My students are between 30 and 40 years old, speaking Kinh language, but despite many cold and rainy nights, the class is always full.
In February 1977, at that time I was teaching in a lowland commune of Phong Dien district, Thua Thien – Hue province, due to work requirements, I was transferred to ethnic minority areas in the mountainous district of A Luoi to teach. teaching illiteracy eradication according to the Party and State’s policy of eliminating “ignorant enemies”.
Be surprised on the legendary Ho Chi Minh street A Luoi district is located in the west of Truong Son mountain range. This is the revolutionary land of the Pa Ko ethnic group, a resistance base of the army and the Tri Thien people during the fight against the imperialism and independence for the nation. Back then, because the heavy consequences of the war could not be overcome, from Hue, if you wanted to get to A Luoi, you had to go back to Dong Ha (Quang Tri province), turn to the legendary 9th Street, through places like Cam Lo, Huong Hoa … then runs along Ho Chi Minh Road next to the majestic Truong Son range. A Luoi years after the reunification of 1975. (Photo provided by the author) A Luoi today has changed flesh. In the photo: Students come home from school on the streets of A Luoi town Our mission of about 40 people was assigned to remote villages. Morning on the road, Hue was very cold. Before that, we were told that this season, the climate in the mountains was very cold, so we had to bring enough warm clothes, blankets … When the cam-gong drove us across the Dakrong bridge – the suspension bridge was full. When the statue leads into A Luoi area, it rains heavily. The sky was overcast, and dark clouds hung in front of him. The cold air rushed in and out of the cold, unlike when it was on the plain. The majestic Truong Son range is hidden behind a hazy cloud. Large, deep and dense bomb craters on Ho Chi Minh Road were the result of enemy bombing. Every hole is full of water up to half a wheel. Small streams cut across the road, making the car ceaselessly tilting. On both sides of the road, there are houses on stilts of ethnic minorities curled up in the cold wind. Departing from 7 am but not until 5 pm, our delegation arrived at the district center. After a night of rest in the dormitory of a boarding high school, the next morning, I and 3 other colleagues were assigned to a commune nearly 80 km from the district center. It is Hong Van commune, a commune located deep in the Truong Son range. When I arrived in the commune, I was led by a young man named Ho Tau to hamlet 4. Anh Tau is also a teacher at the commune’s primary school. In the voice of the Kinh-speaking ethnic minority, he said: “We have to go through a forest road about 5 kilometers long to reach the residence of the people. In our village, there is only one trail. Only, I try to remember so that if there is a need, the commune will not get lost “. Hearing him say that, I was also a bit shy, Truong Son forest road, if I get lost, I know who to ask. I was brought by Mr. Tau to live in a long house on stilts owned by Uncle Ho Ha and his wife. Uncle Ha is in charge of the culture of the hamlet. His house is long and wide, divided into about 5-6 small houses for each family member to live and live in. In the middle of each apartment, there is a fire with very large sticks of firewood that are always red and buried in ashes. My apartment is on the outside. The center of the house is that of Uncle Ha and his wife, this is also the place where I “stand class”. The class consists of 6-7 tables with chairs, made of pine wood from cartons. After receiving the accommodation, the first thing I did was to send him some rice stamps and food stamps from the commercial level, but Uncle Ha refused. He said: “Whatever our family eats, you will eat it. You can keep these things for later!”. Literacy classes The first night of teaching, I was provided with a hurricane lamp, a blackboard and a chalk box. The first class starts around 7:00 pm. After Uncle Ha’s squeaking sound, from the trails, many small oil lamps scrambled, those were the students who brought lamps, exercises and pens to the “opening”. When I received the list of students, I was very surprised because they all wore the surname Hồ. It turned out to show respect for Uncle Ho, the people here took Uncle Ho’s surname as their surname. My class is about 10 students, most of them are women aged 30-40, only a few are men, most speak Kinh language very poorly and are a bit hard of hearing. Due to the prior instructions, I try to give the lecture very slowly, with a simple and easy-to-understand way of speaking. The first lesson was very fun with the voice of the ladies and uncles loudly reading in unison. Butter (shore), avocado ba. Mechanical, muscle a ca. Dirty, dirty … Then there were very hilarious laughter. Just like that, even if the rain is cold, every night the class will be crowded. In the free mornings, I often follow the practitioners to trim rice, pick corn, dig cassava (tapioca) … Upland rice can only grow one crop a year due to the lack of water. The people here cultivate on a large plot of land that has been cleared, one person goes first, holding two sharp-pointed sticks, walking while thrusting sharp stakes into the ground. The follower took the grain of rice from the small basket and put it in the hole and covered it with soil. But perhaps the most interesting is that according to Uncle Ha, he hunts small animals such as mites, hares, porcupines … or even boars come back to disturb the fields. Every time he hunted one, he shared it with his neighbors to improve the meal together. The food here is mainly corn, cassava, vegetables, dry meat … cooked together in a pot. At that time, the whole country was in the period of overcoming the consequences of the war, so the life of the people here was very difficult. After only 3 months of work, I have seen two students in the neighboring neighborhood get injured when digging up leftover bombs and ammunition. As a rule, on every Saturday at the end of the month, our group of teachers must go to the Commune People’s Committee to meet and report on difficulties and advantages in the working process. The first month I went to the meeting, because I had to go alone early, I was somewhat worried. But then went deep into the shady forest and followed the trail that Mr. Ho Tau took, so he was very confident and spoiled for the view of the mountains and forests. Through the third month, the curriculum reached its end. Students can self-rhyme for reading and writing. At that time, my wife was about to give birth to my first child, so I took 2 nights off to visit home. Uncle Ha gave me a bag of fresh corn to bring back to foster my wife. Hearing the news, Mr. Tau said: “Let me go with you, from childhood to big, I do not know where the street is!”. That morning, I got up early, Mr. Tau came to me and brought me some cassava roots wrapped in banana leaves for breakfast, then we both went to the national highway to take the cam-gong bus ride to Hue. Arriving at the street, I took Mr. Tau to Dong Ba market to eat Hue beef noodle soup. Seeing everything he is also interested, looking intently. I bought him a warm shirt, some scarves. He gave me back the dagger that he always had on hand while on the road. Three months of teaching here also ended. The day I broke up was very sad because I knew that there would rarely be a chance to reunite with everyone. I also know that due to the circumstances and life here, if students only learn to know without the conditions to improve, the risk of re-illiteracy can occur. I know that but how can it be! A Luoi district is not the same as before. The road up here now goes straight from Hue, the distance is only 1/3 of the distance we had to go more than 40 years ago. Now the people of A Luoi are no longer living in stilt houses, but instead are bricked red tiled houses. The village has been planned more neatly. Electric lights illuminate all over deep areas. Many places have become attractive tourist destinations. Thanks to the mechanization and expansion of irrigation, farming is much more efficient. On the two sides of the national highway, many shops sell all kinds of items that do not lack anything like in the town. The revival of this land has been soaked in blood, sweat, and tears of the people here. COMPANION UNIT
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