Things aren´t always as they seem...

The society we live in often dictates how we perceive things...

whether it be what an object is, how a country operates or how people should interact.

I have discovered in Cuba that chicken isn´t necessarily chicken, men aren´t necessarily polite to women, and that what the media in Australia and other western countries portrays about various situations around the world may not necessarily be the case.

For example, the swine flu is a problem but Mexico is still an okay place to travel right now.

Similarly Cuba, and the fact that although it is a communist country, the people here actually like having Castro as their leader and see no need for change. They don´t see it as a dictatorship, and are very proud of the revolution and its 50th anniversary celebrated recently.

I guess my message here as I am running out of credit at the internet station at the post office in Santiago de Cuba... is that it´s important we don´t always listen to what people tell us or simply accept it at face value. Creating our own opinions and seeking opportunities to explore beyond the surface is important too. And, that whether it be interactions with people, media reports or even personal experiences, ´things aren´t always as them seem´.