The last leg of our journey to meet the valedictorians was a mixture of rain and sunshine on the road from Hanoi to the lowland area of Binh Luc - Ha Nam. After asking for directions many times, we finally found the house of Tong Thi Thanh Lan - co-valedictorian of block C of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2011.
Studying at specialized school, living away from home
At the beginning of the story, Lan told us about her life and her learning process from middle school to high school. She said: Since grade 6, she has studied far from home. After finishing primary school, she took the exam to enter Nguyen Khuyen specialized school in the district, 10 kilometers from home. After high school, she took the exam to enter Bien Hoa specialized school in the province. So, during her school years, she lived far from home. Lan came to Geography after many choices. In grade 6, she chose to study Literature. In grade 8, she liked Chemistry and then after listening to her teachers' good lectures, she learned a lot of knowledge about the country and people of different regions. Since then, she has loved Geography. Since childhood, she has loved exploration and dreamed of discovering different lands in the world. She always asks why it is like that and tries to find the answer herself. If she has tried hard but still cannot find it, she asks her teachers and friends. That's why Lan decided to take the Tourism exam with the hope of having the opportunity to travel to many places, explore and learn about reality. Talking to her, we learned that Lan's family has 2 siblings, both parents are farmers, and during the years she studied at a specialized school far from home, she had to overcome many difficulties and challenges. Lan shared: I still remember the winter of grade 11, I had a fever, I didn't know what to do, luckily my friends took me to the hospital, when we got to the hospital we were so scared that we could only hug each other and cry. My father worked far away and couldn't come back in time, my mother at home heard the news and hired a motorbike taxi to get there almost dark, when I woke up I saw my mother by my side, although I was no longer afraid, I felt sorry for my parents and felt extremely sad...
Unable to contain her emotions, Lan added: When I got the score and the news that I was the valedictorian, it was the same. That day, my father and I were both sick and had to stay home. When my friend told me the news, I was so moved that I hugged my father and cried. I really can't describe my feelings at that time. There were so many mixed emotions in me at that time, joy, happiness... and also worry. So I will have to live away from home for the next 4 years.
Valedictorian and the worries ahead
Lan's academic performance has been very good since she was a child, for many years she has been an excellent student, since grade 5 she participated in the provincial excellent student competition, grade 11 won third prize in the provincial excellent student competition in Geography, 12 won second prize at the provincial level and a national encouragement prize. Studying far from home since she was young, Lan had to take care of herself. Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan - Lan's mother - confided to us: In grade 6, she studied at a specialized school far from home, her father worked far away, her mother stayed home and worked on several fields, when the harvest was good it was bearable, when the harvest was bad, the family's life was difficult. During the years she went to the specialized school, the family tried very hard, seeing her study well and pass the exams made them both happy and worried. But no matter how hard it is for me to study, my family is still determined to let me continue studying... I am so used to living independently away from my family, but preparing for 4 years of university, Lan still has many worries: The most worrying thing about the new school year is accommodation, studying, and interacting in a new environment with many unfamiliar things. During the days of taking the university entrance exam, I found life in the capital noisy and rushed, I was afraid it would be difficult to integrate, and there would be many things to worry about in life. When I finished the exam, I was worried about my score, now that I know my score and I am the valedictorian, although I am very happy, I still feel worried and pressured. Because the exam for Tourism Studies, there is not only group C but also group D, the English of the D group students will be much better than ours, I am worried about whether I can keep up with them. During this time, I am trying to study more English. I am also a bit hesitant about whether I should take the exam for the high-quality class or not.
Overcoming her worries, she said: I will try to study well in 4 years of university and when my studies are stable, I will find a part-time job to help my parents... Talking further, we also learned that since she was young, whenever she had free time on weekends or summer vacations, Lan has worked part-time as a lace seller to earn extra money to buy books and reduce the hardship for her parents, even though her average daily income is only about 10,000 VND. While waiting for the school entrance date, she stays at home every day to help her parents with housework and Lan is still working part-time with the hope of saving up some money to prepare for the new school year.
