Leaving the urban life and a highly paid job behind, May chose to settle in a mountainous area, and enjoy gardening and farming. Back to oneself After lunch, May (whose real name is Kieu Thi Hong Van, a resident in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak) arranged freshly-cut flowers into a pretty vase. Then she read online news before going to the garden to communicate with her plants. She said that she officially settled down in her home town in January. Before that, she had a dream job in Ho Chi Minh City. After nearly 14 years in Ho Chi Minh City, May decided to leave to become a farmer. In HCM City, she had a stable and well-paid job. She could travel to many places in the world. However, she did not feel like herself. “At the age of 18, feeling the hardship of a farmer’s life, I chose to move to Ho Chi Minh City. When my life got better, I have my own home and vehicle, but I realized that I am not myself,” shared May. May said that she played the good role of an active person who earned good money. But she felt unhappy as she had to keep “pushing herself up.” Hence, after 14 years with declared love for Saigon, May decided to move back to her hometown. The reason was straightforward. She found a need to be back to nature after one year of natural disasters and endless global pandemic. During her years in Ho Chi Minh City, May had always thought about her friend’s question “Why we were born?” After long time thinking and experiencing, she realized that each of us has one’s own unique mission. And her mission is to preserve nature within her capacity. She revealed that “one of her family members used to harm forests. I was small then, couldn’t prevent that person. Now I think that person destroyed, but I will rebuild to compensate the fault.". “I do them step by step. I grow whatever appropriate plant wherever possible. I just start to do, first from my garden. In the rainy season, I plant in nearby forest. Planting seeds is …
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