Personal Essay

Being dragged to temples and the Hiệp Thái food store had been the weekends I had always remembered dreading. Surrounded by a highly inflected language and strict customs caused discomfort regarding my culture.

I have always had a global perspective and love for cultural immersion. My Spotify playlists contain songs with various languages while my weekends are occupied by Hindi and Korean dramas. I even established a love for Southeast Asian culture and became familiar with their customs, cuisine, and entertainment. After many videos showcasing Vietnam’s culture and society, I soon fell in love with my homeland. However, my attraction was mirrored by a deep feeling of regret due to my disliking and inept understanding of my native language at a young age.

I decided to relearn the language from my parents and take weekly lessons from my cousin in hopes to re-engage with my heritage. I watched videos regarding the nation’s city and rural life to better understand the culture and improve my language proficiency. I begged my parents to take me to Vietnamese markets and restaurants, so I could maximize my cultural immersion. Through these experiences and my motivation to learn a new language, I developed conversational Vietnamese in a span of three months.

What I have realized about myself is that if I set my heart to a deep passion, I will be motivated and excel in it. But it was not just learning a third-world language that caused me to develop a driven mindset. From tennis tournaments to college applications, my focus and interests shift constantly. But my attention towards that certain goal or activity receives 100 percent of my effort. I am the type of person who is productive and feels successful when I have a goal to achieve. Although this trait may be strong and reveal my stubbornness at times, I hope that it will help me persevere through difficult times or when I pursue my future ambitions.

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