Dear younger me,
How’s life in the past? Are you doing well and making lots of friends? I hope you’re happy there. Things in 2020 are a bit off the charts in a bad way right now. There is an infectious virus, locusts are eating all the crops, wildfires are increasing, good Black Lives Matter protests, and global warming is still increasing. Well, I guess you wouldn’t know about global warming since you are too young. The past seems better than the present right now.
Remember going to Sunday Vietnamese Class every week. Yeah, that was boring, but I want to ask you to stay there and actually learn. I am regretting it now than I ever did in the past for quitting. If I knew then what I know now, I would do it. Learning Vietnamese will help you get connected with your parents and your mother’s side of the family when you go to Vietnam. You can also talk to your aunts and uncles, talk at Vietnamese restaurants, and have a piece of your culture with you. It can also benefit your parents when you translate for them. I want to ask you to stay in Sunday Vietnamese Class and pay attention to benefit us both.
Another thing I regret is being open and trying new things. I know you are scared of what people think of you and how they judge how you do things, but do not let that stop you from having fun. Learn an instrument or try out for a sport. Have fun because childhood only comes once in a lifetime. Besides, being more open can help you make friends and be friendlier. Do not fear judgement, but think of it as something to defeat by being more open and having fun. If you don’t, you will regret not doing it.
Now I hope you know what you need to do now, learn Vietnamese and be more open. Don’t let the fear of judgement and the difficulty of learning stop you from becoming a better person. I want you to keep some part of your culture and have fun. Make sure you remember this and know that giving up can affect you permanently. Now I bid you a fair well and have a great day. I hope this message will teach you something.
Love,
Future You
John Vu – St. Ignatius – DMSF