Summer Vacation - Urbanites Go to the Countryside

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. The summer vacation with its gentle breeze and bright sunshine is a unique French ritual of life. Almost all Parisians leave the city, leaving it to pilgrims from around the world. Whether workers or blue-collar employees, everyone loves going up mountains, down to the sea, or out to the countryside for a holiday. Having two weeks to a month off, regardless of wealth, is the most relaxed and proud moment for the French. Leaving the concrete walls of the metropolis for the mountains, beaches, or countryside they long for allows them to recharge in nature, which invisibly boosts work efficiency, doesn't it? This summer, the weather was particularly hot. Instead of hiding in the corners of the city walls, it is better to escape the urban noise and go to the countryside to avoid the heat.

In recent years, I have gone to the countryside with my friend V to his area in Champagne, France. There, I have a vegetable garden. Last time I went during the spring when flowers were blooming, I prepared the soil and planted vegetables: eight tomato plants, two zucchini, melons, three pumpkins, and nearly thirty lettuce heads. After planting, I didn't return. Friend V said the birds ate all the lettuce, while the rest grew naturally. Thus, this year I neglected the garden. Although it didn't become overgrown, due to the hot and dry climate, the harvest was insignificant.

Rarely stealing three days of leisure, I went to the countryside to liberate my body and mind, temporarily putting down my paintbrush, staying away from the metropolis, computers, phones, and the concrete forest. I retreated into my own space-time in the remote countryside to roam freely. I also took the opportunity to exercise my limbs (tending the vegetable garden, weeding, tidying the courtyard, or repairing houses and objects with friends, practicing Qigong together, or traveling). Every day, I didn't forget to read something. At sunset, I strolled in the fields (or walked around a small village), watching the colorful clouds or roaming the sky with them. It is precious to enjoy the starry sky under the moon hanging high in the night sky, meditating and counting stars. Often, I chatted about everything under the moon until late at night before falling asleep. Rarely lazying, I am woken up every morning by bird calls in the courtyard. Sometimes I sleep until the sun shines on my feet (because there are no neighbors, so no curtains and no closed outer windows, the morning sunlight comes uninvited).