Hello to the future me in college. I will give you a moment to let you pause and reminisce about the memories of writing this letter to yourself three years ago. I assume you are a rising sophomore in college right now, flashing back to these hectic years and wondering how you managed to survive getting to college, and starting to question if you can actually survive through college. Although I assume that this is going to be your reaction, I am uncertain about all these assumptions not because I don’t know you but because I know you too well.
I want to tell you the moment that I think completely changed my life, and I am also curious how you will respond to this question after you go through another three crazy years. It was the summer before fifth grade in DongMen Elementary School, a local Taiwanese elementary school that all three generations of our family went to. But my parents suddenly decided to pull me out of DongMeng and put me in Sagor, a completely new English school. I still vividly remember crying every single night while drying my hair. I cried because I felt embarrassed to go downstairs from the fourth floor (the cool kid’s grade) to the first floor (the young first graders) whenever the bell rang to have my English class. I cried because I am terrible at English, and I don’t think I will make any friends. I cried because I studied late every single night and missed my friends from DongMen. Consequently, my soft-hearted mom started regretting sending me to Sagor and argued with my dad about sending me back to DongMen.
When the moment came, I firmly refused. I refused because I thought I would improve from all these challenges. I refused because I know I will overcome these difficulties. I refused because I wanted to trust that I am capable of embracing failures. This is the moment that got me to where I am right now. This is why I said that I remain suspect to all my assumption because I know you too well. You are constantly changing and growing for the better or for the worse. Your emotions and opinions get easily influence from others, but after all the struggles you continue to be you. Just take an example of how you change your mind within these two months from being a lawyer (which is your dream job since elementary) to maybe product manager that Mrs.Jenny (your academic director) have suggested you.
I am confident that you will be yourself in college and never turn down challenges. I hope you continue your brightest personalities of being outgoing, passionate, affectionate and adventurous in college. Don’t be scared if you encountered failures or major changes to your life because life is actually an experiment with trial and error. I am going to end my letter here with your favorite words that you say to yourself when you are in trough situation. “Alright, Mindy, now you are already in the gutter so the only way is up. Stop crying and go read some inspirational quotes.”
