'Tet'

I have practiced playing the piano sometime this week. I have picked up some old hobbies, like drawing and reading and spring is coming, too. It feels good to survive the long Chicago winter and welcome spring again. I think spring is on its way. I wish it would come sooner, but time please don’t pass too fast—I’m an adult now.

Last week was the Tet holiday. It may be more familiar to people outside of Vietnam as the Lunar New Year. I’ll continue to refer to it as Tet in this blog. I want to write about it since Tet always brings me a sense of home.

Tet is the first holiday of the new year according to the lunar calendar of Vietnam. Some even consider Tet our "real" New Year, when the new year truly begins. This year was the third time I couldn’t celebrate Tet with my family, which is why writing about Tet is a little hard for me. I miss my family so much.

On New Year’s Eve, my dad called me and said it had been three years since he last saw his daughter on New Year’s, and he missed me so much. I realized that this is one of the things I’ve given up to experience the world beyond. We’re all grown up now. It’s only proper that we learn to accept leaving something behind in order to move forward. When I was home before moving to the U.S., my dad always blasted "Happy New Year" by ABBA on the speakers without understanding a single word. He told me music is about the feeling, and it reminded me of when I didn’t understand English—I thought the song was amazing and sounded New Year-ish. After I learned the meaning of the lyrics, I couldn’t feel the song the way I used to. It’s amazing how when a song touches, it resonates with each person’s unique soul. It can feel different, even to the same person, at different points in life.

My mom was very happy this year because my sister came back to Vietnam to join our family for Tet. I think my mom and sister looked amazing in Ao Dai (one of the Vietnamese traditional costumes). Though it cannot be compared to Tet in Vietnam, my roommate and I celebrated Tet together. We went to the Truc Lam temple as part of the tradition and wished for a peaceful upcoming year.

I wish you all a happy new year. Don’t dwell on the sadness of familiar feelings disappearing, and don’t be afraid of change. A good song will come to an end, but you can always replay it, again!

Speaking of good songs, this is my favorite song of the week.

My dog also wore an Ao Dai for Tet!