Sanya Community Tells Us What They Wish They Had Known as a Kid

Children’s Day is such a special time for parents to enjoy precious moments with their children. At the same time, as we reflect back on our lives, we can’t help but think of all that we wish we could change or could have taught ourselves.

This seems to be a common desire regardless of any nationality, and at That’s Sanya, we reached out to the vibrant international community to find out what they wish they could have known as a child.

“I wish I could have known my body and mind are priceless gifts I should take care of daily.”
- Liza Kots, Fitness Coach, Russia

“I would like to have had the opportunity to learn English. I come from a small village in Brazil with no English class and no internet to learn. My first contact with the language was when I was 20 years old.”
- Roberta Abreu, CFO Cool Shop Meat Store, Brazil

“Be a studious, humorous, brave and conscientious man. And mostly, don't eat too much bro.”
- Li Haoran, Sanya Traffic Peace Keeper, China

“When I was a kid, I thought that adults had ‘super powers,’ and they could solve every problem if they wanted. I wish I knew that humans are not perfect, and yes, we can’t solve everything. Sometimes we just have to back up, breath and start again. I wish I knew that life is short and we all have a limited time in this world. I would probably spend more time with the old ones. I would hug my friends more and tell them how important they are because some of them are not in this world anymore. Live every second of your life like if it is your last day, love yourself and love others.”
- Ivonilde Oliveira, Student, Cape Verde

“I wish I believed more in what my parents told me. Take their advice and apply it more. Loved them more.”
- Elize Vogel, Science Teacher, South Africa

“I wish I could have known as a kid that there is no need to rush to grow up, that the life of a child is carefree and happy. And I also wish I approached my studies more responsibly.”
- Frizman Alex, Ukraine

“One day you will grow up, and you will believe that you are not a child anymore. But remember, every time you look into the mirror, you will see that you are still that child, having the same magic sparkle in your eyes, believing that everything is possible and knowing that with your imagination you have the power to create castles.”
- Gulsah Can Yildirim, Founder of Business Coherence, Germany

“I wish I could’ve known how important time spent with my grandparents was when I was a kid. Family is everything.”
- Nikolai Klisursky, Teacher, Bulgaria

“‘My friend the wind, where do the kites with breaking rope go?’ I’m a competition team pilot for Turkish Nationals, and this question is based on a story that I followed as a child and wondering the answer to.”
- Furkan Yurtsev, Former National Competition Pilot, Turkey

“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Your mom won’t stop loving you just because she’s angry at you. We all learn from mistakes, that’s how we grow. And your mom is always the person who loves you the most in the world.” 
- Andie Dai, Curriculum Director of Ferrying.Edu, China

“I wish I could have known how good I really had it, how important it is to keep a wild imagination and about compounding interest."
- Alvaro Zumaran, English Teacher, US

“As a child, I wish I could have known more about how the universe functions and also how the economy works.”
- Aleksandra Karavaeva, Tennis coach and entrepreneur, Russia

“When I was 8 years old, I started learning martial arts, so I think I achieved an important thing I wanted to learn as a child. I wish I had learned the Chinese language at that age too. I think for Westerners, we should make an effort to learn Chinese or other languages. Chinese kids try very hard to learn English. I think a lot of problems can be solved with better communication.”
- Jake Sanders, CEO Hainan Souther Star Creative Consultants, NZ, UK

“I am grateful to my parents for instilling in me a passion for travel and respect of diversity.  While I try to reflect upon what I wish I had known as a child, my parents were pretty transparent so I find few gaps there. In the bigger picture beyond the family, I wish I had known more about the complexities of human behavior.”
- Lynne Slater, College Counselor, English Teacher, Sanya Overseas Chinese School International Division, US

“The importance of investing (some of) one's money would have been something useful to know. That and ‘it's okay to dress up as a girl'. Jokes aside, I suppose I wish that I had known to cherish not only my childhood itself but that my childhood was a relatively privileged one. With that in mind, I wish I had been more grateful for what I had.”
- Iain Inglis, Guest Presenter, Hainan Television, UK

"‘Don't let schooling interfere with your education.’ Mark Twain”
- Robert Hopkins, Senior Translator, Hainan #1 Translation, US

"I wish I would have spent more time learning English when I were a child so I could communicate with friends from all over the world."
- Owen, English teacher, China

[Cover image via Pexels]

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