It is the weekend and I am in Hungary. Just like in the U.S., the weekend is an excuse for all the youth in the city to drink, hang out, and listen to music. So as they say in Hungary, Egesyegedre! To your health!
So...what have I been up to this weekend, you ask? Well let me tell you it has been a phenomenal couple of days.
Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to meet some of our Hungarian host students from Karoli Gaspar and four of the girls offered to take a group of us out drinking at this club/bar called Szimpli (Simple). I officially want to live there. Eclectic is probably the best word to describe Szimpli, with its mix of indoor and outdoor seating, tables and furniture constructed out of recycled materials (i.e. a stack of wooded chairs stacked to look like a tree and the back of a car that doubled as seating). Plants grew everywhere and strange lighting of all different colors and shades of colors and intensities poured out of various places. Even the stairwell was decorated with half of a bathtub and, of course, the obligatory graffiti. Not only was the atmosphere unbelievable, there were at least four bars that I saw selling all different kinds of drinks. I ordered a draught cider, a combination of beer and apple cider that was finom (delicious). People sat around talking and drinking and smoking, mostly Hungarian and international youth all using the Friday summer evening as an excuse to go out. We had conversations of all sorts with our Hungarian hosts with topics ranging from Hungarian cinema and pop music to the problems that come with female sexuality. AND, as all four of the girls are studying literature, I made a point to engage them in all manners of literary discussions.
While we were there, it started to storm and, as part of Szimpli is open air and the drinks are also expensive, we decided to go someplace a bit cheaper. We darted down through alleways, squeezing onto the sidewalk under the overhang, dodging raindrops and other people also dodging raindrops. Finally, Sonia, who was leading the way, ducked into a hidden door off of an alleyway and we ended up in a smaller pub full of mismatched easy chairs and people chilling. A group of us decided to ditch for a bit and take the tram over to get some falafel, then came back to meet up with the rest of the group. I bought something blackberry flavored that wasn't bad, although it was nowhere near as marvelous as the cider.
So that was Friday. The girls dropped us off back at our dorms where we crashed and everyone slept in till almost noon today. Then, it was time for an extremely nerdy and touristy Rick Stevens walking tour of Budapest! Hurray! I think the highlight of the tour was Irok Boltja, the Writer's Bookstore. I immediately found the door, ran inside, and exclaimed several times about how wonderful a bookstore it is. I want to go back at least seven million times while I am here. Possibly eight million, if I am feeling especially ambitious. I cannot even explain how amazing all of the things we saw today are.
Today was one of those days when everything and everybody you encounter seems to possess a kind of strange, secret magic, almost as if at any moment they could turn sideways and disappear. I don't know how best to communicate the beauty of some of these moments today, but I will attempt to do so as best as I can.
Two homeless men slept near each other huddled under blankets near a monument, sleeping in the midst of all the photographers and tourists and young twentysomethings roaming about and all I wanted to do was to sit down and ask them to tell me about their lives.
I caught some children staring at my boyfriend today as he is quite tall and he chose to amuse them with some magic tricks and the looks on their faces as he made a 20 forint coin disappear and reappear...moments like that are the things that can help move our lives forward. I don't mean to sound sentimental. I am saying these things with absolute sincerity to try and express the odd magic of today.
An old toothless man smiled as he played his accordion and swayed to the music that traveled through the streets.
A family of four zoomed down the stone streets on their scooters, zipping around us and racing each other back and forth.
An old couple stood close and whispered in each other's ears on the tram, her standing on tiptoe to reach his ear.
Some pigeons gathered outside of a cafe to peck at some crumbs on the ground, fighting with each other until a woman shooed them away, smiling slightly as they skitted off to find something else to eat.
We found an old playground with a spinning top seat in which you can sit and be pushed. I spun in circles and watched the colors fly by.
The wind. Oh my, the wind. It lifted up my hair and touseled it and pulled at my clothes and pushed me along the ground and made everything smell wonderful and took the strange magic of the day and stirred it together. It was the sort of wind that feels like drinking cool water.
All in all, a wonderful weekend, and one worth drinking to.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Moon River
"Moon river, wider than a mile. I'm crossing you in style someday. You dream maker. You heart breaker. Wherever you're going, I'm going your way. Two drifters off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see. We're after the same rainbow's end. Waiting 'round the bend. My huckleberry friend. Moon river and me."
The rhythm of today reminded me of this song, sung so beautifully by the lovely Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, a movie that I must confess I have a soft spot for. After a morning spent in the classroom of Katalin Fugedi, our smiling Hungarian language professor who also likes to refer to ourselves as our grandma, we caught the number 6 tram out of Moricz Zsigmund Korter to Margit (Margaret) Island, an island park in middle of the Duna Folyo (Danube River). Although at first it seems almost eerily pretty, like a tiny piece of sunshine floating in the middle of the river, the island grows on you with each step you take. Not long after stepping on the island, we saw an enormous water fountain complete with cool mist and water shooting in all directions, including straight up into the sky. Children played in the fountain. One boy in particular to a liking to us, especially to myself and to Kyle. The boy had a ball and alternated between throwing the ball into the water, throwing it at us, and trying explicitly to splash us. The water was cool and refreshing and pooled around my feet. The boy and Kyle teamed up against me and splashed me, completely soaking me, but I really didn't mind since the little boy liked it so much and I was having fun as well.
The island is full of flowers and trees, including one tree twisted and shooting up in different directions. We all climbed on it. I could feel its knotty surfaces beneath my feet as I attempted to climb in a dress. Everything around us was vivid, green or yellow or brown. Couples smoked hookah on the lawns or kissed indiscretely beneath trees.
We crossed over to the banks of the Duna and sat looking out over it at Pest, watching boats cruise by and ducks float along with the river's current. Although the Duna is dirty, there is still something peaceful and elegant about it, something remaining of Strauss' "The Blue Danube". Looking down the river, I could see the Freedom Bridge and the Elizabeth Bridge (Erszebet Hid) stretching across the river and couldn't help but wonder at the ingenuity that must have gone into creating such a piece of architecture to support the weight of numerous cars and people. We sat there for over an hour, laughing and talking and listening to the music of the river and the life of the people around us.
At around five o'clock, we took the tram back to the dormitory to meet the rest of the group, then took the metro over to Pest to find a place to eat dinner. We passed St. Stephen's Chuch (?) as well as several other truly spectacular buildings. It is a bit surreal to look at these buildings, these giant, undeniable pieces of the past looming over the city, as if guarding the passersby, your view of them obscured by stoplights and telephone wires and grafitti. I wonder what those who worked on constructing these buildings, on designing them would think of the city today.
We found a quaint szendvics (sandwich) shop and cafe where we all sat outside under dimmer lighting and watched the city move and change about us. I ordered still water (Hungary seems to prefer fizzy waters, making it important to distinguish if you, like me, don't like carbonation in your water) and vegetarinus szendvics (vegetarian sandwich) with cheese, tomato, basil, and garlic on ciabatta bread, followed by mint ice cream. It was nice to eat and talk softly outside. I need moments like that, where I feel slightly apart from the random chaos of a large group. Even though the group was there, perhaps it was the relative quietness of the evening that had quieted the voices or maybe it was my introspective state of mind, but whatever it was, everything seemed for a few minutes more peaceful than it had.
Anyways, after taking a walk around the dormitory area, I still haven't shaken off this introspective frame of mind and will likely indulge myself with my own daydream thoughts until I drift off into sleep.
Oh. And I saw another hedgehog. It appeared to have crawled into a plastic bag and wouldn't leave until we left it alone for awhile.
-Abby-
The rhythm of today reminded me of this song, sung so beautifully by the lovely Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, a movie that I must confess I have a soft spot for. After a morning spent in the classroom of Katalin Fugedi, our smiling Hungarian language professor who also likes to refer to ourselves as our grandma, we caught the number 6 tram out of Moricz Zsigmund Korter to Margit (Margaret) Island, an island park in middle of the Duna Folyo (Danube River). Although at first it seems almost eerily pretty, like a tiny piece of sunshine floating in the middle of the river, the island grows on you with each step you take. Not long after stepping on the island, we saw an enormous water fountain complete with cool mist and water shooting in all directions, including straight up into the sky. Children played in the fountain. One boy in particular to a liking to us, especially to myself and to Kyle. The boy had a ball and alternated between throwing the ball into the water, throwing it at us, and trying explicitly to splash us. The water was cool and refreshing and pooled around my feet. The boy and Kyle teamed up against me and splashed me, completely soaking me, but I really didn't mind since the little boy liked it so much and I was having fun as well.
The island is full of flowers and trees, including one tree twisted and shooting up in different directions. We all climbed on it. I could feel its knotty surfaces beneath my feet as I attempted to climb in a dress. Everything around us was vivid, green or yellow or brown. Couples smoked hookah on the lawns or kissed indiscretely beneath trees.
We crossed over to the banks of the Duna and sat looking out over it at Pest, watching boats cruise by and ducks float along with the river's current. Although the Duna is dirty, there is still something peaceful and elegant about it, something remaining of Strauss' "The Blue Danube". Looking down the river, I could see the Freedom Bridge and the Elizabeth Bridge (Erszebet Hid) stretching across the river and couldn't help but wonder at the ingenuity that must have gone into creating such a piece of architecture to support the weight of numerous cars and people. We sat there for over an hour, laughing and talking and listening to the music of the river and the life of the people around us.
At around five o'clock, we took the tram back to the dormitory to meet the rest of the group, then took the metro over to Pest to find a place to eat dinner. We passed St. Stephen's Chuch (?) as well as several other truly spectacular buildings. It is a bit surreal to look at these buildings, these giant, undeniable pieces of the past looming over the city, as if guarding the passersby, your view of them obscured by stoplights and telephone wires and grafitti. I wonder what those who worked on constructing these buildings, on designing them would think of the city today.
We found a quaint szendvics (sandwich) shop and cafe where we all sat outside under dimmer lighting and watched the city move and change about us. I ordered still water (Hungary seems to prefer fizzy waters, making it important to distinguish if you, like me, don't like carbonation in your water) and vegetarinus szendvics (vegetarian sandwich) with cheese, tomato, basil, and garlic on ciabatta bread, followed by mint ice cream. It was nice to eat and talk softly outside. I need moments like that, where I feel slightly apart from the random chaos of a large group. Even though the group was there, perhaps it was the relative quietness of the evening that had quieted the voices or maybe it was my introspective state of mind, but whatever it was, everything seemed for a few minutes more peaceful than it had.
Anyways, after taking a walk around the dormitory area, I still haven't shaken off this introspective frame of mind and will likely indulge myself with my own daydream thoughts until I drift off into sleep.
Oh. And I saw another hedgehog. It appeared to have crawled into a plastic bag and wouldn't leave until we left it alone for awhile.
-Abby-
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
How to Wake Yourself Up in Hungary
So, before I launch into what promises to be a fascinating account of how I went from having four hours of sleep tobeing quite, quite awake atHungary, I will begin with a quick summary/description/random thought gathering of activities.
Monday morning we woke up and had our first official orientation meeting with Michael Page. Fairly painless, except for the fact that we had to get up relatively early. Afterwards, we headed as a giant group out to the big market across the Freedom Bridge.
The following is something that I wrote in my journal to describe the market, possibly embellished and edited for your reading pleasure:
In the market, reached via a tram ride across Freedom Bridge, swarms of people and their scents, fruits and vegetables and their scents and colors all blend together. Produce stands and meat vendors stretch out before you and your eyes and body follow them around corners. The fresh produce is lovely, colors divided into overflowing bunches, apples spilling into carrots tumbling into potatoes. Birds swoop down through the aisles and around your head and you feel for an instant as if you are outside, standing in a field and watching a harvest as opposed to shopping for groceries in the middle of the city. The names of the vegetables are long and convoluted, spilling down and across wooden signs in black paint.
I buy some vegatbles after glacing around to compare prices, a bunch of carrots, heads of garlic, a bag of ripening tomatoes. I eat fresh rasperries. We head up to the food court for lunch and elbow our way through crowds of hungry Hungarians (*grimace*) and tourists of all nationalities all trying to eat. In the restaurant, live music plays and people chatter, eating their rice or vegetables or thick and hearty Hungarian gulyas (goulash soup). With no central air, the atmosphere is hot and beads of sweat sparkle on the foreheads of the diners. I leave the market, groceries in my now much loved Global-infusions-world's-most-perfect bag and with my friends return on the tram to unpack what we bought.
Later that afternoon, I and a group of others went to visit Kockacukor, a coffee shop just down the street from the dorm. The name of the shop means "sugarcube" in Hungarian, and it is a cosy place to meet friends or read a book. The barista today is a Hungarian woman of about 30 who speaks limited English but makes wonderful mochas and sells delicious cherry poppyseed pastries. Tanya ordered what had to be the world's most spectacular lemonade, a huge concotion of fresh squeezed lemons replete with orange slices soaking in the glass. We passed the time sipping at our drinks, discussing little of great import but enjoying each other's company.
For dinner, Tanya and I ate museli, an odd combination of grains and, in this case, dried cherries and cocoa cereal.
So that was Monday. Now on to why I was so awake when I started writing this blog post.
Tuesday morning we woke up and, after much early morning confusion over official documents, we headed to BME to get officially registered and issued student IDs. And so began the first of what promises to be several tedious and intricate dances with Hungarian bureaucracy, horrid dances composed of signatures, passports, and a seemingly endless amount of blue official stamps with raised lettering. However, our absolutely wonderful administrative woman at the college led us through it mostly pain free. We handed off our documents for copying and entering into the computer database, then left to explore the city until 4:30. After a quick meal for which I ate a slice of tomato and cheese pizza at one of the many fast food places in Moriscz Szigmond Korter, a main square that we often stop at to change trams or to walk somewhere, we hopped the number 18 tramline out to Auchan, a Target-esque supermarket in the middle of Savoya Park. In Auchan, shoppers weave their way in and out of each other, muttering "Buchonat" (Excuse me/Sorry) whenever they bump into each other. Shopping in a setting in which you cannot read any of the signs is quite an experience, one that led to lots of wandering. However, I did manage to find...BAGELS. For only 25 forints a piece, roughly 12 and a half U.S. cents. Bought a bunch of those and a couple of other miscellaneous items of interest. While in line, a old, cute Hungarian woman attempted to explain in Hungarian how to use the stick for separating groceries and also laughed at us when we couldn't understand the cashier's questions regarding a price check on a pair of scissors. Definitely not in the U.S.
As a group, we all had to make the trek back to BME to pick up our student IDs, only to discover that due to a computer glitch, we would have to come back the next day (the day I am writing this post) to pick up all of the other documents. I would write more about this, but to be true to reality I would have to write about it in as boring a manner as it actually was experienced, and I'd like some people to actually read my blog in the future. :)
A small group of us decided to shake off the stress of registering and wandered through the streets of Budapest. We discovered a lovely park with turtles and statues and plants and trees and people sleeping in the grass that might become a good place to study until it gets too cold. Also, we came upon a Tea Haz (Tea House) and stopped in. The place is completely wonderful. There's a loft that I think is combination tea-drinking/making-out couples spot, but as there was only one couple up there, we sat up there as well. The lighting is dim and the room is full of dark wood surfaces and the scent of tea. Kyle and I ordered a chocolate baklava and a pot of cocoa tea to split, both of which were quite good and gave me a bit of a caffiene buzz. (Note: This is the first part of my late night energy).
After the Tea Haz, we got falafel/gyros at a place in Moriscz Szigmund. Budapest has a ton of little Meditteranean fast food joints, which was quite a nice surprise given that a lot of Hungarian cuisine seems to be centered around meat, fat, and salt, none of which I particularly enjoy. Then once we got back, some of us decided to go out for drinks at the bar/cafe across the street. Actually, it was my second time there that day, as I had gone with Tanya and Kyle earlier just to check it out and gotten some ice cream. We majorly overtipped the waiter and he looked happy to see us back for more. (Wow, all of my experiences are already blending together! I hope you aren't finding this post completely bewildering; I promise to try and keep up better in the future) So anyways, at the bar I ordered a macchiato. Yum. Expresso. At 8:30 at night. Following about three cups of tea. I think you can do the math.
So anyways. I was up quite late that evening. Went for a late night walk around the dorm area and went to bed after 2, after lying awake for quite awhile unbelieavably hyper.
Anyways, I think I'll add more about today (Wednesday) later on. I need a blogging break.
Oh, before I forget. HUNGARY HAS HEDGEHOGS!!!! That's right. Hedgehogs. There is at least on in the front lawn of the dormitory and I love it more than anything in the world. Ever.
-Abby-
Monday morning we woke up and had our first official orientation meeting with Michael Page. Fairly painless, except for the fact that we had to get up relatively early. Afterwards, we headed as a giant group out to the big market across the Freedom Bridge.
The following is something that I wrote in my journal to describe the market, possibly embellished and edited for your reading pleasure:
In the market, reached via a tram ride across Freedom Bridge, swarms of people and their scents, fruits and vegetables and their scents and colors all blend together. Produce stands and meat vendors stretch out before you and your eyes and body follow them around corners. The fresh produce is lovely, colors divided into overflowing bunches, apples spilling into carrots tumbling into potatoes. Birds swoop down through the aisles and around your head and you feel for an instant as if you are outside, standing in a field and watching a harvest as opposed to shopping for groceries in the middle of the city. The names of the vegetables are long and convoluted, spilling down and across wooden signs in black paint.
I buy some vegatbles after glacing around to compare prices, a bunch of carrots, heads of garlic, a bag of ripening tomatoes. I eat fresh rasperries. We head up to the food court for lunch and elbow our way through crowds of hungry Hungarians (*grimace*) and tourists of all nationalities all trying to eat. In the restaurant, live music plays and people chatter, eating their rice or vegetables or thick and hearty Hungarian gulyas (goulash soup). With no central air, the atmosphere is hot and beads of sweat sparkle on the foreheads of the diners. I leave the market, groceries in my now much loved Global-infusions-world's-most-perfect bag and with my friends return on the tram to unpack what we bought.
Later that afternoon, I and a group of others went to visit Kockacukor, a coffee shop just down the street from the dorm. The name of the shop means "sugarcube" in Hungarian, and it is a cosy place to meet friends or read a book. The barista today is a Hungarian woman of about 30 who speaks limited English but makes wonderful mochas and sells delicious cherry poppyseed pastries. Tanya ordered what had to be the world's most spectacular lemonade, a huge concotion of fresh squeezed lemons replete with orange slices soaking in the glass. We passed the time sipping at our drinks, discussing little of great import but enjoying each other's company.
For dinner, Tanya and I ate museli, an odd combination of grains and, in this case, dried cherries and cocoa cereal.
So that was Monday. Now on to why I was so awake when I started writing this blog post.
Tuesday morning we woke up and, after much early morning confusion over official documents, we headed to BME to get officially registered and issued student IDs. And so began the first of what promises to be several tedious and intricate dances with Hungarian bureaucracy, horrid dances composed of signatures, passports, and a seemingly endless amount of blue official stamps with raised lettering. However, our absolutely wonderful administrative woman at the college led us through it mostly pain free. We handed off our documents for copying and entering into the computer database, then left to explore the city until 4:30. After a quick meal for which I ate a slice of tomato and cheese pizza at one of the many fast food places in Moriscz Szigmond Korter, a main square that we often stop at to change trams or to walk somewhere, we hopped the number 18 tramline out to Auchan, a Target-esque supermarket in the middle of Savoya Park. In Auchan, shoppers weave their way in and out of each other, muttering "Buchonat" (Excuse me/Sorry) whenever they bump into each other. Shopping in a setting in which you cannot read any of the signs is quite an experience, one that led to lots of wandering. However, I did manage to find...BAGELS. For only 25 forints a piece, roughly 12 and a half U.S. cents. Bought a bunch of those and a couple of other miscellaneous items of interest. While in line, a old, cute Hungarian woman attempted to explain in Hungarian how to use the stick for separating groceries and also laughed at us when we couldn't understand the cashier's questions regarding a price check on a pair of scissors. Definitely not in the U.S.
As a group, we all had to make the trek back to BME to pick up our student IDs, only to discover that due to a computer glitch, we would have to come back the next day (the day I am writing this post) to pick up all of the other documents. I would write more about this, but to be true to reality I would have to write about it in as boring a manner as it actually was experienced, and I'd like some people to actually read my blog in the future. :)
A small group of us decided to shake off the stress of registering and wandered through the streets of Budapest. We discovered a lovely park with turtles and statues and plants and trees and people sleeping in the grass that might become a good place to study until it gets too cold. Also, we came upon a Tea Haz (Tea House) and stopped in. The place is completely wonderful. There's a loft that I think is combination tea-drinking/making-out couples spot, but as there was only one couple up there, we sat up there as well. The lighting is dim and the room is full of dark wood surfaces and the scent of tea. Kyle and I ordered a chocolate baklava and a pot of cocoa tea to split, both of which were quite good and gave me a bit of a caffiene buzz. (Note: This is the first part of my late night energy).
After the Tea Haz, we got falafel/gyros at a place in Moriscz Szigmund. Budapest has a ton of little Meditteranean fast food joints, which was quite a nice surprise given that a lot of Hungarian cuisine seems to be centered around meat, fat, and salt, none of which I particularly enjoy. Then once we got back, some of us decided to go out for drinks at the bar/cafe across the street. Actually, it was my second time there that day, as I had gone with Tanya and Kyle earlier just to check it out and gotten some ice cream. We majorly overtipped the waiter and he looked happy to see us back for more. (Wow, all of my experiences are already blending together! I hope you aren't finding this post completely bewildering; I promise to try and keep up better in the future) So anyways, at the bar I ordered a macchiato. Yum. Expresso. At 8:30 at night. Following about three cups of tea. I think you can do the math.
So anyways. I was up quite late that evening. Went for a late night walk around the dorm area and went to bed after 2, after lying awake for quite awhile unbelieavably hyper.
Anyways, I think I'll add more about today (Wednesday) later on. I need a blogging break.
Oh, before I forget. HUNGARY HAS HEDGEHOGS!!!! That's right. Hedgehogs. There is at least on in the front lawn of the dormitory and I love it more than anything in the world. Ever.
-Abby-
Sunday, August 22, 2010
McDonalds, Soviet Memorabilia, and Gyros
Intrigued by the title of this post? I decided to dedicate this entry to the odd mixture of old and new, historical and modern, familiar and unfamiliar that I am starting to realize characterizes this country I have absentmindedly wandered into. For example, even as I type this post, I am constantly having to use the backspace bar much more frequently than usual. I consider myself to be a fairly proficient typist (although by no means could I ever be an official transcriber people always refer to on court TV), but I must admit that it is going to take some time to get used to these Hungarian style keyboards. For one thing, the y's and the z's are switched. So sometimes my sentences turn into the following: Todaz I, Abbz Koning, went to the yoo. Also, I have needed to relocate punctuation almost everytime I needed to use it. (Except the period, thank goodness).
Anzwazs (see?) back to the actual country, as I firmly believe that a country should be defined by more than just its keyboards. We arrived yesterday afternoon and all moved into the Bethelhem dorm area in Buda. Budapest is actually divided into two parts by the Danube river- Buda, the "older", wealthier side of the city and Pest, the more urban commercial center. Not long after arriving, we left to see some parts of Budapest. First we visited this pancake place. Now, in Hungary, instead of picturing a stack of IHOP pancakes, think an absolutely delicious crepe filled with anything you can think of. I decided to play it safe and go with some sweet pancakes, apple and poppy and one with banana and honey. Some people in the group got everything from a salty layered pancake that looked like lasanga made of crepes instead of noodles, spinach pancakes. My boyfriend even ordered one called Milanese which was essentially a mound of spaghetti plopped on top of a crepe. We then went to the Fishermen's Bastion that had a spectular view of the city, including the Parliment building. The sun was setting and caused the city to glow, as many of the buildings have orange or red roofs. Then we wandered tiredly through the city down winding European alleys lit by yellow street lamps as the jet lag slowly dragged us down one by one until we returned to the dorm and collapsed into our beds.
My roommate woke up with approximately 20 bug bites in the morning. I miraculously emerged unscathed. The daddy longlegs seem to have made the corner near my bed their home.
Today we all slept in for a while. After I woke up, I and some other girls went grocery shopping at the Tesco around the corner. They have really cheap, delicious bread there of which I am sure I will be buying copious amounts, as the less of the weekly allowance I spend on food, the more I have for TRAVELING!!! Some fresh fruits and veggies but after one girl got ill off of them, I have decided it might be best to shop for produce in the big market across the Liberty Bridge in the future. In
After a lunch of oatmeal and apples, I and the rest of the group headed to a hill that I cannot remember the name of (I am still learning, I promise more context for these places will come later) and saw the Liberty Statue. I will include a picture and more historical context for it in a future blogpost, as I was at the back of the group and it was hard to hear what was being said. There was also a gift shop that sold tons of Soviet memorabilia right along other newer souvenirs such as postcards. It was incredibly odd to realize that I am in a country that experienced Soviet occupation and all that communism red-scare stuff that is talked about in history classes in a way that makes it feel almost as if it occurred on another planet. To see the marushka dolls that looked exactly like the ones my parents bought in Russia (my younger brother is adopted from Russia, so my parents and myself have all been there) sitting next to pictures of Budapest felt a bit strange.
Once we made it down the incredibly big and steep hill, we saw Herosz Square, a huge square with statues of Hungarian historical figures located in between a national museum and an art exhibition linked with the museum. We also made a quick stop at the spas, all of which I hope to come back to soon.
we took the metro to the shopping district of Pest, which does not look all that different from downtown Grand Rapids, only almost completely absent of any person of color. It feels so familiar that it is sometimes almost a shock to realize that all the signs I am seeing and all the conversations I am overhearing are in Hungary. We did not do any shopping today, but we did buy some food. I and about half of the group went to a McDonalds to try and use the bathroom, but when we realized we had to pay 100 forints (about 50 cents) to use the bathroom or we could buy something and show the receipt and use the bathroom....and ice cream cones cost 100 forints, most people, including myself, chose to buy icecream. So that is how I ended up having my first ice cream cone in 6 months in Hungary at McDonalds. We wandered through the shopping district and saw an old guy playing "If I were a rich man" from Fiddler on the Roof on a violin. I gave him a 50 forint coin because he was so cute and happy with his violin. For lunch we stopped at this place that sold gyros and had my second dinner in Hungary...Falafel. Yup. Medditteranean cuisine in smackdab in the middle of the shopping district. But that is Hungary so far...really beautiful, really eclectic.
So now I am just chilling in the dorm trying to postpone having to clean anything or unpack anything. Orientation meeting tomorrow so that I will actually know what I will be up to this week. I talked to our hosts about the local music scene and they recommended a couple of clubs that are apparently really cool, so I hope there is time to check out some of the night life before we start having to actually do homework in a couple of weeks.
Hope this post finds you all well. I will get some pictures up within the week I think.
Until later,
Abby
Anzwazs (see?) back to the actual country, as I firmly believe that a country should be defined by more than just its keyboards. We arrived yesterday afternoon and all moved into the Bethelhem dorm area in Buda. Budapest is actually divided into two parts by the Danube river- Buda, the "older", wealthier side of the city and Pest, the more urban commercial center. Not long after arriving, we left to see some parts of Budapest. First we visited this pancake place. Now, in Hungary, instead of picturing a stack of IHOP pancakes, think an absolutely delicious crepe filled with anything you can think of. I decided to play it safe and go with some sweet pancakes, apple and poppy and one with banana and honey. Some people in the group got everything from a salty layered pancake that looked like lasanga made of crepes instead of noodles, spinach pancakes. My boyfriend even ordered one called Milanese which was essentially a mound of spaghetti plopped on top of a crepe. We then went to the Fishermen's Bastion that had a spectular view of the city, including the Parliment building. The sun was setting and caused the city to glow, as many of the buildings have orange or red roofs. Then we wandered tiredly through the city down winding European alleys lit by yellow street lamps as the jet lag slowly dragged us down one by one until we returned to the dorm and collapsed into our beds.
My roommate woke up with approximately 20 bug bites in the morning. I miraculously emerged unscathed. The daddy longlegs seem to have made the corner near my bed their home.
Today we all slept in for a while. After I woke up, I and some other girls went grocery shopping at the Tesco around the corner. They have really cheap, delicious bread there of which I am sure I will be buying copious amounts, as the less of the weekly allowance I spend on food, the more I have for TRAVELING!!! Some fresh fruits and veggies but after one girl got ill off of them, I have decided it might be best to shop for produce in the big market across the Liberty Bridge in the future. In
After a lunch of oatmeal and apples, I and the rest of the group headed to a hill that I cannot remember the name of (I am still learning, I promise more context for these places will come later) and saw the Liberty Statue. I will include a picture and more historical context for it in a future blogpost, as I was at the back of the group and it was hard to hear what was being said. There was also a gift shop that sold tons of Soviet memorabilia right along other newer souvenirs such as postcards. It was incredibly odd to realize that I am in a country that experienced Soviet occupation and all that communism red-scare stuff that is talked about in history classes in a way that makes it feel almost as if it occurred on another planet. To see the marushka dolls that looked exactly like the ones my parents bought in Russia (my younger brother is adopted from Russia, so my parents and myself have all been there) sitting next to pictures of Budapest felt a bit strange.
Once we made it down the incredibly big and steep hill, we saw Herosz Square, a huge square with statues of Hungarian historical figures located in between a national museum and an art exhibition linked with the museum. We also made a quick stop at the spas, all of which I hope to come back to soon.
we took the metro to the shopping district of Pest, which does not look all that different from downtown Grand Rapids, only almost completely absent of any person of color. It feels so familiar that it is sometimes almost a shock to realize that all the signs I am seeing and all the conversations I am overhearing are in Hungary. We did not do any shopping today, but we did buy some food. I and about half of the group went to a McDonalds to try and use the bathroom, but when we realized we had to pay 100 forints (about 50 cents) to use the bathroom or we could buy something and show the receipt and use the bathroom....and ice cream cones cost 100 forints, most people, including myself, chose to buy icecream. So that is how I ended up having my first ice cream cone in 6 months in Hungary at McDonalds. We wandered through the shopping district and saw an old guy playing "If I were a rich man" from Fiddler on the Roof on a violin. I gave him a 50 forint coin because he was so cute and happy with his violin. For lunch we stopped at this place that sold gyros and had my second dinner in Hungary...Falafel. Yup. Medditteranean cuisine in smackdab in the middle of the shopping district. But that is Hungary so far...really beautiful, really eclectic.
So now I am just chilling in the dorm trying to postpone having to clean anything or unpack anything. Orientation meeting tomorrow so that I will actually know what I will be up to this week. I talked to our hosts about the local music scene and they recommended a couple of clubs that are apparently really cool, so I hope there is time to check out some of the night life before we start having to actually do homework in a couple of weeks.
Hope this post finds you all well. I will get some pictures up within the week I think.
Until later,
Abby
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Another Travelin' Song
As this is my first blog post, I suppose I ought to try and set some sort of precedent for how these posts will generally proceed. I ought to begin by saying that although I created this blog to allow people of concern in my life to attempt to follow in my wandering footsteps throughout Hungary, I have a tendency to stray from the path in my writing, to let a stream of consciousness carry me off to a distant sea and leave me standing on the shore with one thought in my head: "How the hell did I wind up here?"
So. It begins. Currently I am sitting in the midst of what epitomizes the oftentimes used and oftentimes tongue in cheek phrase "organized chaos" and listening to most every song that has to do with traveling (including Bright Eyes' song "Another Travelin' Song", from which I stole the title of this post). Over these past couple weeks I have done almost everything imaginable to avoid having to pack, including, but not limited to, the baking of vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls (the most delicious distraction I have ever eaten, so delicious, in fact, as to induce a sort of blissful denial that allowed me to feel like I had at least seven years to pack), buying a marvelous assortment of fruits and vegetables at the Holland farmer's market and turning said vegetables and accompanying pizza crust/sauce (Italian Herb crust, in case you were wondering, which, unless there's something wrong with you, I'm sure you were), journeying far and wide in search of the perfect bag and perfect journal to take (both finally found at Global Infusions in Grand Rapids. The bag: one-shoulder, perfect size to fit one or several notebooks for on-the-go homeworking and reading, now decorated in pins and even a feather contraption attained from my friend Angela. The journal: a teal-green journal made in Nepal from recycled paper) and spending an entire week in Chicago visiting some of the friends I will not see in quite a while, friends who hopefully will take the time to read my blog every once and a while. I also dyed my hair red and included purple streaks. Oh, and the most recent procrastination technique? Writing this post.
So. In less than 12 hours, I will be leaving this house and headed to the airport to embark on this semester trip. I have to admit that I am woefully ignorant of Hungary, having had a research position this summer that kept me quite busy and limited the amount of reading I was able to do prior to the trip. After an incredibly stressful, incredibly full day of running around, my bag is officially packed and five pounds under the 50 pound limit. Thank you, thank you for the applause. Even more wonderful, my carry on is currently under 10 pounds, meaning I have room for....AN EXTRA DAVID FOSTER WALLACE BOOK!!! (Hopefully)
That's probably enough rambling about packing. For those of you who are interested in what I am doing in Hungary, I'll include a brief list/summary of the trip. This is done for you, but also for selfish reasons, namely that I don't feel like explaining over and over again why I'd want to go to Hungary of all places.
The semester program this year has a theater focus. The entire group has to take the following three courses.
1. Hungarian Language- Since Hungarian (or Magyar, its name in Hungarian) is of the Finnish-Ugric and has essentially no shared roots with English, this course is intended to teach mainly survival Hungarian ensuring that we can have lengthy, intellectual debates regarding the location of the toilet or the cost of paprika (an immensely popular spice in Hungary).
2. Theater, Politics, and Culture in East Central Europe: Michael Page, the program director this semester, is teaching this course, the title of which pretty much sums up what it will be about.
3. Studies in Central European Culture: Again, Michael Page. Again, self-explanatory.
The other two classes I will be taking are up in the air at this point, but I'm hoping to take a class called The New East European Underclass, which essentially discusses those who were left behind in the transition from communism to a market economy. The other class I'm looking at taking is Contemporary Cultural Trends in Central Europe, for which I will get to read several excellent authors and see how their writing reveals deeper trends in culture and society of a few different Central European countries.
On top of taking classes, we will be making several trips to the theater and exploring Budapest, the capital city where we will be spending the majority of our time. On weekends, we will have the opportunity to travel to a couple of the following: Transylvania for an international theater festival, Croatia, Ukraine, Poland to visit Auschwitz, and other countries throughout Europe.
Well, I suppose I ought to return to cleaning up the remnants of my mad packing-at-the-last-possible-minute experiment. The next post I write will be from Hungary! (Speaking of which, the Internet can be a bit sketchy there, so don't flood me with messages asking for updates...I promise I'll try and keep you all posted!)
-Abby-
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