Hello Mr. President

So I just couldnt help myself. I had to take pics of the TV because it was THAT serious. Besides the fact that the entire thing was kinda off schedule, and the judge messed up on the oath, it was spectacular. Mr. President and the first lady looked great and oh so classy. And those who know me know that I am not a big fan of green, let alone wearing it, but damn if Michelle didnt look on point in those green leather gloves (they was fire).

It really does feel good to see Mr. Obama become the president. And for those of you who dont really get it, ill try to break it down for you: Not only have Black people had to work as slaves to build this country, we had to deal with the ramifications of a racist environment after the fact. No rights, no respect, not even the acknowledgement of being human at one point. And although Barack Obama was raised way different than most Black people, went to Harvard, became a Senator and has money, when people look at that man, they see a Black person. His skin is dark, so anyone who chooses NOT to talk to him or get to know him could write him off as another nigger (dont act like there arent people out there who still think like this). And seriously, the make-up of America and what people see as American is White, lets keep it really real. Most big box office hits include white actors/actresses in lead roles (Oh hey Will Smith), a hand full of none white actors/actresses win Oscars, most big named super models are white (I see you Jourdann Dunn and Chanel Iman, Tyra and that chick that threw the phone at her housekeeper), most of the billionaires or more wealthy people are white (Im sure they worked hard for their money, but again Blacks needed things like "affirmative action" to even get a job let alone a damn college education). Oh, and Black history month? Are you serious (let me school you for a sec) What started as a week to honor African Americans by Carter G. Woodson (the author of the Miseducation of the Negro) in February was expanded to a month. But Blacks (like myself) shouldn't need just a month to be honored because I am American just like anyone else.

The point of that tangent I just went on was to say that this moment is so "historic" because it really is a phenomenon that a Black person (amidst on-going racist logic/policies/thoughts/attitudes) can be elected president. And although we come from 2 different places, his skin looks like mine. Im sure that man can tell you some stories about how he was disrespected or mistreated because of the color of his skin (just as I can). People like to think that this is no big deal, and that Blacks are mistaken if they think they will get special treatment because Mr. Obama is Black. The fact of the matter is just like Sidney Poitier opened the doors and made it ok for Black actors to be recognized for their talent, Barack Obama is making it ok for all Blacks or ANYONE for that matter to aspire to the highest position in the world (just like Hilary Clinton did for women). I just wanted to get that out the way. Most folks kinda dance around that fact that racism still exists. But my philosophy is once people realize it does and can openly admit it, then maybe, just MAYBE we can actually get past it. The above was to explain the sentiment of Blacks and why this is so very important. With that being said, lets pay close attention to what the new Pres SAID HE WOULD DO and HOLD IT TO HIM(cuz when I get back in 2010 Im ready to get this paper). We shouldn't be lookin at his color, but what his policies and plans are for gettin the economy back together, or the Gaza conflict, or looming terrorism, or anti-American sentiment, or diminishing natural resources, or the current gas problem, education, health care and the list goes on and on and on. Hopefully this really is a new day......

**DISCLAIMER** Now Black people, dont be holdin on to the new Pres like he owe you something. He worked hard to get where he is. Let him be an example and nothing more. Do not depend on him to pay your bills or give you special treatment because you deserve none.

Oh, and can we please stop talkin about Michelle Obama's fashion sense. I gave her props earlier for them gloves, cuz yall know I aint no hater (but the oufit was eehh). But isn't she a lawyer? Doesn't she have a brain? Can we start talkin about what we want to see her do as a first Lady instead of what fashion designer she gon put on the map......

Ok Im done......

Oh wait, if there was even a MINUTE chance that the Pres or someone he knows read MY BLOG, and is planning to come to Bulgaria (Im not sure why you would do that) but can you please do so BEFORE I leave here (by June 2010). I'm just sayin......

Ok, im really done......

Australian Open

Good Luck Serena! She is my fav tennis player and I hope she does well in the Australian Open. Her pic to the right is when she beat the World #1 Jankovic in 2008. You can do it again!

Happy King Day!

Today I taught my students who Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was. I was kinda appalled that only one student out of 26 knew who he was. It seemed odd. But then again when I was talkin to them about racism, barely a handful of them knew what the Holocaust was (that shocked me too). Anyway, it felt so good to explain to them why Dr. King was so important to AMERICAN history. So here is the speech just in case you missed it, never heard it before or just wanted to refresh your memory. Enjoy it folks......



I was tryna post the vid here, but just follow the link:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMXaTktUfA

Hot Damn

So in the "I may potentially have a life" news of the day just wanted to run down my weekend for all you losers who had nothing to do.

Fri started off chill. I made a lovely dinner and watched tv and musice videos all night. Sat is when the real MAGIC began. Ofcourse becuz I live in Bulgaria, something out of the ordinary had to occur, and low and behold my lights went out TWICE. Last sun the power in my entire apt building went out. Before that I tried to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner with Jojo when all of a sudden as I was FRYING CHICKEN (the chicken was literally in the oil frying) and all the power goes out. I mean we were in my apt boggled cuz I had no flashlight, no candles, no heat and we were both so hungry we could eat 2 cows, some goats, feta cheese AND drink some sour cherry juice (ok maybe that was just me).

So anway, I call this lady from my school and she calls the maintenance guy to come fix the power. She said he would come in an hour, and I just kept thinkin that I could die in that time. Fortunately for the world, I didnt. he came and fixed it and all was right with the world. BUT WAIT, the power shut off again a few hours later. Jojo was at my house then, and we both were sittin in the house just in the dark. Chillin. I called and the maintenance guy came again and fixed the power.

So, we got all dolled up and headed out. I had on this bangin dress, showing the girls and the booty. Black pumps, makeup in check, lookin like a grown up. Someting I dont do often in Bulgaria (ok NEVER). So we head to my peeps house, get our drink on, then go to the club. Now as usual, all the dudes was eyein me, but no one said anything. Jojo and I danced and partied in our own lil bubble and had such a good time.

Soon enough we will be in Turkey belly dancin....hahahaha Oh let the good times roll!

That's ME

So I've been thinkin lately about this song. I just love it and I feel like Beyonce wrote this for me. *Hand claps for that*

This my line right here: Ego so big you must admit I got every reason to feel like im that B*tch!

This had been on my mind for a lil minute but I kept forgettin to blog about it until recently when I rolled up in the bathroom and somethin hit my damn nose so HARD!

The pic to your left is of the "Turkish" style toilets we have at the schools. As you can see, this shit is DISGUSTING. Now lets back track so you can fully understand the severity of the situation. In most places in Bulgaria, they dont flush the tissue down the toilet. There is usually a small waste basket near the toilet for you to throw the tissue. With that being said, imagine (actually just look at the pic) the used tissue just pilin up. It smell like coochy, ass and a whole bunch of other stuff. and its JUST PILIN UP! That cant be good right? HELL NO.

So I rolled up in the bathroom one day, and damn if that EENY MEENY MINEY MOE shit dont work cuz I walked in this stall, and got hit with the most awful smell ever. I mean I looked in the waste basket and saw fuckin nasty ass (you should see my face as im typin this) used maxi pads,tissue with shit stains, and random garbage. I was like DAYYUM! So my pants were half way off by this point so I proceed with using the restroom and HOLDIN MY BREATHE. You HAVE to SQUAT to use it, and damn if its not a fuckin day job tryna aim your pee in the hole! Have these mofo's never seen modern day toilets with seats? And can we say LIGHTS? Its so bleak in there, the only light there is comes from the windows facing the bathrooms. But when you close the door there is no light......UUGGHHHHH!

This made me think of Japan actually, and just how ASS-BACKWARDS Bulgarians can be. In Japan in some places they still have bathrooms like the one above where you have to squat to pee. But honestly those are much nicer, you can flush the tissue dwon the toilet, and THEY ARE MUCH NICER! Speakin of the Japanese, they have those smart toilets with the buttons on them. You can have warm wter spray your booty, touch a button to make the seat go up or down, or touch a button to flush the toilet. FUCKIN AMAZIN!

And just a lil fun fact for ya, Will and Jada Smith got a Japanese toilet personally made for them and shipped from Japan to the states (dont ask me how I know that!)

Bestest weekend EVER!

So on the real, yall gots to keep this shit on the low......

So I went to Sofia to hang out with this Black guy that I know. I wanted to talk to him about all the shit that was going on, and ask how his experience in Bulgaria was. He has a good job, and is older so I figured he would have some stories to tell. Well when we met up, he was like get comfy cuz we gon hang out all day together. We had lunch, he let me use his phone to call my mom inthe states, and we laughed and joked around. A friend of his was leaving Bulgaria, to there was a going away party and he invited me. There was free booz, so you know I was down.

After the party we went to dinner. We went to this really nice upscale place. He must go there often, cuz the waiters and waitresses were askin how his new years was and talkin to him like they knew him. Then someone came over with a gift for him. It was a bottle of champagne. Then a waitress brought over a new dish she wanted us to try that they were considering putting on the menu. For dinner I had the biggest piece of fish Ive ever eatten, with potatoes. They cooked the fish in a funny way too. It was inside of what looked like a huge piece of bread. When they brought it to the table it was flaming (literally the bread thing was on fire). I was so surprised that I actually took a pic. He probably was thinkin this damn idiot takin a pic of this shit, but whatevs!

So after dinner we hit up this place called the Piano bar. It was a private party but he knew someone inside who let us crash. We were singing and drinkin while some guy played the piano and this bulgarian chick sang bulgarian and english songs. Another black dude I know came later with this really cute Bulgarian chick. She was the cutest Bulgarian Ive ever seen and she spoke english very well. We clicked instantly and she asked for my number and said we could chill another. So at this point im on cloud nine. Not only was I having a good time with other black people, I had a great dinner (did I mention homeboy dropped 260 for the bill?) and free booz. BUT IT GETS BETTER!

So the chick (G) asked if I wanted to go to a hip-hop club. You know me, Im down for whatever, im like sure. I need to find out with the goos spots are anyway. So we roll to this one bar, where this dude swore he was down with me and Harlem just cuz he knew 2 Biggie Smalls songs. He kept playin them shits back to back to, and im like damn homey, can we get somethin else poppin off? But he was really nice. We left the bar and went to the club. I saw some african dudes in there and one other blakc dude who was stuntin. Actin all stank like they didnt notice the ONLY FINE black sista up in there. We all partied hard, and again FREE BOOZ!

We stayed there for a while. The music was actually good, and I met the DJ, some Nigerian dude. Well the ppl I was wit was talkin bout goin to the strip club from earlier, so after the hip-hop club, they was like whats up? yall down for the strip club or what? Again, let me REITERATE: Im down for whatever, so I was the first one wit my damn coat! lol We walked across the street to some ole bootleg club. They had dudes "strippin" and I use that term loosely. We rolled up in there and this one dude with these lil thong undies under a pair of white pants was dancin all OFFBEAT to some house song. He was tryna grin up on some girl who jumped on stage and they might as well had gone in the damn bathroom and got it poppin they was on each other so damn hard (but her ass couldnt dance either!).

So after about 4 and 1/2 minuted of that foolishness (and 2 other FULLY DRESSED "strippers' gettin on stage to try to "DANCE") we left and went to a chick strip club. And here is where I experienced the MAGIC! When we first got there, the girls looked kinda wack. No one was really dancin, and one of the guys we were with got a girl to sit with us, but she was just sittin there lookin stupid. She wasnt talkin, nor was she fuckin strippin. Im thinkin this bitch dont wanna get that paper, cuz had that been me, ida been on someones table shakin my motha fuck toes if it meant gettin some money (IF THAT WERE MY JOB). So I was kinda disappointed with the whole thing until one of the guys explained to me that its not like clubs in the states. The girls only make money off lap dances, and if you buy them drinks (LEARN SOMETHIN NEW EVERYDAY!) so you know what that means......I HAD to get ME a LAPDANCE. So me and the girl I met earlier (she still wit us) pickin out girls like nah, she too ugly, nah her booty aint big enough, oh she look aight, but her stomach kinda big. We was clownin for real. So I finally pick out some chick who looked decent, when her ass disappeared! So we got some other girls to come over and they gave US lapdances. The one girl who was on me what actin kinda shy, but then she started to loosen up. She even said I was cute (it was dark as hell so she could have been lyin, but we know she wasnt) So im mad STUCK. What the FUCK you do when someone giving you a lapdance? Her tits was jigglin all in my face and she was just ALL ON ME. So everybody lookin at me laughing. My arms was just kinda hangin mid-air cuz I didnt know what to do. So they all in the background like you can touch her.....so I DID. hahahahaha but she only stayed on me for like 2 more minutes before she took her money and left.

BUT WAIT, I got another lapdance, COURTESY of one of the guys we were with. This TIME I was on it. I was rubbing on SHORTY, dancin with her, SMACKIN HER ASS, all that good stuff. She kept takin my hands and was rubbin them on her body and she was havin a good ole time. After that, it was about 5 AM, so we decided to call it a DAY (lol) Later I met up with Jojo and we went to see a movie.

That by far was one of THE BEST times Ive had in Bulgaria. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLE. Its 09 bitches, lets DO IT BIG!

Just in case anybody needs a hook-up, HOLLA AT A PLAYA! lol (and no, none of the girls at the club looked like this chick on the card......)

Who Loves Jojo????

I do I do I do!!!! So who would ever have thought that I would find such an awesome friend in Bulgaria? Not me to be honest. But I am glad I did, cuz really, those are the ones at the end of the day that really help you get through all the bullshit. WhenI think of all of the bad situations I have been in Jojo was either with me, or the first one I told it to. When I think of all the good situations Ive been in, trips to the movies, laughing at Bulgarians, cursing Bulgarians, making fun of Bulgarians, taking pics, laughing at other volunteers, laughing at staff members, sharing funny stories from home, I THINK OF JOJO! She really is the epitome of a good friend (she got me an OBAMA oen when she went to the states even tho she is republican...hahahaha)!

So becuz her selflessness knows no boundaries, she got me such great gifts from London. And 2 of them were awesome, but the 3rd one was FUCKIN GREAT and I just had to share.

Jojo got me this fantastic salt and pepper shaker. But its 2 people hugging. She said when she saw it, she said "thats me and Shantay" isnt this the cutest thing you've ever seen. When she gave it to me I was laughin so hard.

So it is on my kitchen table, and it just looks right at home. isnt it adorable?!

Thanks Jojo!!

My trip to Greece

Overall, Greece was really nice. The first day we got there, we put our bags down at the hotel and went sightseeing. We went to Syntagma Square which is just in front of the Parliament building. Its like a 34th Street with no cars. It was full of shoe and clothing stores aligned on each side of a long narrow street. We saw like 4 Zara's along the street, Bath and Body Works, a McDonalds, and mad stores. I felt like a fat kid in a candy store. So many clothes and tight sexy dresses to buy. But since I was with other people, I took notes of where the place was and kept it moving.

Next was the Acropolis. Tht was really nice. There were mad people there from everywhere, Japan, other parts of Europe, Americans. They were all takin pics. I was excited to see the ruins and take pics. We ate lunch at this cute place and then split up. The boys walked around and Em and I walked where the market was. Africans selling fake Louis and Gucci bags, people selling old stuff along the street, sneaker stores, clothing stores, and gift shops. It was like China town shrunk to fit this paticular area just around the Acropolis.

Oh, I went to buy some gloves. So one dude sellinthe gloves asked where I was from. I said NY and proceeded to pay for the gloves. So then he says, no really where you from, are you Senegalese. Again, I say no, I from NY. So obviously this was not the correct answer, cuz homeboy started to ask again. No, but where are you from, your African right or from the Carribbean? Listen bitch, I don told yo ass I from NY and thats that. I was born there, have always lived there and thats it. Then he asked where my parents were from. At this point Im gettin annoyed. I say AGAIN, they are ALSO from NEW YORK just LIKE ME. WE ARE ALL FROM NY. Not Senegal, no where in Africa, and damn sure not from the Carribbean. Please stop asking me the same question, cuz I dont want to repeat myself further. I walked away and heard him say to another guy standing there "she cant be from AMERICA!" And I mean he really was confused as to why I kept saying that. Boy was I fuckin annoyed..........

The rest of my time in Greece was spent shopping, and sighseeing. There were some churches there, and some other small spots that we hit up. The food was much like the food here in Bulgaria. Gyros were everywhere, there were meatballs, spaghetti and various salads. I was hoping to eat some traditional Greek food. I did have pastichio (I think thats spelled wrong), and tsatziki, but everything else was either like Bulgarian food, or like food I could get in the states. I was quite disappointed.

The shopping was excellent. Athens is the capital of Greece, so of course it was totally developed there. There were a whole bunch of Africans and other people from different cultures walking around which made me excited. Athens is so much more cosmopolitan that Sofia even (where I have seen like 3 black people as opposed to like 100 per day in Athens). And the people were quite fashionable. Knee high boots, Louis bags (real and fake) nice coats, cute hair styles, cute accessories, and banging shoes.

And thats pretty much it. I wont bore you with any personal stories cuz its too much to write. But the people I went with did piss me off several times. We had problems with tipping CORRECTLY, people being downright cheap as hell with everything (even with table bread), annoying the shit out of me, and talking to fill the silence. No one wanted to go to any bars or clubs and for new years we managed to go to one bar for like a half hour. There was a fire works show, but someone ordered fucking french fries and delayed of from seeing it. We just walked back to the hotel and that was my new years. Well anyway, WILL however leave you with some inspiring quotes/saying:

"Crotch Cookie" (you figure that one out yourself)
"I aint gettin up for no damn egg"

oh, and we actually saw hookers!

Greece: the Funny Stuff

Before retiring to bed, we played several card games a few nights and drank wine and alcohol. Thats when all the shenanigans ensued.....


Uummmm I dont know that they were doing.....

Dave humping the wall

Good times

How cute........

Funny Story: We went to this small musuem near the Acropolis where there were several statues outside and other stuff inside. So we saw a headless body with the guys penis out for all to see. So I wanted to take a pic with the guy. So Im takin the pic, and thought it would be funny to put my hand under the guys penis as if I were cuppin it. So this lady who was security I can only assume comes from no where and starts screamin at me. This is not a game, thats disrepectful. Let me see that picture. So she takes my camera and checks to see the pic. It was even taken yet, but needless to say she followed us around to keep us in check. Well I went inside cuz it was mad cold, and found this guy with his penis out. And look, he even has a face which is so much better.........