Discuss an accomplishment event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others

I landed at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Vietnam on a drizzling afternoon after 2 years of studying in the US for high school. A few days ago, I heard that Vietnam had been suffering from a serious Covid-19 outbreak. The moment my parents and I got into the car to move out of the airport, which only contained a few people over an 850 squared hectare area, I was stunned by this unprecedented deserted scene of Saigon.
Who would have thought that one day the busiest city of Vietnam would become so quiet?
Yet, at the moment I was immersed in that quiet world, the car had just passed a chaotic traffic stop. I suddenly sat up, entangled myself on the car door, seeing hundreds of motorbikes lined up. My mother said that since Saigon was in lockdown, which had lasted 4 months at that point, people lost their jobs and essential goods became twice as expensive. They could no longer pay their living expenses and had to move back to their hometown. Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable. I wondered how Saigon citizens were actually coping with the Covid-19 situation.
From a young age, I have always been pampered by my parents. Even though my parents are not wealthy, they always work hard to give me the best in the world. I didn't have to care about the life going on around me. I thought that just by living well for myself, I could contribute to society.
As I entered the house door, the smell of Pho, which is a traditional cuisine in Vietnam, hit me instantly. While having dinner, I told my parents about all the new experiences and explorations I have gone through with my host family for the past 2 years. We were happy. But at the end of the day, a strange feeling still lingered in my heart, as if it was asking me if I deserved to be joyful while Saigon was “suffering”. I assume two years of studying in the US and living far away from the family has helped me become more mature, no longer considering myself the center of the universe.
The day after, I opened my computer and began to research the pandemic of Saigon in particular and Vietnam in general. The more articles I read, the more compassionate I was. I kept reading from article to article mindlessly, forgetting the concept of time. Images of children running away with their parents, scenes of many people struggling on the road appeared in front of my eyes. And so on until an interview about a poor woman made me stop for a moment to think. The journalist caught a woman, whose name is Hien, while packing to leave Saigon. She told the journalist: "I don't know what to do. At least in the countryside there is a hammock to sleep in, but in Saigon, what do you pay for the accommodation?" More than four months of social distancing has made her business impossible to survive. Although the landlord had reduced the rent cost, she still had to pay a part along with electricity, water, and basic living needs. In the lockdown, people can only see the empty roads. But going into the alley, we will see how tired Saigon was after a long time of quarantine. The pandemic will pass, the well-off and those who have accumulated will be fine, but the poor will be exhausted. A man standing next to Hien added: "It's so miserable! The other day when I went to receive rice support, the people in this area fought for it. My family was late that day and fasted."
Hospitals had gradually become overwhelmed, with the number of Covid-19 patients reaching more than 10,000 a day. The patients were lying crowded, having difficulty breathing.
Medical aids are also becoming scarce. In that chaotic scene, doctors still devoted themselves to treating Covid-19 patients.
Vietnam's economy at the time is really degraded.
After knowing about the current situation of the people, I realized that my parents also don't have much income because they have not been able to work for several months. They were just trying to cover up their worries to make me feel at ease.
I was upset at myself. How can I call myself a mature teenager when the country is going through such a huge crisis? I was too indifferent to a city that “raised” me for 16 years.
I closed the computer, walking downstairs. I am aware that I cannot do anything great to help the country during this time of lockdown. However, I can begin to make up for my parents by caring more about them. At least, I can help my parents with the housework and keep them positive throughout this difficult time.
The Covid-19 pandemic is an opportunity for me to re-examine myself, society and the relationships around me. Covid-19 makes people more mature. During this chaos, while many of us were in a panic, it reminded me who I am. I have also changed my mind about life, spending more time with family. I believe that my journey of building a better version of myself has just started