Friday, October 6: Laura and I had Stefka’s friend Martin over for dinner. I haven’t met many Bulgarians, but it seems like they are all beautiful. Martin is a filmmaker, and he is currently working on a feature film that is shooting in Paris and in the suburbs. He had some very interesting things to say about being one of the few men in the Gender Studies program in Budapest. He was kind of alarmed by how much I knew about him, in particular about his short film, Le Cornet. The three of us had a very nice dinner, with fabulous French pastries for dessert (a choclate éclair, a religieuse au café, and an Opéra). Afterwards Martin drove us to the Bastille district in his luxurious studio car, an Alpha Romeo. We went to a bar, where I drank several “Long Islands,” which were not appreciably different from American Long Islands. All in all, it was a very fun evening. Laura and I are hoping to see Martin again soon.