An award ceremony for the for the writing competition "Stories about my grandparents" was held on November 16 in Hanoi. This competition attracted Amsers to express their deepest feelings about their grandparents. Hanoi-Amsterdam High School was honored to have 15 awarded students. The competition left each of us with endless thoughts about our parents, grandparents as well as other relatives in the family.

Dang Duc Anh, 9A, excellently coming out in first place shared: "When my grandpa was still around, I rarely had a chance to visit him in the countryside. When he got sick, grandpa was taken care of by my parents in the city. However, as I was too busy studying, I did not spend much time with him. He got a seizure and was paralyzed, so the most memorable image of my grandfather to me was him sitting like a statue… I only felt disappointed when he was gone. This first prize is dedicated to my grandpa..."

Dang Duc Anh - first prize winning student

Nguyen Huong Diu Ngan, 11A2, wrote: "Grandma is like a mother to me, and she's also the first teacher in my life. No matter how long the distance is, she would always go to those central bookstores to buy me some coloring, spelling workbooks, and new comic books. She taught me every little thing: the sun, flowers…"

Awarded students in the competition "Stories about my grandparents".

Not only the awarded students but also other students wanted to share about their grandparents. "In the family, my grandmother attaches to me more than anyone. She has taken care of me ever since I was a little kid as my parents were very busy. She also taught me how to read and write my first letters. To me, grandma is not only a teacher who teaches me everything about life but also a friend that I can share all of my stories with." - Le Nguyet Linh, 10 CE, talking about her grandmother.

According to Truong Quang Minh, 11 CE, "My grandfather always tells me to live for everyone and to sacrifice for others' happiness. Unfortunately, when my grandpa passed away, I was lost and went to a dead end. However, it was the light of him that pulled me out of the dead end..."

Vu Phuong Linh, 7A, Hanoi-Amsterdam High School, with her grandparents.

Grandparents are the people we are closest to in the family, the people everybody has and the people we emotionally think about. They are the big trees, the ones who take care of grandkids and the ones who provide the greatest mental support. Although the generation gap is a large barrier and we may sometimes feel upset or dissatisfied with our grandparents, we all understand that their love for kids is limitless.

The competition called "Stories about my grandparents" is very meaningful. It awakens the souls of a lot of people, especially those of the younger generation. The feelings can be the love for our grandparents or a little regret about those who have passed away. This competition is a chance for us to take a look at ourselves and our family members. Through the stories and the thoughts that students have shared, we can see ourselves in them and learn many meaningful lessons. Personally, I also have many thoughts when writing about my grandparents: I'm not old enough to have a lot of beautiful memories with my grandparents. However, the death of my grandfather and the fact that my grandmother passed away only 2 weeks late as she was so sorry for grandpa made me realize that: Life is extraordinary, nothing is forever. Therefore, we should learn to love and be thankful for everything around us, the family that we have so as not to feel regret about things we have missed out on.