[Academy RP] Oh, Where Have Those Days Went...

[Ngoc Luat]

Waking up at 5 AM sharp, the sounds of the street radio playing the national anthem passes through my window and into my room.

 

"Này Công Dân ơi! Quốc gia đến ngày giải phóng."

 

I freshen up and turn on the TV to tune in to the morning news, nothing but state-run media and regulated news, but it's better than most independent ones... The news about the Nationalist Coalition, the economy, and governors lying to keep their position, can't get tired of it but can't be excited over it either...

 

I ate my breakfast and went to work. It's still 6 in the morning, but the narrow street where I live is already lifeful, the woman selling mediocre breakfast but still make a somewhat fortune for its availability, the old men sitting on plastic stools playing chess while chatting about lives.

 

On my motorbike, I travel to work, navigating through the lanes of bikes and cars alike, the sounds of horn honking and the smell of gas might be unbearable for many, but to us, it's just another day out on the street of Gia Định. On my way, almost every street was plastered with propagandistic posters and election campaigns of the Nationalist Coalition.

 

Arriving at work early, but some have come sooner than I did. The way of we Ngocluatians function is a wonder to behold. Clocking in 7 sharp, we start our busy day of work, nothing too interesting, everybody on their own, the sounds of pen clicking, keyboard typing, phone call ringing, the sound of almost every building in Ngocluat.

 

The schedule is tight as we have only a noon break from around 11 to 1 in the afternoon. I usually spend this time having a basic lunch I made myself, but today I feel like eating street food. I found a stall selling rice noodles where I sat down and ordered a bowl, meanwhile enjoying it, I found myself checking the Internet, nothing but state-promoted posts, I can only enjoy a good dose of the Internet through foreign forums.

 

I once return to work, non-stop working until the clock hit 6.

 

Tick tock, tick tock...

 

As people start to leave their desks, I turned off my computer and started to pack up. Before finishing, my colleagues asked me out on a drink, to which I agreed. The hustling night of Gia Định is a beautiful view to see, the neon lights that once populated many shops now have blended in with surrounding lights. The stall with many working men occupied shouting and gabbling about their tiring lives. I had yet to take in everything before my colleagues took me into a bar. We drank the night away, with beers and with joys.

 

Even being drunk, I walked my motorbike home, admiring the lights of the Ngocluatian street crossing. I took in a deep sigh and whispered to myself an old song I once sang to my high school class before graduating.

 

"Ôi ngày đó còn đâu..."