Today, Saturday, May 11, 2024. I have played badminton club with a new group of friends. Then you will ask me, how do I know this club? right? Yes, I know this group because I have met two of the brothers that I play Tennis with them at Fairview Tennis Club. Initially, when I saw these two guys, I didn’t plan to make friends with them. But, because the tennis courts on that day are too crowded, and I and another friend, who is Indian that I have been playing with for a long time, have no court to play. Then we discovered that the court where the two guys were using, only had two of them playing. Then I decided to approach and ask if we could share the court. And that is how we know the guys. We played some rallies together and started to feel interested in each other because we were already at the same Tennis level, which is pretty rare in the Tennis world. At least, it’s pretty rare for those who are new to the game. Why? because almost all new players, 90% of them give up in the first few months. Simply because they find no one to play with, or simply because it’s too difficult to play, and, it’s too expensive to continue to take the Tennis courses in order to upgrade their play level. In order to understand what I just said, you can take a look at my article that I’ve recently posted earlier here, in this post, I focus on writing about all the difficulties for new players. Back to my today’s story, after a few days, I decided to message both of the guys, asking if they could schedule their time to play Tennis with me. We didn’t have a chance to play together a week after that, but, one of the two guys, his name is Vinh, asked if I would like to play badminton. He told me that, he has a badminton club play in the weekend which I can join. Then I said yes.
And then, it’s today when I meet all the people in the badminton club. First, I would want to talk about my feeling when I play badminton. Initially, I felt it was too fast for me. The shuttlecock’s moving speed is much faster than the tennis ball. I think it’s making sense. The tennis court is twice as big as badminton, therefore, the distance of moving the tennis ball is also twice the length of the shuttlecock. After a while of playing, I see that the shuttlecock is only fast before it moves over the net. I mean, the shuttlecock, its speed reduced significantly after moving over the net. If I stay calm, it’s extremely easy for me to hit the return. Another difference is that the way we hit the shuttlecock is different too. In badminton, we use a lot of the wrist. On the other hand, in Tennis, we lock the wrist, and we use the shoulder and waist to make the racquet move to hit the ball. The similarities are also there, according to my observation, technically they have both backhand and forehand. Also, we also have the serving. But, serving in badminton, we can hit the shuttlecock upward, and in tennis, we hit the ball down. Overall, I think that badminton is a sport for everyone. Because it’s very easy to play, it’s also very healthy, almost everyone can play without going through courses. Speaking about fun, I think Tennis is more fun because it requires more aspects in order to become a better player. And because it has more challenges to overcome, it makes me feel more interested. I wonder if this is similar to flirting? I don’t think so, because sports and relationships are two different things. One more interesting fact, that I observed is that badminton stands actually burn more calories than tennis. Maybe because the body has to react more. The badminton court is much smaller than the tennis court, which makes the shuttlecock go back and forth more often, that also means we have to react more and move, as a consequence, we have to keep our heart right up high for a longer period of time.
After we finish playing the game. Mr. Vinh’s wife dragged me to meet people, everybody here is Vietnamese. I cannot remember all of the people’s names. In fact, I forgot their name immediately right after they told me their name. Sorry about that. But, I swear that I will remember your name, after a few hundred times of meeting. What I did remember, is my impression about you guys. First, the young boy, who is studying here, he is from 2004, he studies at Etocobike (I think), he also studying IT / Software Engineer just like me. He seems to be an introvert since he doesn’t speak much. But I think he’s a kind one, he did tell me that he doesn’t want to come to class because, in his class, he has no friends. It’s because, in his class, the students are all Indians, and the Indians only speak their own language, so he feels isolated. Another thing about him is, he doesn’t play any video games. The good thing is that he often plays badminton and has a side job. Anyways, I hope this young boy, finds his enthusiasm and happiness in his own study major. He is so very similar to me when I was studying in the United States, and also similar to me when I was studying at FPT University in Vietnam. I was extremely introverted, the only thing driving me to tomorrow is the study. For this guy, he doesn’t have friends, at least friends in university, I hope he finds more friends, if not in class, it should be outside. I am glad that he actually came here to the badminton club. Another guy that I impress (FYI: I impress anyone that I speak with a lot), is a 21-year-old guy, who is studying here. But he is built differently compared to the other guy that I just introduced, this guy is more experienced in life and mature. He has been here for 6 years has a full G license, and also owns his own car. He started his life here when he was in high school, no wonder why he is so confident, this place is like his second hometown. I mean, almost all the people I meet here, have already seen Canada as their second home, because they all stay here for a very very long time. Everybody always tells me that they have been staying here for more than 5 years. The last two people that I mention in this article, are the couple that brought me to the badminton court today. Of course, Mr Vinh and his wife. Oh no, I forgot his wife’s name. Anyways, Mr Vinh, born in 1993, is a mature, calm, quiet, pretty introvert. His wife contradicts him: during the ride, I think I talk with her the most. But of course, I also have the skill to talk with myself, and because of that, I feel like I talk with both of them, instead of one. His wife is pregnant, I guess she is already 6 months pregnant, and the amazing thing is that she looks very healthy, energetic, and not fat at all like what I usually think of pregnant women. I think she has a good diet plan. She plays badminton for hours without tiring, very impression. I think this is a happy couple, I think the husband has a lot of responsibility, and I hope he always standing still, and a solid shoulder, the fulcrum of the family.
Overall, today is a meaningful day. I get a chance to know more about Vietnamese in this area. For those who move from a different place to Mississauga, especially if they come from a big metropolis like Toronto, they will feel bored here. It’s surprising to me because I don’t feel like that at all. I only know this, when I speak with anyone coming from a different city. And the interesting thing about this badminton club is that everyone is all coming from different cities, they have not lived here from the beginning. I think I am the only one who has lived here since the beginning. There are people coming from Milton, Toronto, Vaughan, etc. They are all kind, and friendly after all. We did go to a vegetarian restaurant together, and the way they treated me, was as nice as the landlord here. I have a good impression of Canadian Vietnamese as well as the Southern Vietnamese. I know that not all of them think well about the North people, but at least from my perspective, I feel like I can blend well with them. Everybody is a hardworking man, wise, and open-thinking – I think this is true, for all Vietnamese immigrants: they are smart, hard-working, confident, and courageous, they are all the next generation of Vietnam. They came here by their true talent. And I am very happy to meet all of them.