Maldovian, Man

So, yesterday, my friend Whitney got this crazy idea that it would be cool to tell people that I would be holding a concert last night at the cafe we always hang out at. Throughout the day, people would peek their head in my room and say, "Concert tonight???" and I'd stare blankly at them. Eventually, I caught on that lies were being spread, so I'd say, "Nooo, noo, no, don't listen to Whitney." When dinner came around, I went to a pizzeria called Charlie's with Whitney, Julia, and my other friend Katie. I had my favorite pizza, Ghiotta, and then we split a Nutella pizza for dessert. I would have been thoroughly pleased to call that a night. But, we decided to stop by La Locanda Del Lupo, where we normally eat, to see our other friends. Mauro, our cook, happened to be hosting a karaoke night. Many people sang (including Julia, of course), had flowers thrown at them by Italian customers who were dining nearby, and we had plenty of good laughs. At this point, I would definitely have been thoroughly pleased to call it a night. But, after the karaoke, after 10:00, we decided to stop at the infamous Cafe del Corso for a little internet time. Almost everyone from our program followed us there. Sitting in the cafe, my friends waited with expectance on their faces. They had all come to hear me play my guitar. Julia bought me some Amaretto, and Whitney ran back to get my guitar from the monastery. There was no avoiding it. I was going to play my guitar whether I liked it or not.

When Whitney arrived with my guitar, my friends waited like dogs do at a dinner table for me to get off my laptop and start playing. I tried to stall a bit, but I knew I couldn't let them wait much longer. We took my guitar outside and, thankfully, the Amaretto started to take affect and slowly dissolve my shyness. Yadda yadda, I played music, people sang along to songs they new, it was a great time. Some of my friends looked up songs online for me to play and one after another, would place their laptop in front of me for me to read the music. It was unforgettable. Meanwhile, a group of Maldovian guys were sitting behind me listening. There was one guy in particular who seemed interested and he clapped and said "Brava!" after each song. We found out that his name is Giovanni. Someone nudged me and said that he plays guitar too, so I offered him my guitar, and he accepted. He played three or four songs and I was completely taken in to the moment. I will never forget it. He had a raspy voice, like Deer Tick, or Glen Hansard, and he spoke no English. It was a beautiful sight to see my guitar in his hands while he sang his songs. Praise God, Julia took video of it. If I can show you somehow, I would be so happy to share it with you. Rumor has it that he has a YouTube page, but I have yet to find out what that is. I just want you to hear this guy! It was incredible. Music has a way with me. So last night was one I will certainly remember for a long time.