Kieu Nguyen

Composition I
Shephen Burns
Due date: 9/4/2015

PERSONAL NARRATIVE- MY THREE MOST MEMORIES

On a sunny day in August, our composition class had a brainstorming session about our personal
story. Each person had a chance to share our own story and what experiences have changed our
life. Thinking briefly, I thought about 3 important events: one was in teenager, one was in high
school and one was 2 years after graduated high school. Honest to say, those are not only three
unforgettable timelines, but it has turned a new paged of my life. They gave me some useful
experiences and helped me overcame difficulties that I might encounter in my life. Three
precious experiences that I think if I didnt have that I wouldnt become a grown up person
like right now.

Writing about my first memory, there was two opposite feelings that came with it, but at first, let
me share the story. It happened when I was in 6th grade--an age ready to be a teenager. An age
what they call change the most either outside and inside. Because of the prize--a free water
park ticket that my teacher gave to me when I was in top 10 of class, appearing in my mind was a
bunch of plans to go to that place. Frankly, to go to there was like a lucky chance once in a
thousand year. My mood and my feeling in that day just like in the heaven. There was just one
word can describe what was really inside me fabulous.

My mom was a busy businesswoman, so after hearing my suggestion, her answer was no. Like
a thunderbolt, everything around me turned to grey and I felt like my life was a melancholy sky.
But, I never gave up what I really want so that night, I made my own particular plan. With my
two best friends and my 2-year-old younger sister, I miscalculated the whole plan including:
riding the bus, money for whole route, time, . That was the first time I used all of my
knowledge, my brave and my enthusiasm to create a plan and use it in reality. I felt extremely
confident in myself. Nevertheless, that trip caused a big concern for my mother. I tried to
persuade her with my plan and the promise everything would be alright. However, my moms
visage when I mentioned the same suggest was enough to make me understand the answer. But
in my mind, still waiting for the yes word even it would happen with a low probability. With
no expression, she looked at me in a long time, opposite my mood- sitting on the fire. But, her
answer totally surprised me Ok. The feeling just like when you hear a great news or when an
umpire announces a match result. Everything like exploding inside me.
Despite my familys objection, allowing her two young daughters to go without the care of
parents was not a good idea. But at that time I was too young to understand the dangers. Until
now, when I remember that story, pride and shame always appear concurrent in my mind. Proud
because I could do what I never imagine I could do, ashamed because I didnt notice my moms
feeling. But thanks to God, my trip went well as far as I expected. The water park like a colorful
world separate from the world outside. All my concerns were disappeared but instead I wallowed
in pleasure with the eagerness. After many hours having fun, I got back home in a heavy rain. It
was truly depicted a view of the party is about to end and caused inside me a bad prediction. As
far as I guessed, the bad luck occurred since I got on the bus. I accidentally drop the last money
which was for the bus ticket since when that I couldnt remember. I was completely panic, I was

afraid that I couldnt go home and would be kick out of the bus. My heart beat faster that I could
heard clearly, I was shaky in fear and the cold of the rain. Suddenly, a hand touched on my
shoulder from the back made me startled. I turned around and appeared in front of me, a
drenched 5000 VND bill- given by an old man with a mystery smile. That was my bill that Id
dropped- I recognized it. At that time, the bad feeling about that man switched to a grateful, a
happy feelingthe feeling of being rescue
After hearing my story, my partners said that they empathized with me because they all went
through that age, the childish age. But the importance was, I dared to make my wish come true.
Having the same point, one of my partners shared his story about his first job. Even though it had
lots of difficulties but with his passion, he successfully made it. His story reminded me about my
first part time job at KFC. Normally, I am a shy person so its hardly to take my first step into the
real world with no practical experience. But to find an income for my consumption, I try to do
my best in my first internship week. Standing and running as a waitress for 5 hours and just only
took a rest in 15 minutes, I was extremely exhausted by the end of my shift. More than that,
serving people made me felt a little bit ashamed. I didnt know why and when, a place which I
loved and enjoyed when my parents took me to on weekend became a prison. It made me felt
uncomfortable and stuffy when at the same place but two different scenes. A warm, cheerful
view contrasted to the harsh, noisy and dirty view inside the kitchen. Only 5 hours per day but
turned out it was completely freak me out by lots of thing that I had never experienced before.
Two days a week working until 11 pm, I was too scared to go home alone. Along the distance
from workplace to home were 2 lines of trees with no house, no light except streetlights. It was
famous about robbery, kidnapping and murdering which totally frightened me. That was the most
reason I wanted to give up. Another reason was about the salary. 10.000 VND (equivalent 50

cents) per hour was not a good income when everyday I would pay for a bus ticket with 50 cents.
So after hearing my story, my family and my friends were surprised and dissuaded me to quit
that job. They said that the safety must always come first. But in my mind, I was struggling, I
was frustrated about everything. And finally, I gave up after 1 week.
Although it was not a good experience but it helped me realize real world is different from what
you think when you sit in your home, nurtured under your parents protection. Life is not easy!
My partner, who was sitting next to me, launched her opinion after I finished speaking.
Everybody has each difficulties and they dont like it at all, but no one knows your life has to
have that to grow up yourself. And to continue, she began her story about the fear of public
speaking and the fear of roller coaster. The fear of public speaking -I was thinking I have it
too and I bet everybody does have that. That reminded me that I used to have my own maxim
for the above case. Its sound ridiculous but it worth sometime. everybody will die, everything
will disappear and your speech will not exist in this world.
Do you have any difficulties when you came here? A question suddenly pulled me back to the
present. That was my teacher. Difficulty? Im living with that right now!. My answer piqued
the curiosity of everyone around

Study abroad was truly the biggest difficulty in my life. Of course it had tons of worries and
concerns go with that. First, my English. Basically, I started to learn English online in 6 months,
4 months in school and then go to The U.S. Thats why when I first came here, I was shocked
because I couldnt hear even a word. They spoke too fast!. Sometime I wish if the world just
has one language only, everything would be easy! I know that every country has a pride of their
own language but its not important anymore when it makes everything become intricacy.

Suddenly interrupting my speech, my partner asked me a question. "Does Vietnamese speak

fast? Yes Then we are the same, dont ask why. A saying made me couldnt say a word
except laughing.
Second, I had to pass the interview at the Embassy of the United States. A chance to get a ticket
for study abroad just like a chance to get into medical school. Entering a place just like a prison
with no window, quiet like a night with no wind and especially a gloomy face of an interviewer
totally made me panic. He asked me in the time longer than I thought. More than that, his
scowling face made me couldnt breath -I was frozen like a statue. But, at that moment, the
sentence you are welcome to study in the US woke me back to present. Getting out from the
building with no expression on my face, everybody thought that I failed until I saw my mom I
pass, mom. She starts to cry after hearing my news. The cry of happiness.
However, it was not the most difficulty. Homeless was the most. Live without parent is not easy
to me. It took me a month to get familiar with the new environment. I remembered in the first
week in here, almost every night, I went too bed at 9 pm and woke up at 5 am just because I
wasnt familiar with the time zone. Lying on the bed in the dark room with the cold of winter, no
sound except the sound of falling leaves and sometime a yap, I missed my home, my family, my
friends, my pretty dog and started to cry. The sadness Ive ever had.
Fourth, I remembered Vietnamese food with its particular taste that I couldnt find in any
Vietnamese restaurant in The U.S. Fifth, I couldnt adapt my body to the weather. From a place
with 80 degree to 30 degree in winter, I was completely frozen since step out of airplane in Little
Rock airport. Even in the summer, could you imagine that I had to bring a warm coat everyday
due to the temperature inside the building and I had to take out when I was outside. Its worse
than the winter. Sixth, my face, everybody in here when they saw my face and asked about my

age, they totally surprised. What I heard usually was you look young, you look like sixteen, I
am 21 though. But in my country, people think Im older than my age.
Finishing my story is her surprise and my laugh. My partner looked at me with her big eyes
you are 21- I cant believe that. You look young!.

Although my life has passed so many things but the memories in teenager, high school and study
abroad are what I remember the most. Those not only have left a deep imprint in my mind but
also helped me experienced the experiences that I had never had. From which I draw some
conclusions for myself: everything has its difficulty but the effort will help you achieve the goal,
life is not what you imagine, experiments will build your personality, yourself and who know
lucky and opportunity will appear on the path that you are walking on.