Rice growing cycle

In September, when I arrived in Tra Vinh, the fall rice planting season had just started. Farmers put seeds of rice in the ground. There's a special word for this in English (and in Vietnamese). In English we say that people "sow rice". This word sow is pronounced exactly like the words so and sew. (There's another word spelled exactly the same but pronounced like the word now and that word means "female pig"). I didn't see farmers sowing rice when I arrived, but a few weeks later in early October, I did seem them transplanting rice. After the rice plants grow a little bit, it is necessary to move them to a new place with more room for them to grow. When I saw farmers doing this, I felt very lucky since I realized that I was going to be able to see an entire season of rice farming. When I told my friends this, they thought it was funny. There's nothing lucky about seeing a rice growing season in Tra Vinh, they thought. That happens at least 2 times, and sometimes 3 times, a year!

Still, I felt lucky and even though it is very hard work to plant and transplant rice, it's also quite beautiful, so I started to take pictures of the farmers doing this. I also took photos of the rice when it was fully grown in early January. And now, in the middle of February, it is time to cut the rice. There's a special word for this in English. We say that people "harvest the rice". And, of course, I plan to take photos and make videos about this part of the agricultural cycle as well. Today, I will ride my bike to the countryside with several friends and we will talk with farmers about their life and work, and I'll take some photos to share.

Like a lot of Vietnamese people, I love to eat rice. And living in an agricultural area is special for me since it lets me see just where our food comes from. It is hard to be a farmer. A farmer must work in the fields when it is hot or cold, sunny or rainy. The crops in the fields won't wait for farmers. So even if farmers feel a little bit tired or bored, they cannot be lazy. They have to take care of their plants and animals. And the physical work of being a farmer is demanding. There's a lot of lifting heavy objects and cutting and tying. So they have strong arms and hands. Farmers spend many hours each day bent over, so they also have strong backs.

Eating rice is a lot easier than growing it, but now I have a much better idea of the work that rice farmers do. Now, many times when I have a delicious meal with rice, I think of the beautiful green fields of the Mekong Delta, and I also think of the many hours of work and sweat that were necessary to grow the rice. And I also think of the many beautiful photos I've been lucky to take. Taking photos of rice is also a lot easier than growing it, so I feel thankful that the farmers of Vietnam have been so willing to share the beauty of labor with me.