Little birds of the school year

(Baonghean) - The sobs in my throat kept coming out, my arms hugged my loved ones tightly as if I didn't want to let go... That was the first feeling of the students entering 6th grade, having to leave their families and villages to come to a new and unfamiliar environment.

In the early autumn afternoon, the sky in the western region of Nghe An was dyed yellow like honey. The sudden showers came and passed quickly, making the landscape look lush and green. On the small roads, the eyes were both shy and reluctant, the little hands seemed to not want to leave their parents and siblings. It was also time for the children to leave their villages and families to continue pursuing their dreams with letters. Some of them felt like they had grown up a lot. However, they were still worried.

We knocked on the door of the dormitory of Tuong Duong Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities after a day when students had entered school to prepare for the new school year. The students in grades 7, 8, and 9 seemed to be used to living away from home, getting to know their teachers and friends, so they were bold, confident and somewhat excited to return to school. But the 6th graders were very shy and bewildered. In the multi-purpose room, teacher Nguyen Xuan Dong was organizing fun games for the students to help them integrate into their new life. The homeroom teachers of the 6th graders were also often present at the dormitory to encourage them to avoid them leaving on their own.

“So, the children are still young but have to leave their families to go to a new environment, it is very sad. Before, they lived in the village, in the arms of their relatives, now everything is strange so many children want to go back. Therefore, at first, the school organized fun and entertaining activities to help the children gradually adapt to the new learning environment” – Ms. Nguyen Thi Kieu, a teacher at the school, shared.

Tuong Duong Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities - a place of study for students in the highlands.

We visited room number 8 of the dormitory. Most of the students here are from remote communes of Tuong Duong district such as: Mai Son, Nhon Mai, Nga My, Tam Hop... They also belong to many different ethnic groups such as: Thai, Mong, O Du, Kho Mu... And when they come to school, they all see each other as brothers and sisters in one family. Without anyone telling them, from sweeping the house to cleaning the room, they all voluntarily assign each other to keep the common hygiene. For students from the mountainous areas, doing such things is something they are used to doing at home.

While we were busy cleaning, Lo Thi Khuyen suddenly got up and ran out of the room. Looking down the hallway, we saw Khuyen hugging her father with both arms, sobbing. Her roommates said that when she first came in, Khuyen cried a lot. Every day she wanted to go back to her father and mother. Tears soaked into the old father's shirt, his eyes were also filled with tears as he kept stroking his little daughter's hair. Neither father nor daughter said a word, just hugging each other tightly. Everyone understood that a change would begin from today.

Quickly wiping away the tears on his daughter's face, Mr. Lo Van Viet said that his house is in Luom village (Yen Thang commune), more than 45 km from the school. Khuyen is the youngest daughter in the family and is also the best student, so she was admitted to the boarding school. At first, his family was afraid that she would not be able to bear living far from home, but for the sake of her future, they sent her here to study. Every week, he tries to visit her a few times to help her ease her homesickness.

Many fun activities are organized to help 6th grade students integrate into their new environment.

Sitting engrossed in reading the newspaper in her dormitory room, Lo Khoa Ha Trang occasionally looks into the distance. Coming from the remote Nhon Mai commune, she has to travel more than 100 km to get to a boarding school in Hoa Binh town. Because her house is far away, Trang's parents rarely have the opportunity to visit her. For Trang, the dormitory is her home, her teachers are her parents, and her friends are her siblings. Trang confided that in her Nhon Mai village, there are stilt houses next to rows of cool palm trees. Whenever she wants, she goes down to the stream to play with her friends. But she has to leave her family and come here to live with "strangers". The first few days, she also intended to sneak back home, but then she thought about how sorry she was for her parents, so she gave up. Luckily, her friends and teachers here care for her, so she feels a little better.

In the same commune as Trang is Xong Ba Va, a Mong. Looking at Ba Va's innocent eyes, we understand that he is trying to adapt to the new environment. His house is on the Huoi Pe mountain range, covered in fog all year round. There are honest people who work hard from morning to night on the fields, growing corn, sowing rice, raising buffaloes, and raising chickens to make a living. Va's family has 7 siblings and most of them cannot go to school properly due to their family's financial difficulties. Only he is the best student, so his parents cut down on food and clothing to create conditions for him to have an education so that he will have less hardship in the future.

Let's step into the new school year together..

In the cramped dormitory room, I caught a student's eyes suddenly drooping. Tears streaming down her face, her voice choked, she said: "All the friends here have been taken home by their parents, but I have not been home once since I came here. I miss home so much." When asked, I found out that she was Lo Thi Kim Chi, an O Du ethnic group - the smallest ethnic group in Nghe An. Kim Chi said that her parents were busy working in the fields every day to earn a living so they had not had time to visit her. From Vang Mon village (Nga My commune) to here is only about 65 km, but even when the school let her go home, she could not go home. She missed her parents, missed the yellow houses in the resettlement area of ​​the village, missed the straight cactus fences on the village road... At night, the friends in the room missed home and sat talking to each other about their village and family, making Kim Chi cry again. Luckily, sometimes my homeroom teacher comes to talk and encourage me, so I feel less lonely.

Lo Khoa Ha Trang is busy studying at her desk.

Mr. Bui Van Chien - Principal of Tuong Duong Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities Boarding shared: "The students here all come from remote communes, are still young so they cannot help but miss home. Many of them even want to escape from school to return to their families. Understanding that, the school mobilizes boarding teachers and homeroom teachers to regularly encourage students so that they can consider this as their home and study with peace of mind."

Saying goodbye to them, we saw their eyes still full of confusion but more confident. They have found joy in their new home. And I believe that when those little birds leave the nest, they will fly high and far to love the vast land more.

Dao Tho