The Eastern soul

I wouldn’t claim to know the Eastern soul. I just realised that I miss my friend Sergei. He once invited me to spend two months in his country when I was 21. In my circle, Sergei’s the big moral Russian orthodox rock, way more solid than anyone I know. Yet excessively vulnerable, I’ve seen him cry more than any other guy.

My brother looks up to him. My mother calls him up if she’s got couple issues. He asked me to be his little girl’s godmother (or "cometri" anyway, because I'm not orthodox. The orthodox apparently write down the names of all the brotherly adults to be co-responsible for the child in the baptismal register, and then they consider themselves bound to the cometri, who are like family, and to be honoured always. The kid calls them "aunts" and "uncles").

I can call on him all the time, I can sleep at his’ all the time, I know nothing at all about the Eastern soul, but I love Sergei’s. And I love the country that produced Sergei. The eastern guys! Oh the eastern guys! I really do recommend travelling to the former soviet republics. That part of the world got soul. And music. And more soul.

Smetana's music isn't eastern quite yet -there a distinct mitteleuropa tone to it-. But it makes me think of my friend.