LIFE USED TO BE TOUGH BUT MEANINGFUL

I was born and grew up in a peaceful small village in the central area of Vietnam where people lived up to their rice paddies during the 1990s. At the time, life was tough and most of peasants lived in cottages made of straw, bamboo and clay. The people who were a bit richer lived in more modern brick-made houses with a tiled roof. There was not much electricity here. Televisions and bikes became luxurious things and those who owned one were considered as wealthy families.

Our childhood was nourished with shinning days wandering along the village roads or in a field where we could fly our self-made kites, lay down on the grass and took a straight look at the sky or gathered in one's yard to play folk games. We played so hard and made a lot of noise. Above all, we almost forgot our hot-tempered neighbors whose blood was easily made boiled whenever their naps were spoilt. Thus, we normally did another running which the kids called "escaping". Sometimes, there were some fights among us because we all wanted to win and hated cheated players. So, we set rules that were common in the children's world. Of course, the adults had never known about them. 

A pagoda and a green rice field in a cloudy day

At dawn

As a new harvest was coming up, local people rushed to prepare all necessary stuff, including rice sack bags, sickles, grain baskets, drinks and food. The unity in a village played a crucial role in saving our money. In the past, our light-hearted neighbors helped us to harvest rice and we did the same thing to them. Time goes by, everything has been changed and so has the neighborliness. 

Though the poverty overwhelmed the village, people still kept optimistic about the future. Perhaps my thriftiness was formed from that. One of common saying from the elder is:" Throwing leftovers is a sin. When you died, you would be moved to the hell. Your eyes got hurt by ants' bites." The children were frightened of that. Therefore, we never wasted anything and recycled our unwanted stuff instead. Books and notebooks were covered with old newspapers. We didn't even feel embarrassed about wearing hand-me-down clothes. Confidently speaking, we lived a greener life than ever.😊

How about your childhood? Let me know your unforgettable childhood memories.