Newsletter (2017-2018) April 2018 Newsletter | Page 10

problem of an ankle injury once again, I real-
ized I did not feel scared anymore. I knew what
should I do next. I should walk down the moun-
tain slowly, I should go and see a doctor, and I
should lift up my foot when I sleep. Those were
all the proper solutions for this problem, and I
felt so happy that I came up with them alone. By Zhuofan Sun
The confidence of being oneself and being in-
As I grow up, I have started to understand my
dependent replaced my fear from 10 years ago.
parents’ hidden love.
And that was one of the great moments of grow-
ing up.
Due to China’s hukou (戶口) residency policy,
someone like me who does not have a registered
We are always proud of ourselves for something
permanent residence in Beijing cannot
great that we have done––navigating a foreign
participate in the College Entrance examination
country, getting good grades, making friends
there. Therefore, I had to decide whether I would
with incredible people. But I think, most impor-
go back to my hometown to take the exam, or
tantly, it is whether you can do all those things
officially register a permanent residence in
alone. Can you pack your own luggage instead
another city to take the examination there. My
of asking your parents to pack for you and com-
mother found that the test in Tianjin was similar
plain why you can’t find something afterwards?
to the one in Beijing. So she decided to buy a small
Do you know the emergency number of the hos-
property to get a registered permanent residence
pital? Do you have any plans of what to do if
there. And this is how I moved to Tianjin to go to
you get injured instead of crying on the phone,
high school when I was 15 years old, while my
whimpering to your parents and letting them
parents were still working in Beijing at that time.
get worried?
Parents’ Hidden
Love
To be honest, it was very difficult for me as a
teenager to leave my parents and live alone in an
unfamiliar city. It was the first time I lived alone,
and I found it was quite hard to take care of
myself and work hard to get good grades at the
same time. Whenever I spoke to my parents on
the phone or when they came to Tianjin to visit
me, I really wanted to tell them how exhausted
I was, and I also wanted to complain about the
difficulties I met. Nevertheless, I never had the
opportunity to talk about those topics, because
they seldom cared about my grades and life
and just talked to me about mundane issues.
Sometimes I thought my parents did not care
about my life and what happened to me.
Growing up isn’t about something you’ve done
grandly, it can be the minute changes that you
made in your life, which make you suddenly re-
alize that you can do those things on your own
instead of relying on parents or other people.
The moment when you can cook yourself some-
thing, although it may taste awful. The moment
when you pack your own luggage, though you
may have forgotten something. The moment
when you move in and out of your dorm room
by yourself, though it is exhausting. But that’s
part of our lives and being independent is the
most treasurable experience of living it. Those
tiny changes that you make to be more indepen-
dent in your life will soon make you feel like a
real grown-up.
However, one week before the college entrance
examination, my mother came to Tianjin and
took care of me because she knew that I was
under pressure and had gastritis. She bought
many cookbooks and tried to learn how to cook
these new dishes, and I could feel her concern.
After the college entrance examination, my
mother told me that she knew I had hard time
living alone and having such a heavy workload.
Even though she felt sorry for letting me continue
living alone, she wanted me to be independent.
Mon is a Year 3 student
at EdU studying for a
Bachelor in Education
(English Language) who
loves traveling, making
friends, hiking and trying
new things.
APRIL 2018
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