Feelings of workers celebrating Tet in a foreign land

(Baonghean) - According to Vietnamese tradition, Tet is an occasion for family reunion, so being away from home during Tet is something no one wants. However, for families with relatives working abroad, for many years now, they have become accustomed to celebrating Tet in absence. Suppressing their feelings, they work hard so that in the near future they can celebrate Tet together and be warmer.

Nghe An Association in Taiwan held a meeting on the occasion of Binh Than New Year 2016

Van Dien commune is one of the localities with the largest number of labor export workers in Nam Dan district. The whole commune currently has over 500 laborers working abroad, mainly in the markets of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Thanks to labor export, the lives of Van Dien people have improved, many families have become rich from the money sent back by labor export workers.

Like the family of Nguyen Van Son in Nhat Quang hamlet, before, they only worked in the fields, so life was difficult. With the desire to have some capital to revive the family economy, in 2012, Son decided to go to South Korea to work. In a foreign country, he worked as a mechanic, initially the apprentice salary was from 10 - 12 million VND/month, after his skills were "solid", he received a salary of 25 - 30 million VND/month. Working hard, not long after, he saved enough money to send back to pay off the debt and build a spacious 3-storey house. After 4 years of celebrating Tet away from home, Son is eagerly waiting for the new year of Dinh Dau with the joy of reuniting all family members.

However, not every family can have a warm and happy Tet like Mr. Son's family. Near the traditional Tet Dinh Dau 2017, the atmosphere in families with relatives working abroad seems to be quieter. The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao (born in 1975) has a husband named Le Khac Binh who has also worked abroad in Taiwan for 3 years. Every month, Mr. Binh regularly sends money back home, so the life of the mother and her three children is not too difficult, and they have a little extra to save.

However, Ms. Thao confided that she did not care much about how much Mr. Binh sent home, but only missed him and worried about his health. Every time Tet and Spring come, that longing becomes even more intense.

She shared: “When he left, the two children were still young, but now the first one is in first grade, the second one is over 3 years old, and the two children often mention their father. As for him, every time Tet comes, he calls home and says that the traditional Tet of Taiwanese people also coincides with Vietnam, so these days, people here are also busy preparing for Tet, seeing people gathering with their families makes me sad, missing the three of us so much. Hearing that, I could only hold back my tears. Once I told him to arrange to come back to celebrate Tet with his family, but he said that a round-trip ticket from Taiwan would cost more than ten million VND, if he returned, there would not be much money left for his family to prepare for Tet, so he accepted to celebrate Tet away from home to save money for his children's education later on.”

For families with relatives working abroad, the atmosphere is so sad, and for those who are celebrating Tet in a foreign land, there are also many worries. For Ms. Le Thi Thuy in Hamlet 6, Hung Tan Commune (Hung Nguyen), this is the 10th year she has celebrated Tet in Malaysia. In 2007, her family borrowed money from the bank for Ms. Thuy to work abroad. Thanks to her diligence and hard work, from a supermarket employee, after a few years, Ms. Thuy was "promoted" to team leader, with a better income.

Thanks to that, the family was able to build a spacious house and buy all the necessary household items. Every Lunar New Year, she always thinks about the scene of her husband, Nguyen Van Truong, and their two children being home alone, having to buy things, visit and give gifts to both sides of the family, and make Chung cakes to worship their ancestors... the tasks that she still does at home.

“As a woman, leaving my husband and children in my hometown while I work hard in a foreign country is something no one wants, but for the sake of food and clothing and the future of my two children, I have to accept it. Fortunately, my two children are both obedient and hard-working, so I don’t have to worry. The first few years I couldn’t celebrate Tet with my family were very sad, but now I’m used to it,” Thuy confided.

Nghe An compatriots in Japan organize Chung cake wrapping on the occasion of Lunar New Year.

Nguyen Huu Bac, 24 years old, from Thuan Son commune, Do Luong district, is working in Shizuoka, Japan. This year is his third Tet away from home. He still remembers the feeling of the first year not celebrating Tet at home. “That was probably the saddest Tet because I still had to go to work, the first Tet in a foreign country, without family, without relatives, without the taste of home.

Every year, my colleagues organize a Tet party together, with banh chung, gio cha, nem, thit jelly, pickled onions, etc., sitting together to ease homesickness and share their feelings about being away from home. Every Tet, I call my family. My parents at home feel sorry for me celebrating Tet alone. It's sad here, and heartbreaking at home, but because of the family's circumstances, we still have to try hard, everyone who works far from home feels the same way" - Mr. Bac shared.

Due to the short Tet holiday (only 3-4 days) and the high cost of round-trip airfare, very few Vietnamese workers can return home to celebrate Tet with their families. Therefore, most families with relatives working abroad feel a sense of emptiness and longing every time Tet comes and Spring returns. Those who are far from home and those who are at home try to encourage each other to celebrate Tet happily and peacefully, to work hard in work and life, and to wait for the day of reunion./.

Minh Quan