These are acts of kindness I will never forget (just in order of memory and who is triggered in my memory next):
My mom- always one to save me the best piece of food...saving the shrimp for me. If she knows I'm still hungry, she would give up her portion for me. She is what I know to be unconditional love, and without her, I wouldn't know what love is.
My dad- when I first went to Berkeley, I was totally, utterly homesick. I probably cried for 2 weeks. I told him I was homesick and not feeling well and he called me every single day for those 2 weeks until I told him I was ok.
My sister- she cooks me food. :-) I appreciate it.
JD/Joseph/Hieu- Honestly I don't see him often...especially after high school. We used to hang out a lot in high school, but he has been an amazing amazing friend to me. I always feel like I can count on him, even now. When there was a problem with my car in high school, he was the first one to come out to look at it and get his dad to look at it. A few months ago, I asked him if he knew anything about routers, and he came out the next day to help me setup a router. When I think of good friends, friends who are there for you, and friends who keep their word, he is on the top of my list. He's just someone that values what he says and I respect that so so much.
Mark- This is gonna sound crazy but we took driving lessons together (for the written permit test). We were out in the parking lot and he heard what sounded like a gunshot at a nearby liquor store and he was about to cover me. I would say with conviction that he would take a bullet for me, and that is something to appreciate. I remember he made me a CD with a story of how we met, got to know each other, became closer, and grew apart...it was such a surprise. He's extremely thoughtful, and he has a huge heart for helping others. He IMs me occasionally and when he comes back to Cali, he calls me, and I appreciate his initiative to make that much effort to keep in touch with me. Friend for life.
Henoc- He kept in touch with me even though we were over 400 miles away when I was at Berkeley...we probably talked at least every other week, if not every week. When we hang out, he usually makes the drive to me, and I just really appreciate people who can go out of their way to see someone. I could tell he cares. And he gives good Christmas presents ;-) (we actually give each other almost the same Christmas present...2 years in a row now (not planned!))
John L- He put up with my crazies. Enough said...no just kidding...there's more. Along with that, he was patient with me and taught me about being independent and smart about what you do. He also drove me dozens of times from Berkeley to Anaheim, even though he hated sitting in traffic. He was kind. And I can never forget the amount of time and effort he spent on that apple box. I would thank him a billion times over because I feel like he's taught me so much about relationships as well as being practical, and I don't really know what kind of person I would have become without him there.
James- Some people say he fools around too much and because of that, they can't take him seriously, but seriously I trust him with my life. No joke. We had this incident where we were riding motorbikes in the rain in Vietnam and our friends didn't see a truck coming, swerved into another incoming truck...one friend got a big gash in his arm, and James tore off fabric and tied him up and got him to the nearest place to get fixed up. He likes to be light-hearted, but he's a person I trust in unfamiliar places without fail.
Steve- I keep remembering this one time he waited with me at the printing shop because I was trying to copy something at 2 in the morning. He asked me if I was gonna be there and he took the initiative to come there to keep me company so I wouldn't be there late at night alone. It was sad because when I was finally done, he had fallen asleep already. That meant a lot to me because when I think of a lot of my other close friends, I don't think they would have done that for me. And at a retreat when I was coughing, he was the only one out of 6 or 7 people in the room to get up to ask me if I was ok and he gave me his bottle of water.
John T.- He told me that I should back out of something, and I know he didn't have to tell me, but he said it because he cared...and I still remember it. He also offered me his chair when I was stumbling, and even though I made some sexist comment, I actually appreciated it.
Tospon and Peter- We don't speak that much now, but I will never forget how often they drove me in high school...before I got my license. I was probably a big hassle, but they were so kind to me and they drove me to all sorts of places, so when people ask me to drop them off and it's out of the way, I don't hesitate because they had done it for me when I didn't have a car.
JP- When I was crying, he gave me a talk and said just the right words to give me the courage to do the right thing. Thanks a billion.
Andy/Tuan- He made me fried rice one day in SLA...I was so surprised he made me lunch. I didn't ask for anything. It was a pleasant surprise. It meant a lot. He's one of the few friends I have from SLA still. He's gonna be a great and caring doctor someday.
Chris- When I told him about my letter from UCSF, he immediately called me to ask me if I was feeling ok. I remember things like that.
Bao Chau- She's someone that has ALWAYS gone out of her way for me...from giving me a place to stay in Vietnam and in Oakland to driving me around and making sure I'm fed and going out of her way to pick me up and drop me off in Berkeley. Friends like that are rare. I treasure that.
Lan and Anh Tan- giving me and James a place to stay in Hanoi and a mode of transportation too. It must have been inconvenient for them, but they were so nice to us. I'm grateful for that.
Thuong (Malaysia)- I came to a country only knowing one person but she made things so warm and welcoming for me...she was so so friendly, and even gave me a bed to stay in.
Thinh- inviting me over when he cooks tasty dishes. He always thinks of me...as much as he hates to admit it.
Roomies- roomie dinners, roomie outings, roomie sharing. Unhealthy foods while studying late at night. Ici ice cream. Emails. I was lucky to have you ladies as roommates, and I'm so thankful we still keep in touch.
Family in Son Tay- they didn't even know me and just took me in as one of their own. He said I could be his adopted daughter and I shared a meal with his family, and he gave me a book he really cared about.
Bruce- He ENDLESSLY supports me in my community service and in all my nursing applications and is constantly positive. He's so busy, but so kind and always takes time out his busy schedule to answer my questions or respond to me. He writes my letters of recommendation, gives me advice on statements and interviews. The best volunteer coordinator ever.
Kflee- He listened to my "I feel lonely" vents and then participated in them too. :-) He kept me sane at Berkeley and made me feel less alone.
--
I am sure I have experienced millions more acts of kindness. These are a few moments off the top of my head...moments that I will never forget. Thank you a ton to everyone who has been kind to me. Pass it forward...people remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment