Feelings of Vietnamese students celebrating Tet abroad

Listening to the Vietnamese students at the University of Hawaii share their feelings about their homeland, family, and the upcoming traditional New Year during a simple dinner made us appreciate and admire them even more.

Although it was my first time in Honolulu, the capital of the Hawaiian Islands, I did not feel strange because of the sincerity and friendliness of the Vietnamese students studying at the University of Hawaii.

Mr. Kim Lavane, president of the Vietnamese student association at the University of Hawaii, said that there were quite a lot of Vietnamese students studying at the school during the period 2006 - 2012, sometimes up to 70 - 80 people, most of them with scholarships from VEF, Ford Foundation, Fulbright...

However, in the past two years, many students have returned home after completing their studies. At the same time, some funds have also ended or reduced their scholarships, so the number of students is currently less than 20, most of whom are PhD and master students in fields such as environmental treatment technology, urban planning, educational management, linguistics, library studies, etc.

Simple dinner of Vietnamese students studying abroad in Hawaii

Although it is only a small community, the Vietnamese students here are very close-knit, friendly, cheerful, enthusiastic in sharing and helping each other in life. Each person comes from different regions but has a common home filled with humanity in the beautiful land of Hawaii.

Listening to their stories about their homeland, family, and the upcoming traditional New Year during a simple dinner in the student kitchen made me appreciate and admire them even more.

Chi Diep Kim Chi, the longest-standing resident of the community who came to Hawaii in 2006, has a PhD in library science and is studying for a master's degree in educational administration. She is the most surprising person because she looks younger than her actual age and her son is also studying for a master's degree at this very school.

8 years of schooling was also the same amount of time she spent alone and then mother and daughter celebrated Tet together in a foreign land. She said that during Tet, the feeling of missing home and the traditional Tet atmosphere made both mother and daughter very sad.

“I like Trinh's music, I only listen to Trinh's music, but Trinh's music is very sad, so when I miss home, my relatives, especially during holidays, I often don't dare listen to music for fear of not being able to control myself.”

She said that many young women after finishing their master's degree asked her whether they should stay and continue their doctorate studies, and she advised them to consider carefully because women who study abroad will have to make many sacrifices. That is the great loss and lack of affection for their family and relatives in the country, the torment of responsibility as a mother far from her children, a wife far from her husband, the loss of their childhood when their mother is not around... She felt those losses very deeply from her own life.

I felt in Chi's words hidden remorse for not fulfilling her duties as a wife, even though thanks to that sacrifice, her son was able to study and train in an environment that many people desire today.

Phung Van Huy, the youngest language student in the community, who arrived in Hawaii last August on a Fulbright scholarship, has his own feelings. Huy said that when he first arrived, he didn't feel anything special because he was excited as a young man in a new environment. But once he settled down, he "fell into a state of extreme depression" because he missed his wife, children and family.

"But I'm different from Chi, I still listen to sad music, reformed opera, yellow music, even the melodious sound of the monochord... I listen until I stop being sad," Huy joked.

Although he no longer falls into that state because he has to bury his head in books all day, sometimes while studying, Huy still has moments of "silence" when thinking about his small family and parents.

Huy is experiencing the last days of the first Tet away from home and the "silent" moments seem to be increasing, not only missing his loved ones but also missing a spiritual space that Huy finds difficult to describe.

The feeling of separation and loss is what Mr. Nong Huu Duong, a Tay ethnic, urban research student, remembers when he left his newlywed wife to study abroad.

He agreed with Chi when he also experienced a period of time, although not long, when his wife, children and grandchildren were separated, which he thought was best not to happen. Because as he himself confessed, he fell into a state of imbalance from the first days he set foot in Hawaii when he had to be away from his loved ones. But he was still luckier than Chi when he finally had a complete family by his side. He and his small family celebrated two New Year's together in Hawaii. That was the greatest joy and happiness that nothing could replace. I felt that in every word he said.

As for Mr. Kim Lavane, the President of the Student Union, I was impressed by his maturity and responsibility from a different perspective hidden behind his usual joking words. He did not express his emotions as clearly as other international students, but I felt that behind it was a strong desire to return home, where his wife and daughter had never known their father since birth.

Every year, Chi and her fellow international students celebrate Tet themselves. They make banh chung, banh tet and cook traditional dishes; organize meals, perform arts and invite professors and international students to attend; and also have a few glasses of wine to match the Tet customs.

Tet is also an opportunity for them to ease their homesickness, forget all the hardships of a year of studying, and reward themselves with the most relaxing moments. Each person has their own circumstances, different thoughts about their homeland and the national Tet holiday, but I am sure that they always long for the day to return to meet their loved ones. I can clearly feel that desire in each of them.

Saying goodbye to Honolulu, Hawaii on a chilly afternoon, I still feel warmer and more secure when the country has young people who know how to overcome their own circumstances and difficulties, their families and society, to conquer the peaks of human knowledge, with the expectation of a bright future not only for themselves but also for the whole country.

According to VTC news