Saturday, October 1

I decided to explore today. The Center has scheduled some trips this month around Serdica Bulgaria, which is just a fancy name for the Roman-Thracian settlements under modern-day Sofia.  And like most ancient sites, some buildings have insinuated themselves among those of today. I thought it best then to see today’s Sofia.  I also was on a mission to find a great European-style bag. You know something crazy colorful and long more than wide. A one-strap, not a backpack- I’m not 15 after all. So I took a taxi to downtown Sofia and walked.

My neighborhood, surrounding the apartment and the Center, is quaint. Haji Dimitar boasts generations occupying one apartment, stores not quite made obsolete by the recent invasion of Fantastico, a large grocery store, bad pizza stalls and a fish restaurant that is very near perfect. But I was really in the mood for city-living and exploration. 

Normally, I never wear sunglasses. I have this ridiculous theory that the wearer of sunglasses alters his/her personality and becomes kind of obnoxious. Sunglasses, like smoking, are cool. You feel cool when you wear them. Your future’s so bright…. And whenever you feel cool, you act cool. This inevitably leads to being a jerk. Smoking while wearing sunglasses is totally cool. I drive faster when I wear shades and I have the freedom of looking at someone intensely incognito, so I do and scrutinize what they wear, how they walk. In my mind, I berate them. Well, here I am never leaving my apartment without those sunglasses. Everything I wrote above is true but this gives me an edge that I need. And I don’t have a car here anyway. And I would never smoke.  

Later this month, as you can see in the photos, Sofia is hosting an exhibition of images from the Bronx, New York and Hip Hop Music and Culture. If you have time go to this website. "Jam On It". I am going to every event except the classes.  For publicity, some of the images were displayed in the main public park. It is incredibly surreal to see images of Black Americans from the late 70s and early 80s in Sofia. I was walking through the park and as always, everyone stares at me. But it was weird because I wanted to say, “Look at these guys! They actually lived the life you think I live. No one confuses me with a Hip Hop artist in the States. I am classicist dammit!” And then the embrace of all things USA except me is puzzling. But this may be better than when I stayed in Rome and every question was, “Oh do you sing? Will you sing something? You have lovely voice, yes?” That became tedious pretty quick. But still… where’s the happy medium?

These old guys, homeless or some equivalent were very interested and knew some English. Neither of them had teeth but it bothered the one standing, who kept saying that at one point he had dentures (and he meant false teeth- he knew the word) but he lost them.  In the end they wanted 2 Leva and I gave 4 because they stared but they also smiled and conversed. When I walked away, I reasoned with myself that they were going to buy Fanta Lemon with the money and not whatever it was that rotted their teeth in the first place.

I never found the bag.