Serbia, Day 2, Friday

Darko: “Wake up, brother, i made you a coffee… the third one! ”

The other two had already got cold, since Darko was trying every one hour to wake me up…

Dr Pako: “Och, something past 12…”

I get up while the song “Let's get it started” is on the television, i drink coffee; we don’t say much, we just listen to or better we watch songs as this and this one that stimulates us so we decide to go for a walk and a coffee!

We walk through the centre of Nis, end up at Costa Café, new cafe, nice one, i like it, we sit there. Even more, i like that we accidentally find there Milena No 2. Blonde, beautiful, with nice body, but… Darko’s cousin. As one of the songs that we listen goes: “you can look, but you can't touch”.

Milena’s friend leaves after a while, so… cousin continues her coffee with us. After talking a while, she asks the question: “do you use facebook? I’m sure you do, since everyone uses it… except Darko!” The truth is that i was very curious and wanted to find out what Serbs think about internet, because as long as i was studying, they didn’t know much. So i found the right person who could answer all of my questions. From what i found out, a big part of city centre has free of charge wifi internet, as many café, because more and more people use internet and laptops. Nice! Bravo to Nis, it has evolved enough, perhaps more than Thessalonica.

Time goes by, the chit-chat becomes socio-political (and music “follows”), until Milena had to leave, asking Darko: “so he is your “brother” from Greece? … ach, beautiful song… and lyrics” (as if the songs were selected for our meeting). We remain in Costa café, because our good friend Misa Paci (nickname with a… surname: Mouse Rat) joins us. Coffee, talk, gossips about our old good company and Misa (who occasionally works as a dj) comments: “we were a nice company…one doctor is a dj, another sells Tupperware, the third is a football referee, the fourth sells gyros… hahaha”.

We leave from the café and walk through the central pedestrian walk. Suddenly, we stop

Misa: “Stop!!!”
Darko: “What happened? What did you see?”
Misa and Dr Pako: “One incredible ass! Hahaha!”

A while after that, we leave Misa, with the promise that one of the next evenings we will go to the club where he plays music.

The evening finds me in my old neighbourhood, where i go alone – my buddy had some stuff to finish. I approach my old house (the third of the four houses that i changed while i was studying) and see some amazing changes. New buildings, new shops, while the old ones have been renovated. All these, in 2,5 years of my absence. Crazy growth rhythm in Nis!!!

For my good luck, what had not changed, is “my” Serbian family. The people that accepted me as their son, while i was studying. Three floors above the apartment i was renting for the three “middle” years of my student life. Three floors above, in my RESPECT, for ever.

The usual afternoon (or evening) in their house, goes as follows: coffee, juice, raki, titbits, wine. All these with good conversation, with a lot of laughs, with some chilly implications, with a lot of wishes and with endless and genuine love!!!

Even though i feel as in my own home, i have to leave, actually to run to the centre, where Darko with some friends are waiting for me. Once again, Pleasure Pub. I meet there Darko, Svetislav and Dusan. After a while, two of their friends join us. Close to me sits a very cute, black haired girl, Maya; on the other side sits sexy, red haired Ana. Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, catch a tiger by the toe…

The whole day passed nice and the night even better. Time for sleep now, it’s 5:20 and tomorrow is a big day, full of meetings with friends!!!

To be continued…