The memories of the holidays, translated…
Long time ago, heading home during the New Years is a grueling passage. Before the freeways were restricted, before every New Year’s, the freeways had, lost ITS normal function, became the biggest PARKING LOT in Taiwan. Although it’s not to the extent of China’s “Spring Seasonal Flow”, returning home took a whole three days, but, from Taipei to our home in Taichung, took an entire day to complete, whereas regularly, it’d only taken us, just three hours. From day ‘til night, during the time, we’d needed to, keep everything in, and, sat in the car, until our buttocks and legs grew numb.
One year, on the way home, we’d heard on the radios, that we could, change our routes to a more freely flowing one, and, being STUCK on the freeways, we’d not felt anything toward the news, because being STUCK on the freeways, we couldn’t just, change lanes freely, and exited from the ramps. But this time, we were, close to the exit ramps, and so, dad immediately turned the steering wheels, made the exit, we’d, arrived in Dahu.
There were, fields of strawberries next to the freeways connecting to Dahu, it was, enormous, and, it was, the season for strawberries. And, my dad’s spontaneous suggestions of, “Let’s go collect some strawberries then we head back!”, it’s fine, we got to stretch out our bodies, it was, a rarity for the long drive home.
So, the four of us, adults and children, after we’d, stretched a bit, we’d, picked up the scissors, and the collecting baskets provided by the strawberry plantations, and started, picking at the fruits. Although, I’d always, loved the tastes of strawberries, that was, the very first time I’d ever, plucked them down personally! As I was cutting the fruits off, it’d dawned on me, “So strawberries grew closer to the ground”, “I’d drawn strawberries on the trees from before”, all of these, embarrassing beliefs I’d used to hold. “I’d gained some knowledge then!”, I’d sighed to myself, and, I’d, grown up before the January fifteenth holiday that signified us being a year older!
My dad’s plan of “Picking some strawberries” allowed all of us to have a small rest on the long trip home, it’d, successfully, helped us with the aches of sitting long time in the slow moving traffic, as well as our cries because we’d sat still for too long. And, not only that, those fruits we’d picked, became the after meal fruits for our New Year’s Eve supper; this experience also, became something that helped me complete my New Year’s vacation homework assignments, such, a journey which I’d gotten a lot on!
So, this was, one of the happier memories you’d carried with you, and, I’m sure, that this mini-detour is going to, stay with you forever, because you’ll NEVER forget the taste of those strawberries you’d picked yourselves.