Rum…rum, ahh, no..no! The screams of fish merchants fighting for fresh fish were drowned out by the sound of the engines of brilliantly colored boats returning to the port from offshore fishing, mixed with lamentations and discussion about a life struggling with time to earn $4-5 a day of the aged people in the fishing village.
Ting, ting! The sound came from the large rectangular screen at Tan Son Nhat airport and signaled to passengers who had Eva Airline flight BR0396 on February 15, 2020 to enter check-in, interrupting the daily scene I had to face.
Holding a silky smooth plane ticket with a faint smell of ink made my heart pound like Dong Son bronze drums. In economy class, somehow, the cramped nature of this inexpensive seat made me feel like there was a flickering flame that brought a bizarre expectation about America, where I supposed would be the shore of happiness and, the place where my reveries would bloom.
Seemingly there was not every sunshine that was glorious, every raindrop was cold, and every dream was marvelous. Despite the American Dream that I had idolized for so long, a cruel reality knocked me out in my first year with a rough paper announcing that I had failed the EOC English 1 exam for the second time with I needed to pass this exam to qualify for high school graduation. At this time,I was like a small boat facing the vicious waves in the massive ocean, as murky as a vast canvas. For someone who like me who had never left the list of leading students, this was an excruciating fall and an unacceptable thing.
In Choir class, my tear glands started to operate vigorously. Evidently, my eyes can contain a sinuous ridge and the boundless sea, but they can't contain my tears. I struggled to dilate my pupils as much as possible, but my resistance was not enough, and the tears of saltwater fell in dread and anxiety because I was praying to the Buddha, a creed Vietnamese Buddhists do when they want to gain something.
I kept walking starry-eyed through helplessness and suffering. They were like the cancer cells gnawing at me bit by bit until there was a voice in my mind saying that I was not born to dissipate into an anonymous grain of sand; I was born to leave my core values on this kaleidoscopic earth, and become my parents’ pride.
I realized that I had to do something so that later on my parents could admire this endless world a little bit, and so that I wouldn’t be an anonymous grain of sand that is dissolved in some nook of the universe.
For the first time, I was complacent and supposed that I could pass the test without practice. The second time I took the exam, I thought that by praying to the Buddha, I would pass the test, but I didn't know that there would be no manifestation of Buddha who would enable me if I didn't strive. Therefore, I decided to devote many sleepless nights to practicing reading to improve my vocabulary and grammar. I spent a few hours practicing some exam questions, participated in volunteer work, and was enthusiastic about enrolling in meetings about college.
Undeniably, this choice was such a heavy cross to bear at first, but I believed that my relentless efforts would lead to success in the future. Eventually, I received the notification that I had passed my two EOC English exams at the same time. It was even sweeter when three months later, my student information portal announced that I had passed the US history EOC with “masters” level and was in the top 10% of class rank.
Fortunately, I was rescued from that deep black hole.
I recognized that the universe still operates the way it is, and time is finite. No matter how scared I am today, how loud I cry, or how hard I laugh, as long as today is over, my budget of time is less each day. Only effort can accompany success. That's why I choose to put effort every day and develop it as a strength in myself so that in the future, I won't turn around and say if only I had tried a little that day.
I was inspired by the misconception that many young people and I hold, that everything in this world will come to us easily. With this short essay, I decided to draft it first. Then, I wrote it down. Next, I read it again and revised things such as punctuation, grammar, and word choice. I also use some literary devices for this essay such as metaphor, imagery, and tone. I structure this short essay by creating a hook first to get attention from the audience. Then, I give the supporting details. Finally, I just state what the essay has demonstrated.
In my essay, I'm exploring my current choice will define who I am in the future. As for me, I know that my life is a chain of choices. Every single selection I give out will make my life meaningful or ruin my life. So I choose to pursue educational enrichment; I choose to put one hundred percent into each class, on each assignment, and on each exam that I have. I choose to put effort every day even though this insanely complex life sometimes treats me pretty harshly because I know that these choices are a compass guiding my life to wonderful things.
"Wow Binh! I really like your piece. I liked how descriptive you were in your piece, ¨Holding a silky smooth plane ticket with a faint smell of ink made my heart pound like Dong Son bronze drums.¨ I can feel and also visualize this, and how you must have felt in that situation. I can also relate to this line, ¨ Only effort can accompany success. That's why I choose to put effort every day and develop it as a strength in myself so that in the future, I won't turn around and say if only I had tried a little that day.¨ I also can relate to that and it is true that ¨Only effort can accompany success.¨ It is very inspiring, good work with your piece!"
--Lynne Vu