"Humanity, teacher and I are here, now and happy"

Dedicated to Mr. Pham Van Hue - Training Department

“Love a place simply because there is someone you love there”

Yet I loved and came to Nhan Van so naturally like a child loves his mother. Nhan Van to me at that time was just Nhan Van - a university with the faculty I pursued. Nhan Van to me at that time was a dream, a hope, a love that I could not define. Nhan Van to me at that time only appeared in my own imagination and perception: Oh! Two rows of straight trees in spring, milk flowers falling, covering the entire yard in white. Oh! The spacious lecture halls, standing at the end of the class looking up, everything was tiny, only the size of a fingertip. Oh! The tables, chairs, badges, uniforms... Everything was drawn in me unconsciously. Then one day by chance I read an article about the Faculty of Oriental Studies in the Hoa Hoc Tro newspaper, that was the fateful day that brought me there... Nhan Van entered me like that.

And so… Nhân Văn arrived!!! No milk flowers, no vastness, no magic and beauty like in my immature imagination back then. Nhân Văn was small, pretty, but the people were very smiling… They always smiled at me as well as my peers. My love for Nhân Văn grew. Perhaps it would forever be an indefinable love if…

…

6687

That's the number of days since I cried out in this world until now.

I can't remember clearly which day in that huge number, Nhan Van had a big change for me.

The echo of victory in the university entrance exam still lingers in a young and ambitious girl like me. I am still arrogant, proud and full of confidence (perhaps a bit too much) before the entrance exam to the international standard class - which was my initial goal when I set foot in this school. During that exam, I met people who always smiled. It was the teachers who guided us wholeheartedly and thoughtfully so that we could have a safe and quality exam. The teachers always smiled at the students, no, at that time we were already called students. The one who left an unforgettable impression in me in those smiling people was the teacher. Completely different from my childish thoughts: university lecturers must be majestic, elegantly dressed and full of seriousness. Yet the Teacher appeared so simply with brown skin, a pair of glasses and rubber sandals... He was always the one who smiled at us, that smile was so warm and gentle, more than all the smiles I had seen before. He was kind, caring and never got angry. It was like an encouragement, giving us more strength to do better on the test. However, my arrogance was too great, I could not overcome myself. I failed. I was sad. I lost hope. I tormented and blamed myself. For weeks, I felt like I was living in darkness with no way out. I wandered to school on a day off and cried like a child. Unconsciously, I went to the Training room to see the Teacher. Looking at my appearance at that time, thinking back now, I still laugh. The Teacher still smiled and greeted me, asked me and advised me to try harder on the next test. Looking into his eyes that could not be more sincere, I then woke up. I suddenly realized that the first failure in my student life, I did not share with my mother, relatives, friends but with my teacher. I do not understand why from a stranger I have such a familiar feeling. I wonder if in my previous life he was my brother or someone extremely close to me!?! To me, he is the gentlest of the gentlest people, the friendliest of the friendly people and perhaps the kindest of all the people I have met.

The second exam was not a bright day. It was drizzling and drizzling. I met the teacher again. The teacher covered his head with his hand, walked through the rain and led us to the exam room. I followed the teacher's tall figure and felt strangely peaceful. I don't know why I thought of the image of a flock of chicks hiding under their mother's wings when a hawk flew by. I suddenly laughed out loud. The teacher looked at me and smiled, chasing away the rain and the gray sky outside. I felt so safe. This exam was very quiet, maybe everyone had become discouraged after the first exam. The teacher observed us for a long time and then took out his phone. I guessed that the teacher was trying to contact the students who hadn't arrived yet. I understood, because the teacher was a kind person.

“Loving a place simply because there is someone we love there.”

For me now, that is a completely correct philosophy. Since the moment I met the Teacher, Nhan Van has become gentler, more peaceful, and importantly, Nhan Van has always smiled at me, even if it was only in my imagination. Since that moment, I have not had the chance to meet the Teacher again. Of course, I cannot make up any excuse to go to the Training Room.

While reading a book, I happened to read a sentence: "If we looked back at each other five hundred times in our previous life, we would only have the chance to meet again once in this life." If that's true, I wish I could have looked back at my Teacher more than fifteen hundred times in my previous life to find the feeling of safety and peace, even just once would be enough.

Up to this point, the remaining days of the first year are not many... I will never forget the first memories of my life. In me now, there is still intact the desire to enter the international standard class. I have many wishes for the future and somewhere in my life there is still the image of the simple and kind Teacher. Not long ago, I heard that the Teacher was officially admitted to the Party, I was very happy and secretly hoped that good things in life would come to the Teacher and that the Teacher would always be as gentle as that. As for me, I still love and will love Nhan Van sincerely, I want to have the opportunity to meet the Teacher again in the future, meeting Nhan Van again makes me proud because I have gone on the right path.

If I could do it again, I would still choose Humanities!!!