Chapter 1: I have a dream
Everyone has a dream, don’t they? Do you have one? Two? Or more?
When I was in primary school, the art teacher gave me a drawing exercise as homework. The task was to draw what I would like to become in the future. I still remember that I was so worried about the assigned task. When I got home, I was anxiously spending hours and hours just to think about what I need to draw for my teacher. I did not know what I wanted to become. And the fact is that I am still spending time to figure out that question now; but this time, without anxiety.
Hello everyone, my name is Ricky and of course, it is just my nickname. As a Vietnamese in origin, my real name is Tiến Đạt. In my tradition, every name has a meaning and with my name, it means “to go forward and achieve”. In my opinion, I was born to conquer my dreams. Now you might start questioning what is it right? What did I draw about in the drawing excerise that my teacher gave me when I was in primary school? Hold on a second and keep reading!
Chapter 2: From a little Vietnamese boy, to a multinational environment
I was born in a hundred percent Vietnamese family. The traditional blood that goes through my vain give me a national pride with all its enriched culture. I love my country and all its values that make me who I am today. Since I was a kid, my mom had started moving to Taiwan for work, my aunt had also been working in Japan as a tour guide and my grandparents had been living in America. My aunt and mom visited me often but my grandparents, as they live far away, was occasionally coming for special holidays such as new years and other traditional holidays. Growing up in a family that is affected by many different international cultures, I have a chance to open up my mind and be able to look at a single issue from different perspectives.
Being taught by such a family, I am always eager to learn about new cultures and experience new places. In the journey to make my dream(s) come true, I decided to come to Finland to study. At the moment, I am in the last year of my bachelor’s degree in tourism at Lapland University of Applied Sciences. Studying here gives me an opportunity to integrate myself into such a multinational environment that includes classmates from all around the world. I am amazed by many new things I can learn day by day.
The next chapter: What is my dream?
Back to the drawing excercise that happened almost 17 years ago, what did I draw? The simple mindset of a seven years old boy in me after a tough night of wondering came up with a simple solution. I wanted to be a good student for my teacher. I wanted to get as many as 10 scores as I can and be the best student in the class. I drew me studying hard, holding a 10 scored test with a smile on my face. Above us, an airplane is flying.
The fact is that each of us has different dreams, and they can change after time. A seven years old boy in me after a few years later started to dream about living in a snowy country enjoying northern light dancing in the sky after seeing them through a travel magazine. After achieving that by coming to Finland, I got lost in finding the next dream. However, for those of you, who still do not know what you want to become, don’t worry about it. We still have time to figure it out. It is never too late to know what you want, right? It is just a matter of time, isn’t it? Tell me about your dream in the comment section below if you have got one, share the post if you feel interested, and follow this blog for my next journey chapter. This question now is for you:
“What is it outside the walls?”
Love you all!