"This diary is dedicated to Mom!"

Hanoi, [date] [month] 2015

Mom, I love you! So, it's been seven months since I became a first-year university student. I left my mother and family behind, coming to Hanoi alone to pursue my youthful dreams, carrying with me the hopes of my entire family. I stepped through the gates of the university, entering the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the school I had always dreamed of. Perhaps fate led me to the field of Social Work. The initial awkwardness with new friends, a new school, new teachers, and a new social environment is now over. I've gotten used to my friends, teachers, the teaching environment at the university, and the bustling life of Hanoi's streets. On sad afternoons after school, I walk slowly across the campus, listening to every sound, every noise. I miss home, I miss my mother so much. I often wander on the overpasses, watching the busy traffic, and I long to return to my peaceful hometown. Sometimes I'm really tired of life here, because of the worries about money, studies... I'm learning to stand up after failure, learning to cope with loneliness alone. I know my family is going through the hardest time, so I didn't dare say anything when I called Mom because I know Dad passed away, Mom has so many worries, and she has to take care of my sick grandmother. Sometimes I just want to run home as fast as I can to be in Mom's arms, to be caressed and comforted, and to cry in her embrace. But I can't be that weak; I'm Mom's beloved daughter, and I have to stand strong so Mom doesn't have to worry about me. Mom! Here, besides studying at university, I participate in clubs and volunteer groups. I get to travel a lot, network a lot, and help people in difficult circumstances. I passed two rounds of volunteer selection for the Hoa Da Club and became a student volunteer for several volunteer teams in Hanoi. My workload is increasing day by day; I'm almost always out, sometimes tired and worried, so that our volunteer programs can succeed. I'm successful, but I'm thinner and darker than before. But I love volunteering, Mom. I can't give up the habit of volunteering. With each trip, I become more mature and gain more new experiences. I've encountered so many difficult and heartbreaking situations, Mom. There are children born with disabilities, abandoned by their parents, and without anyone to care for them. There are elderly people with leprosy, neglected by their children for decades, who miss their children terribly and long to see them again, but the more they miss and wait, the more their children remain missing. There are children affected by Agent Orange, the wounds of war leaving them in pain every day. Or the little girls and boys in the highlands, enduring the cold winter winds, wearing only tattered, short-sleeved shirts, without pants or shoes. I feel heartbroken, realize how fortunate I am, and feel I need to contribute more to help more people. Furthermore, seeing the bright eyes of the children receiving small gifts from the student volunteers made me so happy. I understood that happiness is not just about receiving, but also about giving. There was a little boy, barefoot and without pants, running after me to ask for an extra box of milk; he was so adorable. I only long to travel everywhere, bringing small joys to help those in difficult circumstances, the disadvantaged in this society. The Hoa Da Club is a home for so many disabled members studying at the school. Each person has a different situation, but they all have hearts burning with love and compassion, and a determination to get an education. Society looks down on them, but they see life with youthful eyes, and I admire them so much. The Hoa Da family is always full of vitality, joy, and happiness. The enthusiasm of youth will lead me to those in difficult circumstances. This environment has taught me about love and protection, and it is etched in my heart. The proverb "A healthy leaf protects a torn leaf" (meaning "a healthy leaf protects a torn leaf").

For Hoa Da, volunteering is like family, the blood of the volunteers flows through my veins, and my fellow volunteers are like family.