The colorful picture of life

(Baonghean) - After many years of studying abroad in the West, experiencing all the emotions and challenges of the days away from home, I just smile and never answer when someone asks: "Studying abroad must be great, right?".

With my own experience over the past few months, I firmly believe one thing: Studying abroad is... possible. What do you get after a... Western degree?

First of all, in my opinion, studying abroad is... miserable. During the years of studying abroad, there will be no parents by your side, no housekeeper, not many friends in a land where no one knows who you are, the children of uncle B and nieces of uncle Z, young men and women in their twenties will have to take each step responsibly for themselves on the rough path of independent life in a foreign land.

Secondly, studying abroad is... learning to love. Trust me, you will never feel how dear your parents' "Hello, is that you? Is that you?" response is until you hear it from thousands of kilometers away. Distance makes people indifferent to anger, indifferent to criticism... and only immersed in love - sacred family affection that sometimes being too close together can cause neglect. There are tall, strong boys who have never known how to stay home with their mothers on weekends, but when they are far away, seeing their mothers smile on the Skype screen, they burst into tears as innocently as when they were children. And there are also girls who, despite being labeled by their parents as "Ms. Doan", "Miss. Vo tam"..., know how to spend hours in the store to choose and re-choose the most beautiful tie color to give to their fathers.

Although there is no official survey result, I still believe that the majority of international students will appreciate and love the word "Family" much more after years away from home.

Third, studying abroad is... becoming independent and mature. When studying abroad, sick: Alone! Lost: Alone! Hungry: Alone! Troubled: Alone! You can naturally cry and be sad, then calmly stand up and continue on, wiser and stronger, as this life needs you to be.

The trajectory of those “alone” points creates a wonderful development environment to train strong, mature, and truly independent citizens rather than 20-year-old “babies” who still need their mother to call them for dinner.

And then, studying abroad is to... see. It's not that the grapes here are bigger than the oranges at home. It's that the footsteps of the people around us are always faster and more urgent. It's that 8 hours of work are really 8 hours of work, not the sum of hasty addition: 2 hours of coffee + 2 hours of gaming + 2 hours of chatting + 1 hour of arguing with 1 hour of little work.

Realize that there is no paradise waiting for you in this world, but only two simple halves: the half of those who keep trying, and the half of those who like to waste time. If you want paradise, you have to create it yourself. See how lost you will be if you accidentally speak too loudly on the bus or see the strange looks of your friends waiting for you when you are late.

And see many more things we have never seen, and consider them unusual while we are used to normal things they have never seen.

Every hour, every minute you see, every day you see, live to see, and see to live, there will come a time when you will see yourself

has been very different from the day I first arrived, seeing the benefits of social education. That is the difference between studying abroad and traveling.

Studying abroad is a round trip flight in which the outbound flight is full of hope and countless hardships; the return flight is not necessarily full of success and happiness; there is no such ticket on the flight of life except for the tireless efforts of each of us at all times and places. However, let's fly up to know that: we are small in the midst of a vast life and always need to reach high.

So, young people, if you have the opportunity to study abroad, go ahead, don't be afraid!

The sky beyond is not pink, but it is a very worthy color in your colorful life picture.

Hoang Huy