It was mid March when Vietnam imposed the first national lockdown, determined to contain the spread of the unknown and life threatening virus namely, COVID-19. It was the first time for both my 13 years old son and I heard of the word, ‘lockdown’. I knew the word ‘curfew’ well because I am the mother of my two now adult children. But I am still too young or too fortunate in my grandparents’ eyes to experience any form of curfews. 

It is a reasonable but of the unsubstantiated claim that people, and most especially children, are somehow the beneficiaries of multiple positives associated with being bilingual. We all nod sagely at the premise, on the basis that it must be self-evident that there is nothing but upside associated with the skill of effortlessly switching between two languages.

This week, the piece I would like to share with you is how Xavier captured a part of his struggle in mastering the Chinese language. As a result of those few years of struggle, this experience actually taught him the true meaning of perseverance and how everything needs patience and determination. As a parent what I would want my children to learn is the invaluable lesson of not giving up. Grit……

As I was cleaning up my son’s room, I found his Chinese composition book on the shelf which he had kept even after he had left his old school which he had attended for 4 years. Reading one of his compositions below, it brought back so much fond memories of his times...