Studying Abroad

Since childhood, I have always cherished the hope of going to the US to live and study because everyone around me told me excellent things about this country. In my country, everyone considers the US the birthplace of the world's talents, so every parent wants to send their children to study in the US. Every time someone mentions life in this country, I get more excited. Although I extremely wanted to study abroad, I understood that such a dream would be difficult to come true because of my family's circumstances at that time, they could not afford the required fees. Knowing my dream of going abroad, my father was very excited about my complex thinking. He also thinks that studying abroad will open doors for me to have a better life.
Once, my uncle had just returned from the US to Vietnam to visit my family. He also knew well how much I wanted to study abroad, so he and my parents tricked me into thinking that I had to pack all my things to prepare to go to the US to study. After hearing that news, every day I go to school, I also brag to everyone that I will leave Vietnam to go to the country of the flag. Everyone is very jealous because they know that studying abroad is a rare opportunity for a primary school student. It was not until the teacher asked my father to verify that the story broke. Knowing that I was deceived, I felt very sad and disappointed and thought I would never be able to go to America.
My father thought otherwise, he always worked tirelessly to make my childhood dream come true soon. He was the one who always supported me in my studies, no matter how much money it cost him. After many years of hard work, my family's work took off. He also took me to many Asian countries to increase the reliability of my passport. The summer of 8th grade was a memorable moment in my life when my father registered me to study abroad in the US for 1 month. When he went to interview, he was afraid that my English would not be good enough to conquer the consulate. But I did, with just 5 simple questions, I got a US visa. The first time I came to this magnificent country, everything around me was great. I get to feel feelings that I haven't been able to when traveling in other countries. It was truly a wonderful trip and also a meaningful gift that my father gave me after many years of achieving good results in my studies. For me, America is a place worth living and studying because its outstanding level of development is indisputable.
After that expensive trip, I asked my parents about studying abroad next year and they agreed. But things didn't go as smoothly as I expected. The arrival of the COVID pandemic destroyed all plans that had been made. Every day, the pandemic gets worse and shows no sign of abating, which makes my desire less and less. By the beginning of 2022, the real miracle appeared when the media reported that COVID-19 was controlled. My father realized that this was the right time, so he decided to prepare the necessary documents, passport, I-20, and visa interview schedule in just 3 months. The second interview went extremely well, no problems occurred. After completing all the formalities, I was on my way to the US. On the flight from Dallas to Portland, I almost missed my flight because I fell asleep and I had only 5 minutes to get on the plane. Luck was with me then.
In America, I go to Lincoln Academy. This is truly a great school from education to indoor and outdoor activities. During the first few weeks at school, I was shocked by the difference in the teaching and the way of choosing subjects. All students are allowed to choose their favorite subjects and skip the subjects they don't like. In terms of the classes period, in Asian countries, students just need to sit still and wait for the teacher to come. In American education, on the contrary, students have to find each teacher's room. More than that, I love being able to dress comfortably when going to school instead of wearing the school uniform. The weeks I went to school, I was quite surprised, but thanks to the guidance of my classmates around me, it became easier to adapt. As for accommodation, since I'm an international student, I have to live in the school's dormitory. My feeling about the 2nd home is extremely wonderful, I can make friends with many people from different countries and they treat each other kindly. Even though I live far from home, I don't feel lonely.