Days passed by and with each beautiful morning, I slowly began my journey forward….
Every new day felt like a quiet reminder that life will not stop, no matter how broken we feel inside ourself.
The weather here became something I truly to love too…
Surrounded by hills and mountains, this place carried a peaceful beauty—one strong enough to encourage me… to keep moving ahead, especially in my studies and in life.
Every day, I started motivating myself little by little..
And somehow, the weather around me began to teaching me things I had never understood before…
That was when I realized something simple, yet deeply true—
Life is like the weather.
We never truly know what it will become next.
A cloudy morning can still turn into a beautiful, sunny afternoon…
And sometimes…
That little bit of sunlight is enough to make you smile again…
After that incident, I started giving myself more time.
Time to think..
Time to breathe..
Time to understand what had happened to me.
And slowly, I began convincing myself of something important—
As human beings, we learn through our mistakes, our pain, and the unexpected turns life gives us.
It is all part of the journey ahead.
A journey filled with lessons, struggles, and outcomes.
A journey where, in the end, we are often left with only ourselves—
Our thoughts.
Our choices..
Our strength..
And perhaps that is why learning to understand and stand by ourselves is one of the most important things in life.
Even though I had started focusing on my studies, being a first-year student was far more exhausting than I had expected.
From Monday to Friday, my classes ran from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
It was such a huge schedule that I often found myself wondering how I was even surviving it.
After high school, I had always imagined that once I entered my bachelor's degree, life would become easier.
I truly believed I wouldn't have to attend so many classes anymore.
But I was completely wrong.
And honestly, I think many of us have had the same childish thought at some point in life.
From our school days, we often imagine that once we reach higher levels of education, things will somehow become lighter and more relaxed.
Maybe because we always saw our seniors walking into class with just one notebook in their hands, looking so free and unbothered.
And from a distance, that life seemed simple.
But after finally reaching that stage myself, I came to realize the truth—
Those ideas were nothing more than little fantasies created by our own childish minds.
Reality, as always, had a very different plan.
Now, reality was different.
But at the same time, it was also fun.
Studying alongside international friends from different countries brought a whole new kind of happiness into my life.
Yes, we were all there as international students—
Coming from different places, different cultures, and different backgrounds—
Yet somehow, we were all learning and growing together under the same roof.
And honestly, that made the journey even more special.
We were all very dedicated to our studies…
Even during math class—ha ha…
Whenever our teacher wrote a problem on the board and said that anyone who solved it in front of the class would get extra points, the entire room would suddenly turn into chaos.
We would all get excited and start almost screaming like little children, trying to be the first one to solve it.
And in those moments, I couldn't help but laugh.
Because somehow…
It felt like my childhood days had come back again.
For a little while, life felt light.
Simple.
And fun..
One day, we were learning Chinese in class.
And honestly, learning Chinese was very important here.
Most of the time, whenever we went outside, people preferred speaking Chinese rather than English.
So little by little, we all had to adapt.
During the lesson, our teacher suddenly looked at me and asked,
"Did you learn Chinese before?"
For a second, I was surprised.
Apparently, I already knew many of the words she was teaching in class.
At that moment, I felt unexpectedly proud of myself.
And deep inside, I could only think one thing—
Thanks to all the C-dramas I watched… hehe…
I smiled and answered,
"No, teacher. This is actually my first time learning Chinese."
She looked at me with a little surprise.
"Then how do you know more than I expected?" she asked.
I laughed softly before replying,
"I watch a lot of Chinese dramas, teacher. Since I really love watching them, I ended up learning many words without even realizing it."
She smiled warmly and nodded.
"That's good. Keep it up, and keep going."
At that moment, I felt strangely happy.
It was such a small conversation, yet it gave me a little confidence in myself.
Sometimes, even the smallest appreciation can brighten your whole day.
By the way, our Chinese teacher was very serious when it came to teaching.
She was truly dedicated to making sure we learned properly.
Even though she was strict, I could tell that her strictness came from sincerity and responsibility.
If we made mistakes during classwork, she didn't mind too much.
But if we made mistakes during tests or exams, she would deduct points without hesitation.
And because of that, many of my classmates often complained about how strict she was.
Still, there was one thing everyone agreed on—
Our Chinese teacher was beautiful.
She always came to class wearing traditional Chinese dresses, and honestly… she looked so elegant every time.
Hehe… I thought the same too.
She always looked beautiful in those clothes.
Most of my classmates admired her appearance, but at the same time, they didn't like her strictness during exams and tests.
But for me, I never really had a problem with it.
Because I believed that if you truly focused in class, paid attention, and studied your notes well, it was more than enough to get good marks.
In fact, I really liked her way of teaching.
She gave us a test after every lesson, which pushed me to stay prepared and do my best each time.
And because of that, I always tried my hardest to get good marks in her class.
By observing her way of teaching, I came to understand something important that I could apply in my own life.
As a teacher, she gave her full effort from the bottom of her heart to help us learn a new language while living far away from our own country.
She taught with sincerity, patience, discipline, and dedication.
And watching that made me realize that if someone is giving their hundred percent to help us grow, then we should also try our best and give our hundred percent in return.
Because only then can the relationship between teacher and student become meaningful and satisfying for both sides.
That was one of the lessons I quietly learned from her.
In life, our journey is meant to be a journey of learning.
No matter how old we become, no matter where we go, or what stage of life we reach—
There will always be something new to learn.
And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful truths of life:
"We remain students in one way or another for our entire lives."