Last night, Dinh Ka couldn't sleep because he hadn't gone far yet and already missed the small village next to the stream next to the buffer zone of the primeval forest. This morning, Dinh Ka went to school after a week off. The night before going to town, in his fitful sleep, Dinh Ka always heard the sounds of the mountains and forests ringing in his ears, especially the long sounds of gongs on the day the whole village ate new rice.
There are times, in the midst of the noisy city, suddenly I long for the sound of chicks chirping around the house, the sound of birds chirping in the forest at dusk, the sound of streams rising up as if sulking after the rain pouring down from the mountains. And especially the sound of gongs dissolving in the afternoon smoke, before the sun divides the light for each house with a fire in the corner of the kitchen.
Dinh Ka school is located right in the city center. The school is often compared to a place where many cultural colors converge, many children of different ethnic groups study together under this roof. Because of its uniqueness, the school always has cultural exchange activities that are imbued with the identity of each ethnic group.
During cultural and artistic nights in the school yard, the most anticipated performance is the gong performance. Bare feet rotate to the rhythm of the gongs. The sound of the gongs resonates in the heart of the city. The sound of the gongs seems to call for the sound of waterfalls, for the birds in the forest to chirp under the treetops, for the whole village to come and listen to the epic story...
Those nights, Dinh Ka often sat quietly under the shade of a tree in the schoolyard, quietly listening to the sound of the gong, his mind seemed to be immersed in the mountain and forest scenery, the scent of new rice and the lingering wine mixed with the scent of the old forest calling his footsteps.
Having spent nearly half of my teaching career, the years of being attached to the boarding school have really brought me a lot of emotions about the profession. The students are like “cultural ambassadors” of their nation, bringing their own unique features to blend with other ethnic groups to create a multi-voiced and multi-colored culture. I always cherish the desire to preserve and bring those unique features, in a very natural way, to apply in everyday life.
The story of leaving the village to go to the city, bringing with him a small gong and traditional costume of the little student Dinh Ka, conveyed to me a smoldering but intense feeling about those cherished things. The boarding nights were bustling with the gong beats, the heart of the city seemed wider, more spacious, and more soaring. The trees and leaves also seemed to be bustling with us teachers and students in a small corner of the street. Looking into the eyes of Dinh Ka and his students, blending into the gong beats, I seemed to see their nostalgia for the village, as well as the aspirations that were kindled from their clear eyes like the gong beats that had just soared in the heart of the city.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/chieng-ngan-long-pho-post327590.html
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