To have a chance to get into Hanoi - Ams High School for the Gifted…Wow, that must be the burning desire of thousands of pupils, and I am not an exception. A school with thousands of dreams. The factors contributing to this success, perhaps, have become just as obvious as the fact that every morning the sun rises in the East. Back to the time when the school was still located on Nam Cao street, I attended a summer course there. That should be the actual first time I went to Ams, but the feelings then were nowhere near what I am having inside my chest this autumn morning. I still remember, I sometimes bought tiny lovely glass wish bottles, with sparkling glitter sprinkled around a colorful, rolled, mildly scented piece of paper. I wrote in that piece of paper: I want to become an Amser. A dream nurtured throughout 9 years, finally, came true.

The colors of all majors in the Festival of Talents (Ngay Hoi Anh Tai - NHAT)

Excited, nervous, happy, worried, anxious…To be honest, I do not know how to put that mess of feelings into words, they just keep on interlacing, making me feel so weird. When you start doing something brand new, feeling surprised and somehow, lost, is inevitable. “Where is the Orientation Day held? Where is the Assembly Point?” After a few minutes looking around, I found my classroom: “11 Mathematics 2”, and surprisingly, I met Quan - a friend at a Maths class a long time ago. Surprises keep on approaching me. Suddenly, I felt an arm resting on my shoulder. Lan Chi! Smiling was the only thing that I could do. I  swiftly felt more secure since I knew that,  apart from all of the surprises that are happening and are going to happen to me,  I still have these good friends beside me.

The first time hearing the national anthem at my new school, the speech with many messages from the principal… all had made such a meaningful morning, not only for me, but also for each and every new Amser. The time getting acquainted with my head teacher and my new friends was not long, but really interesting. I took a glance and tried to remember  all of these faces -  they will be  my companions in the upcoming three years. They are all excellent, smart and all-rounded students; being able to learn in such an environment is both a great thing and a motivation for myself to make more efforts in order not to be inferior to my friends.  My dad once said to me: “In the examination room,  everyone is equal. When pens and paper are the only things in hand, only the ones with real  ability  can succeed.”. Don't you think that I am self-complimenting, I am also complimenting my friends! But well, that’s enough of self-praise! Also, my class has a very special trait: we do really enjoy clapping! In addition, there are 9 girls, sadly, my team has only one girl - me! “Remember to befriend the girls later!”, I reminded myself. 

Next we went to the hall. Throughout the time being there, I was most impressed when the principal said: “Share and save your memories right from this moment on, because this moment is never going to come back.”. A girl from the French major volunteered to talk on account of all 10th and 6th granders in reply to the principal’s speech: “We can proudly and happily keep our heads up high, but at the same time, we fully understand the enormous responsibilities that we carry.”. The rapturous ovation seemed to brighten the whole hall…

I went to get lunch with Lan Chi. Then we went for a walk around the school (actually only halfway since both of us were already tired). The rain had just stopped. The greens were still wet. It was mildly breezy and the sky was clear, though the clouds were still thick; perhaps it would rain later. This kind of weather made me want to eat something. Wow, there were vending machines, just like in Mr. Bean! The machine had many kinds of candies, I inserted the money and two candy bars fell down: a strawberry- and a chocolate-flavoured. One sweet, one bitter, wasn’t that a prediction for my next days in Ams? No matter how it is going to turn out to be, bitter or sweet, I still enjoy it anyway.

That was only half of the Orientation Day. The afternoon was when the real fun began. The new pupils were divided into groups by the colors of the ribbons given to them before. The ones with light pink ribbons (including me!) made a line, excitedly followed the guides. 5 classrooms were prepared under 5 themes: Study, Extra-curricular Activities, Geography of Ams, Chamber of Secrets and Youth Union. There the old Amsers “shared all their experience, important guide to survive in the upcoming school year”, as a guide from 11 Literature said. I was most fascinated by their enthusiasm, confidence and vivacity. I could imagine, in a near future, I would be in their positions, instructing new pupils just like me at that moment, and I would also be admired by them just like I was admiring the seniors. The excitement and frenzy did not stop there. In the Club Fair, school clubs zealously introduce and advertise in order to recruit more members. There were no reasons to refuse, so I signed up for a lot. 

In my hands were a yellow pinwheel, a cupcake, a tourist map of Japan’s Kyoto, and a few more souvenirs given for sign-ups. I headed to the main hall. The wind was blowing, the pinwheel was spinning. Standing in a huge empty space really made me want to impulsively shout out loud, impulsively run, dance, climb up those stairs, slide down those railings, jump in the puddle and make it splash. Just like a little kid…

I eventually succeeded in pursuing the dream of becoming an Amser. Now, I will have to find a new dream, a new goal, bigger and more ambitious. Despite knowing that everything will be far more difficult and challenging, I will try my best. I believe, if I really make efforts and never give up, success will only be a matter of time.

Writer: Bui Binh Minh - Mathematics 2 (1417), for a writing contest about Ams 

Translator: Minh Anh - Russian - English 1821