party, it felt like an atomic bomb exploded inside my head. My entire life, my body, and my heart fell down as I came to a free fall. For weeks I gradually got used to a new reality that my government lost the war. When terrible things happened to me after the war, I faced my most difficult challenges when I was hell bent on coming to America. With a growth mindset, I kept looking forward to the sunny side of life; I hoped to recover my life.
I consciously chose the positive side by daring to choose …show more content…
I named my journey to the USA as Rose Harbor because my mother’s name was Rose, and the promised land of America that she offered me was a harbor. Since her death, one day at a time, I have taken her words to heart. I remember a walk with my mother that taught me the most important lesson about having resilience in one’s life. Even the little wood duck with its broken wings must fly again. On leaving her, I promised to her that I would live a good life for both of us. I vowed to overcome the difficulties and become a teacher.
The urge to teach developed during my freshman year. One of my strongest skills I forged was my mathematical skills. I was interested in logic, explaining and reasoning – how an algebraic or physic problem could actually be solved. I became more proficient in doing math and physics, and this inspired me to become a math teacher.
Today, keeping my promise to my mother, I devote my life to education. The classroom is the most challenging place to respond to the call of my mother. Loving our students by teaching, mentoring, listening, and walking with young people on their journey of education is the reason I am in this field today. That comes from taking lots of small, ordinary steps in the right direction. The early terrible losses hurt me, but they could not defeat me because I was determined to be truthful to my mother. My experiences have strengthened my soul and
The first year of living after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 was the most difficult for me. When I heard my president Minh Duong, in South of Vietnam, commanded us to give up and hand the weapons to the North Vietnamese Communist Party, it felt like an atomic bomb exploded inside my head. My entire life, my body, and my heart fell down as I came to a free fall. For weeks I gradually got used to a new reality that my government lost the war. When terrible things happened to me after the war, I faced my most difficult challenges when I was hell bent on coming to America. With a growth mindset, I kept looking forward to the sunny side of life; I hoped to recover my life.
I consciously chose the positive side by daring to choose …show more content…
I named my journey to the USA as Rose Harbor because my mother’s name was Rose, and the promised land of America that she offered me was a harbor. Since her death, one day at a time, I have taken her words to heart. I remember a walk with my mother that taught me the most important lesson about having resilience in one’s life. Even the little wood duck with its broken wings must fly again. On leaving her, I promised to her that I would live a good life for both of us. I vowed to overcome the difficulties and become a teacher.
The urge to teach developed during my freshman year. One of my strongest skills I forged was my mathematical skills. I was interested in logic, explaining and reasoning – how an algebraic or physic problem could actually be solved. I became more proficient in doing math and physics, and this inspired me to become a math teacher.
Today, keeping my promise to my mother, I devote my life to education. The classroom is the most challenging place to respond to the call of my mother. Loving our students by teaching, mentoring, listening, and walking with young people on their journey of education is the reason I am in this field today. That comes from taking lots of small, ordinary steps in the right direction. The early terrible losses hurt me, but they could not defeat me because I was determined to be truthful to my mother. My experiences have strengthened my soul and