It was a long time ago. I was in Amsterdam with Prince Claus Fund. Then I took a train to Warsaw to meet and stay with Janusz Krzyżowski. From there I went to Zurich for a cup of tea with Markus. Later I went to Brussels and took a bus to Paris. And from there I flew to Sofia and took a bus to Plovdiv to stay a couple of days with Maria, with whom we have been friends online for many years, but that was our first meeting in person! Last year she came to my motherland with a small group, where we launched the first-ever independent exchange, Writer/Artist Residency in Uzbekistan. And today, as I am flying over Bulgaria, I felt big warmth and pride in my heart for what we have accomplished in only less than one year: real exchange! A group of Uzbek writers and artists are heading to Bulgaria tomorrow for a literary-cultural program! I am sorry I will not be with you physically, but in my heart and thoughts I will stay in touch, my dear Bulgarian friends! Looking forward to seeing a lovely group from Plovdiv and Sofia in our bigger Residency Program in late September! I will get ready for that. Love to you all and good luck with the program you put together for Uzbeks! Yay! We can change the world!
