This is the first post about my garden of memories. I always feel refreshed and full of emotions when I think about my family. I was born and raised in DakLak - It's a beautiful highland mountain region in the west of Vietnam.
When it comes to home and family, what comes to mind first? For me, those are memories. It has been 10 years since I left my hometown to go to university and work in another city. Because of the geographical distance (650km from Da Nang to Daklak) and my job, I go back to my hometown 2-3 times a year to visit my family. And for me, it's a time to refresh, slow down and reminisce.
I'm a pretty introverted person, and I realized that I have the ability to talk to trees and immerse myself in nature since I was a child. Every time I come home, after saying hello to my grandmother and parents, the next thing I do is visit the garden.
Every tree in my garden holds memories of my childhood. I have observed the growth of many trees in my garden. However, there are trees that are older than mine. And those trees have also witnessed my growth. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
Since I was little, I have been a playful girl. I really like climbing trees and lying on the branches to look at the green foliage and fruits with extreme excitement. If you have the opportunity, try eating fruit right on the tree. Well, of course all the fruits in my garden are 100% organic, they may be smaller than the ones in the market, but for me, they taste 1000 times better 🙂.
Ever since I was a kid, every time it rained and windy, I liked to stand under the trees in the garden to watch the leaves sway and the drops of water falling from the leaves. I used to get scolded a lot by my grandmother for this hobby. Later when I grew up, I liked to look and take pictures under the trees. That gives me a sense of peace and joy.
Daklak is a basaltic red soil, so the soil is very fertile. Just planted in the ground, plants will grow very well without much fertilizer. Some typical trees of my hometown that you often hear about are coffee, pepper, durian, rambutan, guava, mango, sampodia....When his grandfather was alive, he loved to grow fruit trees for his descendants. I also love the green tea garden that my grandfather has been growing for over 20 years. I will share another post about this tea garden later.
In addition, a place that I really like when visiting my family, is my family's current home. It has nostalgic beauty and many memories. The house was built in 1979, although the house has been repaired a few times, it is basically intact from the time of great-grandparents. Every corner of the house carries memories from my childhood. My house has a large yard, in the coffee season, that yard is used to dry coffee. And when the season is over, it's a place where me and my friends have fun.
Every time I go home, I usually stay at home for 3-5 days. That time is just enough for me to help me refresh, live in the love of my family and find the sky of my memories again. I read somewhere that "our loved ones may die, but their memories live on". That's why I like old houses passed down from generation to generation.
Thank you for reading and have a nice day!