Geography is the Study of the Physical Features of the Earth

When I asked my mom/ how she was a successful businesswoman with a chemical engineering degree,

She said: “Anyone can be a business person if they work hard enough. That is what school teaches you. The deeper lesson, beyond Algebra, Calculus, Geography, etc. is the importance of Hard Work and undying determination.”

I was young, so I said something like “Wow mom. What’s geography?”

1990’s-1980’s=10 Years of Forget

Whenever I’m reminded of that time between 2008 and 2018, I remember very little to nothing at all. All I remember was that I was an ignorant little kid, spending hours playing with other kids around the street. I also remember that everything looked a lot more yellow. It’s a strange memory, but one I hope I can cherish to my grave. This time made me curious about the 1990’s, the 1980’s, etc. I wondered what happened there. I hope I didn’t miss much. Whenever I ask my mother, she goes

“I can’t tell you what it really is, I could only tell you what it feels like.”

Fortune and Misfortune

Vietnam truly affected me. Even though the people were poor, they were kind and willing to help and give in any way they could. While I thought that Vietnam would be overrun by corruption and malice, it’s really just a big area for business to happen. Had the economy not put people between a rock and a hard place, they would’ve turned out incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and most of all, not dissimilar to us. At the end of the day, most of us want to be the best we can; but sometimes, we just can’t. We must play with the cards we are dealt with, even if we are less fortunate than others.

I wonder if the Vietnamese people will ever break out of this cycle of generational sales. I feel helpless to watch as frail old women and innocent children walk up to me asking if I want a banh mi. The taste is a savory bitterness.

Bad and Good Friends

Teenage years have been some of the roughest years of my life. School’s starting to get harder, there’s a wider friend pool, and nothing is like how it used to be back then. But that’s a given. School isn’t the hardest part of it though. As I grew older, I felt like I’ve lost a lot of friends and social connections, things that would have benefitted me for a lifetime. I have a lot of regret, not because of what I did when I was younger, but for what I didn’t do. I wish I had started a lot of things much sooner in life. But time does not move backwards. There’s no point in regret. The past shouldn’t define a person, but their actions should.

Even worse than fear of the future, worse than wandering through the present, is living in the past. It’s beautiful and ugly, horrific and wonderful. Injuries, Memories, Old Friends, Old Enemies, Nostalgia is a Horribly Good feeling. It takes you back to your worst and best times, but the worst part is the regret. It’s always the regret.

Regret of loss, of better choices, of 

“I should’ve done this…”
“I could’ve been great if only I did this…”

Regret truly is horrible. And even worse, it builds interest.

The Debt of Regret

Living the life of other people is not living at all. People should only use others as inspiration to improve. I believe that the debt of guilt, of regret, is the greatest thing that holds people back. That feeling of abandoning past friends, loved ones, etc. to move forward in life is one of the worst feelings ever. But as Robert Kiyosaki has stated, “Good debt is a powerful tool, but bad debt can kill you.”

Credits:
Writing: Me

Photos:

Banh Mi by Amy Tran on Unsplash

Rapper by Kirsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Debt by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash

Bad Friend by Ashley Jurius

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