New Years Choices

I’m up at 8:00 AM — no alarm, no duties, no work. It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year. The clang of traditional Vietnamese strings echo from the rice fields into the empty dorms. I lift the lock and walk outside — absolutely no one. I smile and pull out my chair and open my book. I make it through one chapter before the winter breeze begs for a jacket. I oblige. The hen and her chicks pass my stoop unaware of my stares. It’s good to be on campus alone during the country’s biggest holiday. The days are mine to be had and the choices are mine to be made, alone.

My stomach disagrees and I’m coerced into the city to pick up some food. I end up at a coffee shop prepared to do some work. Instead, I’m throwing back beers with the owner and eating chicken hotpot. Hours later, I meet Anh for tea and dinner. Her familiar sweetness returns from a distant memory. I go in for the hug forgetting it’s not a Vietnamese thing. I awkwardly pull back and put my arms down. It’s been weeks without her company and nothing was lovelier than spending the evening catching up. I felt settled and at home.

I am no longer anxious and alone. The morning sun rises, and I easily with it. The overwhelming choices that define our daily lives no longer burden me. The options of course are endless and when every decision to be made is solely mine, I welcome it. I don’t fear the quiet solitude or the empty breeze. I cherish its peace. 
 
 It’s definitely a fresh new year. Thanks to the last few months of adventures, foods, friends, and mistakes I’m ready for that next step in who knows what direction. Maybe it’s volunteering in Myanmar or backpacking through Central America. Maybe it’s kayaking through Laos or working in America. Whatever it is my, father’s said it best — that next adventure and the next challenge will be rewarding no matter what it is.

“You’ll be fine with whatever you do, Connie.”

Happy New Year

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Xīnnián kuàilè