"January is the month for partying..."
(Baonghean)My friends who went back to Vietnam for Tet have all returned now. They all look bewildered, like cows wearing bows, with the word "Banh Chung" (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) practically written all over their faces. This is the thing nobody wants to talk about the least: the aftermath of Tet.
The feeling of disappointment isn't unique to international students: regardless of age or gender, recharging one's spirits after a decade of holidays is never easy. And it's understandable, who doesn't like to relax and enjoy themselves? Students in the past loved holidays, and students today are no different; adults love them even more. Because as we get older, the constraints and rules we have to follow become tighter, sometimes making us feel suffocated, frustrated, and yearning for freedom and carefree living. As the old saying goes, "January is the month for leisure...", a rare period of free time where there's no distinction between adults and children, a time when people have the right to forget all responsibilities and obligations. Oh, wonderful January!
Times have changed. There was a time when people discussed celebrating the Lunar New Year according to the Western calendar, showing that the pace of life then and now are somewhat out of sync. It's more chaotic, certainly, but also more dynamic and bustling. While the world outside is accelerating, we can't just stand still, leisurely reminiscing about "January being the month for fun and games." Honestly, I was a little surprised to see my friends back home boasting about having a 10-day holiday this Tet, with plenty of time to eat and play! Even more surprising is that those 10 days still seem insufficient, still not satisfying enough, leaving people "tired" of playing and "tired" of eating when they return to their usual routines of life, study, and work. Or am I worrying unnecessarily? Like a gambler, no matter how much you win, it's never enough.
Leisure and indulgence possess a strange allure, an irresistible force. Just a few sighs of "just today" and time flies by – wasted time, lost time… One or two individuals like this, then the whole society, invisibly causes the entire system to stagnate, fostering a mentality of dependence, blame, and conformity. Do you know the game of dominoes? When one piece falls, the whole chain collapses. Our own mentality of "playing with someone's belly button" is dangerous and has potential consequences similar to the domino effect!
As always, the hardest part of any endeavor is the starting point. After the Lunar New Year holiday, people are like sluggish machines restarting after years of rest. Without conscious maintenance, our responsibility and capabilities will rust and break down. "January is the month for leisure," sounds easy. "Everyone chooses the easy tasks, who will do the hard work?" The problem is, no one will do the "hard work" for us in life and work. So, before everything rusts and becomes moldy, slap that slumbering mindset in the January dream and wake up!
Hai Trieu(Email from Paris)
