Happy New Years!

and a whole month went by so quickly! i was dreading Vietnam when I first got there (as my blurb below demonstrates) but now that i'm home, i miss it dearly!  my family in the U.S. is way too small. considering the fact that i do not interact much with my mom's side and my cousins aren't exactly my friends, spending time with my cousins on my dad's side in Vietnam was awesome!  i ate lots, had lots of fun and really got to know the city and its people.
riding on the back of a scooter is amazing. you feel the wind in your hair and you get to truly experience the nightlife.  when i tell people how amazing Vietnam is, i always get disbelief or a lackluster answer.  i really believe people are missing out if they do not see the wonders that Vietnam has to offer.  What's more surprising is that most of these people are Vietnamese but do not consider themselves to have any relation to the country.  Maybe i was taught to feel tied to VN but regardless of how many years I will live here, VN will always be a home that will never change.  Yes, it is dirty and polluted and the people there are rude, even disgusting at times.  But that's where we're from and we should learn to see the positives rather than focusing only on the negatives. 
Enough of that..I want to talk about what a fun time i had.  I ate amazing food, went to a hot springs resort and went to Vung Tau where I ate live seafood right off the shore.  Tropical fruits were plentiful and during Christmas, the streets were bustling with activity.  I had a late night xmas dinner with my family and for the first time in many years, felt no ounce of loneliness whatsoever.  because wherever i turned, there were people who cared and loved eachother.
I got to spend lots of time with my cousin who is a year younger than me. I find him naive but good natured.  I often think about showing him around SoCal and all the fun things that we could do with my friends.  But who knows when he'll ever get the chance to come and visit.  My older cousin also wants to come and visit but I wonder when she'll be able to make it here either.  Well, the future holds plenty of possibilities and we will all definitely meet again soon.

Blogging from Vietnam

well i'm finally here! and it is hot. and i'm tired. and i'm still jetlagged. and i can't log onto facebook (is the government blocking it or something?).  so i'm sorry because i can't respond to some of the messages on facebok but hopefully it'll work itself out soon.

well, VN is still pretty much the same. there's a lot more pollution though.  three years ago when I went with my dad, i really liked it and enjoyed here a lot. but now, i realize the environment is a big factor for me.  i miss the U.S. so much with it's clean streets and cars and polite people. and i miss him sooo much. i can't wait to go back home. i know, i know...this is the first bout on homesickness. i do hope i come to enjoy being here more.  i miss socal and my car.  can't wait.

well i should stop talking about coming back to the U.S. because it's going to be another month or so before i get back.  if you would like something from VN, please let me know so i can bring it back for you.  please, make sure it's small bc i'm positive my family will make us bring a lot of stuff back. okay, i will update more with pictures and descriptions of all the yummy food i'll eat.  yes, food, i think, will be VN's first redeeming factor for me :)

so toodles for now!