Back in Vietnam!

The last time I was in Vietnam was during Lunar New Year of 2020. Covid was out, but new. I was coming from Taiwan to visit my brother and parents in Saigon. Good times even among odd times. Fast foward to 2022, October, and I am back.

Taiwan had its moments but most of the time I was depressed because I had no social network so I became a hermit, focused on my passions, health, work and handled business. I haven't partied or drank or socialized with more than 1 person outside of work for almost 2 years. (A couple few exceptions.) With social media blowing shit up about the US, I wasn't keen at all to return to USA, but I did want to see family and friends.

Even when I returned to USA, I focused on health and passions, such as this writing. I didn't see that many friends and with the exception of one instance, they were one on one. I have lost complete connection with my home base of Frisco. Everyone sounds like my sister. It is horrible. The highlight of my time in Frisco was with my parents and going to the Not So Strictly Bluegrass Festival, which was fire! Love free events with a variety of genres and most bands I never even heard of. I love digging and searching for new things rather than being given things, like pop music. Anyways...

I am back in Vietnam. I arrived with my parents and have been here about 3 days. I've only had about 10 hours sleep in the past 3 days. I guess its jetlag but I have managed to continue my workout routine, work on my videos, and enjoy my time outside. I wasn't sure how I would be since becoming a recluse. I would meet my brother, Damian, and Stear, all teenage friends I haven't seen in 3 years. (Besides my bro of course.)

My brother is constantly busy with his family and work, but I did manage to link up with Dame, and had breakfast. It was good to see him as he is working on many projects similar to my own. It was also his birthday and we would celebrate his birthday on 21st of October. This would be the first time in years that not only would I party, but I would be in a sizable group with many people I did not know. Prior to Taiwan I was a very outgoing person, loved to go out, dance, and socialize. Post Taiwan, I'm just a quiet generic.

I often thought about my life in Taiwan and wondered why I couldn't make friends there or be part of anything real, when every other Westerner is being loved by the Taiwanese and here I was, just a disease it seemed. I would think long and hard over these 4 years and often blame myself for this problem. After Dame's party, I have come to the conclusion, while I have to take some of the blame, I would have to blame at least75% of it on the Taiwanese for making me a recluse.

I don't get it. Almost immediately arriving to the outdoor restaurants in Quan 7 of Phu My Hung, the old DareWrecks came out of the depths of his labyrinthian crypt and it was back to normal. Dame and I arrived together where we met one of his comedian friends. That's right, Dame is doing Stand UP Comedy now. Slowly, more of his friends started trickling in. I connected with fellow US Americans, Australians, and Vietnamese. We bullshitted and got to know each other. We talked about Taiwan and China among other topics and ate food.

Later, we arrived at a bar and I met 4 Vietnamese youngstas, and they smoked me out and just like that, made 4 new Vietnamese friends. I couldn't do this in the 4 years I lived in Taiwan. One of Stear's friends was a a US American who was adopted from Korea into a US family. He writes HOLDN. Cool dude who no longer does photography but since he went to school for it, he knows a shit ton of it more than I do and he was feeding me tips that I eagerly ate. He even offered to drive me around so I can shoot. I met a guy whose name has eluded me at the moment, but he looks like the guy from SNL who sings "I Threw It On The Ground" and is quite the historian. Very fun to talk to. I met a DJ named Matt who actually spins good music like funk, techno, house, drum and bass, and other genres that I am into. There was a fairly large group of people I connected with from Dames Comedy crowd, all who were pretty legit folks.

I am eating 3 dollar meals that would cost 20 back home. Or $9.50 meals that would cost 50 USD. I am loving it out here and I am really happy that while the old DareWrecks was locked away for several years, it was no problem under the right circumstances for him to return. Certainly I have issues with every country I live and travel to. Vietnam is no exception, but the good outweigh the bad. One thing I learned is that its not really the place you are at but the people you are connected with that make or break a place you live in. Despite my lack of sleep I am loving my trip out here!