CROATIA-If someone is looking for a beautiful and affordable place to visit, Croatia is definitely the answer.  With three other friends, Milan from Croatia, Chai from Singapore, André from Germany and myself, we all rented a Volkswagen Golf and drove along the lovely Adriatic sea. We started in the northwest city of Rijeka, where Milan’s family lived. Then, we drove down through Split and by ferry arrived at Croatia’s biggest island, Hvar, where Milan had distant relatives who allowed us to rent rooms for three days.

We spent one day enjoying the sea around the island.  It was my first rocky beach experience, and despite bruises and scratches to my shins, it was really great! The sea was incredibly placid and the only waves were ones created by passing boats.  On another side of the island, the beach consisted of large pebbles rather than giant, sharp boulders, and the hazy mountains in the distance made it seem like a painting. We all sat in silence, enjoying nature and the peaceful Adriatic when we spotted two dolphins swimming and leaping out of the sea.  It was a special moment for me!

From Hvar, we made a day trip to Dubrovnik, which is a beautiful town that at one time was a Roman settlement. We spent the day seeing the ancient Roman fortress and the gorgeous city. This was the most touristic city we came across for certain.  Croatia, Dubrovnik in particular, are gaining popularity and recognition, which of course means more and more tourists. So, Dubrovnik and Split were loaded with all of the high end clothing shops and important brands.  In many ways, I was kind of surprised at how developed the country was. 

After Dubrovnik and Hvar, we traveled north again stopping in Salona to see Roman ruins for a few hours, and then continued our journey northward.  We dropped Milan off in Rijeka, and stayed with his amazingly kind and generous family once again, before completely our week journey in Zagreb.  It was hard for me to say bye to Milan because he was one of the few to suffer with me in Hotel Goliat, and he was practically my roommate. Knowing I was seeing him for most likely the last time was difficult, but I knew it was just the beginning. So, after a few hugs and many thanks, Chai, André, and I returned the Golf in Zagreb, and from there we took a 5-hour train ride back to Budapest.  It was one of my best weeks and definitely my favorite country I visited.

I must say one thing Croatians seem to have grasped is the concept of being friendly and helpful to their tourist.  Even though I loved Budapest, Hungarians are not friendly nor helpful on a whole, but seem to be very guarded people, which as a visitor can make it very difficult to get information.  Nearly every Croatian person we came across was not only friendly and helpful, but spoke some English.  In Budapest, it was a common thing for the locals to pretend to not speak English. 

BARCELONA-  I traveled to Barcelona alone.  I consider this my first big mistake, and I will tell you why.  For nearly 5 months, I had been living in a room with two other girls, and when not in the room I was in class with a bunch of friends, and after class it was typical for me to go bashing around town with them.  At night, I was sure to go out with friends to a pub, go dancing, or a flat party.  I was surrounded 24-hours-a-day with people.  I had forgotten what “alone time” or “personal space” meant, and although I was eager to have some privacy, I knew that it was going to be a bigger adjustment than I realized.  Truly, a part of me knew all along that I was going to be miserable whilst in Barcelona because all of my friends were still in Budapest.  However, the tickets were purchased, and it was a done deal, so I sucked it up and prepared myself for 4 days in Spain, alone.

My final night in Budapest was spent attending my Turkish friends’ flat party (Ekim and Bahar), and around 3:00 A.M. I left the party with Chai and André to collect my luggage and get my taxi to the airport.  After a very tearful goodbye, mainly on the part of Chai, (who, can I just say, has a cry that is hard to distinguish from a laugh, which completely stunted my ability to cry, but ironically made André and I laugh even during this emotional moment) my two 40 kilo bags, and my heavy heart got in the cab, and sped off to the airport.  My grief and heartache were on the surface ready to erupt, but the bloody cab driver decided to make small talk and tell me about his kids. By the time we arrived at the airport, my mind was in travel mode.  After what seemed forever, I got through the INSANE check-in queue, security,  and customs, with just enough time to take a breath and make my 6:00 A.M. flight.  Once on the plane, I made the mistake of looking at photos from the previous night, and finally (without a sobbing Chai to distract me) my own tears began to flow.  Perfect timing… The young, Hungarian couple beside me probably thought I was desperately scared of flying or simply a crazy person. 

I arrived in the Girona airport, and took a 25 minute bus ride into the actual city of Girona. With no help, no clue, and no desire to be there, I drug my two enormous bags through the cobblestone streets nearly a mile, until I found my hostel.  For the two days I stayed in Girona, I did very little but mope, eat, walk, eat, sleep, internet, sleep.  I was completely depressed and had lost my will to explore.  My saving grace was meeting up with a friend of a friend from my home university, Stacy, who had just completed her study abroad through ISEP in Amsterdam.  So, for my remaining two days, I walked around Barcelona with her, and we both anxiously told our stories from our past semester while walking down La Rambla, and it was so comforting to have each other. I saw various sites like Segrada Famillia and the Mediterranean Sea.  Also, I got to see “Camp Nou”, which is the famous Barcelona soccer team’s stadium, and that was awesome!

Overall, I feel I can’t judge or give a proper diagnosis of Spain, Spaniards, and Barcelona because of my emotional state, which consisted of hating everyone and everything that wasn’t Budapest or my friends there.  Had I not met up with Stacy, I would have considered my entire trip to Spain wasted, because for me traveling and seeing sites with no one to share them is really no fun at all.  I am so grateful for Stacy!

 LONDON-  I must say London was much better even though once again I was alone for four days, and this time I wasn’t staying in a hostel. Yet magically, everything went awry from the moment I drug those giant bags back through the streets of Girona, but this time at 3:30 A.M. (not a very smart move, and another reason to not travel alone) and caught the bus at 4:00 A.M. to the airport.  Another long line of passengers awaited me, and after waiting in the line for over an hour, it was discovered that my bags were severely overweight, and to avoid being charged for 8 euros for every kilo I was over, I decided to ditch as much as possible.  Then, I had to get back in line for another 30 minutes, where my bags were still overweight.  I was then directed to another line where I had to pay 160 euros for the overweight charges.  Had I not been so focused on making the flight, I would have just sat down and cried and maybe flailed a bit while screaming.  After waiting to pay, I literally grabbed my boarding pass and ran. Luckily, I made the flight, but I was the very last passenger to board! 

A few hours later, I arrived in Stansted airport.  My sweet and thoughtful mother was so kind to book me a bed and breakfast for my duration in England, feeling that after 5 months of hostels, I could use a private room.  Unfortunately, the B&B was near another airport called Gatwick, and after a 50 dollar!!!! ticket and three hours later (ridiculous), I arrived at Gatwick airport where the B&B owners picked me up.  England’s high price is really a nuisance for student budgets!

The Cumberland Guesthouse was divine; and Carmel and Clive, the owners, were so incredibly helpful and friendly!  The room was clean and cozy, every morning they prepared a full English breakfast, the town of Horley was adorable and quaint, the weather was traditionally British consisting of rain, rain, sun peeking through the clouds, only to be followed by rain. They were so kind to drop me off whenever I wanted at the airport, where you can catch a train straight into London, it only costs 20 dollars (cheap in English standards) and 25 minutes later you find yourself at the Victoria metro station(unless someone commits suicide on the tracks at 10 p.m. one night, then that takes 2 and a half hours to get home. By then you will miss the pickup times that the B&B offers, have to wait in line for 1.5 hours to get a taxi to drive you 6 miles that will cost 20 bucks.. sorry to sound so callous, but I did experience that one evening, and was so insanely frustrating beyond tears!)

My first two days in England were spent at the B&B in Horley, walking to Tesco, stumbling upon a gorgeous 14th Century church, and watching t.v. The third day, I had scheduled a meeting with my Welch friend, Matthew, who I had spent the semester with in Budapest.  Together, my arm in his, we walked around and saw some of the important sites London has to offer, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, The London Eye, Thames River,  Weetherspoon’s pub, the National Museum (the facade), a park where mad squirrels nearly attacked us, and the Waterloo metro station.  It was really brilliant hanging out with Matthew, reminiscing over our semester, and made my London experience ten times better!  The following day, my last, I went back to London to see Buckingham Palace, and rode the tube a bit (Mind the Gap!) and the surrounding area. Even with all of the problems, London is an extremely interesting city packed with an intense amount of cultural experiences.  If you can stand the hordes of people, and have the energy to Mind the Gap, it could be a great time! Away from L0ndon, the smaller cities like Horley, seem to be darling, and somewhere I could really visit again!

Although traveling alone is NOT my preference, I learned that I am capable and independent, it really gave me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.  To say I spent 8 days alone in Europe traveling is definitely an achievement for me! It’s almost bizarre how easy it is to travel in Europe.  The hardest part about it is working up the courage to actually do it, and then it’s simple, but don’t be surprised at any setbacks or ordeals that come your way, because it is nearly guaranteed with traveling! Just don’t give up, and try to have a good attitude! Take a journal, and enjoy the ride!

“Wonderful. Budapest is wonderful!”- The Sun Also Rises by Hemmingway

I would like to share my regrets and apologies for not being a better blogger my last few months in Budapest. My scapegoat and pathetic reason for my poor behavior was that I was truly completely absorbed in having the time of my life. This does not justify my poor blogmanship, but it is the truth. I felt a bit guilty and reluctant to blog about my study abroad, when in fact I was doing very little to no “studying.” It seemed like an ill representation of a study abroad because my circumstances are a bit different than most.

As I might have stated earlier, this was my final semester of university. Last fall I completed all of my major classes, and only needed merely seven credits to graduate. Being a photographic student doing my exchange at an engineering and architecture school, my class choices were limited, which I was fully aware before leaving. This semester for me was not about actual academics, but more for a chance to travel and experience something outside of the classroom, and I must say, I did just that! Before I go into all of the things I have taken from this semester, and how much I have grown, I would like to share a little about my last month in Budapest.

The strange thing about the Budapest school system is that classes stop a month before the actual semester ends. Most people take the five weeks or so to prepare for all of their exams and essays. However, when you are an exchange student and are taking classes that are more pleasure than mental labor, you find yourself using the remaining five weeks to focus on only one important exam for the course of FUN!

I took this particular final very seriously. I tried to have fun everywhere I went, whether it was during a BBQ at Margitsziget (a park in Budapest), hanging out with friends in front of the Gellert Hotel (one of the nicest and most famous in BP), sharing a farewell dinner (just one of many) at an Italian pizza place that overlooks the entire city, watching Spanish league football with none other than hot Spanish men, or relaxing with two of the coolest German boys in my dorm room. I scored very high marks in the course of fun, unfortunately, I don’t think those credits transfer to my home university, but that is no problem.

During my weeks of study for the course of fun, I learned many things. I learned that I can not properly say “I” in German despite my greatest attempts, on the other hand, some Germans can not hear the difference in the words “truth” and “truce” and say them the same way. Also, that wine-tasting trips to the small, northeast city of Tokaj in Hungary end in nothing but trouble and embarrassing photos for some, and the nightlife in Krakow, Poland is really something to dance about, particularly with beautiful German and Spanish men. I can’t forget the joy I discovered from watching football with a few thousand people in a park even if AC Milan won and not Liverpool.

The most crucial thing I learned in these weeks and over the semester was that I met and shared some of the greatest, most interesting, and fun experiences with some the greatest, most interesting and fun people, and for this I am truly an insanely, lucky person! I can’t express how glad I am to have had the opportunity and honestly, the courage to do a study abroad. I feel I have gained a maturity and confidence, which is perhaps only noticeable to me, but extremely satisfying! To live in a foreign country, and be immersed with complete strangers and conquer a language and culture barrier, although perhaps intimidating, is the most rewarding experience. This is not to say I don’t have my regrets about my time abroad, which others could learn from, but I never for a second regretted my decision to do the study abroad.

A few “shoulda wouldas” that I have are: I wish I would have traveled a bit more to cities within Hungary, and mainly to Serbia, Bosnia, and Slovenia, and stopped saying “next weekend I’ll travel”. I wish I had not been afraid to express my feelings to some and been the brazen, but honest girl I normally am, and been myself more whether for good or for bad. I desperately wish I had gotten to dance more my last few weeks before I left especially with one person in particular. I wish I had gotten better souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home, who were my biggest supporters. Lastly, I wish the semester could have lasted three more months, so I could have amended all of those regrets.

It’s hard to believe I have less than two months left here in Budapest! One thing I failed to grasp before I left was just how many people I would meet and adore! A main point of my study abroad was to travel, but I never would have guessed that I would care about the people as much or more than the actual traveling! My plans have subsequently been altered because of all these fabulous international people I have met! Initially, I planned to leave Budapest early June and traveling all around western Europe, even if I was alone, but I have realized part of the beauty of travel is sharing the experience! There is such a vast number of people I enjoy and could discuss, but I will only choose a few, otherwise, this blog would turn into a novel.

My great friend Kristy, an industrial engineer major from Wisconsin, is not only hilarious and fun, but we share a similar oddness that is rare to find in others! Kristy has an easy-going yet lively spirit to her that is captivating! It is rather bizarre how we can amuse each other and ourselves for hours by doing absolutely nothing! Yesterday, we decided it would be necessary to invade our French friend Florian’s flat (accidental alliteration), and have American movie night there with or without him. Luckily, he was willing to join our ridiculous escapades, but perhaps only because we brought pizza. It was an incredibly fun night of acting silly, making jokes that were lost in translation, and just getting to know each other! How lucky am I to have found a friend who’s laugh is contagious and who will throw maturity to the wind on occasion for fun’s sake? Also, it is really enjoyable to have another American while hanging out with the Germans, French, Finnish, or what have you. When these people start speaking in their native tongues, Kristy and I look at each other and shake our heads in faux-agreement, or say “Igen, igen, igen,” and embrace our confusion together as one! Kristy is delightful, and it so fantastic that she lives in the States (even if it’s really far from Tennessee!)

When speaking of great friends, I can’t leave out Chai, my Singaporean comedian! Perhaps one reason Chai is so hilarious is due to the dichotomy of stereotype and reality. Purely speaking in Asian stereotype, one would expect Chai to be a demure, delicate, and compliant person. With her sweet face and long black hair swept into a flower clip, there seems to be no contest to the stereotype, but just below the surface is the real Chai. A person who is full of knowledgeable opinions, uncensored insights, and quick wit that are tactfully delivered. Chai ceases to entertain me with the hilarious, honest or sometimes salty comments that tumble out of her mouth! She is a pretty face armed with something more dangerous than mace… intelligence! Although her lovely, exotic looks might get her noticed first, there is really no exact measurement of Chai’s depths, and it has been a pleasure to get to know her!

I can’t stress enough how key relationships have been for the enjoyment and learning process of my study abroad! I have learned that it’s not just the monuments, the sites, the cities that make traveling great. Part of the adventure is the person beside you running for the train, or laughing with their arm around you in some Polish pub, or even the person with tears in their eyes as they curse the map with you! The companionship will follow you further than the memory of standing in the Piazza de San Marco in Venice, or visiting another castle! My advice for anyone preparing to study abroad is don’t be timid, throw your reservations out the window, embrace the cultural differences, and enjoy the people!!

April 4th-13th

The first thing I noticed as I rounded the corner were several large, black suitcases. My gaze quickly snapped upwards, and there they were! My parents looking as shocked as I! They had called me from the airport letting me know they were on their way, but everything had gone awry and they sounded very stressed. I was so immensely excited to see them, and I could tell my mom (Karen) was fighting back tears at the sight of me. I was so relieved they had arrived safely, despite some unfortunate traveling nuisances. It was as if they were my children at that moment, and I felt such a responsibility to protect them from anything and everything that might be unpleasant. Under any other circumstances, I realize Budapest wouldn’t even grace their list of cities to visit. This somehow put an extra stress or obligation on my shoulders to show them that even though not their top choice, Budapest had interesting and beautiful things to offer.

The quaint flat they were renting was off Vaci utca, one of the nicest and most touristic streets in Budapest. Unfortunately, the most unattractive and rundown parts of Budapest are the areas around the airport, and so anyone’s first impression of Budapest can be highly negative. I was eager to show them some more attractive parts of the city. Although exhausted from traveling, we managed to walk to the Elizabeth Bridge and see the Danube at night, which is very charming. The remainder of the first night was spent resting, conversing, and them showing me all the goodies they had brought me, including but not limited to my computer and Texas Pete Hot Sauce (Pete and I have a special relationship.) It was relaxing and delightful to just sit and enjoy each other.

The next day we devoted ourselves to being tourist. First, seeing St. Stephen’s Basilica, Andrassy utca, the Opera House, and Heroes’ Square and surrounding park. I think it was a relief for them to see something nicer and more familiar after their initial impression of the city. Then, to my dismay, I was forced to bring them back to my hellstel, where they were appalled at the crusty and seemingly, dangerous location and condition of my living arrangements. I suppose I knew they would not approve, and they promptly informed me I would be moving into a flat. The little tidbit that was left out about Hotel Goliat is that part of it is a crazy house, and another part for workers, almost a half-way house of sorts. I knew it was ridiculous to put exchange students so far away and in such a crap place, but magically I, out of necessity perhaps, became accustomed and resolved to the this wretched place I call home. I am still enduring this place, but I will keep everyone posted if I get to jump ship!

Friday, we headed to Italy, and had a lovely weekend! We arrived back to Budapest Monday evening. Then, Tuesday we ventured to more Budapest sites. The great thing about having visitors for me (besides the obvious) is it forced me to go and see sites that I had been to lazy or “hadn’t gotten around to yet.” Although, perhaps pure laziness, it turned out to be a wise decision to wait and not see everything Budapest had to offer because I could really experience it with my parents.

After attending my sole class on Tuesday my parents met me in front of the infamous Gellert Hotel, and we hiked our way up the steep Gelert Hill to the citadel, which provides a gorgeous and breathtaking view of the city. In the citadel, there was a WWII museum and there was a photographic exhibition of children who had suffered throughout the wars from WWII until Afghanistan. I believe my parents really enjoyed this, especially my dad being such a WWII history junkie. From here we made our way to Castle Hill, and managed to meet a fellow tourist from Texas, Bill. He joined us for few hours and it was quite nice. We walked along the Palace complex and enjoyed all the sites. After a productive day of site-seeing we rushed back to the flat in order to switch flats, because the current one was undergoing renovation, and it was impossible to sleep past 6 a.m. My parents smartly insisted on changing, and we were taken to one right down the street, which was perfect and most importantly, quiet!

Wednesday was a day full of classes and I was a bit nervous to leave Karen and Richard to their own devices. It’s not that I believed they were incapable of venturing on their own, but I felt they probably wouldn’t, and they didn’t. On my way to do laundry at the hostel, I directed them to The House of Terror, a museum they wanted to visit, and was very impressed when they found their way back to the flat alone with no problem. Later this night, we had a dinner date with my German friend, Christine. We ate near the river and it was pleasant although the food wasn’t too impressive. I believe Christine liked them, and they really enjoyed her.

The next day was their last full day in Budapest, and the night of the international food party! First, they joined me in my Hungarian Music and Folklore class, where we listened and learned about Hungary’s most famous musician Ferenc Liszt from my darling blue-eyed professor. They met a small group of my classmates and later I met them at the flat with my good friend Chai in tow. They absolutely fell in love with Chai and her quick wit and interesting perspective on life, and wanted to take her back to the U.S. with them. Chai and I made a tray-load of deviled eggs for the food party, and later Chantal and Laura joined us at the flat to meet my parents and continue preparation for the international food party. I was really glad the girls could meet my parents, and enjoy each other so much! In total, we had a tray full of peach cobbler, PB&J sandwiches, and deviled eggs to put at the American table, and we made Chai an honorary American for the night. I did feel bad leaving my parents on their final night to attend the party, but I am sure they were annoyed with me by this point and wanted some time alone. For some reason, I was kind of hateful to them a vast part of their visit, and I can’t justify it or explain why?! But, I do feel really bad, and hope so much that they had a great time despite me sometimes!

Friday at 10:30 I helped them to the taxi that waited to take them away from me and to the blasted airport. It was hard seeing them go, and I believe even harder for them knowing where I am living, but I knew I would see them before I knew it back in the States. Some logical part of me overtook my emotional side, and didn’t allow me to be sad because it had been such a successful visit and why ruin it with tears?

My parental invasion was a great one and I realized several things. One, my parents are the best people ever! It amazes me how much they love me, regardless of how bratty I act. The fact they would even take the time and money to come all the way to Budapest to visit me is a huge example. Secondly that my parents aren’t fearless, and they relied on me in a mighty way, which is flattering to know our roles switched a bit. And lastly, just how very unique their friendship and love for each other truly is. One that I ,along with others, aspire to have someday. My parents, Richard and Karen, are amazing people, and I am so thankful that they got stuck with me and dared to travel outside their comfort zone to visit me!

Karen (mom), Myself, and Richard (dad)

Parents in frotn of Heroes’ Square

After living in a city for the past few months, visiting Vienna the previous weekend, and a day full of Prague and all its tourists, we realized a day-trip out of the city was a much needed experience for our second day. We decided to go to the nearby towns of Litomerice and Terezin, which during WWII was turned into a Jewish ghetto and transit camp for Jews on their way to concentration camps in Poland. It also houses a permanent Jewish memorial.

We started our day visiting a Litomerice 10 km north of Terezin, where there was little to see and even less to do other than enjoy the city’s natural charm and beauty. I relished the change of pace, and immensely enjoyed walking around aimlessly, where we eventually stumbled upon a cafe that we sat in for two hours chatting about life. Still standing on the edge of the inner city is a 14th century wall, which provides a lovely view of the town, where we took some time for a photo shoot. Sometimes the best times are when nothing in particular happens, and this quaint little town provided just that. There are no true adventures to reveal about the short time we spent in this town, but it was very pleasant and mellow time.

Next on our agenda was to visit Terezin, which was a town that by the end of 1941 the Nazis’ had turned into a Jewish ghetto and transit camp and prison for those on their way to concentration camps in Poland. Despite being a “transit camp” and not an extermination camp, around 150,000 passed through and 35,000 people died from torture, suicide, and disease. It was a very powerful and humbling experience, which is fulfilling in a way that not even the most amazing nightclub or flat party can achieve. Dancing and having small talk is fun, but I had grown bored with this perpetual cycle of surface fun and it was great to have something “real” to snap me back into reality.

We visited the Jewish Memorial Museum, which contained hundreds of facts and photos about what the Jewish people living in Terezin had to endure. Mainly, it expressed the hardships of the most innocent victims, the children. At the Lesser Fortress, the actual prison, reminded me strangely enough of some abandoned southwest, cowboy town you read about in books. It was very bleak and not even the bright sun and blue sky could remove the eery and depressing truth of what happened there less than 75 years ago.

As we looked in the abandoned blocks, it was hard to imagine how hundreds of people would fit in one block, and the terrible hygienic conditions they suffered. It was difficult for me to see one couple looking at this awful site with ice cream cones in their hands, as if it were an amusement park or at the beach. It seemed very irreverent and callous somehow. They were not the only visitors who seemed to be disregarding the tragic events that once took place inside these walls.

As we walked down a path to see one of the execution yards, a striped cat slowly sauntered his way up the path. In true cat form, he walked as if he really were on the “cat-walk” with each step of his paw graceful and strategic. I looked in his green eyes and saw the void of remorse or knowledge of the events this place hosted. With a bizarre and saucy confidence that most strays lack, he strode right beside me, allowing me one good stroke of his coat, but never slowing his pace. After tearing my attention away from the cat, I continued toward the yard when I was once again distracted by another creature. There was a tiny creek running through the yard and on the edge sat what appeared to be an otter with thick, white whiskers. Like a four-year-old child I can not ignore a fascinating animal. We all stopped and took photos, and then it dawned on me.

Nature is resilient and lacks remorse. Here these animals continued about their daily life as if nothing happened because to them nothing had. Flowers and bright, green grass sprouted everywhere with no regard to the blood that been shed on the very same spot, and the gentle hills behind the fortress stood proudly, and refused to bow in respect for the dead. Life was continuing on this hollow ground, and in that moment I think I had a true idea of how mortal and weak we humans are in the grand scheme of time and the universe. Perhaps, these thoughts were provoked by a short story we had read in literature class, which discussed similar ideas, but the difference was I actually experienced this feeling myself. It made me think about all of the terrible things humanity has done to itself and will continue to do, and nature stands and laughs at our ignorance and prevails.

After our full day in Litomerice and Terezin, we headed back to Prague. The next day was our final. The weather was dreary and the chilly wind mocked me for not packing enough warm clothing, so it made me eager to get back to Budapest. We wrapped up Prague by seeing the astronomical clock, walking through the Jewish quarter, and visiting a Salvador Dali exhibit. It is immensely rewarding to see such acclaimed artistic works that you studied about in books! Thankfully, later that day we hopped on our bus and began the journey back to Hungary.

I am very excited I got to see Prague, Litomerice, and Terezin. They were all very beautiful and informative in their own way. I enjoyed my friends Kristy, Jason, and Vasiliki’s company, and it was a fantastic trip! I recommended visiting Little Mother Prague!

Hello all! Sorry, it has been a while. I have been out on the tourist battlefield, just so I could have something interesting for my blog followers to read. It was quite a hefty task, but I was willing to do it for you, my faithful friends! Well, I don’t exactly believe that either, but now, I do have something to say instead of the sometimes tedious and dull events of everyday life.

March 15th, Hungary’s Day of Independence, and my long weekend for travel and adventure! Where to you ask? The land of Pretzeltopia? Wrong, we actually went to Little Mother Prague, the City of a Thousand Spires (as it is nicknamed in guidebooks.) With all of the hoopla, given to Prague from everyone I ever speak with, I was expecting enchanting things, and I found them!

Team Prague consisted of myself, Kristy the Jewel from Wisconsin, Jason the Hilarious from Colorado, and Vasiliki the Great from Greece. Since our team, as I referred to us most of the trip, decided a bit late to go to Prague. We were actually very lucky to score any bus tickets considering everyone from Budapest had the same idea that weekend. Unfortunately, we could not all go at the same time as intended, but we had to split up. Jason and I left on Wednesday morning at 9:15 a.m., and the girls followed on the 4:15 p.m. bus. The bus was surprisingly delightful. Cozy, leather chairs that reclined to perfection (assuming you have a midget behind you that doesn’t mind if you are virtually laying in their lap), a complementary drink, and “in-flight” movies!! Wow. I was impressed. I had my own seat from Budapest until Bratislava, and then I was solo again after Brno. Anyhow, we arrived around 5 p.m., and as if I had the olfactory lobes of a bloodhound, I navigated us to our hostel with ease. (Jason may have helped a bit, too.)

The hostel was much cheerier than the one in Vienna. Not only was the staff friendlier, but the room was painted pale yellow and adorned with stenciled butterflies in blue and orange, and matching orange curtains hide the large windows. There were four single beds and one bunk bed. It had WiFi and free Internet usage in the lobby, and the breakfast that was included was well above a prisoner-of-wars! The location was also very ideal, being on the edge of the New Town, and only a five minute walk from the underground, and one stop away from Muzeum, one of the hottest spots of Prague. Now, to bring this back to a blog and sound less like I am a paid promoter for Hostel Advantage (which I am not, but if they read this blog and feel I have earned some money, I will be more than willing to provide my address), my one complaint, and it’s an important one, was the hot water was nonexistent, and the warm water was as capricious as a 7th grade school girl. However, the ice cold water helped me hit notes, which exceeded my preconceived alto range.

With grumbling bellies, Jason and I scurried to Muzeum on a well-deserved food quest. Being culturally diverse and eager to try the native cuisine, we happily discovered a Mexican restaurant. Yay, Czech-style Mexican, how adventurous of us!!! With smiles on our faces, we devoured our burritos and chimichangas, and then floated on a cloud to a bar down the street where FOOTBALL GAMES were being broadcast. At this bar, Jason, being so culturally diverse and open-minded to new experiences, tried the indigenous Czech beer, and I opted for a cappuccino, regardless, of the bartender’s sneers and jeers at my choice. It would take a lot more than a mere bartender to bring me down from my Mexican food high and football fanatic euphoria.

After two EPL games, we begrudgingly went back into the cold and headed for the bus station to pick up the rest of the team. At this point Jason and I were really tired, and considered leaving a trail of Post-Its guiding the girls to the hostel, convincing ourselves it would be a fun little adventure for them. I imagined them with their overstuffed backpacks, and excitement in their hearts, racing to each new Post-It trying to figure out our riddles, and inevitably ending up in Poland cursing the clever, Czech kid who stole one of the Post-Its. Don’t worry we met them, after all, we have read Hansel and Gretel, too!

The next day with a bright blue sky and golden sun at our backs, we went to the infamous Prague Castle Complex, which is home to St. Vitus Cathedral, a truly, amazing site. Every window is a different, intricate pattern of stained glass, it has high, Gothic ceilings, and flying buttresses spewing off the side, and a 287 step spiraling staircase, which leads to the most fantastic view of the entire city. This cathedral was most likely my favorite site in the city! Then, we moved on to the Palace, and another cathedral, Golden Lane, a picturesque row of buildings, and lastly a the Tower of Daliborka, where medieval torture tools were housed. From the Castle District, we bound down the The Little Quarter to Charles’ Bridge another huge site in Prague. Vendor after vendor of art, jewelry, photography, etc. lined the bridge and walking across it was a bit of a nuissance because the amount of fellow tourists. The bridge was lovely though, hoisting us above the Vltava river, and providing a great central view of the city.

After this full day of touring the sites, we went in search of a cheaper restaurant. We ended up at a Czech restaurant that provided Czech food believe it or not. At each table was a rack where large pretzels hung. (Side note: I believe everyone can attest to the sheer, addictiveness of pretzels. It is one of those foods when someone asks, “Do you want a pretzel?” and you ignorantly say, “Maybe. just. a. few.” >Laughter

In good spirits and quenched apetites, we asked for the bill. Upon receiving the bill we discovered an interesting little tidbit. Not only were we charged for the bread we didn’t actually order, but each, individual pretzel we ate, including the two I hijacked from the neighboring table. Not only were charged, WE WERE CHARGED!! For the 8 pretzels we naively devoured, we had to pay 80 crowns, nearly 4 USD, and 30 for the bread. A little fuel to the fire was that they don’t include the tax on the menu price (illegal) and the waiter took it upon himself to add in his tip. With clinched teeth I paid my part, and wished bad things upon the restaurant, and their slutty pretzels that hang on their racks, smiling just seducing the unknowing customers at 10 crown a piece. Did I mention these were not gold-encrusted pretzels either? Eventually, after saying “Eeeiiighty crrroowwnn? EIGHTY CROWN! ha. Can you beli—-Eighty CCCCCCCCCCRRRROOOOWWWNNN??” around 451 times, I got over it and laughed off the deceitful move, and decided I would report them to travel books and Interpol!!!Therefore, despite sensual glances from pretzels realize the old saying holds true, “Nothing in this world is free.” Then, scoff at the pretzels failed attempts or eat it, but ask first how much the little devils will set you back!!

Prague… to be continued… after class. In the meantime, enjoy some photos:

St. Vitus Cathedral Facade, Prague

St. Vitus Nave

St. Vitus Stained Glass Detail

View from atop St. Vitus over city

Above Vltava River on Charles Bridge, Prague

Hooray, another stamp on my passport! I have had my first international travel from Hungary, and it was to Vienna! A relatively small group of us went this past Saturday and Sunday, five actually, and it was perfect! We traveled by bus and it took exactly three hours, which only cost a little over 20 USD per person. I discovered this weekend how pleasant it is traveling with a smaller amount of people because it eliminates that many more opinions and needs. Our hostel was very hostelish, but clean and relatively inexpensive. All five of us slept in one room that had six bunks, but we never got around to our scheduled pillow fight… (the boys knew we would win!)

The city is lovely and very easy to get around with the aid of some 7 underground lines! Vienna is actually very similar in appearance to Budapest, but cleaner and much more westernized {Americanized} with its Starbucks and Claire’s jewelry stores? Everyone we encountered spoke English. Surprisingly, I didn’t like this because my thought is, if I wanted to be in America… I would be in America, but I am in Austria, so let’s see some Austrian culture! Globalization is the devil.

We managed to see all the sites including: the facade of the Schrönbrunn, the summer palace of the former Habsburg/ Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Nature and History Museum, the Belvedere Gallery, Stephensdom Cathedral, the Parliament building, Viennese Heroes’ Square, the giant Ferris Wheel, and a bit of it’s nightlife. The big highlight for me in the Nature and History Museum was getting to see the “Venus of Willendorf” figurine. It is a fertility statuette standing around 12cm tall, and was made an estimated 25,000 years ago by the hunting-gathering society near the Danube of the time. Having read about the Venus of Willendorf in nearly all of my anthropology classes and art classes, it was really incredible to actually see it in person. In the Belvedere, I saw the impressive artwork of Gustav Klimt, including his most famous piece “The Kiss.” It is so rewarding to actually experience and view these things I have studied for so many years!

The rain is pouring down here in Budapest, but that doesn’t take away the city’s charm. Things are going very well, and I am continuing to meet new people! It’s hard to believe I have been here over a month, and I only have a little over 3 months left before I must go home! Time, the sneaky devil that it is, has slipped by me. There are still so many amazing sites I have to see in Budapest, but I am also eager to travel to the surrounding countries!

To my mother’s dismay, I have fallen in love with a man. He is my 70+ years-old Hungarian Folk Music professor. In this class we listen to endless songs, and we have learned about the differences in old and new folk music, and what makes it such an art. My professor with his bright blue, smiling eyes was once a well-known conductor and musician, and his passion for music is obvious. With each song we listen to, his fingers flutter and his foot taps to the rythm as if he is conducting the CD player. I assume he is a good representation of old Hungary with all his charm and lovely, raspy, old man laugh!

My other classes are highly interesting, and the professors are extremely friendly! They all enthusiastically suggest towns for us to visit and get a better glimpse of traditional Hungary. Although Budapest is the capital of Hungary, like any big European city, it is very westernized. One professor of mine, Zsuzsa, has been to more cities in the U.S. than I. Her class, which is Hungarian Culture, has become more storytime than a structured class like I am accustomed. I am anticipating the day we get apple juice and graham crackers, then sit on the floor indian-style in a circle. Despite what my sarcasm suggests, it is a informative class, and she speaks often of the communist Hungary she grew-up in.

Oddly enough, Zsuzsa spoke about those times in a nostalgic, nearly longing fashion. Even though people had few material possessions and there was no diversity, people were taken care of and there was a sense of security from the government. People didn’t starve like they do now, and didn’t go without basic needs. On the other hand, people lacked individual rights and freedoms that they can enjoy, now. For example, during Communist times, people could only apply to travel outside the country every 3 years for a 30-day stint. During these times, she said she would bring back rare delicacies from the western world like clothes and colored pens. When she traveled to Chicago once, she was delighted to find pink erasers because they only had one color in Hungary, and she brought boxes back for her colleagues. The funny and ironic thing was she kept calling them “pink rubbers”, and we native English speakers laughed inside. Perhaps, as she told the music teacher of his “gay music” blunder, one of us should have informed her how the term “rubbers” is used these days, oh the irony!

I am not happy to report that P.D.A. (Public Display of Affection) is still widely practiced, and it still grosses me. A few weeks ago, I was leaning against a wall and holding onto the nearby pole in the uncongested metro. Then, in walks a girl and stands directly in front of me and clasps the same pole. For me, that was odd enough within itself because there was plenty of space and she had her choice of vacant places to stand. If you can imagine, there we stood face-to-face, mere inches from one another with the deserted compartment at her back. It is hard to decide where to advert your eyes when someone is standing in such close proximity. Just for laughs from the Gods of Uncomfortable Situations, at the next stop in hops her boyfriend, and he comes up behind her and begins kissing the side of her neck and rubbing her stomach, and whispering sweet Hungarian nothings in her ear as she giggled. At this point, I was laughing in my head at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation and how it must look!

Last night, I saw a professional Hungarian soccer game… perhaps, the term “professional” is used too loosely. All the same, it was the Budapest team against Pécs (a southern city in Hungary). I love the game of soccer, so even though it was like watching my highschool’s boy team, I enjoyed it. This does bring me to my other point of cultural differences to which I am not acclimated, nose blowing. In the U.S., I hear or see the occasional nose blow, but it seems to be a more discreet and private matter. At MTSU if my classmates blew their nose during a lecture, there would be several disgusted looks thrown there way, especially from me! Generally, people go outside the classroom or to the bathroom to do this lovely activity, right? Not here. All of the guys (Hungarian, Italian, German, Finnish, etc.) carry packs of tissue with them, which is actually very comforting because at least I know they aren’t using their sleeve like many American guys, or just flat out picking their nose. However, in my mind, there should be some manners about it.

Certain situations are destined for diaster! Take the game of Jenga for example. Regardless of how delicate you tug or slide the wooden block out of the tower, everyone knows the tower will eventually topple under it’s own weight, and the only true victor is gravity! It is a scientific fact that gravity will ultimately be the winner every single time, but all the same, we play and are eager for the impending chaos. As soon as the tower begins to sway, everyone yells in excitement and points at the poor soul who caused the inevitable collapse!

Last Saturday, February 24th, a similar game of doom ensued. Eighteen of us went on our first daytrip to a town called Eger, which is around two hours northeast of Budapest by train. The acclaimed vineyards and wine cellars were the main attraction for most, and the infamous Bull’s Blood wine or Egri Bikaver. I despise wine, but I wanted to see the 16th century castle and cobblestone streets, and spend time with my friends, of course.

The morning got off to a very rocky start, which only foreshadowed the fiasco to follow. Although public transportation is a great resource, it also is nearly impossible to predict exactly how long it will take to get anywhere, and such was the case at 8 a.m. Saturday.

I feel I spend an abundant amount of time in full-sprint chasing and cursing the buses, trams, and metros. They wait until I am a few strides away, and with a hearty laugh, the doors close and they pull away with the joy of knowing my efforts were completely pointless. Then, I am left in their dust, my lungs begging for air, and feeling like a moron. Of course, this was the case Saturday. However, the train is not as suave as the other forms of transportation, and after a long spirit we made it to Platform 1 with minutes to spare. In fact, we six girls were so concentrated on catching the train, we failed to notice several boys from our group photographing us as we clumsily bound down the station. I’m sure there are some lovely blackmail photos lurking on the net!

With embarassing beads of sweat forming, I hopped on the train. Even though it was a gray day, (another sign, right?) my spirits were high and I was excited about our adventure! An entire car was solely filled by us, and we were free to move around and chat with everyone, and after an enjoyable two hours, we arrived in Eger. With 18 different opinions, bladder schedules, and eating preferences, it took an eternity to make any progress, but we eventually made it to a restuarant to eat and warm ourselves from the bitter cold. Any sitdown dining experience in Hungary is never short, but with 18 people it is especially time consuming. The important thing was we all ate and had a filling meal, and then we were off to explore.

The remanents of the 16th century castle was mainly a huge, stone wall on a hill that overlooked the city. It had a beautiful view, and we spent a decent amount of time enjoying all it had to offer. Then, we made our way to the Bitskey Aladár swimming pool, which was designed by Imre Makovecz, an important, Hungarian architect famous for his organic architecture style.

Finally, to the excitement of my accomplices, we made our trek toward the numerous wine cellars to start the wine tasting. As we descended a hill, I could smell the scent of wine on the wind’s breath, and I gagged a little to myself. It was a bit of a struggle to find a cellar that was open and willing to let us try the wines considering this is not exactly peak season for them. We found one along the horseshoe shaped road and converged into the dark stone cellar, and the drinking began.

The first glass was “shot” by everyone but me because I would have vomited it back into the glass. Shortly after, lips began to turn purple from the merlots, and everyone was on their way to a drunken happiness. With a distorted face and suppressed gag reflex, I drank around 100 ml in two hours. What a trooper, huh? I was hoping to “acquire” the taste for wine, but it will never happen. In total, the group ordered 9 liters of wine, and not a drop was spared. The cellar closed at 6 p.m. and we had to catch our train at 8:30. In theory, it sounds like plenty of time to walk the 30 minute walk to the train station.

A dense, gray haze has settled over Budapest for the past week. Yesterday, in the far distance, I noticed the sun fall on a few buildings with its yellow glow, but it was a brief cameo.  This weather obliterates all desire to do anything productive from my being.  However, I have proved to be a staunch opponent for the dreary weather by refusing to give into three hour naps and lounging about the room.

Also, as if to parallel the weather pattern, a dark, disdainful cloud of bitterness has consumed me.  I never would have imagined that I would be hesitant or regretful to share my nationality with someone, but I am.  Perhaps, I was naive to the fact of how other countries view the U.S.  I knew many do not like Americans because of President Bush and the Iraqi War and such, but I was blind-sided by all of the other stereotypes, and furthermore, prejudices toward Americans.  It has been very disheartening, and my resentment is flourishing.

It appears that people believe if you are from the United States, you are automatically, but not limited to the following : a) extremely wealthy b) from California or New York c) a supporter of our President and his political decisions d) stupid and e) wild drinkers.  These stereotypes are irritating, but we all have them about other countries, and I am beginning to understand that fact.  My hope is that by meeting these people I can help break some of the stereotypes, and even forge a new concept of what an American can be.

These stereotypes I expected on some level, but I did not expect such ethnocentric judgment from people.  Being a white, middleclass American girl, I was generally not on the receiving end of prejudice (minus the typical ones about women).  Because I am an American, it seems to be believed that I owe people something.  In particular, some of my vast, delusional fortune, which exists only in the minds of these people.  Even if I was a millionaire, why would that entitle anyone to a share of it?  I guess it is an American mindset, but I feel I do not owe these people a cent even if I am better-off then them.  The gall and audacity they have to ask for it is mind boggling to me.  I enjoy being benevolent to people when I can who need and deserve it, and most of all do, who not expect it as if it is my duty.

Now, in the same breath, I have to say this is not ALL Hungarians or other international people I have met, but enough that is has bothered me.  I wish there was some way I could convey understanding to everyone about the U. S.  We might be the most powerful and wealthiest country in the world, but that does not mean that EVERYONE is.  Compared to other countries, we do have larger salaries, but our cost of living is much higher, and MANY Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, or worse on credit.   Americans generally do have many material goods and possessions, but I can also guarantee they worked for them, too.  Average Americans do not get to take two hour lunches like most Europeans, nor do we have such short business hours.  I wish people would realize that even though America is great in so many aspects, we also forfeit other luxuries to be able to afford our lifestyles.

I hate the fact that I am judged on my nationality, when I have tried so hard to be open-minded about others.  For example, in a club the other night with my international amigos I met a girl from Romania.  I could barely hear her because it was a club after all, and when she repeated she was from Bucharest, I told her that I had been there with a smile across my face.  Her eyes lit up with that ping of pride and excitement when someone has been to your hometown, and then she asked where I was from.  (What came next, I was ill-prepared for.)  No sooner had “U.S.” tumbled out of my mouth then her expression changed from a large smile to an angry scowl in an instant.  She then turned away and began speaking with someone else.  At that moment, I could not even be angry because I was overcome with complete confusion.  This blatant contempt against America was shocking and a first for me. Even now I am not angry or upset about the extremely rude reaction, but curious as to why.  What did this girl experience about the U.S. that was so awful?

Another instance was yesterday, when some worthless, skanky Hungarian punks got on the metro.  Now, these types of creatures exist globally, I am certain. These are the typical, attention-seeking guys whose mothers did not love them enough or something tragic of this nature.  So, to avenge their miserable lives, they insist on making everyone else in their presence disgusted and miserable too.  We all know the ones, don’t deny it.  These morons just happened to be Hungarian. One sat down and promptly spit on the floor, and his disgusting piercings and worn, tattered clothes reflected a similar quality of his actions.  His mate had a safety pin through his eyebrow and ear among other piercings.   As I was waiting for my stop and speaking with a Portuguese friend, one keep asking me “Duetch? Duetch?” Eventually, I said no and then I was asked if I spoke English.  Being smart with them, I said “nope.”  Then, the most miserable one with his acid-washed jeans asked, “You speak English. Can you give me some money?”  “No.” “Well, then a cigarette?” laughing and looking for affirmation from his buddies. “No.” In my head, I had other things, like sharp objects and falling anvils, that I wanted to give him.

I suppose this is one of the challenges of being a foreigner.  It does not matter where you are from, people will always have preconceived notions about what kind of person you are and what type of lifestyle you have.  I am trying not to dwell on these aspects, but at times it is slapping me in the face. It really has been a shock and nuisance to say the least, but I guess all I can do is try and set a positive example about Americans.  Overall, I must say, I am proud to be an American, land of the shower curtains and queen size beds.