Summer 1968 年的夏天

30. SUMMER 1968

It was the first time that I had a chance to come to live in the small city in the south end of Vietnam that was close to the border to Cambodia. My father was supplied with a rental house, a small car and a driver. He was the head of the distributor where beer and soft drink were sold. They were manufactured in the main plant in Saigon and shipped there for him to sell. The store was newly set up and my father was hired to start its business. It was not easy for him because he had to work very hard to get everything on the right track.
The house was built with the front connected to the road and the back on the river. There was toilet but no sewer for the waste which was dumped right down onto the river. Garbage was also not collected but discharged right onto the river too. In other words the river was the sewer, garbage bin and the source for drinking water. The fighting was still going on outside the city. The guerrilla used to shoot the rocket from the outskirt into the city at night. The city people had to live in fear because it was hard to tell when and where the rockets will hit and exploded. It would be peaceful during the day time but night fell it was horrified by the shooting.
My siblings went to take the private Vietnamese summer courses so as to be accepted for the next semester when school started. I tried to join them but found it very difficult to catch up with my study after having attended a few classes. My Vietnamese was not good enough. I did not understand what the teachers talking in the math and physics classes and was very discouraged to move on with my study so I had to put an end to it finally.
It was a quiet town. I enjoyed the whole time with my family. Dad was busy working with his job. Mom was busy shopping for food, cooking and taking care of the family. My siblings were in school. My adopted sister was at home taking care of the two youngest ones. She also did the laundry and cleaning. I stopped going to the summer school so I helped out at home. When the summer was over I decided to go back to the big city. Though the fighting was still going on in the suburbs it was safe to live in the big city.

30．一九六八年的夏天


Chau Doc 是一个很小的城市，在越南的最南部，靠近金边的边界，是我第一次的到访。父亲工作的单位，给他免费供应住所、汽车和司机。他给派到此城市的经销部当管理。这家经销部刚成立，父亲来到把它开业。对父亲来说，非常吃力，是他第一份工作的考验。经销部只出售啤酒、汽水饮品。货源是由在西贡的总厂托运过来的。
住房的后部健在河流上，前部连接马路。设备齐全，有电、厕所、厨房 、卧房等等。厨房、厕所下面是河流。没有污水坑，也没有垃圾收集的服务。全部的污水、垃圾都把它们倒进河里去。从河里打水，饮用、使用之后，又把污水、排泄物，还给河流。河水不断地流，把肮脏的东西带走，把干净的清水带来，可算非常的环保。战火，仍然，在郊区爆发。游击队，经常把火箭炮、大炮射进市内。白天，一切都很平静、如常地生活，但是，晚上，就要提心吊胆，经常都会听到爆炸、枪声，难以，得到安宁的睡眠，要在恐惧中度过晚间。
我来到刚好是暑假，姐弟妹们，都上越文暑假补习班去。参加了暑假班之候，学校会接纳他们为下学期的插班生。大姐，建议我该留下读越文。因此，先去参加暑假班。我跟他们一起上学去。上了几天之后，感到很吃力，听不懂老师讲课，并且，对学习没有兴趣。只好放弃跟随他们上学去，而留在家，享受家庭乐。
父亲，每天上班。姐弟妹们上学去。母亲，买菜、烧饭。收养的小妹，打理家务，照顾最小的弟妹。我在家，协助母亲和收养的小妹，分担她们的工作量，度过一个轻松，没有压力，不用上班，不用上学的暑假。生活得非常的快乐、充实、有意义。暑假结束了，我返回首都大城市去。虽然，战争还没结束，但是，在大城市生活，还算非常安全的。