Photo taken in university lecture hall

Lying awake at night, sometimes my mind would flash back to the image of my friends, this one or that one told me that on the day of receiving the diploma, their parents, friends, and relatives would come to celebrate. Looking back at myself, for four years, I was the only one eating, studying, and working. It’s not that my parents didn’t care about their children, but the way parents in the countryside care is very simple, for them, just giving their children an education is enough and complete.

My hometown is about 300km from the city where I study. It is not too close, but not too far either. My parents are farmers, working with the fields, pigs, and chickens all year round. Both of them have not finished secondary school. Like other children in the village, I rarely talk to my parents. Partly because my parents are busy all day, working in the fields and at the market to build a life and family happiness.

I was afraid that if I spoke up, my parents would dismiss me, just like the other times I expressed my opinion. I was afraid that my parents would think that it was just a graduation ceremony, what was the big deal? I was afraid that my parents would have to spend several days working at home to go back and forth. I was also afraid of the expensive expenses of going to Hanoi . Of course, during this period, I was also independent and could work part-time to cover some of the expenses, and was willing to pay for my parents' trip. I was also afraid that I would miss the wonderful moment when my family witnessed my four years of effort to get an excellent degree. That moment only comes once in a lifetime. I also wanted my parents to know that their children had studied at a school with such facilities for the past four years. Don't blame my parents, saying why haven't they come to their children's school for all those years? Because my family was so poor, when I enrolled in school to save money, I enrolled by myself.

The worries kept repeating, and finally I told my parents that I wanted to be with them and my younger brother on the day I received my university diploma. Contrary to what I thought, my parents smiled and immediately accepted. My mother said she would inform the customers at the market to close for a few days. My father prepared food for the cattle, took care of the garden, and asked someone to come and look after the house.

After so many trips back and forth, I don’t know why this time meeting my parents made me extremely nervous. The day I picked up my parents and younger brother at the bus station, I saw the whole family excited, smiles always on their faces. My mother asked me continuously about the graduation ceremony, about my friends, about my teachers, and my plans after graduation. My father was quieter, just standing there observing everything around him, but I knew he was very happy.

And then came the day of the graduation ceremony, I wore my bachelor's gown, walked up to the stage to receive the title of excellent student for all four years of study. I looked down at the seats below the auditorium and saw my parents sitting there smiling brightly. All their lives, my parents worked hard in the fields, the times they went to the city were for medical examinations and treatment, not knowing whether the university lecture hall was square, round or deformed. Not only me but also my parents, this time was probably one of the rare and special times in their lives.

After receiving the diploma, my father held the diploma and looked at it carefully. My mother flipped it back and forth, silently reading the name of her daughter, what she majored in, and how she graduated with honors. Then I led my mother to the school yard where there were big boards welcoming new engineers and graduates to take pictures. I took off my bachelor's gown and put it on my father, and put the bachelor's cap on my mother. I asked the photographer to take a beautiful picture. All the previous fears and worries disappeared without me knowing.

I realized that it had been a long time since my family had a picture with all the family members. It had been a long time since I had seen my parents and younger brother smile. I also realized that my parents were not as difficult to approach and connect with as I had thought. It was just that I had not opened my heart to understand them better.

The next day, I went to the photo studio to make large-sized photos to hang in my room. I have never loved my family as much as I do now. My family is my support, my place to return to whenever I feel insecure or tired. Even though we are hundreds of kilometers away and no longer living with my parents, to me: they are always with me. And I also realized that my happiness is not far away, right in my family, with the happy photos of my whole family at my university graduation ceremony.

Ngoc Linh

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/van-hoa/chao-nhe-yeu-thuong/202510/buc-anh-chup-tren-giang-duong-dai-hoc-fb81121/