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Hoang Thi Ai is a 19 years old girl. She has 6 brothers and sisters. They are all living with her mom in a slum in Hanoi City. She is a member of the Voice of Green Bees group - a youth media team of the national Radio of Vietnam which involved differently-abled, orphan, street and working children and youth aged 12 to 20. In this article, Ai wants to talk about her work in order to share her experience in the War Against Poverty and defines her peace as " the moment when the mill stops whirling and the tofu is done."
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My Whirling Job
When the neighbours turn off their lights to sleep, it is also when I and my mom wake up to make our tofu. Everyday, at 1 AM, my mom wakes me up. She said she is used to it. As for me, even though I have been doing this job for 4 years, the concept of "getting used to it" is still so far away. Every night,mom has to call,push and pull a dozen of time to wake me up. When i finally win over the *sleepy genie,* I start whirling the tofu making machine.
Making tofu is an incredibly hard job. It takes many stages of work to produce a nice looking and good tasting tofu or soya curd . Firstly, I have to already soak the soy beans into water from the previous night. Then, the next day, I takethem out, put them in the mill and grind them into powder. And then I pour the powder into the machine to purify. After that, I take the soy milk out and throw the soybean residue.
As for the milk, after being boiled, it is mixed with sour water and congeals. It is then put into mould and pressed for 5 minutes to become tofu.
It sounds easy right? But in reality is it is not. All the stages of work have to be kept in strict continuity. As the machine starts whirling, I and my mom start whirling like propellers too. But I have no choice as my family is poor. My mom told me that making tofu is a hard job but it is a good labour. I have to do this hard work to live but it is better than doing any bad or illegal things to live a comfortable life.
Making tofu is also difficult because it bring some sickness. I have to soak my hands in the water almost 24 hours. My hands are being corroded and they look disgusting. Besides, we have to carry many heavy things, too heavy for women like us, such as the milk pot,the pressed ball, the tofu mould and we have to bend our backs so much that anyone who makes tofu hasback pains. My mom has to have acupuncture all the time.
To make a good tasting tofu to sell to people takes a lot of time. I have to concentrate so much when working that I can not even watch television. After waking up at 1 AM, our tofu production is done by noon. We have quick lunch and a wink of sleep. I go to school in the evening.
My job has been like that all year round. That's why my neighbors say that my job is all about " half meal, half sleep." As for me, making tofu is much more. It is about feeding my family and sending my little sisters to school. Making tofu also allow myself to go to school where after the struggle for survival, I enter a new world of knowledge. There i study hard and dream of a better life and a new job.
Tofu has been part of my life. Making it is a struggle and a real fight where I have to win against myself, win all the difficulties that being born in poverty has brought to me. I have to fight with all the pains, the time,the bitter that can easily discourage people to creat a beautiful and tasty thing : a tofu curd.
Summer times come and you can see the white, fresh and tasting deliciously buttery tofu in every Vietnamese family's meals. They happily enjoy the good taste of tofu. As I start whirling with mom beside the mill, I taste the bitter of sweat running on my face, I taste the happiness every time i sell a tofu.
I am tasting the beauty of life in hardship.
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Ha Thi Lan Anh
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Comments
Strength and Courage through Hardship Jayaspery Padayache | Sep 5th, 2003
Reading your story,took me back to my own at your age.I am now 44 years.With all your love and commitment in bringing only good to others despite the hard life you live will only enhance the beauty you posses inside of you.I came across your article while searching for information on how to make Soy Milk.I had no idea what it takes to make Tofu, something I have not tasted.I now look forward to it, because, if it's made with so much love I KNOW I WILL NOT ONLY ENJOY IT BUT BE NOURISHED BY LOVE.
I understand your happiness when you sell your Tofu, as I used to sell Indian sweet pancakes, also had to get up 1-2 am to help my mother in the kitchen because we were also very poor.
Looking back, I thank God, for that experience, as I face a challenging life and each step taken is a triumph towards happy and fulfilling days.I experience gratitude within and love without any inhibitions.
I see in you a person who in the future will know how to use your talents to the fullest without expecting rewards, you have achieved so great an insight to human nature , that you will one day be able to teach others about unconditional love and about giving with expecting anything material in return.
In hardship we develope a kind of strength that come from deep within,it's not taught or practised.Courage to face the world in the eye is born, no one can take that away.There's honesty in dealing with others and humbleness no matter how high
you go in life !
hi jaspal | Nov 14th, 2003
u r friend from india..
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