Nostalgie...
... because it's the biggest side of me.
... A look inside Soldier's afro-european mind...
my friend Alicia (who i hadnt seen in a while and who spent some time with me, visiting from France) and I were talking and listening again and again... to our friend Tamara's song (she's a talented singer and dancer who's becoming huge in france and the rest of Europe right now, her stage name is Shy'm yay!)... and she told me the reason why she could not get that song out of her head is that it made her realize how it seemed like i had been gone forever and would never come back the songle is entitled "t'es parti " (which means " you're gone ")... So this is the soundtrack to the post... it doesn't matter if you don't understand what she's saying, the song is just powerful...
CLICK PLAY
****
****
On heavy rotation on my mind right now :
... A look inside Soldier's afro-european mind...
my friend Alicia (who i hadnt seen in a while and who spent some time with me, visiting from France) and I were talking and listening again and again... to our friend Tamara's song (she's a talented singer and dancer who's becoming huge in france and the rest of Europe right now, her stage name is Shy'm yay!)... and she told me the reason why she could not get that song out of her head is that it made her realize how it seemed like i had been gone forever and would never come back the songle is entitled "t'es parti " (which means " you're gone ")... So this is the soundtrack to the post... it doesn't matter if you don't understand what she's saying, the song is just powerful...
CLICK PLAY
****
****
On heavy rotation on my mind right now :
where it all started, where baby Soldier and his dog Rex learned how to play with food and make a mess with their breakfast... fast forward to many years later, first glass of whisky, first cigarette, first boyfriend, first tattoo, a kiss to grandpa before he goes to sleep then off to a club sneaking in with a fake ID... Paris (France)
where the value of life was discovered... honesty, humility, love, passion, pain, respect, sacrifice, hope, god, friendship, karma,... fried plantains and jerk chicken... lobster, ginger and yams... sunsets on the beach... first girlfriend AND first boy-on-boy action... freedom...
Abidjan (Ivory Coast, in West Africa)
Abidjan (Ivory Coast, in West Africa)
Where maturity started to settle in, where things changed, where responsibilities slapped Soldier in the face, where mom and dad became 2 very separate entities... first time driving with no license or permission to use the car AND first speeding ticket... (maturity huh ? lol) ... pool parties, boat trips, soccer games, and introduction to the concept of WILDIN' OUT... high school diploma with honors, social work, dreams, inspiration... and trip to jail to save a friend LOL
Nice (south France)
Nice (south France)
The peace. The holidays. The meditation, the relaxation, the paradise, the laughter, the simple life. The scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, fishing, touching sharks, climbing trees, surviving without food on secluded island as a part of an Army program... malaria because of ridiculously high exposure to mosquitos in forbidden (i should have know itwas for a reason! lol) lagoons.. the surfing.. selling my mother's bags on the flea market... LOL
Praslin, Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean... Eastern Africa)
i'm attached to my European background... i feel privileged to have lived in those beautiful cities but...
... the question mark... the crime, violence, moments of joy... twice as much pain... the progress... the regression... the constant fear of something terrible happening. The reason for my desire to become a soldier. The injustice, the pain in their eyes.... abuse, rape, foolishness, theft... lost hopes.. tears... rain... sun.. fog... rainbow... blood... food... famine... the reason why i keep on praying god to give me what it takes to make a change... the beginning... the end... the future, a future ? what future ? who knows... every sunset, every meal could be the last... every second is a gift from God when one person has the power destroy the lives of thousands in less than a minute. My deepest roots, my pride, my anxiety, my inspiration, my future... myself... forever...
Praslin, Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean... Eastern Africa)
The serenity. The authority... truth, wisdom, warmth, love... and amazing " Osso Buco "... my grandmother. The loud people, late dinners, talking with hands, short-tempered, sexiness, romance... tomatoes in every recipe.. heated conversations... Martini.. red wine... church on sunday morning, every week trying a different startegy to avoid it. always failing. lol
Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy
i'm attached to my European background... i feel privileged to have lived in those beautiful cities but...
... the question mark... the crime, violence, moments of joy... twice as much pain... the progress... the regression... the constant fear of something terrible happening. The reason for my desire to become a soldier. The injustice, the pain in their eyes.... abuse, rape, foolishness, theft... lost hopes.. tears... rain... sun.. fog... rainbow... blood... food... famine... the reason why i keep on praying god to give me what it takes to make a change... the beginning... the end... the future, a future ? what future ? who knows... every sunset, every meal could be the last... every second is a gift from God when one person has the power destroy the lives of thousands in less than a minute. My deepest roots, my pride, my anxiety, my inspiration, my future... myself... forever...
... Africa.
Couldn't resist, this kid is too cute
Bonus : Surprise, surprise... Yes ! Marylin there are penguins on Boulders beach in South Africa
So to my friends in Europe... don't expect me for dinner lol... i might be there once in a while and for the holidays but i'll never be able to live there again... that part of my life is over... the sacrifice i'm making right now... living by myself in a country where i'm i'm freezing my ass off 10 months a year... is getting me prepared so i can come back and bring something better to the place that gave me so much and could benefit the most from my experience... to the black continent...
I just hope it's worth it...
Couldn't resist, this kid is too cute
Bonus : Surprise, surprise... Yes ! Marylin there are penguins on Boulders beach in South Africa
So to my friends in Europe... don't expect me for dinner lol... i might be there once in a while and for the holidays but i'll never be able to live there again... that part of my life is over... the sacrifice i'm making right now... living by myself in a country where i'm i'm freezing my ass off 10 months a year... is getting me prepared so i can come back and bring something better to the place that gave me so much and could benefit the most from my experience... to the black continent...
I just hope it's worth it...
posted by Soldier at 5:00 a.m.
22 Comments:
how do i know that is powerful if I do not know what they are saying! The instrumentals are powerful and moving but the words are a mystery! I'm gonna need you to email me a translation!
I need to go to France! Seems like its aloot going on over there! Grat pic by the way. It portrays a welcoming ambiance!
Hmmm a trip too jail? To any of my friends, you better have a good reason to make me come to jail to save you! lol
I love the simple life, so calm and serene!
OOOOO Italy! I can understand some of their language! take me there!
Did they use that pic of africa in The Lion King? lol I think so...
As long as you are determined to make it worth it it will be worth it. You only get out by how much you put in! Take that in wisdom!
Great post Soldier! I love it. Let's here more about that boy on boy action! Pictures are welcome! ROTF.
~Damnit!
Isn't change magnificent sometimes. Especially when it makes you reminisce about the good things you've experienced.
One of my resolutions next year is to learn Italian. I so want to go to Italy.
Blaq n mild I second that. Great post but it time to open pandoras box. I need a juicy story
Hello Soldier Boy!
Hmmm Pandora, open up so we may see what lies within!
"The peace. The holidays. The meditation, the relaxation, the paradise, the laughter, the simple life."...that's what I love
Can I be like you when I grow up?
Oooooooooooooooh yes you just spoiled us with pics and I am LOVING IT!! I need to go back and read this post again and again, c'est magnifique!!!!!!!!!
@ fuzzy u'll get ur translation very soon... and yes as a cook u NEED to get ur ass to France very fast ! lol
Thx for the widsom :)
@ blaq, Promiscuous and Knight... lmao. We'll see about the juicy story
@ sean. tell me when u start the italian so we can start having secret convos on our blogs in italian lol
@ dayne... i wanna be like u 2... instead of being like each other we should do some kinda fusion and create Soldier Avery !
@ Lyrically... merci merci !! :-) you're my favourite girl
if you're true to yourself, it will be.
Tamara has a fan in Chicago. She favors Alicia Keyes a bit. It's a very beautiful song...I understand a few words here and there, though I'll probably need to listen a few more times. Man, those lyrics and the summation of your life experiences...very powerful.
Does that mean no more traveling to NY? LOL...you need to come back soon
Soldat, I read this post again and got the chance to watch the video from Sh'ym. She's beautiful, she reminds me a lot of Aaliyah but also resembles Alicia Keyes. Your post speaks of serenity, a sort of melancholic emotion brewing inside where you expressed your attachment to your European background and the discoveries of first kisses, first boy, first girl, first drinks. Love it...keep on writing and keep your head high, you have my number if you ever need to chat. Have a good weekend.
I definitely feel where you're coming from. I sort of feel that way, but on a smaller scale. I really want to move back to Detroit and start pouring my time and effort into revitalizing some of the neighborhoods.
And on another note:
Envoyez-moi un e-mail. Ne soyez pas si durs sur Enzo. Nous tous avons besoin de nos meilleurs amis...
that picture of paris is fabulous. did you take it? or find it somewhere?
i'm planning on going to europe in the spring. and i pretty much can't wait.
@ Jameil : then it will be worth it !
@ E :Thanks bro, i had second thougts, im not telling Tamara what u said, don't wanna stroke her ego ! lol
@ Cathy : it might mean less travelling to Nyc indeed. Yes my girl is a cutie... it took years for her to accept that, can u believe it ?? lol
@ M-Dubb : you've got mail ! and omg... french ! lol
@ Anna, didnt take it, borrowed it from a friend lol... yay, Europe in the spring is unbelievable. Where are you going, specifically ?
and when did you come back to the blogging world? LOL! glad to see the ones i used to enjoy reading so long ago are back and thriving!
i'm still working on that...england for sure, probably italy, germany, france and a few others. what do you recommend?
also...do you have a bigger copy of that picture of paris? i want to use it for my desktop picture...
@ madosi... been trying to be here as frequently as i can for the past few months
@ anna... it all depends on what u want, if you know you're going to England for sure, then France is a must !!
Then you have to chose at least one between Greece, Italy or Spain...
and one eastern (Germany, Czech republic, austria, Romania, Croatia,...)
for the picture, i need an email address :)
oh greece! now i really want to go there. i will never narrow down my list of places to go...probably i will just have to see them all. what is your favorite (european) place to go?
also --> anna.yes87@yahoo.com
Great post! It is my earnest desire to explore the world and have many many tales to tell in my rocking chair. Thanks for opening up my world with this post.
And it is true i witnessed the penguins in South Africa.They weren't as cute as Happy Feet tho...but they are there, i guess.
A Most Dapper post from a most dapper soldier.
Dapper D
Wow, My friend you have traveled. AS each day goes by and as more lessons learned that gives you the knowlege and power that you can take back to your country and share with your kindred. Much success.
wow, i'm awed. i feel so pedestrian now, especially when i see such a great example of a person just living their life with such a person. at least i'm now inspired, thank you!
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