Hello everyone! I believe that everyone will face a variety of choices in their different life trajectories. We all know that we should be clear about our goals and decisively choose the path we want to take.
But in reality, many people lack the courage to take this step, and they do not have the confidence to face the risks behind the choice. So we hesitate, wander, stand at the fork in the road of life, and do not know how to make a choice.
Today, the protagonist of our story, Liu Yan, gave us a better answer.
I hope that everyone can find their own path from her story and unswervingly go on!
Hello everyone, my name is Yan Liu, Ph.D. in Social Sciences from Jyväskylä University in Finland. The different choices that everyone makes at different stages of life will get different answers. I am very happy to have this opportunity to share with you my growth experience, share the choices I made at the fork in the road in my life, and share some of my insights.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the tortuous experience of the unknown road ahead</h1>
I am a serious partial student who failed mathematics, physics and chemistry, and I scored 9 points in chemistry in the middle school entrance examination and only 29 points in mathematics in the college entrance examination. However, when filling in the college entrance examination volunteer, he was transferred to "animal medicine", which requires learning a lot of chemistry majors, which shows that there are not many choices that can be made when their starting point is low.
Either obey the transfer or repeat the reading, according to my math scores, repeat reading does not make much sense. Although short-term is good for the long term, avoiding short-term is good for the present, but when fighting with mathematics for so many years has no effect, all I can do is choose to avoid it. From the beginning, I embarked on a curve to save the country's study path.
< a woman with a set of horses
In my first year of school, I was immersed in the joy of being out of my parents' control, turning on the mode of letting go of myself and not taking learning too seriously.
Often encounter unintelligible chemistry class on skipping class, evening self-study with small partners to go out shopping, dormitory housekeeping is also casual to deal with it, think that the rules and regulations in the school are very redundant, quilt stalls are more conducive to physical health Why do you have to fold into tofu blocks.
In fact, at that time, it was still too naïve to know that one of the rules of survival was actually respecting the rules. It's much easier to change yourself than to change the environment, and when you can't change the rules, the easiest way is to adapt to the rules.
Later, the teacher asked me to go to the dormitory management department as an officer, check the dormitory every day, and see how people fold quilts. This seems to be a very small thing, but in fact it has planted a seed of progress in my heart.
When I saw many students' neat beds and dormitories, I found that in fact, being organized can greatly improve the efficiency of life, everything can become concise and direct, and this way of life can affect the way of thinking and learning.
From then on to the present, I still have the good habit of keeping the dormitory tidy. After playing for a year, I found that I couldn't go on like this, and I still needed a good grade to match the position of the student union.
So I carefully studied the curriculum of each semester and found that chemistry is indeed my irreparable disadvantage, most of the students in the class are science students, and I have not studied chemistry since my first year of high school, so as long as there is a semester of chemistry, I basically can't find a breakthrough point.
However, thanks to the care of the scheduling teacher, there was a semester of class schedule completely devoid of chemistry, and the courses opened that semester were all subjects that I liked and was sure to learn well, such as anatomy, Chinese veterinary medicine, marketing, surgery and so on.
I knew the opportunity had come and I had to let go and break through. Before that semester, my grades had always been about thirty in the class, and no one thought that I would be a dark horse killed halfway, and no one had linked me to a first-class student.
So when I was immersed in the library studying, everyone thought I was reading novels, before the exam I carried a small horse in the corridor to endorse the book, everyone thought that I was temporarily holding the Buddha's feet in order to pass the exam, and when I wrote the book half an hour in advance in the examination room, everyone thought that I handed in the white paper, and I was not eager to argue.
Before the results came out, I estimated that my ranking was about the top ten, and that time I took the first place, and because of this result, I got a national scholarship, which made me realize what untapped potential is.
In the past, the evaluation of excellence in the class always felt unfair, why the evaluation was always those few good grades or the class cadres were dominant, and later found that the examination is a very fair survival law, you will never be fair to you if you do not work hard, only after hard work have the right to speak, it is possible to fight for a fair opportunity for yourself.
Grateful for my efforts, in order not to leave regrets and regrets in my life, I have seized every opportunity to change the trajectory of my life as much as possible – as a student, these opportunities are various exams after exam.
The number of national scholarships is very small, and I was fortunate that the homeroom teacher drew the first place in the national scholarship quota, but luck does not last forever, and the only thing that can continue to bring surprises is hard work and struggle.
At the same time, only the spirit of struggle is not enough, you need to do it step by step, to analyze your current situation, to see what position you are in, in order to set goals for yourself, setting goals and being down-to-earth is equally important.
College education is like buying a train platform ticket, just giving you the opportunity to enter the platform, but which bus to get on, which direction to go, to which station to get off, it is entirely up to you.
< the Finnish winter scene
In the process of graduate school, I insist on the strict habit of getting up at six o'clock and reading early every day, the learning process is difficult and lonely, and everyone's learning rhythm is different, so I will hardly go to the library with any classmates to go to the study room, and I will not waste precious time in the process of waiting for you and me, waiting for you, and then waiting for her.
This lonely learning process is like a dark tunnel, the more you learn, the more you feel inadequate, the closer to the exam the more nervous, the process can only be borne by yourself, late at night when people quietly write books, only they can hear their own steps forward.
If there must be a time in life that is unforgettable and tearful, I think it must be this time of tireless hard work, because all efforts can harvest dreams.
On the road to graduate school, I did not choose to continue to study animal medicine, because chemistry is my bottleneck, if you do not learn this subject well, it can be said that the graduate school is hopeless.
So I resolutely decided to transform the direction of international politics in the LL.M., after all, I have a strong back, and this profession is still sure to break through.
I also paid a great price for this dream, getting up at 5:50 every day, going to the classroom at 6:30 on time to take advantage of the fact that no one came to study and read early for an hour, and when I studied in the evening, I would also recite in the corridor of the teaching building and the stairwell of the library, the winter of that year was exceptionally cold, and the toes were frozen to the point that every day the blood stuck to the socks, but I knew that this was my own choice, so I had the courage to bear it.
My IQ is very general and not extremely smart, but the diligence and energy are different from ordinary people, every day than other students to get up an hour earlier, high-intensity intensive study after a whole day, and then pick the lights at night until one o'clock in the morning, because I like the state of quiet learning in the middle of the night, concentration, not impetuous.
I did not choose a path that others did not take, I chose a path that many people have walked, but on the road that others have walked, they have walked longer than others, and they have gone farther than others. Walking longer can get out of the distance that others have not walked, and walking farther can see the scenery that others have not seen.
I am accustomed to breaking down each long-term goal into many short-term goals, such as the level 4 and 6 exams, graduate school entrance examinations, PhD examinations, IELTS examinations, elected student council ministers, organizing and planning club activities, etc., to exert the greatest explosive force to complete, and then move towards a new stage.
In these sessions, someone will ask, "Is it useful?" What happens after you've finished learning? "To be honest, I don't know how to answer these questions, because only by doing these little things can we see the bigger picture, and if I think about it, I really can't think of any answers."
Looking back, every step was not in vain, because it was these choices that shaped the current self and changed the trajectory of life. As long as a choice is made, the experience will vary depending on the choice and the ending will be completely different. If you choose comfort, you must bear the long-term negative effects of this immediate ease.
After graduating with a master's degree, I went to work for New Oriental Education Technology Group. In the past four years, he has been rated as the gold medal leader, excellent account manager and national best account manager of New Oriental Education and Technology Group for consecutive years, and then resigned to return to his student status, gaining a lot and losing a lot.
New Oriental's work pressure is very large, in the high and fast work rhythm, I gradually lost the direction of the heart, followed by cervical spondylosis, fatty liver and depression, which gradually became a by-product of efficient work.
Teacher Yu Minhong said: "When everything is ready for you, you make a choice, that is not called a choice."
And I, at the age of 31, resolutely quit my job and went back to school.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > sort out the mood and start again! </h1>
The study time in Finland was plain but real, with laughter and tears.
My major is political science, and in the process of discussion with professors and colleagues, I have seen different political systems and administrative methods in various countries, and there is no distinction between them, some are just different.
The so-called gentleman is different, the independent personality of Finnish scholars and the respectful learning atmosphere in the university have benefited me a lot, and I am more suitable for this friendly and friendly country.
Compared with the rest of Europe, Finland's academic atmosphere is more peaceful and pragmatic, scholars are more inclusive, and more willing and patient to listen to Chinese politics dissected from my perspective, rather than stubbornly believing in negative news on the Internet.
This kind of simple and truth-seeking, not for the sake of attracting people's attention and sharp and mean academic concepts, is the real political professionalism. What's more interesting is that Finland's heavy metal music has always been sought after by the people, and even the academic dean loves rock and roll, and will go directly to the bar after work to hold the guitar and roar, but this hysterical music only releases pressure and does not bring the coldness and rigidity of music to work.
< Pre-christmas party's academic dean in suits and shoes mutant bald rock man, Hyvt Joulut
Therefore, I am also happy to share the good governance of the Chinese government with them, with the mission of dispelling international scholars' doubts about China's governance model.
Just like this epidemic, colleagues at the school sent several news links to ask whether it is true that China's economy has recovered now, and I showed her the data of China's social order stability and economic prosperity, and sent her the video of the Chinese Embassy in Finland organizing online epidemic prevention lectures and distributing health kits to all international students, and also sent her two masks issued by the embassy.
She was amazed and amazed that no country other than China could care for overseas students so efficiently and humanely, and she wrote about these cases in an article published last year.
< Doctoral Graduation Defense~
The years do not live, the seasons are like a stream. Three years of study time is like a white colt gap, I also carry a heavy two-hundred-page thesis to prepare for graduation at the end of the year, with three and a half years to complete the four-year doctoral degree, it is not an easy thing for me as an older youth, but thanks to the support of the National Scholarship Council, I have the courage to face the challenges of life!
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > explore the unknown and enrich yourself</h1>
During my PhD, in addition to completing my studies, I also continued my work as a teacher of New Oriental English, teaching content covering the middle and high school synchronous courses, IELTS TOEFL IB exam courses.
In the process of giving students remote lessons, you can not only hear the young people's energetic reading, but also hear the chirping birds outside their windows.
Thank you very much to my students, in the hazy light of dawn, in the quiet moonlight of the night, there are marks of our tireless learning and mutual encouragement and support.
< the romantic Aurora Borealis in Finland
In 2019, I also worked as a tour guide several times, and in the process of leading the team, people often asked: Why do you still come to be a tour guide after you have read a doctorate? I laughed and said: If I hadn't read a doctorate, I wouldn't be qualified to be your tour guide! Everyone laughed, in fact, this is my heartfelt words, reading thousands of books and walking thousands of miles are indispensable contents in life.
The so-called threesome must have my teacher, in the process of giving students classes and leading groups, I have benefited a lot, not only to know the small partners from all over the world, but also to the great help of academic research.
Among them, Dr. Feng of the University of Darmstadt in Germany helped download an important academic book, and students at the University of Birmingham also lent me their school's library account many times to download papers.
The mentors and friends I want to thank the most are written in the acknowledgment of the graduation thesis, and these important people are like beacons, pointing out the way forward for me.
Having been to so many countries, the favorite is still Iceland, and every time there are surprises and new discoveries. This kind of expedition conquers not geography, but the distance of life set by itself.
< glacier lagoon
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the road under your feet</h1>
Finally, let's talk about what it's like to work and live in Finland
The first few months of coming to Finland were really uncomfortable, and after an abrupt stop from the almost continuous rotation of work in the country in the morning of eight to nine, the tense nerves did not immediately loosen the strings. Therefore, what I experienced was not ease and pleasure, but heartfelt panic and confusion.
"Am I still not getting any work done?"
"When is the next assessment?"
"Can you really leave work at four o'clock in the afternoon?"
To fill this panic, I fill myself up every day without giving myself a chance to breathe.
However, after two months of intense busy work, I found that there was actually nothing to worry about, everyone's pace was very slow, and colleagues in the office at three or four o'clock in the afternoon gradually left work, and even at six o'clock, even the door was locked.
Almost no one will take the rest time to work, and while I am wondering, I also try to slow down, try to put down the phone and return to nature, and use my eyes to feel the outside world, rather than using the phone to record a lot of photos that will never be opened again after shooting.
< winter sunset
If the academic rhythm of Finland best fits into the ancient Chinese idea, I think it is Lao Tzu's "governance by doing nothing".
As a standard Shandong student, he has seized the time of every day to grow up in the sea of books and mountains since he was a child; after growing up and working, he always spent his life in a hurry.
In Finland, this kind of relaxed study and work time seems to be a short time and no gain, but it is this combination of work and leisure that allows people to have more time to precipitate and think.
Look at the sky and look at the clouds, the cup and calmly, the song and calm.
< relax in a forest filled with negative ions
Before coming to Finland, I backpacked through more than forty countries, experienced thousands of worlds, experienced the magnificent sea, the noisy city, and only found my true self in Finland. As Xun Zi said: "If the center is uncertain, the external objects are not clear."
In Finland's tranquil lake waters, under the clear starry sky, in the brilliant aurora, you can hear the gentle and determined voice of the heart, I think, this is the real meaning of studying, working and living in Finland.
Finally, to share with you a book I recently read, "The Princess of Persia Chooses a Horse", I really like the sentence in it: "The best state of decision-making is that whether you win or lose, you will gain." ”
I hope that everyone can follow their own hearts and make a brave choice, because no matter what you choose, you will live your favorite appearance!
Thank you Sister Liu Yanjie for sharing!
I was very touched after reading it
Liu Yanjie's story reminds me of a famous American poet
A poem written by Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken
As the end of today's article, I send it to you!
I hope everyone is not worth it!
The Road Not Taken–Robert Frost
The Unchosen – Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
There are two roads in the yellow woods
And sorry I could not travel both
It's a pity I can't get involved at the same time
And be one traveler, long I stood
I stood at that intersection for a long time
And looked down one as far as I could
I looked down at the pole of a road
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Until it disappears into the depths of the jungle
Then took the other, as just as fair,
But I chose a different path
And having perhaps the better claim,
It is barren and very lonely
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
It looks more seductive and beautiful
Though as for that the passing there
Although on these two paths
Had worn them really about the same,
They rarely leave travelers' footprints
And both that morning equally lay
Although the leaves fell on the ground that morning
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Both roads are unpolluted by footprints
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Oh, leave a road and see you another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
But I know the path stretches endlessly
I doubted if I should even come back.
I'm afraid I won't be able to go back
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Maybe many years later somewhere
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
I will sigh softly to look back on the past
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
Two roads are divided in a wood
I took the one less traveled by,
And I chose the one with fewer people
And that has made all the difference.
Since then, I have decided the path of my life
Thank you all for watching!