My mother told me that I was read to from birth. My first book was a black and white book with visual stimulation given to me by the Queen Medical Centre (UK) where I was born. From then on, my mother read to me every day, until I learned to read.
I got to listen to and read a variety of books, from children's stories to history, science, business, etc. I like to explore and learn about many things, and my mother also let me have early access to books that were quite complicated for my age (that's what I heard from my older uncles and aunts).
At the age of 6, I was absorbed in listening to my mother read the novel “A Little Princess” (Frances Hodgson Burnett) or immersing myself in the vast world through the book “George's Key to the Universe” (Stephen Hawking).
For me, reading is for fun, to understand the world better, not to get high marks at school. Actually, I don’t care much about my grades at school. I just like going to school to meet my friends and everyone.
Start sharing your love of books with your kids
During the days I was inside the four walls of my apartment because of the epidemic, my mother encouraged me to make a reading video so that the illiterate children I knew could listen. Furthermore, I also really like the idea of the series THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD, when the guardians strive every day to protect and bring joy to children on Earth.
So I boldly filmed my first video. I didn't expect that children would like my videos, especially when Mr. Nguyen Quang Thach shared the videos with children in the countryside.
Starting from there, I set a goal for myself to complete one video every week. I named my Youtube channel “Book Adventure of Lily” or “Lily's Magical Book Adventure”.
Explore world culture at home and abroad
I love reading books, but I think reading books alone is not enough. I want to explore the world outside. You know, every time I go somewhere, I learn a lot of new things, from delicious food, new friends to huge libraries.
I love to travel and experience different cultures. Each country and region in the world has its own interesting things. In Japan, there are many ancient temples, in Europe, there are museums and massive castles, in Bali, there is a vibrant religious life, in America, there are many famous universities... Or in Vietnam, there are many different cultures of regions and ethnic groups. I am always curious to know how people in other lands live, what they eat, what they do.
I also like to read and research about other histories and cultures, especially books about Greek mythology and Jewish culture. Greek myths with gods like Zeus, Athena, or Hercules always fascinate me. Jewish culture has very interesting historical and political stories. I have read a few books on this topic, they are very interesting and different from the books I usually read.
Do you also love exploring the world like me?
Learn from older and more knowledgeable friends
I really enjoy being friends with older people because they can teach me a lot. Many of them are experts in different fields and everyone has helped me expand my knowledge in a fun way.
Writer Ha Thuy Nguyen, I like her to take me to visit relics and tell all kinds of stories about Vietnamese culture and history that are never mentioned in textbooks. Ms. Ha Thuy Nguyen told many extremely unusual stories, and through them I learned a lot about my country's past, from folk legends to important historical events. Each story she tells is like a vivid picture of the past.
Ms. Dang Ha Nguyen then teach me Chinese. Ms. Ha Nguyen is not only good at Chinese but also knows how to convey the language in an easy-to-understand and interesting way. I learned a lot of new vocabulary and correct pronunciation. Thanks to her, I enjoy learning Chinese much more. Ms. Ha Nguyen also told me all sorts of stories about the lives of adults today.
Ms. Sophia Ngo taught me about anatomy and Ayurveda - Traditional Indian Medicine. Ms. Sophia is adept at combining modern anatomical knowledge with the ancient principles of Ayurveda. I learned from her how to look at health from a comprehensive perspective, both physically and mentally. Her lessons help me better understand my body and how to take care of it naturally.
Final, Doctor Ngo Tien Thai taught me about Western medicine and science subjects. Dr. Thai is very good at explaining complex concepts in an easy-to-understand way. I learned from doctors how to learn and apply modern medical methods, from how to use medicine to understanding diseases.
I often visit Book Hunter Center and meet many interesting people there. They are all very good experts in many fields: Mr. Bui Phuong Linh, an agricultural expert who is very popular with the Japanese, I once went to his farm Vuon Tren May and was guided by him in farming. I also met Mr. Than Dy Ngu, a very famous organic tea trader, who brought Vietnamese tea to the European and American markets with very strict standards & Mr. Nguyen Truyen, a famous tea artisan at the launch event of the book "The Science of Tea Art" translated by Ms. Ha Nguyen. Mr. Le Duy Nam, CEO of Book Hunter, not only taught me how to translate, but also took me to the printing factory and taught me strategic games such as chess, Seven Wonders...
Oh, I forgot to tell you about the most important friend from whom I learned a lot - my mother. My mother is truly my love and the greatest inspiration in my life.
My mother taught me how to translate books, helping me understand the language and culture more deeply. Whenever I have difficulty expressing or understanding a concept, my mother is always willing to explain and guide me patiently.
Furthermore, my mother also taught me about Jewish and European history. My mother told me about important historical events, famous historical figures, as well as their effects on the modern world. These stories not only expand my knowledge but also help me understand and sympathize with different cultures around the world.
And not only that, my mother also taught me about finance, how to manage money and invest. She taught and guided me to practice this knowledge, making it familiar and easy to understand for me. My dream is to save and invest so that I can travel to many places in the world in the future.
Every day with my mother, I am very happy, even now I still cannot be away from her. She is not only a wonderful mother but also the best friend and guide I could wish for. I love my mother very much and I hope we will always be able to hang out together, read books together and explore cultures together.
And my father is the most unusual friend to me. He often asks me challenging questions, situations that I have to overcome. He teaches me about computers, plays games together... He also takes me to explore the daily life that is both familiar and strange in Hanoi. He takes me to the tree market, I get to choose a tree, listen to the people at the tree market talk about taking care of trees, buying and selling trees. He also takes me to the night market in the Old Quarter, wandering around the corners of the city.
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