Week 1- Pre-Departure and Arrival in Budapest

The Week That Was - Getting to Budapest

Alright, so I'm starting this a little late, but I have to thank my mom for giving me the idea of starting this blog. First off, a little bit about me for those of you who find this later who don't know me or don't know much about me yet, I'm a 21-year old (I turn 21 on September 11th, so in eight days.) fourth-year Political Science Major at Arizona State University. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and Hungarian, not English, was my first language. We are an old Hungarian family; as both my mom and dad's sides of the family (With the exception of my paternal grandfather) fled Hungary in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, so I was exposed to a lot of Hungarian culture in my earliest years.  I spoke only Hungarian until I was about three years old, at which time I transitioned to English, and lost the majority of my Hungarian. However, I can still speak survival-level Hungarian and understand it when it's spoken to me, even if replying is rather difficult. In March of this year, I got accepted to study at Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary for the Fall 2013 Semester. I want to be a lawyer, so I am taking a lot of economics, business, and law-driven courses that also have Political Science concentrations. 

2013 has been a year of academic achievement and lots of crazy adventures for me. I can say, rather emphatically, that it has been the greatest year of my entire life. I made the Dean's List at ASU this past spring for the first time, went to Phoenix Comicon in 2013 and met Tara Strong, a voice actress who I LOVE, and then backpacked Europe with my family, leaving US soil for the first time in my 20-year life. We went to Budapest to spread my late grandfather's ashes in our family's plot in a church in the old Hungarian town of Eger, then went to Budapest, then took off into Western Europe, stopping in Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, London, and Luxembourg before returning home in late June. And now, here I am, back in Europe for the semester and adventure of a lifetime! I feel so lucky, blessed, and humbled to have gotten to experience all the things I have this past year, and I've truly learned what it means to live life to the fullest. You're only a traveler in this world, and your stay is rather short. 

So, now, I get to the point of this actual blog: My semester abroad. This last week (August 26th-September 1st) was absolutely insane in every way...So I'll recap you through the entire week. 

On Monday, it was two days before I took off on a 10-hour flight to London-Heathrow airport, across an ocean from all the daily routines and mundane motions of normal life and everything I know.  Even being surrounded by family in Hungary, my anxiety was shooting through the absolute roof. It was as if I was walking into some snake pit. All the fears a first grader usually feels on his first day of school, I was feeling. "Would I make friends?" "Would I fit in?" Hell, I even was worried about if I'd get stigmatized or teased for being overweight, in spite of being around college students. But I hope it's understandable; I had never been that far away from home, and never ever have I been that far away from my parents without at least one of them with me, so this was a groundbreaker in many ways. Never had I even been on an airplane alone prior to this adventure. Every single negative thing that possibly could've been going through my head did as I ran some final errands, made some final arrangements, and packed up my ginormous blue suitcase with all of my clothes and prepared to set off for adventure, for better of for worse, in two days time.

On Tuesday, I saw some friends for the last time, made some adjustments to my packing arrangements, and the anxiety really set in, as I packed my beloved Powerpuff Girls plushy and T-Shirt into a plastic Rubbermaid storage box, rearranged my backpack, turned out the lights, and realized that this was the last time I'd sleep on my large, Queen-sized bed in my bedroom for the next four months. I'm not afraid to confess that I was ready to burst into tears basically the entire night, as every single fear came to the forefront of my swirling tempest of a mind. It felt like my mind was just screaming at me, "What in the hell did you get yourself into?! You're an idiot, you know that?!" But I took a deep breath, went to bed, and slept surprisingly well once I finally turned out the lights at 2AM.

Wednesday was the big day. I did some truly last-minute things, watched TV in my room for the last time, had breakfast at my home for the last time, etc. until January and I returned home at least. Also, I will be in Hungary for Christmas, so I realized, as I prepared to go to the airport, that I wouldn't be spending Christmas with Mom for the first time. I still am not too sure how that's gonna go. My Mom is truly my rock in my life. I look up to her and she's not only someone I look to for guidance, advice, and love but also as a friend. I wouldn't have had the strength to apply for this opportunity if not for her. Dad, my brother Kristian, Mom, and I took off for Sky Harbor International Airport, and I went through Customs, hugged them all goodbye, fought back tears, and took off into the sunset. For better or worse, I was getting on that plane! I actually held myself together until the aircraft was about to take off. As I heard the engines revving up, I stared out the window nearest to my aisle on this Boeing-747, and my eyes watered as I realized that it was now officially a sealed deal: I was taking off across the Atlantic Ocean and for four months, (Which at the time felt like an eternity; It doesn't now) I was not coming home. 

Thursday was a day where I literally did not step outside (With the exception of a tarmac; more on that later), as I arrived into London-Heathrow at 1:30 PM UK time (5:30 AM Phoenix time), rather tired, rather sore, and rather jet-lagged. I met this Bulgarian girl named Sylvia, who was on her way to Bucharest and had never been through the chaos that was a flight connection at London-Heathrow, which, with exception of the tedious travel times to reach your connecting terminal, is the coolest airport in existence. I began the long (And I mean long) process of connecting, as I had taken this exact flight route (Phoenix Sky Harbor-London Heathrow-Budapest Liszt-Ferenc) in June when I came to Europe with my family to pay my respects to my grandfather and then backpack. So I, like a pro, walked exactly as directed to the Flight Connections Tram (Yes, they have a fucking TRAM inside Terminal 5- I'm not shitting you), and met the aforementioned Sylvia. She looked like a lost puppy, the poor girl. She told me she was heading to Bucharest, and didn't know how to reach Terminal 3, so I told her I knew where I was going and to follow me. She did, and she told me she was heading home to Bulgaria from Bucharest before backpacking China and Hong Kong (I MUST do this one day, too!), I helped her find everything she needed to get to her plane a few hours later, we grabbed a coffee and cake at a Starbucks in the Terminal Shopping Mall that is Terminal 3, and I bid her adieu. I then connected to Wi-Fi for 9 British Pounds (Nearly $18 USD) and told everyone that I was indeed still alive, and in Heathrow. I then went and frivolously bought some delectable British Truffles. Two packs cost me $40 but it was worth it! I then had a dinner of British Fish n' Chips (pictured above) and got nice and full before my flight to Budapest. My seven-and-a-half hour layover in the UK gave me ample time to shop for some material goods such as the $20 truffles and a nicer-than-needed meal. I then took the ten minute walk to the gate where my flight to Budapest would take off, boarded a bus that took me to the tarmac (Yeah, this airport is that massive), and crammed myself into the tube of this jet, and looked out the window into the ever-blackening night to the illuminated Europe beneath us. At the crack of midnight, I arrived into Liszt-Ferenc, got accepted into Hungary, and met up with my cousin Cini and went to her flat on the Buda side of Budapest to stay for the weekend. (For those of you who don't know, The Danube River splits Budapest in half; The Buda side is hilly and residential; The Pest side is flat and the more urban/business district.) I watched some college football and my Washington Redskins' final preseason game, and finally managed to fall asleep at 5 AM (8PM Phoenix time), knowing a late wake up call the next day was inevitable.

Friday was, as predicted, a dead day. I set my alarm clock for NOON, hit Snooze on it, didn't wake up, and woke up at 2PM that day. I sat on my duff on Facebook and mindlessly watched the hours tick away, not even bothering to get out of my pajamas. Finally at 6PM, I realized I hadn't eaten anything except a piece of pepperoni out of Cousin Cini's fridge and half a cup of tap water, so I showered, and went to the Lipoti Pekseg (Bakery) outside Cini's house at the end of the Villamos (The Hungarian tram system) line. I grabbed a cheesy bread and some cinnamon pastry and a bottle of mineral water and loosely called that a late brunch. Not feeling like going back to the flat, as the weather outside was perfectly chilly but not frigid, I went for a strut along the Villamos line as to not get lost (Cini's house is at the end of the line, so I simply walked down the tram line, so I knew where I was), and found a nice little park area on the side of the tram. I walked down into it. It was a perfect place to take your dog for a walk, take in the serenity of nature, or, if you're more into that thing, have a smoke. I, for one, hate cigarettes, but more on this soon. A group of Hungarian locals, aged around 17-20, sat down and started talking to one another. I walked over, not to talk to them, or even meet them, but to listen in to their conversation. I said nothing, as while I could understand what they were saying, I was not comfortable enough with my own vocabulary and speaking abilities to have a conversation with people my age, as my Hungarian is choppy and more survival-level Hungarian. Eventually, a thuggish looking guy in the group, in a black T-shirt and baggy black jean shorts that hung down (You know, like when half their ass is showing), began lighting up a cigarette. I hate cigarette smoke and am asthmatic, so I walked away. The girl on the end of this line of friends, turns around, realizes I had gone, and calls to me "Hey! Gyere meg vissza!" (Hey! Come back here!). I turned around, as I understood what this (And most of their conversation prior) meant. They began laughing for some odd reason. They asked me where I was from, and I said America. I told them I was a student at Corvinus for the semester, and that I can understand, but not really speak Hungarian. Then the aforementioned thuggish guy lightning a joint asked me if I like music. I said yes. He asked me if I liked rap. I said no. They then asked if I do crack, cocaine, LSD, heroine, or drink. I said no to each, as I don't do those things (except occasionally drink wine). They then proceeded to laugh with each other, and pointed at me saying "Buzi!" about twenty times. (Buzi is "faggot" in Hungarian), along with "Basz" (Fuck), and "fasz" (Dick). I was ready to cry...But couldn't...I mean, I was already outcasted among this group, I couldn't crack in front of them, right? Her English-speaking boyfriend, CJ, came over, and she pointed at me saying "Ő nem erted mit mondunk!" (He doesn't know what we're saying) which annoyed me, because I already explained (in Hungarian) that I DO understand but cannot speak back. I also explained to him that I left because they started smoking, and furthermore that I was NOT pleased with them calling me names thinking I ignorantly didn't comprehend what was being said. I'll be honest, for those of you who don't know me: I have wafer-thin skin, I really do. Things like this can really affect me easily. So I hung around for a bit longer, CJ and his girlfriend were nice to me and explained my voice is what made them think I was gay (My voice does have that lisp to it), but to say that my first experience socializing with locals was positive would be a gross over-exaggeration. Cini took me out to a nice restaurant near my dorm on Raday Utca (Street) called Puder, and we went to the Szimpla, a ruin bar and tourist attraction here in Hungary. WE didn't stay long, though, as everyone was shit-faced and vomiting. Not that I was surprised, seeing as it was a bar on a Friday night. I grabbed a cocktail and headed for the exits.

On Saturday, I woke up at noon and didn't do much. Cini went to work and I just hung around at home until she came home. Then my other cousin, Zsuzsi came over and we all chose to go out to the Danube for a Langos (Hungarian fry-bread. Some of the greatest shit on this planet; believe me!), and just to get out of the house. All goes fine here until Zsuzsi's daughter, Roza, swallows a leaf from the Danube. Unsure if it's poisonous, we rush her to a children's hostpital, and spend the better part of the next four hours waiting for service, and thankfully, Roza comes back clean, and unharmed after an analysis from the toxicologist. Cini and I had an enjoyable night, however, afterward. She made some popcorn, we drank a bottle of wine, and just talked about a lot of stuff. I really do love my cousin, Cini. She is someone I can just talk to about anything. She and I are really similar and it's just nice to have that connection with a family member out here in Hungary. 

I woke up at noon again on Sunday, but knew I'd need to get my act together fast, as I had an early wake up call the next day, as it was move-in day at Corvinus tomorrow! Cini got me a Hungarian phone, and we just spent some time at the marketplace on the Pest side of the Duna (Danube). I basically spent this day preparing for a dinner with a friend of mine who I knew in high school who was a foreign exchange student from Hungary when I was in high school. I met her sister, Zsofia, and we had dinner at the Menza Etterem es Kavezo in central Budapest. It's an amazing restaurant and I recommend it to anyone who goes to Budapest! They make fabulous goulash, langos, and other Hungarian staples there. That was a nice, relaxing end to a very hectic week.

This week here at Corvinus is only two days old and it's been even more hectic, but I'll give you updates on that tomorrow! 

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