"
We...
Are young but getting
old before our time.
We'll leave the T.V.
and the radio behind.
Don't you wonder
what we'll find
steppin' out tonight?"
— Joe Jackson, 1982
These days I'm often found making a funny groaning noise when bending down to tie my shoe laces. And I don't run quite as fast and far as I used to — often preferring a bath over a shower to soothe my aching bones afterwards. So when folks frequently tell me, 'Owen, you don't look a day over 25' — you can bet your best pair of mittens I don't feel it.
Well, some of you may know, but for those who don't, I've recently celebrated 40 years of living on Earth. It's one of those milestone ages that I'd always thought, 'by the time I'm 40, I'll be doing A, B, & C' — meaning the usual societal norms of life, such as marriage, parenthood, or that job making a $100,000 a year — just to name a few. And now that I'm finally there, I can honestly say that I haven't completed a single letter. But, despite my shortcomings — I'm still happy. And if you would pardon a cheesy philosophical moment, happiness is a state of being that is often left off the list — leaving one to assume that the A, B, & C's of life will automatically make us happy. But I'm one to believe that this is certainly not always the case.
Speaking of being happy, stepping out and traveling the world has always been the best source of happiness for me. And during the month of July I was able to put in some more travel time before this quickly fading Summer has vanished completely. See how it all started with a knot tying, some untraveled regions in between, and then how it all ended with a surprise event that made me feel a tad bit younger. . .
At the start of an allergy filled July in Sofia, I had the pleasure of witnessing two friends scratch off one of those aforementioned A,B, & C's from their list. Andrew, an accomplished opera singer and son of U.S. evangelists who came to Bulgaria over 25 years ago and his former fiancee Hrissy (pronounced Chrissy), a native Bulgarian who'd just completed her masters at Sofia University, the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, and, might I add, one of the sweetest Bulgarian girls I'd ever met — who upon first meeting, gave me a huge celebrity status welcome by politely requesting if she could feel my hair — recently tied the knot after three years. Unfortunately, Sarah, who had first introduced me to the happy couple over two years ago now, was in the States on annual business duties, keeping her from attending the momentous occasion.
On the night before the wedding, the groom gave me a rather last minute request. He asked me to DJ and film the entire event. And being that music and film are amongst my uppermost passions, I was thrilled and honored to do it — but admittedly annoyed by such a last minute request. So with no time to sulk, I prepared a fresh mix of wedding day jams from my trusty 40,000 song MacBook Pro and made sure my camcorder was in working condition. Yeah, I know what you're thinking — how did I manage to do both jobs at once? Well, let's just say I'm still thanking my lucky stars for computer technology.
The wedding, which mixed both U.S. and Bulgarian traditions, was simply beautiful. It included two ceremonies, one at the Bulgarian justice of the peace and the other, along with the reception, was held at Andrew's parents' home, which resembled a miniature Greek mansion that made for a perfect romantic-like setting. The reception included lots of yummy Bulgarian cuisine, good conversation and dancing abound. There was also some heart warming testimonies from family and friends, including the groom, who delivered a lovely operatic serenade to his bride. And if you would pardon another cheesy philosophical moment, what made this particular wedding so beautiful, was that after attending so many previous weddings of folks that I felt would not last within a year — in my hearts of heart, this time I felt that I was witnessing two true soul mates joining together in matrimony.
"There's an eyeball staring at me.
And I know I've met my match.
Do I eat or am I eaten?
It's a new adventure.
It's a big world — so much to do.
It's a big world — so much to see."
— Joe Jackson, 1986
Summer in Bulgaria just wouldn't be complete until you've made that trip down to the the Black Sea or Aegean Sea coast to soak up some sun, sand and sea. And this Summer the place to be was Sithonia, a lovely peninsula located south of Chalkidiki, a three legged, or fingered if you prefer, peninsula in northern Greece. So after the wedding fun and Sarah's return from the States, the early part of July had us and our good friends Desi, Ivo, and Kamy — who brought along her mother and friends Melina and Marcos —caravanning down to a little town in Sithonia called Nikiti where we stayed in a wonderful little B&B near the coast. It was three days of fun and relaxing on the beach, dipping into the crystal clear waters filled with nibbling fish abound. At night we'd explore the boardwalk where we dined at some of the best Greek restaurants in town. And let me just say that after so many visits to Greece, I still marvel at the fact that the country still holds my world record for having the best fish I'd ever eaten in my life. No joke, it'll make you smack somebody's mama twice!
Speaking of world records, July also had me steppin' into some more new discoveries within Bulgaria — a country that never ceases to surprise me with its many hidden treasures abound — keeping it high on the list of the world's most best kept secrets. The first was a breathtaking view of The Rhodopes, a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. The discovery came about when Sarah was there on business supporting the Roma camps — a motivational camp for Roma high schoolers that I am proud to say my girl from the north country founded in Bulgaria — and thought it would be a great idea to invite me, Nevena, Elana — who brought along her best friend Christina, a Philly native vacationing in Europe — Dylan, a California native visiting his mother in Sofia, and Sam, a fellow teacher and U.S. ex-pat, to go on a camping trip in the Rhodopes. Well, it was a great idea indeed and turned out to be a fantastic weekend, that including a fun dance night partying with the students from the camp and some relaxing times at a local spa and cabin. But the standout moment occurred after we all got the most thrilling ride to the tippy-top of the Golyam Perelik, the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain, and witnessed a view from the top that instantaneously became one my top 5 greatest moments in Bulgaria. This region is also particularly notable for the picturesque Karst areas, with its deep river gorges, large caves and uniquely sculptured forms, such as the Trigrad Gorge.
Speaking of large caves, the next hidden Bulgarian treasure I stepped into this past July has remained at the top of my list of the most desired places to travel in Bulgaria for over two years now — the legendary Devil's Throat, a cave located in the Rhodopes. After visiting the exquisite Ledenika, Magura, and Saeva Dupka caves, most Bulgarian's have stated that the former three pale in comparison to this ever-popular tourist attraction. And to further their sentiments, according to legend, the Devil's Throat was a route by which Orpheus, the legendary Greek singer, attempted to retrieve his beloved Euridice from Hades in the Underworld.
Well, for starters, the cave's sinister name is by no means a load of marketing hype. The vastly deep corridors and pitch black pit, filled with dozens of chirping bats abound, was quite menacing and looked to be straight out of a Hammer Film Production. It was every inch of what I'd imagine a devil's throat would look like. But on the other hand, I'll have to disagree that the other three caves pale in comparison to it. Ledenika, Magura, Saeva Dupka — and The Devil's Throat all had something unique to offer for your average cave hunter — placing them in an equal ranking.
"Where I come from
they don’t like Americans
much. They think they’re
so loud, so tasteless,
and so out of touch.
Stiff upper lips are curled
into permanent sneers.
Self-satisfied. Awaiting
the next forty years."
— Joe Jackson, 1986
As July stepped into August, the hot Summer days came to a peak. But the torrid temperatures could never match the heat of what I would step into next. You see, after my July travels, Sarah surprised me with the most wonderful 40th birthday party celebration I could imagine. It came equipped with karaoke, dancing and a host of good friends barring gifts and goodies.
And to avoid last year's big birthday celebration in Sofia, where the condo was nearly trashed beyond recognition, Sarah rented out a sweet and cozy little nearby restaurant for the location. And next to the classy decor, yummy hors d'oeuvres and the finest Bulgarian hostesses ever, who served me up some tasty strawberry wine that got this usual non-drinking boy quite tipsy, the venue also included a humongous aquarium filled with various oscar types that were reminiscent of my childhood tropical fish collecting days. As I gazed through the aquarium glass like a dreaming Henry Limpet, I couldn't help but think just how quickly time flies. It felt like yesterday when me and my brothers were walking the streets of Bladensburg searching for the best pet shops in town to purchase tropical fish. But most importantly, it reminded me of just how short life is. And to cherish every moment of it before it's all over.
Speak-ing of cherish, the guest list for the party included some of my most cherished friends that I'd met during my two year stay in Bulgaria. Joe, Alex, Kamy, Nevena, Lubo, the aforementioned newlyweds — Hrissy & Andrew, Adi, Deni, Elana, Christina, more newlyweds and newly U.S. ex-pats to Sofia — "Brooklyn" Andrew & Rebecca, Ivo, Desi, Sam, Jessica and Fani — who brought along her friend Tamoko, a sweet and seemingly shy Japanese girl who — upon first hearing from Sarah that one of my top 10 favorite songs ever is "Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite ArukÅ)", a 1980 number one classic from A Taste Of Honey — sung the original Japanese language version by Kyu Sakmoto as a special birthday present just for me! I mean, I'd seen the original live performance of the song on the Tube many times before, but having the pleasure of a real life Japanese native sing it to me in person, on my birthday, was far too awesome to describe in words.
"But I’m brutalized by bass.
And terrorized by treble.
I’m open to change my mood but
I always get caught in the middle."
— Joe Jackson, 1982
After my personal birthday serenade, the party began to sizzle up when more group and individual karaoke performances and dancing erupted. And no Bulgarian birthday party is complete without a
paidushko horo, a folk dance that originates from The Republic of Macedonia done to a 5 beat meter. And just like the aforementioned Bulgarian tradition, no African-American birthday party is complete without a Soul Train line. And after both traditions were done, you'd better believe no O.D. party is complete without a
Jackson 5 performance — this time minus two — which consisted of me, Tzetso and Christina — two talented dancers who pretty much surprised me after they kept up with what I call my (clears throat) intricate mix of The Temptations, J5 and New Edition styled choreography.
After a few more solo performances from the birthday boy, that include a usual crowd pleaser of "Billie Jean" and some b-boying, folks begin to request some personal street dance lessons. I was far too tipsy and feeling way too good to say no at this point, so I gathered a small crowd around me and gave them a good solid hour of Hip Hop Dance 101 lessons right there in the restaurant.
But this time you can bet your best pair of trousers I felt it.
Some will disagree when I say that, although photographs don't give the perfect real life image of what you saw in your head, particularly that of nature scenes and uh....parties — they do tell a far better story than I can, so before continuing with the exciting conclusion of this episode, please feel free to click this link to see more.
"Now...
The mist across the
window hides the lines.
But nothing hides the
colour of the lights that shine.
Electricity so fine.
Look and dry your eyes"
— Joe Jackson, 1982
The next morning after the party, Sarah and I needed to get up bright and early in the morning to catch a flight to what would be my second birthday gift from my girl from the north country. A long awaited dream destination that I will share with you in the very next episode of the Blog-O-Daria series. So stay tuned for that.
Anyway, getting back to the story — planning my party so close to a travel day, probably wasn't the best idea, but according to Sarah, it was the only free day available. But it really didn't matter much, I was still amped-up from the night before and pretty stoked to step into my next birthday gift, which made for a flimsy night's sleep. So much so, that when the alarm clock rang, I was instantly awaken and didn't hesitate for a second to start packing for the trip.
But just when I stepped out of bed and reached down for my trusty suitcase lying nearby, a sharp pain protruded from the middle section of my right leg.
My knee cap was swollen to the size of a cantaloupe.
Be seeing you.
O
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