Rock the Mic

What's better than going to see one of your favorite artists live in performance? Having your own live performance the night after! That's right! I rocked* the stage last night at A2 Club. I was taken to this club by the same guy that I met at the concert yesterday Sif.

Two things: not all Africans are scheming, untrustworthy, tricksters I should have never showed my mom the "I Go Chop Your Dollar" video. Secondly there are too few Black people here for us to be trying to scheme and rip each other off. I'm more worried about being attacked, hustled, or robbed by a white Russian. I know Africans. Trust me! I can tell the difference between a sketchy African that wants to rip me off and someone that is a comrade (товарищ). I know when I need to be cautious and when to be a comrade. That being said. Let me tell you about the rest of yesterday.

So I went to this huge park with my Russian speech partner from school and this kid from Harvard Felix. There was a zoo and boats! There were these enormous ugly birds in the zoo that looked like a mix between an eagle and vulture. We paid for a boat and got in and rowed around the lake it was BEAUTIFUL! The park is huge and it's in the most fancy part of St. Petersburg. There are huge amazingly nice apartment buildings and yachts, boats, and jet skis. It's incredible!

After we left there I came back to the station where I live and met up wit Sif. The most HILARIOUS thing ever happened. I was walking home and this old drunk Russian guy comes up to me and all my friends (at this point I'm with like 5 or 6 other people) and says in Russian, "I want to help you! I don't want these people to kidnap and harm you! How much do I need to pay these horrible girls so they do not take you away? How much is your ransom?" We tried to explain to this man for about 10 minutes that we were all friends and that everything was okay but he was very concerned about my safety. Thankfully, Sif took control of the situation and told the guy (in Russian cause he speaks it better than me) that everything was cool and that we had to go. I shook the guys hand and called him my comrade and we left. Best part about all of this is... I handed this girl my camera and she recorded the entire thing.

At this point it's about 10 pm. We head to the store to get some drinks. Which by the way. Alcohol here costs no more than a dollar and cigarets are fifty cents. They can both be bought on almost any corner and consumed in public. I now know why the average life expectancy for a Russian male is about fifty years. I bought my favorite peach tea that's only here in Europe and we headed to the park.

At the park another drunk Russian about my age comes up to me and my friends and he was really interested getting acquainted with me. He was very rowdy and tried to start a fight with a guy that was with his girlfriend standing on the bridge for just glancing over at him. Anyway, he was cool and to seal our newfound friendship with Sergei Mariinskiy we all took a shot of gin (he was carrying around a bottle of Seagrams). It's very rude in Russia to turn down the drink of friendship. I gave a toast to, "A beautiful city. Great new friends. and A wonderful country" (or something like that). Someone also said to World Peace. Which I think was the most important of all things.

So this dude Sif. Is the most well connected person I've ever met. He calls his friend up (another student from Zimbabwe) and we take a cab to the club. Once we get there we go right through security with no hassle. His other friend from Cameroon (who speaks French, English, and Russian) hooked us up with VIP and drinks and hooka. It was hands down one of the most baller moments of my life! There were some Chinese gangsters in VIP on the other side of the club that looked really scary. They had their women and they were just laid back like than ran the world. I most certainly was not going to cross them or go anywhere near their girls.

Then the moment came. I was talking to a Russian girl about how I don't think I look like Snoop Dogg and these whack Russian rappers started sounding horrible on stage. I told her that I was going to go up and do better. I found Sif and asked him if I could get on stage. He gets the DJ and tells him I'm going to go. My heart is pounding but yet I feel cool in relaxed. Next thing I know I'm up on the stage with a mic in my hand in front of the entire club rocking the building from left to right! I did have to borrow a few lines from Jay-Z, Outkast, and of course Joe Budden but I kept mostly original, entertaining, and of course SO GANGSTA! And Sif is the best hype man ever! He came up beside me and started dancing and doing hand gestures. I felt like Eminem in 8 Mile. When he finally gets his flow together and starts doing well in battles and at shows. It was incredible.

The end of the night was very tame. I left and Sif and the dude from Cameroon come outside and help me get a Taxi and make sure that I don't get ripped off. They got me a cab for 150 Rubles. About 4 or 5 dollars. I would have paid up to 500 or 700 though had they not been there to secure a price for me (dollar to ruble conversions are ridiculously hard). My cab drive was from Uzbekistan and we had a really good conversation in Russian. I'm picking up so many new words everyday and grammar.

I made it back to my room safely and passed out. Woke up. Had breakfast. And made it to school EARLY.

I know I can't have that type of fun every night. I don't even want to. It would ruin the feeling. But last night was truly indescribable and the description you just read does not do it justice.

I'm staying safe. Studying hard. And keeping my wits about me.

Stay Tuned