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Father becomes daughter's classmate in college

TB (according to VnExpress) December 22, 2024 14:51

Thanks to his good results in high school, Nguyen Viet Thanh decided to apply for admission based on his high school transcript. His father and daughter both passed the exam and became classmates at Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

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Mr. Nguyen Viet Thanh and his daughter at the family pharmacy in Thuy Lien commune, Thai Thuy district, Thai Binh province.

The bus stopped at the gate of Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Mr. Thanh, 45 years old, got off, put strength into his left leg and limped more than 300 meters into the lecture hall.

His daughter Thanh Binh, 19, waited inside because she knew her father would not let her help him walk. The two met at the lecture hall door. Thanh only had time to say goodbye to his daughter before going to the third floor to study theory while Thanh Binh went to the fifth floor to practice microbiology.

The video "Going to school with dad" shared by Binh on social media has since attracted more than 3 million views and thousands of comments. Most users expressed admiration for the father's determination to study medicine at middle age.

Nguyen Viet Thanh was born into a poor family in Thai Thuy district and became paralyzed in his right leg when he was four years old. His mother carried him to school throughout primary school, and only later learned to walk on his own. Because of this reason, Thanh dreamed of becoming a doctor to help himself and others.

At the age of 18, he passed the medical university entrance exam, but his family was poor and his mother borrowed money everywhere but still could not afford to send him to school. Thanh chose to study at a medical college because the tuition was cheap and the study time was shorter, reducing the burden on his mother.

After graduating, he worked at the Thuy Lien Commune Health Station and married a female teacher in the same district. His wife was also studious, and seeing her husband working hard, she quit her teaching job and switched to studying medicine in 2010. She graduated from college of pharmacy and general practitioner.

In mid-2023, when the family's economy was stable, Mr. Thanh decided to fulfill his old dream of going to university. At the same time, his eldest daughter Thanh Binh applied to Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Thanks to his good results in high school, he decided to apply based on his high school transcript. Both father and daughter passed and became classmates.

"When I heard the news, I was both happy and worried," Mr. Thanh recalled. His agency agreed to let him temporarily stop working to complete his studies. The school is 30 km from home, so every day he asks his wife to take him to the station 700 m away to catch the bus while his daughter stays at a boarding house. "I can stay at a boarding house with my daughter, but every day I come back to support patients and volunteer at the station," the 45-year-old man explained.

During the first few weeks, Mr. Thanh felt embarrassed because he saw students the same age as his son, while he himself was disabled and walked slowly.

But the age complex was not the biggest challenge for the father going to school. Entering the first subject, he was stunned when he received dozens of thick medical books and a large amount of knowledge. In the lecture hall, he realized that he only absorbed half, or even one third, of the young people, remembering things from the beginning and forgetting things later.

Final exams are also a nightmare for Thanh. "Exams are very different these days, everything happens on computers so an enter key can change everything," he said. At the same time, he also felt like a blank sheet of paper when returning to English after more than 20 years.

Overwhelmed with the study schedule and the huge amount of knowledge, he went to see the lecturer and said that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep up, but he was encouraged that "you can definitely do it".

Many sleepless nights, he remembered the old days when the family was poor, only a mother and son weaving baskets for hire. Now life is less difficult, giving up is hard to accept. He decided to try again, for himself and to set an example for his children.

Thanh records his class lectures and listens to them with headphones on for two hours on the bus every day. He enlists his daughter to help him create his own English course, starting with the most basic things like verb conjugation. Every night, Thanh spends 30 to 40 minutes writing down medical vocabulary and memorizing it.

"If I touch it every day, I won't forget it anymore," he said.

But as soon as the pressure of studying eased, the family faced financial stress. The burden of tuition fees for both father and daughter made him consider putting his studies on hold to focus on his daughter, but his wife encouraged him that if they ran out of money, they would take out a student loan.

He returned to the classroom with peace of mind. The father now became friends with his daughter, instructing her in anatomy or clinical subjects.

Phuong Thao, a second-year student at Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said that Thanh is the oldest in the class but always has a progressive spirit and is eager to learn. Many times when working with a group, Thanh, despite being busy at the station, always completed the assignment on time and proactively helped everyone.

"In the second year, his knowledge was more extensive, so his spirit of self-study and effort was very admirable," Thao said. "He was also the one who passed on his passion for medicine to his classmates."

Every evening, the family divides the space to study by themselves. According to the schedule, the father and son will complete the program in 2029.

"The whole family studies together so we feel more motivated," he said.

TB (according to VnExpress)
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Father becomes daughter's classmate in college