I wonder what it’s like for those who spent their childhood in the city. I was born in the countryside. Although it was a poor rural life, we were raised with the love of our parents. Contrary to the bustling city, the countryside was very quiet. There was no sound of cars, and the traffic was so light during the day that it was safe for children to play in the streets.
As a child, we used to gather at my house every night and play hide-and-seek until late. It was reassuring that we could call out loudly without bothering anyone. One day, one of our friends fell asleep while hiding. We all thought he was kidnapped and called his name loudly until he finally woke up. We were very upset at first, but then we couldn’t help but laugh about it.
When I was a child, there was no internet or even phones, so we would meet every day at 12 o’clock in the cornfields and chat under the shade of the corn plants. One day, we stole corn from a farmer’s field and roasted it. The delicious smell of roasting corn gave us away to the farmer, but we continued to steal and roast corn together many times after that.
We were the same age, so we sometimes quarreled. We might not speak to each other for 2 or 3 days, but then we would quickly make up by sharing candies.
Every day, after school ended at 11 am, we would go home, eat lunch, and then immediately go fishing in the river near our houses. It was really fun. During the summer vacation, when the rice harvesting started, we played in the rice fields. Approaching the rice, I could smell it. The scent of the grass was so fresh, and I took deep breaths. There were many insects in the rice fields: frogs, mantises, spiders. We would become engrossed in catching insects. Nowadays, children are always on their phones and don’t play like this anymore, but for me, it is a truly nostalgic memory.
My childhood memories of New Year’s are also special. During the winter vacation, as the end of the year approached, we would go shopping in the market with our parents and do a big cleaning. The cleaning was hard, but I felt happy when the house was clean. On December 30th, the whole family would gather to prepare for Tet. As children, we didn’t do anything. We just looked forward to Tet, where we could wear new clothes and eat a lot of delicious food.
On New Year’s Day, we visited relatives’ houses with our family and exchanged New Year’s greetings. During this time, grandparents would give children red envelopes with New Year’s money. After Tet, we would gather and count the money we received. We could spend a little of the New Year’s money, but the rest had to be given to our parents. I protested to my parents, but it was no use. Now that I’m an adult and not at home, of course, I don’t receive New Year’s money.
Childhood was really fun. I wish I could go back to those days, but I can’t. Now that I’m an adult, I have to think about many things.