1-Way Ticket

Everything looked seventeen century, the cupboards, furniture, pottery and utensils. The fridge door was heavily taped to keep closed. The stairs was narrow with linoleum of an undistinguished colour. A low ceiling in the bedroom, certainly the bed was Napoleonic, metal framed headboard and base raised on a platform, a ceramic piss-pot underneath.

Sadly one does not have to walk too far to notice a pensioner with their handout. Because of a paltry government salary, some will receive financial assistance from their families. But others have little choice but to take to the streets selling trivial items or singing. Many vantage points are occupied by these seniors, imagine your grandmother ha

I bought ‘over the counter medicine’ but it was like eating sweets, no potency. So I decided to leave after four days, the visa was only for ten days anyway.

bought chocolate for my hosts, this would be a massive mistake. Upon eating it, Svetlana, elegant and graceful, Kalynia, a slightly wilder touch, developed food poison. At 3a.m. a doctor was called, they receive injections for their stomach pains. I had slept through the drama, shamefully offering an apology the following morning. What would they r

At a local café I wasn’t sure what to eat, no specific breakfast on the menu. Everything gets served almost together, they had no sense of timing. Anna continued her friendly banter, “my family have friends

translator. The locks were changed the following day, the locksmith dressed in combat gear. “It’s the workman’s style around here,” laughed Vlad who had come over to visit.

So why did I come to this country? Many of us have a soft spot for some far-away place. There is not always a transparent reason. The Black Sea was one of mine. A flight to Turkey could be the choice, but that’s too obvious. Let’s take another route.

“Pas-port, pas-port” they repeated. “In hoo-tell,” one questioned. I nodded in agreement, “da, da.” Then one of them was putting his torch on me, shinning it from head to toe, slowly up and down about five times. Was he trying to provoke me? I just ignored and looked away. Everything was handed back. “Goo-hoome Shau-awne, Goo-hoome Shau-awne,” the

I was thinking, a few sodas and a bit of banter in the student canteen, but they had planned and wanted much more. Administrators