A day in the life of a poor mother in the highlands.
(Baonghean.vn) – For 75-year-old Mrs. Ha Thi Tien in Kim Khe village (Chau Kim - Que Phong), October 20th is just another day. She still has to struggle to make a living alone, not to mention having to care for her daughter who suffers from mental illness.
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| Mrs. Ha Thi Tien's holiday begins with her taking a sickle to the rice fields to harvest. She explains that her husband passed away in 2004, leaving behind a "legacy" of 520 square meters of rice paddies. To provide for her family, she personally tills the soil to loosen it for planting. While a small tractor would only take a few hours, she spends a week diligently tilling the fields. |
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| Mrs. Tien has three children, but some are married and live far away. Her eldest daughter, who lives with her, suffers from a mental illness, sometimes lucid, sometimes delirious. Occasionally, she leaves home for months at a time. Mrs. Tien has virtually no one to help with the housework. |
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| Hardship was evident on her aged face, her eyes filled with sadness and unspoken sorrows. Her only son, the one who could share these difficulties, had married and moved far away. |
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| Around midday, the old woman trudged along the steep road carrying rice on her back to her small hut in the village. |
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| Her feet were marked with wrinkles that made her look older than her age. |
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| The attic, where dishes, chopsticks, and food are stored, is located in a dilapidated shack thatched with corrugated cement sheets. |
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| The hut gave us the impression of being in some remote, isolated place, even though Kim Khe village is less than 2km from the town center. |
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| It was rare for Mr. Tien to have moments of leisure to reminisce about the few peaceful times in his life. |
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| Mrs. Tien confided, "As long as God allows me to live, I will have to work to support myself." Indeed, at her age, like a flickering lamp in the wind, most people should be enjoying their old age with their children and grandchildren; however, for her, it has been a series of days spent struggling to make ends meet. |
Ha Phuong - Ho Phuong
