A Glimpse of Budapest

To say that the Hungarian culture here in Budapest is slightly quirky would be the understatement of the semester. Yes, they all have two legs, two arms, and two eyes. Yes, they all wear clothes (not as much as I'm used to on some women, but they are present nonetheless) and yes, they do talk and understand each other. I've also noticed that hand flailing, like in the U.S., is an essential component to animated conversation.

However, I am quite sure that Hungarians make it a point to keep the corners of their mouths below sea level as often as possible. It is not a smiling, laughing, publically happy culture. People do not greet one another for no particular reason on the street, nor do they smile at fellow passerby. What do they do with all that pent up energy then? They stare.


Perfect example of this culturally accepted phenomenon: All 26 McDaniel students were walking to the college for registration. We brought almost all pedestrian traffic to a standstill because they had stopped to gawk at us like we were animals in a zoo. Why Hungarians stare so much, I do not know. However I can tell you from first hand experience that it not only conflicts with the mannerisms I was raised to practice, but feels about as comfortable as having ants in ones pants.


Now you're probably still waiting for that "glimpse" as mentioned in the title- so here are a few pictures from yesterday's tour...




This is Budapest's Central Market Hall. Prior to its construction, peasant farmers would simply sell their wares and produce on the river bank after coming in from the country. This was eventually deemed an unsanitary practice, and so the building was constructed to house those very same vendors and finished in 1897. It is wonderful both inside and out, and I look foward to going here tomorrow morning to buy some fresh fruits, vegetables and meats for the week.

We then walked up to the Castle District, which is the most historically preserved area of Budapest. You can still find 17th century architecture, painted homes, and medieval remains tucked away in the cobblestone streets. To protect the castle, each of groups were assigned a particular section to guard. That is why the section below is known as the Fisherman's Bastion- it was built and protected by the fisherman :)

Due to technical difficulties, the rest of the pictures shall be posted at a later date.

This evening I got to enjoy a glass of Dreher Classic, a traditional Hungarian beer (Sör) and wander around the very large central park known as Margarit Island. I sucessfully made dinner- pasta and sauce with green beans on the side- and our apartment situation was greatly ameliorated by that fact that the school promptly sent over a cleaning lady to re-clean our apartment. It sounds a little ridiculous because it is, but it gave me a lot of peace of mind. The lady did a very nice "overall" job, and an excursion out to IKEA and Tesco brought home a few goodies that nicely turn the spartan walls into a comprable flat.

More pictures coming soon!

Building Character

The excitement and nervousness of the 26 students in the hotel lobby awaiting the bus to pick them up and take them to their flats was almost tangible. I was pretty excited myself; the night before a few of us had taken the metro to scout out our apartment buildings and ours was in a very central location of the city. However, after walking around the flat for a few minutes, my heart had begun to sink to the depths of my stomache. A quick peek under the sink cabinet revealed a pot full of leftover spaghetti, already beginning to mold. It was the first of many unpleasant surprises we were to find over the course of the evening and following morning.

Rather than rehash all of the details, I think a few key images will suffice: Used razors in the vanity; thin layers of grime on the sink, bathtub, and toilet; hair everywhere; dried food in the pots and pans; crumbs and dirt on the cabinet shelves; a half-inch layer of an unidentifiable jelly-like substance congealed on both baking pans. One word covers it all: Gross.

So, unlike all of the other students who were out exploring the city or buying groceries, our first purchase was a little different....


We were the only students who had this issue- does that make us special? After scrubbing for hours, getting dinner, and then returning to clean some more, I finally broke down. Torn away from the comforts of home, trying to adapt to this very foreign culture and city (that's another blog in its own right) and then arriving to this apartment that is supposed to be my "home" for the next four months, is stressful enough. The uncleaned filth of the flat was the straw that broke the camels back. The lesson learned, however, is that we all must make the best of the hand that we are dealt.

I have been struggling with homesickness since I arrived. I miss my family, Andy, all of our critters, and the comforts of life in the United States. Budapest is a beautiful city though, and I hope that as I get acquainted with it, I will gradually find some peace of mind.


On Tuesday night, Dr. Mandy took all of us out to Trofea Restaurante for a welcome dinner. It was very tasty! Pictured below: Raspberry creme soup, sweet house white wine and warm Coke, Beef Paprika, Flour Pellets, Ham w/Horseradish Filling, pickled Marha Steak w/mushrooms, and Tiramisu.

After dinner we decided to walk along the Danube River. The first picture is of the Chain Bridge and the Budapest Palace (Castle District) and the second is of a tunnel passageway covered in graffiti; all of it was really quite a sight.

The Chain Bridge is rather special in that it was the first permenant link between Buda and Pest, and built in 1849. Until that point, only small ferries had been used to cross the river. Although Budapest had always consisted of the three cities (Obuda, Buda, and Pest) they had never before been connected. Retreating Nazi's blew it up during WW II, but it was immediately rebuilt. The building behind the bridge is the present-day Royal Palace; originally built in the mid-13th century for Medieval Kings, it was destroyed in 1686 under the Turkish occupation. Reconstruction began in the 18th century under the reign of Maria Theresa- Marie Atoinette's mother- however, she never once occupied the palace.



I had a huge epiphany today as well. I had read everywhere that Hungary was known for its paprika, however when I imagine paprika, I simply see a spice jar that we always pull out when we're serving Deviled Eggs. Much to my surprise, I learned today that "paprika" in Hungary is the equivalent of our hot chili pepper vegetable. They have sweet, mild, and spicy- just like we have sweet bell peppers, mild chili peppers, and hot red peppers. It was a wonderful "Ah-hah!" moment to say the least.


More pictures to come of my sightseeing in Buda and Pest...

Viva Budapest!

We made it! And all of our luggage did too! However, the extent of our energies thus far has only included a shower, and a nap at the hotel. We're due downstairs in ten minutes for pizza with the teacher Dr. Mandy and all of the McDaniel students- kind of like a "first supper" I suppose.

Initially, I had apprehensions about flying Northwest (dubbed "Northworst") but both of our flights ran quite smoothly, and the food was very tasty. We were fed snacks, dinner and breakfast on one flight, and then lunch on the second. Being offered a bagel for breakfast at Midnight, my time, was a bit of a stange phenomenon. And now, of course, my tummy is promptly reminding me that it is hungry once again!

Viszlat!

26 hours to go

It is safe to say that at this point I am 2% excited, and 98% petrified about leaving for Hungary. And yes, I did take Hungarian. No, I don't feel any better about after taking it for a semester.

So, how about a little no thank-you portion on the history of the language! In the native tounge, it is known as Magyar. It is classified as an Ugric language, and is most closely related to the Finnic languages- those spoken in the Baltic region. Historians believe the language orginated around 1000 B.C.; due to the nomadic nature of the Magyar tribes, a pit-stop in Turkey resulted in a smattering of Turkish influence on the contemporary vocabulary. In fact, it is believed that the origins of the word "Hungarian" came from the Turkic word "On-ogur" which means "Ten tribes." And so, after hours of arduous study, I have come to the conclusion that the average Hungarian word legnth is 2.5 inches. Not letters. Inches. Take, Legeslegmegszentségteleníttethetetlenebbeiteknek, for instance. That casserole of letters actually means "to those of you whom it is the very least possible to have desecrated." Oy vey. Although I may not have learned more than a few words and numbers from the class, I am so glad I will not be thrown into shock the first time I see a word longer than my thumb.

At this point though, my biggest worry is my luggage. Much to my surprise, after I'd filled both with all the clothes, tiny-sized shampoos, socks, shoes, and stuff that I thought I would need, they both came out to a little more than 25lbs each. I'm sure I'll be cursing like a sailor the first time I have a "wardrobe crisis" but that's simply part of the experience. Now that I've got it all packed up, all I can do is hope that it makes the jump across the puddle and meets me at Ferhigy Airport. My game plan is to use up or mail back about half of my things, and leave Budapest my personal blessing in the form of the archaic brown duffel on the right. My mom denies that she used it in the stone ages, but I'm sure a biopsy of the mold on the handles would quickly disprove that.

Remember those vacuum bags I mentioned? Check this out....

My stuff went from this:

To this:

100 lbs of stuff

Hello there! Or, Jo napot! as they say in Hungarian. Due to popular request, this is my official online travel journal of my semester overseas. I look foward to posting the highs and lows, nears and fars, and everywhere in betweens of the upcoming 17 weeks studying and exploring Europe.

My first predicament, as the title indicates, is what do I bring, and how can I efficiently cram it into two checked suitcases. Since I'm in the midst of my shopping, I hope to compile a complete list by the end of the week of everything I'm taking. That way, I can look back at the end of the semester, and go "Good golly what was I thinking!" when I realize I spent more days feeling like a pack mule than a tourist.

Anyways, Northwest regulations state that an international passenger crossing the Atlantic ocean is allowed one carry-on, and two checked suitcases, each no more than 62" total dimension, and weighing up to 50 lbs. Mind you, I just bought a few of those vacuum bags, and was thrilled to find out that through the use of modern compression technology, I will be able to bring three times as many outfits as my roomate.

I haven't completely decided on the luggage lineup, but my carry on of choice will be my blue L.L. Bean backpack, which also happens to be roughly the size of Rhode Island. It makes for a very conveniant carrier of this large, slightly awkward, expensive thing known as a laptop. We're going to have internet access in the flat, so if any of you are interested in dropping a note, here are a few ways you can reach me:

AOL Instant Messenger: Callmespunky06
Skype: Callmespunky06
E-mail: sekight@msn.com

Until next....