For the past year and change, Vino attended British International School in Ho Chi Minh City. What started out as a scary huge shool where he knew no one became a home with friends he doesn’t want to let go of.

Our life in Vietnam has been a whirldwind of emotions, personal growth for all of us, and precious memories that we will definitely look back fondly in the coming years.

Today marks the final day of Vino’s time in BIS, and he is still not certain of his emotions. On one hand, there’s joy that school’s over. On the other, he doesn’t want it to end so that he can still see his friends.

New Student Feels

The move was especially tough for Vino, as he transitioned from K2 to year 1 to year 2 in a span of eight months in 2023.

Before moving, both Che and I wondered if Vino can deal with that much change. However, the timing was just perfect as he was able to at least experience year 1 briefly before jumping to year 2.

He crushed his online interview and for a moment, we forgot our worries. When we first visited the campus, he appeared to be excited, which was also a good sign for us. All that was left was the actual school days.

Che and I had fairly stable schools in our formative years. I spent kinder to sixth grade in one school before moving to another in high school, and then again in college. Meanwhile, Che stayed in the same school all the way through high school. So truly, Vino’s move this early is uncharted territory for us.

The best I could do for Vino was to stay visible for him from the time I drop him off until they are taken to their classrooms.

There were days when he would cry before going inside, clutching my hand tightly as if to say “don’t let me go in there!” Some days, he would put on a brave front and walk in, but would turn around with tears in his eyes because he didn’t know anyone amidst the chaos of morning playtime.

As the weeks went by, he got more comfortable with his new school and new friends. Some kids would greet him as he came in and at times he would still look out for me and give a thumbs up or a bright smile to show he’s ok.

With weeks becoming months, he would be minding his own business already and wouldn’t need to look back to see if I was still there. It was my first true experience of watching him grow up right before my eyes. I feel like it’s always a happy-sad moment for any parent whenever their offspring grows from that infant you first held in your arms to the kid laughing while his arms were draped around his friends’ shoulders.

Growing Our Circle

I pick up Vino from school on a daily basis. This was non-negotiable. It was already a huge change for me to be away from him for most of the day, so being the first person he sees from family after school was very important for me.

I wanted to hear stories from Vino, so I tried to learn the names of his classmates and even met some of his friends outside the class.

Soon, he was invited to birthday parties outside school where he would run around playgrounds with everyone. During this time, I would sit in my own corner as the Vietnamese moms sat together, maybe one or two Korean moms picking their own corner. I didn’t try to put too much effort trying to meet them, as I thought we would be leaving in a year and didn’t want to have too much attachment.

One of the last parties Vino attended, Amy’s birthday. Favorite boys and girls present, and he was so used to parties at this point.

As shy as Vino is, I’m always surprised when a new face would call him in school and say goodbye to him. I realized that maybe he’s a different kid in school from the one that plays with me at home.

Because of my constant presence in school, I’ve become known as “Vino’s Dad.” If there was any reason for me to lose my name that I lived my whole life being known as, this would be the only reason.

When his friends see me, they would call me “Vino’s Dad!” or tell the teacher that Vino’s dad is there so he can go home already. One time at a birthday party, Vino told his friend that my name was Volt, not “Vino’s Dad.” I told Vino that it’s ok for his friends to call me that.

It’s also an easier way to remember parents, because I know their kids already. Amazingly, even staff and teachers know me as Vino’s dad – which I take as a testament to Vino’s bright personality in school.

Saying Goodbye To Our Friends

While I intentionally didn’t create bonds with parents, I made friends with the kids in school.

During parties, they would ask for my help from time to time or ask me to do something to make their games work. After school, the kids would ask me to play tag with them if they didn’t have enough players and I obliged when my legs and lungs allowed.

As we counted down the days before the end of the academic year, Vino would sometimes express his sadness that he will not be joining his friends for year 3. I try to help him manage his feelings by saying we made plenty of good memories and it will soon be time to make new memories with new friends in Singapore.

But honestly, I feel his sadness as well.

We won’t be playing with Eddie and his brother Bertie anymore. Robin won’t be shouting Vino’s name. Kyros won’t be sharing his love for planes and boats anymore. Vino won’t be able to admire Ayano in class. We won’t be hearing stories from Pamela. We won’t see Tommy pull off his Spiderman impression anymore. Chae-A’s bright smile won’t be lighting up our room. Nathan, Sophia, Putien, and Minh will all need to bother a different adult to play tag with them in the junior campus. Crazy Julia won’t be chasing Vino on the stairways we’ll walk.

Vino will soon celebrate his seventh birthday and considering how young he still is, we’re hoping that he moves on quick from the sadness but still remember everything that he experienced – good and bad – during his time in BIS.

As for me, well, “Vino’s Dad” is now ready to say goodbye to our BIS family.

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