A STUDENT IN SOHO
Come to think of it, London has been in my mind
longer than any other city in the world, even longer than Miami along with
Havana. None of these three cities provoke any negative feeling in me and I
enjoy when I am there and long with a sweet passion when I am away.
I was retracing my steps. First of course was Bar
Italia which was my daily haunt during my university days at London, some of
the establishments are still there, but others have been gulped by the march of
time, but Soho remains Soho.
Walked past the theatre where I saw Les Miserables
for the first time, the Chinese restaurant where I said good bye to my Jamaican
girlfriend, Foyle’s where you ran into authors from Africa and Asia. What was
amazing that I remembered the restaurants which used to occupy the newly
fashionable stores and some of the dishes I had tasted, that memory startled
me.
Soho shared the enthusiasm of a student from a neo
colonial English speaking nation, of future of reality and dreams, it is as if
I always returned to London to find my direction and left soon afterwards.
Ronnie Scott’s where I listened to Chucho Valdez for the first ever time with
Irakere. I was not longing for those days but grateful for the memories, for
London to have become a part of me, which I shared with some people close to my
heart. Like London they too remain in my consciousness, albeit scattered to
Cologne or Kingston or Teheran. I always think of my dear teacher and friend
Cecil Helman.
As students, spending money was not a concern
because of inadequate funds but ideas were never lacking and imagination was
very colourful.
Yesterday I was in Kuala Lumpur, today I am
staying at a nice hotel near Green Park and look forward to the next four days
of an important event in my life. Thus yet another hook in space in my heart
where London resides.
What a nice welcome by the Immigration Officer when she handed me . the Preferred Traveller card. I thanked her profusely, it means that I no longer will have to stand in line, can use automated gates, much like Global Entry while entering the USA!
