BUDAPEST Discoveries

My first week in Budapest: quick, majestic, filled with new experiences, and many opportunities to laugh….at myself.  The first impressions this city gives are incredible. I suppose it depends on the outlook of the person living the experiences, as with any new experiences of the sort.  I came into this new phase in my life with a promise that I would be willing to try new things, not fret the small stuff, absorb changes, experience trials, and celebrate the triumphs.

  My first seven days have been filled with repetitive “Szia,” (Hi/bye) and “Koszonom,” (Thank you)  with a large smile on my face hoping that the Hungarians will be accepting of someone making an effort to speak their language (partially).  Heck, the man who carted every single box I shipped over up my stairs showed me that he appreciated my effort.  I offered him “viz¨: (water) as his huffing and puffing each trip up didn’t go un-noticed.  The young guy who was unloading the truck must have won the bet, he only made the trek up once.  From there on out, each box he brought up, he taught me how to say the number on the box.  This was a great situation to practice the language with someone who doesn’t speak mine.  I have also been reminded the importance of learning-through-observation in situations like, for example,  in the grocery store and public transportation.  Where do you put the basket after you have loaded your items onto the belt?  How do you “unlock” the carts at the grocery store when they are chained together?  Who validates your metro pass?  What greeting will the cashier greet me with?  

I’ve also had to problem solve.  What do you do when Ikea is supposed to deliver your purchases to your residence, your phone doesn’t work internationally, and they don’t show up?  (Solution: have someone from school call for you and they arrange to deliver on Monday-your first day of work.  Awesome. A new problem).  How do I get this giant fan home that I purchased?  (Solution: carry it, and the million other things you purchased, you dummy).  Lots of fails, and therefore learning has also occured.  Thirst quenched my first day here, I confidently walked to the grocery store down the block from the Beatrix Panzio (my pension), entered the wrong way, and threw some waters in a basket.  Unbeknownst to me, when I returned to the hotel and thirstily and rapidly opened the water, I heard the “shhhhh” sound.  I quickly learned that the pink lid means flat/still water, and the blue lid, like the one I was holding in my hand, meant carbonated.  Duh.  In Europe, sparking water is king.  Fail.  Sparkling water doesn’t quench my thirst….but that night it made do!

Generosity and exploration have also played a significant role in my life this past week.  Multiple colleagues volunteered to help me move, meet up with me, and assist me when needed.  This is a gift I will certainly never forget, and hope to pass on to others in the future.  Budapest is also filled with endless opportunities for explorations.  I must admit that I did not know much about my new home before accepting this position, and many reactions from people back home were not always favorable when I shared where I would be moving.  I believe in great part, this was due to the changes this city has lived through in recent years.  In my eyes, this is a must-see European destination that will completely fulfill, if not exceed, expectations.  My first few days here I didn’t need to look for an apartment like I thought I did when I had the ticket booked, so I was able to play tourist in my city.  I jogged, and walked all over Buda (where my apartment is located), and into Pest.  I saw things such as the Parliament, Margarit Island, the Buda Castle, Andrassy Ave, City Park, Heroe’s Square, and also ventured out to Nagykovasci to see my school campus.  

At this moment, as I sit on my balcony looking across at the Parliament Building elegantly lit, and listening to country music, I feel blessed to be here in my new home, and reminded that each place I go is just another amazing piece added to my puzzle of life.  Each piece adds more clarity, but the pieces themselves don’t mean anything isolated.  It makes me happy to listen to my little piece of home, look at the pictures of my family and friends, and to add more pieces to this puzzle with each passing day.  A grand life indeed.  

                                       
                                         Buda Castle

                                       
                                          Heroe's Square

                                          City Park

                                          City Park

                                          Parliament

                                         Chain Bridge

                                      St. Stephen's Basilica