Happy Thanksgiving

So yesterday was thanksgiving and I was fortunate enough to celebrate with a friend from the states. She plays pro basketball here in Estonia. And shes really good! I caught another one of their games and they won by like 15 or something. Back to the dinner. It was a surprise I was not expecting too much being here in Estonia. But she had the classics turkey, stuffing, corn, even cranberry sauce that actually tasted like cranberries! Everything was more than I expected and the food was great it was also a plus to get to watch some espn America. I caught shitty ass Duke beat Kansas on a bull shut 3 pointer by some guy that averages like 2 points a game.



These past weeks have brought a movie festival to Tallinn and the movies seem pretty good. I caught a French movie called Poliss it was pretty solid I had no idea what to expect sometimes it's better to go to see a movie when you have no idea what it's about. It makes you get into the movie more. Some of the movie was a bit shocking but overall it was a good look into the lives of police officers in France. Even though at sometimes there was a bit too Much going on. Tonight I will check out another movie of course and maybe tomorrow too who knows. I could have gotten a good deal on tickets and free showings but of course my lazy ass didn't do the paperwork to get the movie festival ID, that and the fact that I had no idea what to expect I always seem to underestimate Tallinn and it's high time I stop and just go with the flow.


My movie of the week is Menace II Society. I been watching that shit for the past 4 days. It's funny though I am here at film school and unfortunately all these students talk about is movies by white people. There is nothing wrong with that but you guys gotta check out some black cinema from the 90s yeah a lot of our movies kind of suck but there are definitely some great cinematic achievements as well. I'm not saying go watch all black movies especially not the ones being released from Tyler Perry... Don't get me started on that dude. But check out something. Preferably Menace II Society you guys will need subtitles because half the movie is slang.


I checked out the location of the US Embassy and it was good to see the flag out front. Shit made me smile a lil bit. Of course there was security before security but there weren't any Marines! Fuckin G4S guards at the entrance. Anyway they were closed for the holiday. So I have to go by there on Monday. Why? Because all Americans who travel abroad for a long period of time need to go there and say hey I'm gonna be here for a while and I might need some extra help at some point. It's sad because it seems our government makes us scared when we go certain places. I guess that's why a lot of us don't travel outside North America. If you want to see the world see it, the American Passport is one of the most sought after things in the wold if you ask me. It makes a statement like: travelers fill in the blank.

I'm here at Hessburger killing the free WiFi and there is like a table reserved like WTF it's fast food how the hell do you reserve a table at a fast food joint? It beats the he'll outta me. The place is cool though it's at this Mall type of place called Solaris and there is no shortage of dimes walking around. It's hard not to look but every now and then I take a peek at a lil phatty. Not too many phattys walking around they all look like models even at school. That was a compliment to the girls at BFM btw. But enough about them. I'm starting to feel more and more a part of this society I guess. I'm seeing people I am cool with just about everywhere I go. And I'm starting to figure out how this place works just be nice to people there is no need to be angry because being angry will get you nowhere fast!

Signing off till the next time be safe wherever you are headed.

On to the next one

Well I got the Estonian ID card!  There is a bunch of stuff you need to do to get it.  They make you very paranoid when trying to get the card.  I kind of ruled myself out of getting it, because it just seemed like so much information they need.  The six months of financial information before your arrival in Estonia.  Health Insurance preferably Estonian. Dont even bother bringing a passport photo with you because they will take your picture there.  You need to give your fingerprint and all that stuff.  Its a bit much but its worth it because now you can get some Estonian perks, its kind of like gold having the card because now you are more integrated with the society.  After all that work I am pretty happy right now although you probably couldn't tell it by looking at me.


I found a pretty nice place for pizza and Italian food.  It's called Vapiano and they are in a lot of places through out the city center.  One across the street from Coca Cola Plaza and another one in side of the Solaris shopping center.  The pizza is ok its no Zesty Pizza from 96th and 3rd but it will have to do.  I'll finish this tomorrow I gotta run to town and get my ID card...Be safe wherever your'e headed.

And the beat goes on...

Its been awhile since my last post, sorry to keep you guys waiting, but there has been a lot going on.  The workload of classes has increased and I haven't had time to post and blog the way I want to.  I kind of relocated then relocated again back to my old stomping grounds of the G4S dormitory but all the while I have been having fun doing it.  I have had a shit load of essays to write about this or that or the other, basketball practice has gotten more and more intense and the school year is really getting underway, add to that an Estonian Residence application and well you see where I am going with this.  I haven't really been out and about since all this work has begun to take its toll.  I been going out tho.  Even if its just once a week.  Preferably to Embassy Pub but hey what can I say they play Rap music constantly the drinks are reasonably priced and they have nice couches, just dont put your feet up on the couches because they will definitely tell you to take them off...


I been taking the public transportation more often than before and its not so bad.  Unless theres a drunk on there offering you a sip of their beer.  It's like come on guy I dont want to drink after you or just about anyone else for that matter.  The race question always comes up and well I deal with it the best way I can, some times I have Sheila moments where I'm just like ''Is that real?'' someone sits down next to you and says nigger and you're like really?  But I now know that that is the word for black here and its time to kind of get over it but I really can't.  My French friend asked me ''do you always see things in black and white'' and I'm like ''yeah'' but that's just how I was raised, if these guys came to the states and saw who I hang out with and conversate with on a daily basis they might understand why.  Sometimes I get a little too racy with it but I bite my tounge and think like Jay-Z ''I'm from out of town dog, what you trying to get into'', they ask me ''Do you miss home?'' and the answer to that is HELL YEAH! But I realize that if I keep thinking about it then that is where I am going to go-- right back home, some want to see me go they don't say it but I can tell, theres no explanation for it you just can.  Luckily there is basketball to be played to get my mind off things for a lil while however long that may be.


I had a disturbing dream about my ex gf and well that shit can throw you off of your sleep game for the whole night.   I just hope she's ok, and I'll leave it at that, no need to talk about what haunts me when it comes to her, frustration about things in the past can bring the worst out in you so I try not to dwell on them or her for that matter.  A message to my classmates who seem to be reading this blog, posts on Facebook are not meant to be taken too serious, its just me venting on certain things good and bad and unfortunately the bad outweigh the good.  Bottom line is that we want what we want and will do whatever it takes to get it, in this case its the coveted bachelors degree in the field of AV media, just having the paper makes me a bit more marketable and will eventually open doors that were closed before.

Back to going out, well there are people that are starting to see me around town here and there but its not hard to stick out when you're the only black guy on the bus most of the time, last weekend there were 3 of us on a bus and I was like ohhhh shit! I see them they see me and what happens next is the International black guy acknowledgment of the head nod, peace sign or wave.  It makes me feel a lil more comfortable when there is a few of us in a small space I got their back and hopefully they have mine if anything jumps off.  In this place put egos to the side and come together for the greater good, it might just mean we save each others lives if it comes down to it.  The guys on the busses with their pretty girlfriends who like to starte at me or whatever, hey she's just curious, but I always keep in mind that the hotter she is the hotter her problems are and just keep it moving, but I have a feeling that this situation may come to a head.


I been watching GOODFELLAS a lot lately its so good, but how many times can you watch Tommy get shot... Everytime I watch it I think wow what a life no matter what was real and what was changed, I can't get over the life they lived and some still live today.  Henry was a rat and that sucks but the movie is timeless.  It will always be a favorite of mine no matter what.  My friend from Latvia came up last weekend and when I went back to the flat he was watching it on the computer, I have my favorite parts and I always see something funny or even disturbing when I watch it.  Being here and watching movies with people from Europe I begin to see how some things just do not translate, it can get annoying when people ask what does this or that mean but for the most part its easy for me to explain so I don't mind it.  The thing is that being here for however long I will be here will put me out of the loop back home so there will be jokes that I wont get.


Other than that its all good living in the hood.  And can't nothing stop your boy from getting what I came here to get.  Life is like a box of chocolates and here in Estonia you never know what your gonna get...


BTW first game of the basketball season is on Wednesday at 9pm at Tallinn University gym, wish us luck BFM Cable Guys are gonna do some damage I'm just glad I will be a part of it.