Day 121

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I’m still in Vietnam.  It’s been EXTREMELY relaxing as I get to finally sleep in and everyday my cousin takes me out to just explore the city at our own leisure time.  No more waking up at 4AM to catch some shitty bus…for now.  I depart to go around Southeast Asia on Tuesday.  All that aside, I’ve been trying to keep updated with tne news.  Everywhere is in a shithole.  How not pleasant to return into that environment.  Also I just realized that there were apparently massive protests in Egypt and Jordan prior to me being there.  It was relatively quiet when I got there…aside from 24/7 news coverage.  I did remember having a very insightful conversation with a young Egyptian on his views on the Israel/Gaza situation..  Not to get all detail into it I can just say I think both sides are in the complete wrong.  Anyone who takes the side of just one (US included) is just being completely and unfairly biased.  There is no justifying either parties.

Since we’re on some small political thing, Vietnam is like super big on Russia.  They love that country.  Talking to my cousin today, who graduated from college and is a teacher, himself, students were never taught about Stalin’s treatment of Soviets back in the day.  Instead they were just taught about him being a jolly cool guy.  I just found that tidbit extremely interesting.

Not only that, I’ve just learned how drastic “history” is really just biased recollections.  History taught here in Vietnam is so different from that in the States.  I’m not saying it’s “correct” in the states.  Far from it.  It just goes to show, you can’t always just  accept that’s ttold to you.

~ by kimtravels on January 31, 2009.