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...