By June Peng
The Shared Nostalgia of Leavers
By June Peng
A breeze blows past my cheek and through my hair . Along the angle of my flying hair , I slowly look up to the bright moon in the dark sky . The moon is like a mirror ; when I look at it , it seems like it can reflect my face to my family . In the nighttime , the sky can remind one of home . Hence , looking up at the moon is my habit , as it is for many people who leave their hometown . They will feel nostalgia when they are exposed to things that make them recall their hometown . The feeling of nostalgia is the stirring of one ’ s heart at the sight of such familiar things . The things are different for each person , but generally there are some common objects from all eras that bring about nostalgia .
Food is the first necessity of people , and people who leave home will always miss this whenever they smell or taste something that triggers their memory of their comfort food . Although I ’ ve lived in Hong Kong for a while now , I still haven ’ t forgotten the food of my hometown . The food of Hong Kong is a type of Cantonese cuisine , which has a light taste . The situation is different in my hometown in Hunan province , where people like to eat very spicy food . Hence , except the first time when I wanted to taste this new style , it has really been a disaster for me to eat here , as I cannot find food as spicy as that of my hometown . Therefore , I choose to cook meals in my home . I toss paprika into heated oil with crushed garlic , add soy sauce and vinegar , mix , then dip boiled dumplings into it . When I eat this , mmm … it is the flavor of my hometown . It is really hard to change one ’ s eating habits .
Moonlight also leads leavers ’ thoughts towards home . When people leave home to work or study , the moon is always walking with them . When they stop , the moon stops . The moon seems to watch everything happens . Why not the sun ? Doesn ’ t the sun have the same function as the moon ? This could be because the moon shows up at night , which creates a quiet and lonely atmosphere . It is when people feel at peace instead of feeling busy and caught up in the bustle of daytime . When I view the moon , I feel that my family or friends are also watching it . Moonlight seems to transfer their energy and thoughts to me . Sometimes , I will look up at the moon to get energy from my far away distant relatives .
Modes of leaving , such as trains , coaches and airplanes , can also bring back memories . When people see them , they might recall a sense of departure , which evokes a sense of sadness and reluctance . Just like a film scene , before departure time , people stand outside of trains ; rain can add an even greater feeling of sadness . People bid farewell to the leave-takers with hugs . Their eyes are full of reluctance . When the last call is announced , the leavers must get on the train .
MARCH 2018 6