Mind

Mind

1:27 AM - everything is completely quiet. In contrast to the silent darkness that is covering my room, my thoughts raise their voices louder and louder. I have lived almost eighteen years. I wonder what I have done all this time. The first third of my life was spent safe in my parents’ arms, peaceful and carefree. During the second third, I have learned the meaning of love in addition to loss. Looking around, I can only see thick darkness, but I can feel my mom’s tired breath and the wrinkles on her face.
My parents had spent all of their time and effort to build a stable life for us in Vietnam. They seemed to have had everything:   a full life, a comfortable house, a high position in their jobs with affluent salaries.   However, they decided to leave all their success behind in order to give me a new life. We moved here. We have to begin at the starting point…again.
I realize now, that the most difficult challenge is not beginning from the bottom; it is when someone has almost everything, but has to totally reset and start at zero again. This is the greatest sacrifice I have been forced to make and not one that everyone can do.   My dad used to be a manager. Now, he is a waiter in restaurant. He starts work at 8:00 AM and is allowed to return home in a state of exhaustion at 10:00 PM. Everyday he serves food and drink for many customers while he does not have time to eat. My mom was a housewife. Now, she works in a nail salon. She massages people’s limbs until her tired hands are numb. Many nights she returns home, and the only thing she can do is lie on the bed for a short nap before starting again the next day. We left our friends, our loved ones, and our interests to come to this new country with its new culture, and everything is foreign. We live in a small rented room. Our dinners are no longer sufficient to feed the members in my family. We don’t have time to hang out or take vacations because my parents have to work harder than ever before. All of...