After spending an entire day with my friends, whose nationalities I will refer to as a "garden salad" (a little bit of this, a little bit of that, some more of this, a little more of that..) at the Budapest Aquarium, I realize how very similar we are despite our most obvious surface differences. As we strolled through the exhibits housing reptiles, sharks, and cute little teeny tiny furry little monkeys, our conversations ranged from the topics of Islam to birthdays to family life to sports. But the subjects which ended up taking most of our breath were those of relationships and the people in our lives whom we care most about. Funny how much we wanted to relate to each other as humans--to share our hard times and our happy times, our losses and our loves with each other. For example take my Pakistani friend and his Islamic culture. Marriages often times find themselves with one husband a multiple number of wives whereas in my American culture, polygomy is considered ancient, disrespectful, and awfully patriarchal. Or in my Ukranian friend's case, she wears a special ring to signify and remind herself of the last time she confessed to an orthodox priest and in my Muslim friends' cases they speak directly to their god whom they believe resides very close indeed, in their own hearts. No middle man needed. I like that idea very much. Or meet my Armenian friend Grigor. I have proclaimed him my surrogate father-figure. Although upon first impression he appears a little rough around the edges, to be quite frank, like he could kill a grizzly bear with his bare hands and then eat it raw. Even the bones. But after some easy conversation, I have come to the conclusion that he is one of the sweetest men I have met. He talks openly and respectfully about his family and loved ones. Feel free to ask him for advice, you'll feel as if you just spoke with Dr. Phil and had the best therapy session of your life. He is a newlywed at 31, married last spring in Armenia. This is the best time he says, because the yellow flower blossoms cover the country. Picture this grizzly killing man frolicking through the valley of flower blossoms and you will get a good picture of him. Today he was gushing about the love of his life, 10 years his junior and of a different religion and culture, but he has never found someone who felt so similarly to him about life. His eyes teared up when he said how proud of her he is. She just got a promotion.
A gift really, is what today was.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
In the here and now
I don't know how to begin this blog today so after about 5 minutes of staring off into space with my mouth half open and my pupils glazing over, I think I am just gonna jump in.
Last night was one full of good company, good food, and good atmosphere. And loads and loads of laughter. These are the nights that you really remember, as compared to the ones spent crammed into raging clubs with lights flashing so intensly that one could have a seizure. We spent the night at a local Greek restuarant eating and engaging each other on our pasts, presents, and futures--so many people in this world with so many different stories. Just when I think I have met everyone I need to (I know, SO STUPID, don't ask about my thinking process), more come along and surprise me with their experiences and their auroas. One lesson I am learning very quickly is to embrace this experience with everything that I have. In doing so, you create unseen bridges that you can cross and recross for the rest of your life. Reflecting back onto my night makes me smile in excitement for the people, experiences, and conversations that are still instore for me. Please patient reader of my blog, embrace your experiences wherever you are, for you don't have to be in an exotic location to experience good people.
Another thing. Hungarian is hard. It makes me feel defeated when babies can speak better than I. Like REALLY defeated. But you'll all be happy to hear that I have now mastered another word...yes, one more word..I know, pathetic. The dual usage of the word "please", or in Orange County California teenage girl talk--"ohmygod PUHHHHHHLLEEEASE". I cannot tell you how rewarding it feels to actually be able to say that word in appreciation to the waiter after reading the entire menu in Hungarian and then trying to decode this mystery of a language and actually receiving what it is I truly wanted to order!! YAY!! Jubilation is the word I think I will use here to describe the way I felt. Kudos to moi :) At least it makes the waiters smile, no matter if it's at my expense.
I don't mean to make this blog into an emotional saga or banner of my dreams and wishes, but bear with me today because I'm in a mood. I hope that you who are reading this is making your life into an extension of what is there in your mind and heart. What I mean when I say this, is that I truly hope that you are fulfilling your internal "checklist" for who you are and what you want your life to be. And I hope you radiate this. It's an attractive thing--side note. I feel like as of late, I have been fortunate enough to begin to discover this and am working on the radiation part. It feels great. I hope that you have taken the time to find this out and are materializing it in this very real world now or in the near future. Whatever it may be. Feel free to revise and add on, etc. but please just find out and go with the feeling. And I like hearing about when you are, so please email me on the topic.
And finally. School starts Monday. I just picked up all my reading materials. I measured their total thickness. It comes to approximatley 14 inches of sheer text. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME.
Last night was one full of good company, good food, and good atmosphere. And loads and loads of laughter. These are the nights that you really remember, as compared to the ones spent crammed into raging clubs with lights flashing so intensly that one could have a seizure. We spent the night at a local Greek restuarant eating and engaging each other on our pasts, presents, and futures--so many people in this world with so many different stories. Just when I think I have met everyone I need to (I know, SO STUPID, don't ask about my thinking process), more come along and surprise me with their experiences and their auroas. One lesson I am learning very quickly is to embrace this experience with everything that I have. In doing so, you create unseen bridges that you can cross and recross for the rest of your life. Reflecting back onto my night makes me smile in excitement for the people, experiences, and conversations that are still instore for me. Please patient reader of my blog, embrace your experiences wherever you are, for you don't have to be in an exotic location to experience good people.
Another thing. Hungarian is hard. It makes me feel defeated when babies can speak better than I. Like REALLY defeated. But you'll all be happy to hear that I have now mastered another word...yes, one more word..I know, pathetic. The dual usage of the word "please", or in Orange County California teenage girl talk--"ohmygod PUHHHHHHLLEEEASE". I cannot tell you how rewarding it feels to actually be able to say that word in appreciation to the waiter after reading the entire menu in Hungarian and then trying to decode this mystery of a language and actually receiving what it is I truly wanted to order!! YAY!! Jubilation is the word I think I will use here to describe the way I felt. Kudos to moi :) At least it makes the waiters smile, no matter if it's at my expense.
I don't mean to make this blog into an emotional saga or banner of my dreams and wishes, but bear with me today because I'm in a mood. I hope that you who are reading this is making your life into an extension of what is there in your mind and heart. What I mean when I say this, is that I truly hope that you are fulfilling your internal "checklist" for who you are and what you want your life to be. And I hope you radiate this. It's an attractive thing--side note. I feel like as of late, I have been fortunate enough to begin to discover this and am working on the radiation part. It feels great. I hope that you have taken the time to find this out and are materializing it in this very real world now or in the near future. Whatever it may be. Feel free to revise and add on, etc. but please just find out and go with the feeling. And I like hearing about when you are, so please email me on the topic.
And finally. School starts Monday. I just picked up all my reading materials. I measured their total thickness. It comes to approximatley 14 inches of sheer text. PLEASE PRAY FOR ME.
Friday, September 22, 2006
RIOTS!
So I don't know if you have been following the happenings of European politics recently, but anyways, there are riots on my front step. Talk about political awareness. I have never seen something like this before, Minneapolis isn't exactly a place of unrest or political turmoil. The city and its people are up in arms as they should be, about the lying and scandals that have recently come to their attention. Read up on it on some international websites and you'll start to get the picture.
Monday, September 18, 2006
My guru
So Wojtek and myself are sitting here in this cafe on the corner near our apartment, creatively names "Sark" which means "corner" in Hungarian which we have started coming to on a regular basis. He is giving me lessons on the Hungarian language and more importantly, life. We have similar minds I think, Wojtek and I, although we are very different. He describes me as "American as hell" (something I have never been called before)--bubbly, smiling, and laughing all the time. I don't know what to do except laugh. HAHA. He is much more serious but once you get him talking he is a silly one, that silly Polak. And he has alot to say. Generalizing of course, the people here are much more reserved and quiet as compared to the people I am accustomed to--vibrant, emotional spazzes, myself being the ring leader. But it is as if you can feel their sadness, their past sadness, their present sadness, and the sadness still to come in their lives when you are surrounded by them in the metro or bus. They wear their loneliness on their sleeves like I wear my heart, as Wojtek says. But so far, so good here in Budapest. The city is BEAUTIFUL. The bridges are an architectural dream, especially the Chain bridge. The city lights up these at night and it makes me want to sit by this river all night.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
A little bit of Sweden here in Budapest
Back to civilization finally, yes you can all breath your huge sighs of relief for me, i have moved in to my new apartment! It's a nice little one overlooking a park and some of the Jewish district very near the Danube. My home also comes with people. I have two roommates--one is an American girl named Nicole, 27, who has been living around Eastern Europe for the past 6 or 7 years doing stuff like Peace Corps and other random volunteering. She is very down to earth and laid back. But you'd probably expect that considering she hasn't exactly been living on Lexington and 5th lately. I like her alot. My other roommate is a Polish guy named Wojtek (Vooy-tek), and NOT Veriteck like i initially called him for the first hour of our friendship :) He, plain and simple, is THE SHIT, and we will get along very well. He is 23 and has a beautiful Hungarian girlfriend. He is working as a telecommunicator making random phonecalls for General Electric to people all over Italy (I miss ROME!). I have yet to find out my new friends' future dreams and goals but I will be able to unlock their secrets soon as we have all formed immediate bonds. YAY! So now I can finally start breathing again because things haven't gone to hell like I thought they would, and I think that the three of us will have an unforgettable friendship.
Yesterday between classes I took a stroll through what they call Central Pest and district 1 on the Buda side. Such beautiful scenery..the Buda side is made up of hills and tunnels that run straight through them. The hills run down to the Danube and then stop once on the Pest side. I also noticed on my stroll, that along the river there are sets and sets of iron shoes placed along the bank on the Pest side. These I later learned, signify the Jews that were shot and killed and then thrown over the bank by Facists at the end of WWII. Pretty eerie even on a gorgeous September day.
My area is also a great place for biking (my new love introduced to me recently by a good friend), and a bike being something which I have been wanting to buy. Speaking of buying, I had my first experience with IKEA yesterday. EXCITING. Have you ever been???? NO??? Well then you MUST GO!! However, it helps to know the IKEA system otherwise you'll be quite frustrated in the beginning stages as I was, but I always dive in head first without looking. It makes things more interesting. HAHA. So if you don't know, the first MILE (seriously, it was a freaking whole mile) of the store is a walkthrough of different set ups of potential house interiors and rooms, etc. I did not know this though and was getting really peeved that not only were all the instructions on how to pick out styles, etc. in Hungarian (imagine that), but I had forgotten my translation dictionary. To add to my frustration and misery, none of the displays were for sale! The true American in me was getting so desperate as to make a purchase for my new home that a strainer was suddenly looking like fine china. But as you keep on through this maze of imported goods that anitcapitalists would scream in sheer terror at, you reach a section where everything opens up, the light shines down, and suddenly YOU ARE IN THE BIGGEST BULK WAREHOUSE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. And it was glorious. I almost cried it was so exciting. Seriously. Thank you, thank you, thank you was all I could think...I thought I had ventured all the way out on the end of the metro red line for nothing. So I made the necessary purchases of bamboo plants and espresso pots and went on my merry little way back to my home sweet home and I was welcomed home like Odysseus to his promised land -- a hero!! WE HAVE PLATES NOW...and they're made in China!!
Yesterday between classes I took a stroll through what they call Central Pest and district 1 on the Buda side. Such beautiful scenery..the Buda side is made up of hills and tunnels that run straight through them. The hills run down to the Danube and then stop once on the Pest side. I also noticed on my stroll, that along the river there are sets and sets of iron shoes placed along the bank on the Pest side. These I later learned, signify the Jews that were shot and killed and then thrown over the bank by Facists at the end of WWII. Pretty eerie even on a gorgeous September day.
My area is also a great place for biking (my new love introduced to me recently by a good friend), and a bike being something which I have been wanting to buy. Speaking of buying, I had my first experience with IKEA yesterday. EXCITING. Have you ever been???? NO??? Well then you MUST GO!! However, it helps to know the IKEA system otherwise you'll be quite frustrated in the beginning stages as I was, but I always dive in head first without looking. It makes things more interesting. HAHA. So if you don't know, the first MILE (seriously, it was a freaking whole mile) of the store is a walkthrough of different set ups of potential house interiors and rooms, etc. I did not know this though and was getting really peeved that not only were all the instructions on how to pick out styles, etc. in Hungarian (imagine that), but I had forgotten my translation dictionary. To add to my frustration and misery, none of the displays were for sale! The true American in me was getting so desperate as to make a purchase for my new home that a strainer was suddenly looking like fine china. But as you keep on through this maze of imported goods that anitcapitalists would scream in sheer terror at, you reach a section where everything opens up, the light shines down, and suddenly YOU ARE IN THE BIGGEST BULK WAREHOUSE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. And it was glorious. I almost cried it was so exciting. Seriously. Thank you, thank you, thank you was all I could think...I thought I had ventured all the way out on the end of the metro red line for nothing. So I made the necessary purchases of bamboo plants and espresso pots and went on my merry little way back to my home sweet home and I was welcomed home like Odysseus to his promised land -- a hero!! WE HAVE PLATES NOW...and they're made in China!!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
the land where everything is possible...after a while :)
Ok. GOOD NEWS EVERYBODY!! I FOUND AN APARTMENT! whew....what a freaking relief. Try finding an apartment in a city where you know one word (kersenum=thanks!), and not one soul. Thats a little bit of a challenge, almost impossible you might think...well then I HAVE ACHIEVED THE IMPOSSIBLE!!
Yesterday was our first day on CEU's campus, full of orientations and bustling people all over the place speaking in languages I have never even heard of before. You could feel the start of the new school year in the air. Nerves were flowing as usual. It feels like they are on 24/7 right now, but I have learned to shove those in a closet lately. Anyways, we start classes in two weeks but start previewing classes next week. I am looking forward to seeing what they have to offer. They say to get in all your fun now while you can because once these two weeks are up, your life will be consumed by the program. EEEEEK!! But I have a feeling I will be able to slip in some fun and turn off the study switch. As you've probably already noticed, it's not that hard for me.
Already I have met many interesting people. For instance I am listening in on this conversation right now between a group of guys, one being a REALLY annoying American. and by REALLY i mean you want to cut off your own ears because he is shooting out facts about the world and where he has been and how he is now because of his awesome life so far..BARFFFFF...and then there are those who tell stories of how their families (alot of people in the school are married and have kids) and their lives have been disrupted by war and cultural boundaries and religion and the list goes on. I am in awe. My life cannot compare. I have seen nothing compared to them. And the best part is how simple they speak about how they want their lives to be in the future and who they want to be. They won't go back and leech off parents and play video games, fingers covered in cheetohs late into their 20's. I feel like I am a small toddler learning to speak while they have already lived FULL lifetimes, yet we are the same age.
Yesterday was our first day on CEU's campus, full of orientations and bustling people all over the place speaking in languages I have never even heard of before. You could feel the start of the new school year in the air. Nerves were flowing as usual. It feels like they are on 24/7 right now, but I have learned to shove those in a closet lately. Anyways, we start classes in two weeks but start previewing classes next week. I am looking forward to seeing what they have to offer. They say to get in all your fun now while you can because once these two weeks are up, your life will be consumed by the program. EEEEEK!! But I have a feeling I will be able to slip in some fun and turn off the study switch. As you've probably already noticed, it's not that hard for me.
Already I have met many interesting people. For instance I am listening in on this conversation right now between a group of guys, one being a REALLY annoying American. and by REALLY i mean you want to cut off your own ears because he is shooting out facts about the world and where he has been and how he is now because of his awesome life so far..BARFFFFF...and then there are those who tell stories of how their families (alot of people in the school are married and have kids) and their lives have been disrupted by war and cultural boundaries and religion and the list goes on. I am in awe. My life cannot compare. I have seen nothing compared to them. And the best part is how simple they speak about how they want their lives to be in the future and who they want to be. They won't go back and leech off parents and play video games, fingers covered in cheetohs late into their 20's. I feel like I am a small toddler learning to speak while they have already lived FULL lifetimes, yet we are the same age.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
oh yah..
forgot to let you in on a couple details...walked into the hotel restuarant for a little dindin, Turkish cuisine tonight, and just as we were beginning to enjoy our onion soup, I spy out of my peripheral vision a set of GIGANTIC FLESHY JYRATING FEMALE HIPS....IN MY FACE!! the dancer was so into her moves and the fact that "her hips don't lie" that she shook her tush a little too hard and off went her bottom half of the Turkish belly-dancing costume, and at our dinner table. what a evening, what an evening--the FIRST of many, many, many unforgettable nights to come in this unfamiliar place i will learn to call home. so the answer to your question--- yes, i was given a belly dance while i ate soup. and i liked it.
and the baby in me comes out...
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
ok. now that the freakout session (for the day) is out of my system, hopefully the shock will wear off soon...so...i'm in BUDAPEST...yah I am...WOW...that is all i can really think right now...what a different place and of course i initially had 2 zillion thoughts sprint through my mind asking "why are you doing this again?" and "where exactly are you?"...but after actually taking a breath and letting the oxygen flow into my brain again I realize how AMAZING this experience is going to be. "Of course you must step out of your box inorder to get anything out of this experience" i tell myself but oh how much easier said than done that is, this is no typical university and these are not typical people, they are those who want to be involved with bettering this world and they sure are serious about it, thats a little intimidating considering while we are all sitting in a circle debating, i can't seem to keep my mind off the last guy i kissed..looks like i have some work to do...but I AM serious about this, I just dont know how serious to be because this is all so new and so unfamiliar..i know, really there is nothing to complain about, but i feel just so NAKED is the word i am looking for i think...just exposed and it is just me there, not my old college, not my parents, not friends, just me. and i'm scared, so sue me...I sit down in a small room used for wireless internet and proceed to work my savvy charm upon everyone within seeing distance. it is starting to feel better already.
ok. now that the freakout session (for the day) is out of my system, hopefully the shock will wear off soon...so...i'm in BUDAPEST...yah I am...WOW...that is all i can really think right now...what a different place and of course i initially had 2 zillion thoughts sprint through my mind asking "why are you doing this again?" and "where exactly are you?"...but after actually taking a breath and letting the oxygen flow into my brain again I realize how AMAZING this experience is going to be. "Of course you must step out of your box inorder to get anything out of this experience" i tell myself but oh how much easier said than done that is, this is no typical university and these are not typical people, they are those who want to be involved with bettering this world and they sure are serious about it, thats a little intimidating considering while we are all sitting in a circle debating, i can't seem to keep my mind off the last guy i kissed..looks like i have some work to do...but I AM serious about this, I just dont know how serious to be because this is all so new and so unfamiliar..i know, really there is nothing to complain about, but i feel just so NAKED is the word i am looking for i think...just exposed and it is just me there, not my old college, not my parents, not friends, just me. and i'm scared, so sue me...I sit down in a small room used for wireless internet and proceed to work my savvy charm upon everyone within seeing distance. it is starting to feel better already.
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