The Citadella!!!

I am sitting here, listening to Andrea and Silvia chatting in the konyha (kitchen) as I am organizing pictures and writing my first newsletter, hoping to get it in the mail soon. Two months has passed and still no monthly newsletter. Hmmm… I am failing at this support letter thing. I must improve that soon.

I have really exciting news to report! I am now a LEGAL resident of Hungary! Praise God! I have the sticker in my passport and everything – I have signed every document needed and I have had every document stamped 20 times or so (Hungarians really like their stamps :P) It’s a great feeling – knowing that I do not have to go back to the Office of Immigration again. Please keep praying that Jeff and Kristy also receive theirs soon – they are the only volunteers that still need to get them. They are encountering similar issues, but deadlines are coming very, very soon.

Many of you have been asking for my address and due to lack of residential permit, I have been reluctant to give it out. However, here you are. I have enjoyed my many trips to the office only to bring home mail for my roommates (all EU citizens, who are able to live wherever they please within the EU). Please address it as follows :)

Önkentes Diakóniai Év Programiroda
Trazy Richter
1146 Budapest
Hungaria Krt. 200
Hungary

I know that mail from here to the US takes about 2-3 weeks to arrive (not really sure ‘cuz no one has told me when they’ve received my letters), so I would assume that it’s the same going this way. Also, in case you aren’t aware, it will cost more than the normal $0.44 stamp. Please go to the post office and get the correct postage because otherwise I won’t get it.

Some of you have also asked about care packages. Yes, those are appreciated and enjoyed more than you can probably imagine. We helped Silvia open one tonight and it was just… delightful. It became a flatmate affair, checking to see what she got and laughing/crying/sharing memories together. My mother checked into prices and it can be quite expensive, but depending on weight there are a couple options available. You can send a “flat rate” box, which is about $40, but you could send 50lb weights or cotton and it would all cost the same. Or, it can be cheaper to send a light package. It’s best to go to your friendly post office and check it all out first. As far as items in the box, this was ridiculous to try and think of, to be honest. I am well stocked on peanut butter now and the Americans have all been visiting and they’ve been thrilled to enjoy it, so in the future that may be a great idea. They have it here, but it’s expensive and really not the same. Also, Jodi provided me with some instant Starbucks coffee – Starbucks Via Ready Brew. It’s pretty much amazing. While I like the strong coffee over here, it’s sometimes nice to just enjoy a good cup of American coffee. Hmmm… also, I am quickly running out of reading material – so books are good, too. I just ask that you don’t send all deep theological books – there’s just so much my brain can take and after struggling in a world that I have to translate, it’s nice to curl up with a good book that doesn’t require much thinking. Other than that, I can’t really think of anything specific. OH! However, if you send anything new (other than food or personal hygiene things), please please please take it out of its packaging and make it look used (I won’t mind). If DVDs still have plastic wrap on them, or if electronics are in their original packaging, or if any price stickers are still on, the customs can claim an ‘import tax’. For someone living on an extremely tight budget, it doesn’t work well. Also, if you have never shipped anything before, please check out the rules first. You cannot send some things through the mail. Also, please note that you will need more room for the stamps when you send letters – the stamps on international letters are bigger. … Okay… did I cover everything? I hope so. Also, if you have ANY questions, please ask.

I think that covers my news for the day. I pray that you are all having a great day and that we can chat soon. Remember – my email is trazylyn@gmail.com, find me on Skype (there aren’t many Trazy’s out there), or check out Facebook for more news. I may not always respond in the most timely fashion, but that’s because my internet time is limited, but I promise to respond eventually.

*~*~*

És persze (and of course), photos :) The following pictures are all from Citadella – the fort built in 1851, used as a bunker in WW2 – home of the Hungarian ‘Statue of Liberty’ – on Gellert Hill in Buda. My favorite time to go (obviously) is at night, but I am also enjoying my early morning hikes to the top to see the sunrise.

This is a view of the chain bridge in the center and Budai Var (Buda Castle) on the left (it’s all lit up).


This is a view of Pest (the east side of the river). I live and work in Pest.


This is another view of the Duna (Danube) and two of the many bridges connecting Buda and Pest.


This is a view of Buda. Note the flatness and seemingly more residential lights. Also, you see more dark spots which are *gasp* trees!


This is the Hungarian “Statue of Liberty”. Srsly. I took my pictures of one night to Zoltán and he pointed and said “My Statue of Liberty.” It’s beautiful to see her standing tall at night and she is the TALLEST thing in all of Budapest.


This is something you’ve probably hoped you’d never see – me behind a cannon. Timothée stated “And you see? The Americans win the war!” It’s scary to see that it looks like I’m having waaay too much fun here! Plus, the lighting makes it kinda look like I’d actually fired and hit something. Jöjj! Yikes! :)

a post for my mommy...

Last night I joined Kristy and Peter at a Bible study with some women from the local gypsy community. It was very interesting to compare the homes of the people I had visited earlier in the day vs. the home I visited in the evening. You can definitely see even a class division between the two villages. The home and the women in the evening Bible study seemed of a higher class than those of the morning. I wonder why that is. Then again, even in my hometown there are class divisions among people of similar ethnic backgrounds, so it shouldn’t be SO surprising… not really sure why it struck me… hmmm…
Anyway, at the Bible study, Peter asked me to share a bit about myself… So, IN HUNGARIAN I introduced myself – shared my name, where I’m from, how old I am, what I used to do and what I am doing now in Budapest. Then Peter asked me, “as a pastor”, to share some spiritual lesson with the ladies. *woah! Caught off guard!* But God shared through me the need to step outside our comfort zones and take giant leaps of faith that sometimes land us in other countries, away from things familiar and away from loved ones. It moved one of the ladies sitting there and she responded that when we dive into something new, not only is hard for the person diving, but it’s hard for all those that love us as well.
Then, again I was caught off guard. I was asked how my mom felt about it. Keep in mind these are all women about my mother’s age, probably with children about my age or a little older. I replied that it was really hard and that Karacsony (Christmas) was going to be very hard for my mom and for my entire family. It reminded me of the second night I spent in Hungary. We shared a meal with the pastor, Erzsebet, of Sárszentlörinc (who is actually giving Kristy a Hungarian lesson as I write this). Her son had just recently left to do European Voluntary Service in the Netherlands for a year. She relayed this information and then told us that she is praying for our parents because she can relate to how they must be feeling.
I am here, and so often I forget that this is not only hard and new for me… but there is a whole ‘world’ that I left behind that this is new for. This will be the first Christmas that my family will not all be together and that’s sad. I often joke that my mom jumps when I call or say “yes, mom, I’m being careful” only because I know she’s probably my biggest fan right now. Visiting with those ladies last night made me miss her so much, even though it’s only been 3 weeks since I’ve seen her. So, anyway, if you see my mom, will you give her a hug for me? She needs all the hugs she can get. I love you, mommy!

*~*~*

It’s hard to update with some random pictures after that, eh? Well, I’m gonna try. This is a “Budapest At Night” display. These were all taken at ground level (the pictures from Citadella are coming later, promise!) during various adventures after the sun has set.

This is from the boys’ flat in Ujpest (New Pest – north of the city center) just after sunset. You can see the Buda Hills in the background and it’s just beautiful. My favorite part about the boys’ balcony (besides the fact that they HAVE a balcony) is the speed meter on the light post that you can see near the lower left portion of the picture. I truly enjoy judging people based on their speed as they enter the city. I think that’s a sign that I spend too much free time on the boys’ balcony.


This is a blurry night shot of the Buda side of the river from the Margit Hid (Margaret Bridge). You can see a cruise ship on the left and in the center, you can kinda make out the Budai Var (Buda Castle).


This is the Pest side of the river from the same bridge. Parliament just looks so amazing at night!


This is Zoltán. He’s pretty cool. He’s from the Ukraine and decided that he wants to be a statue when he grows up. We decided to let him practice for a few minutes… silly kid!


This is a view of the Árpad Hid (Arpad Bridge). You can also see Citadella up on the hill. Also, you can check out – compact cars are everywhere! This is from the Buda side of the river and you can see the Danube River and part of Pest. It was such a beautiful night!

a step left, a step right...

There's a whole other world in Hungary that I don't experience everyday. The last few days have been examples of that.
Kristy came to Budapest and wandering with her for a few days allowed me to get some of my 'tourist' out of me. It was great to walk a few feet and experience the views of the sunshine, architecture, scenery and people as Kristy would, someone who doesn't experience it everyday.
Then I joined her in Sárszentlörinc, where I thought I would experience a very quiet, slower paced way of serving. NOT TRUE! I have, in fact, been kept fairly busy and we are awake earlier here. No sleeping in on this vacation! It's been very interesting. I've also learned that I know NO Hungarian. Everyone here is speaking Hungarian, which made me realize just how much English I've used to get by. It's frustrating, but at the same time humbling.
Also, we were invited to stay and eat lunch with a gypsy family today. It's a rare invitation and the fact that I was here to accept it just made it all the more awesome. It was an experience I had hoped to have at least once, but it seemed as though it wouldn't happen in the work that I saw myself doing. Little did I know, eh? It was delicious - soup and potato dumplings (which I promised Kristy I'd teach her to make).

Speaking of recipes - here is the recipe for Gyumölcs Leves, which I made for the youth group. This makes enough for 25 servings.

Ingredients:
6 packages of frozen fruit - thawed (this is important) - berries (especially blueberries) taste and work the best :)
6 cups water
2 1/2 cups Sugar
Ground Cinnamon
6 tablespoons Water
6 tablespoons Cornstarch
12 tablespoons Lemon juice
6 cups sour cream
3 cups Milk

Drain fruit, reserving syrup (cut up large pieces of fruit). In 1 big pot combine reserved syrup, the 6 cups water, sugar and a dash or three of cinnamon. Bring to boiling; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Blend the 6 tablespoons water and cornstarch; stir into saucepan. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice. Cool to room temperature. Blend in sour cream and fruit. Stir in milk. Cover and chill.

*~*~*

and of course, pictures!

this is a playground on an island - we took our kids (all 400 of them) to this island for their "Sport Day" and this is about the coolest set of slides I've seen :)


This is hilarious. The top sign says "Sörfesztival" which means "Beer Festival" and the bottom sign says "Könyvtar Klub" which means "Library Club" ... uh... hmmm... ok?


this is a random view of Liberty Bridge from the entrance to the great market hall...


this is the first and only Chevy I've seen here - I've seen lots of Fords, but I was pretty excited to see the American brands made in my state :)


This is a group of volunteers that happened to gather together in Budapest for a few minutes - it was very random, but also cool :) Silke (Germany), Silvia (Italy), Evelyn (Germany), Timothée (France), Kristy (Canada) and Jeff and I (USA)

23 Oktober 2009

So, I thought I should update to let you know that I am, in fact, still alive.

October 23rd turned out to be a good day, but honestly it was a little lame in regards to political excitement. I awoke as I do on every holiday: without an alarm (so nice!) at 9:30a. I made a great cup of instant Starbucks (thanks, Jodi!) and enjoyed it during my quiet time for breakfast and morning devotions. It was very peaceful and made for a great start for the day.
Around 11a, I gathered my supplies for the day and headed off to the metro. I tried to keep my head down (so as to not appear to be looking for trouble, but also trying to see what was going on that I should be avoiding). I only saw a couple men in uniforms or costumes (they weren't close) carrying the Hungarian flag with a whole in the middle. Little did I know that that was all i was going to see of political activity all day.
I got to the guys' apartment safely... and okay, I take that back, because there were also men in uniform on the Metro, but they were just hanging out on the platform and not causing any trouble that I could tell. Anyway, I digress. I arrived at the guys' flat and rang the wrong doorbell (so, I'm getting really good and saying 'Bocsánot'/sorry to the elderly neighbors... oops!) Then I began baking some potato chunks :) 5 KILOS of potatos. Ehja! I was planning for 15 people (srsly, we made a list - there were 15 people - how only 8 showed up, I couldn't tell you...) Anyway, we were baking potatos for about, uh, 2 hours. Matt and I had a great conversation time while he helped by pulling the pan out of the oven to flip the chunks every few minutes. He also was a great taste tester :)
After a little while, the potatos were done and the chopping of boiled eggs, onions and celery began. Then the adding of mustard and mayo (yeah, we made POTATO SALAD!).
Then the frying of ground beef (mmm... hamburgers...) It was Timothée's -the french guy's- birthday on the same day as the Hungarian National Holiday.
Upon devouring (or not) the massive amounts of food, we had a brief internet break (did I mention the boys have internet? it's freakin' sweet!). Then we headed off to a concert in celebration of the holiday. We were invited by Timothée's co-worker, Anna, who - get this - plays the BASSOON with the orchestra that was performing.
After a good bit of classical Hungarian music, we bounced back to the boys' flat for more internet and hanging out.
then the test of Budapest transportation came. I'll admit, I was tired and cranky and after the near run to the Metro station, we realized that we had missed the final Metro. Now, the boys live WAAAY north of the city center, in Ujpest which is an interesting area bordering shady at night. Until last night, there was only one way that I knew between the two apartments: Metro. sound the worried music! Upon close inspection, we realized that we could take the yellow Villamos... WRONG! we hopped on an after a whopping ONE stop, the conductor walked through the train and kicked us off... and pointed to a buszmegallo (bus stop). ugh. We head to the buszmegallo and found a bus that basically takes us from one flat to another. SCORE!... and after a 20 minute bus ride, we arrived home. safe and sound. yay!

today, we welcomed Kristy to the big city of Budapest. It's great to spend some time with someone that DOESN'T live with Parliament down the street. Everything is new to her and she loves to go sightseeing, so it was great to walk through basically the entire city and take random pictures. It was quite possibly the best Saturday in Hungary yet.

*~*~*

I leave you with pictures of that amazing building down the street - Parliament. Enjoy!

egy level neked (a letter to you)

So, tomorrow is the big day – anyone else excited? I’m stoked to see some action in this city… not that I haven’t already seen a lot, but stoked to experience the celebration that is this national holiday. I have Wiki’ed this day to explain it in a better way than I can (okay, so yeah, I read it too because I totally don’t always understand what people are telling me, even in English!)
Linky

Wednesday night, I found God in Budapest. I’ll admit, I’ve been searching and was turning up empty, thus turning my spiritual life to be, well… stagnant. I have looked for Him in my flat, but I have yet to feel like He’s been invited in here (and yes, I know that I play a part in that role). I have looked for Him in Vörösmarty Iskola, but most of the time I just find misbehaved children with (usually) good hearts, but misguided directions in life so far… and teachers that seem too busy to sincerely care. I have looked for Him in St. Columba’s. I am sure He is working there, but I had yet to actually MEET Him there. And then some random stranger, a friend of a friend, messaged me and told me about this Bible Study on Wednesday nights. I told him I’d go and check it out. This guy and I never actually met this last Wednesday night, but God and I did. With Hungarian worship music, English songs (thanks for Amazing Grace! I needed that!), an American pastor, with translator… teaching on Ecclesiastes (I KID you NOT! I used to think that no one ever preached on Job or Ecclesiastes and at St. Columba’s, we’re working through Job… and at Calvary, we’re going through Ecclesiastes! Word!) I can't wait to go back this next Wednesday evening!

The boys' apartment now has internet which means it is only a matter of time until our flat follows suit. We hope. I can't wait until I can stay up late and schedule Skype dates with CHAOS or friends that aren't available until evening. Everytime I chat with my mommy, i think she jumps higher and higher. Hopefully others will start to jump around a bit too.

Please be praying for tomorrow. While I might be excited, I'm also a bit nervous.

***
As for pictures, I got the one I missed last time - the picture of MY ROOM (and Silke's). My bed is the one directly in front of the door, next to the window and also next to the heater. good location :)


This is a view from a balcony of our building. Not sure what it's a view of, but I thought it was cool and that I could share it with you. Congratulations, you are now 10% as confused as I am on a daily basis!


Another point of confusion. Please tell me where the "Permanent Press" picture is so that I know what's going on with my clothes. please? kthx


this picture pretty much speaks for itself. I found fake chinese! it was nummy! i ate with chopsticks in Budapest! aww yeah! also - please note the beautiful bowl of "gyumölcs leves" for desert, even though it's totally supposed to be the first course :P


another food related picture. Matt (his blog is listed to the right) and I decided that it was going to be a race to find Mexican in Budapest. Matt totally won and we ate there the next day. We have since discovered three more Mexican restaurants - can't wait to have time to try them all! However, making only a few dollars every day means eating out only once a week. we have a list going :)

Video unable to upload?! Srsly?! grrr...

Well, guys, it’s been a few days since I’ve last updated. Quite a bit has happened since then, so sorry to keep you out of the loop.
Let’s see… Jeff came to visit Budapest for a few days. It was good to see him and Kristy (who was also visiting for a few hours) again. I’ve missed our camaraderie and the fun we had the first 3 weeks of being here in Hungary. It was great to see how much Hungarian they’ve learned/had to learn in the last month. You can tell that they’ve had a much different experience than anyone in Budapest. I hope to, in one year, learn as much as they have in one month. Srsly!
In Jeff’s visit, we got to hang out with Dick and Carolyn Otterness a lot. They are such a comfort here. I love visiting with them and they have truly taken us in as family since we’ve been here. See! I KNEW they’d become like my Hungarian parents! I praise God for their presence here and their hospitality toward us and all of the volunteers. We also got to meet Paul, an American working in Croatia with teens/young adults. It was fun to go sight-seeing with him on Sunday night. We traveled to the Citadel (my FAVORITE place in the entire city!) and just had a great time laughing and sharing our experiences. The BEST conversation to come out of that night was about the toilets in Europe. I’ve honestly been waiting to have this conversation with another American because, well, they’re just… different. The biggest difference is that they have this, well… shelf… which can cause some serious issues at times… and… yeah… any more comments from me and it could turn into a very enlightening picture. However, I will keep it clean for my mother and her friends who are reading :) But I KNOW you get the picture!

In the last week have been some interesting political developments. On Monday, there was a train strike and anyone going out or coming into the city had some issues. It didn’t pose an issue for me, but many teachers were absent on this day because it also involved the commuter trains. On Tuesday, there was a demonstration outside the Parliament Building involving all the firemen in Hungary. I honestly worry about what happened if there was a fire on this day, because all the firemen were outside my flat (okay, so *I* felt safe!). Apparently the Parliament is considering budget cuts and firemen may be on the receiving end of these cuts. They were rallying in opposition of these cuts. It was a good demonstration.
This may not be the case on Friday. Everyone at the school has asked if we are staying in Budapest on Friday, which is a national holiday. When we tell them “igen” or “yes”, they tell us to take care and stay inside. Apparently there may be demonstrations that are NOT peaceful taking place and we are in a location that is the prime area. Please be praying for safety for us on this day. Silke and I have decided that we’re going to go shopping (we are having a birthday party for Timothée on this day) and then plan to be at the boys’ apartment by noon… and just stay there. They live outside the city and on this day, it will probably be safer. I’m just excited for some excitement, but yes, mom, I’ll be careful. I promise!

I was going to leave you with a video, but it wouldn't update... maybe next time? hmmm...

Until I update again, I appreciate all your prayers. Thank you so much!
Sziasztok! (See y'all later!)

Itthon (home and at home)

“You know what I want? I want to matter… to make a difference. I want someone to love me so much they would cross the ocean just to spend one hour with me.”

I found this quote in the book my mommy bought me as a “welcome home” gift of sorts. It’s called “Everything’s Coming Up Josey” and it’s about a girl (named Josey) that is moving to Russia for a year of missionary service. Sound familiar? She’ll be teaching English, but is not a teacher. Sound familiar? She’s in her mid-twenties, recently realized that she was really where she wanted to be in the world and having issues with men (is any of this really sounding familiar?!), she decided to pack up her bags and move across an ocean. Interesting…
Anyway, the quote struck me in regards to my life right now. I am slowly realizing that I am where I am and leave behind those who are there. There is no gap of people that in both places. I am not going to come back as the same person I was 2 months ago and I’m not going to come back to friends and family who are the same people I left 2 months ago. My good friend, Nick, put it very simply when I was bummed one evening at the lack of people available to hang out. I am the only one that left. Yes, my life got turned upside down, but their lives are only missing me – they still have everything else familiar around them. So, I can’t blame them for continuing without me. Yet, he understands having been in my shoes. Ejha – talk about downer post.
Anyhow, I am now home.

I have only seen one of my three roommates because last night I got home and CRASHED. I got off the plane, grabbed my luggage, walked through customs (which was hilarious! Only in Hungary is there a customs booth with NO ONE sitting in it!), walked outside… I only had 2 seconds to wonder where my bus stop was, when I realized it’s sitting across the street, just waiting for me. I hopped on and it left. It dropped off at the metro station and I hopped off, then lugged my suitcase up stairs, then down stairs to the metro which was ALSO just waiting for me. Got off at Deak Tér, switched trains and got on the other metro that was just arriving… Talk about perfect timing! It was great after a terrible plane experience.

My trip TO Grand Rapids was amazingly easy, despite the fact that computers were down in Budapest and Brussels. I never had to sit next to anyone and everyone was crazy nice. My flights back to Budapest were another story. I got on my plane in Grand Rapids and I had seat 1A – the first seat on the plane, in a row by itself. It’s a nice seat except that there’s absolutely no storage for any carry on baggage. Well, I had my backpack and saxophone with me. Turns out that I had to gate check both of those (after removing my computer and book from my backpack, of course) and the stewardess was crazy cranky. I’ll blame the fact that it’s evening time and she’s the only one on this flight and she was probably hungry and tired. Plus, of all the seats, I get the one where the reading light doesn’t work. Anyway, I land in Newark and that stop turned out okay and while I was rushed, it wasn’t too terrible. I ended up landing an aisle seat in the smallest trans-Atlantic flight I’ve ever been on – 6 across!? Anyway, I sat next to a newly engaged couple visiting Paris for vacation. They were cute and so in love! And yes, Pastor Darrell, I totally got to watch the movie I was waiting for – “My Sister’s Keeper” and yeah, so glad I didn’t pay anything to watch it – the ending was NOTHING like the book. Grrr… However, the whole time I was watching movies, I got stuck with the one seat with an annoying ring in the background of my headphones for the duration of the entire flight. I didn’t sleep much. I blame the massive amounts of coffee I drank Monday and the turbulence. I slept more on the flight from Paris to Budapest, actually. I was out cold except when the little dude next to me nudged me and handed me a sandwich. We bonded a bit as we munched on our cheese sandwiches and pointed at the Alps. We didn’t speak any similar languages and with one glance at his comic book, I know he wasn’t Vietnamese or Japanese, but couldn’t properly place which language he actually spoke. After a few seconds of wondering and smiling at him, I was out cold again. Thank goodness you all get off at the same stop on planes, because I somehow even missed the landing. Wow.

Anyway, I am home now and working on getting acclimated to life back home. I went shopping last night and got my bread, cheese, meat and cola that are essentials to my life here. I was in bed by 8p. I slept until 9a, when my roommate woke me up to see if I was joining her for school. I responded with a “maybe later, but I am too tired now.” I should have gone, but I didn’t and I slept all day. I woke up at 4p to Silke coming home from school. Hah! Today was a major FAIL on my part. Oh well. Tomorrow’s another day and I will surely join her tomorrow. Apparently we’re having pizza for dinner tonight? That’s exciting! :) Then Silvia and I are going to head to the internet bar, where I will be posting this. Life has continued in Budapest :)

Thank you for your prayers and your support – I appreciate them all. Tomorrow I will talk with Jozsí about the status of my residential permit and for now, I leave you with some pictures of the place I came home to – my flat!



*~*~*

These are my flatmates: Silvia (Italy), Andrea (Romania), me and Silke (Germany) just moments after arriving in our flat… and at the exact moment we realized we’d locked ourselves out of the flat. Whoops!


This is mine and Silke’s room. It’s the west bedroom and the smaller of the two, but it’s cozy and cute :)
(somehow I lost this picture... hmmm...)

This is our kitchen – also cozy and cute :)


This is our bathroom – complete with shower, washing machine, sink and water closet. Notso cozy or cute, but small and clean :)


This is Andrea’s and Silvia’s room – the east bedroom and the larger of the two, but also cute.


All in all, it’s a nice apartment in an very nice area.

Otthon (Home, but not there)

So, in a matter of two hours, I take off to return home. Yes, return to my home in Budapest. It was a great visit to the place I used to serve this last weekend. I got to see a LOT of family (including family I haven't seen in nearly 15 years!) and a bit of friends (thanks to Ang, Nick, Shawn, Jodi and Mike for making this weekend so memorable!) I wish I could have stayed longer, but it's time to go home.
Thursday was a whirlwind of visiting the DOCK, the Gurk family, the bank, dinner with Mom and sister, then crashing...
Friday was a busy day of running errands, hanging out with mom and sister, rehearsal dinner, then sister hang out, then karaoke with Nick.
Saturday was the wedding all day - it was beautiful and perfect.
Sunday was church (*sigh*), then family dinner, then back to make Gyumolcs Leves for CHAOS, then CHAOS, and dinner with Ang and Nick
Today I've just been chilling with Ang, Mike and Jodi - just making it relaxing and enjoyable. I stopped at church and talked to Joyce, Jeanette and Pastor Darrell for a bit - i miss my church family...
and now i'm filling up on Cafe Sua Da before heading back to place I call home. I have some good books, some music and a magazine and can't wait to begin this journey.

Please pray for safe travels. I love you and miss you all so much. <3

*~*~*

This is where I'm headed... home.
This is the front door of our apartment building. Step out this door and turn right, and there's Parliament. So beautiful.


these are the stairs we climb to get to our flat - just one floor, but still stairs :)


Emelet 1 (Floor 1)


the view down from the door of our flat


the view up from our flat.


there are no outside windows, so those are the only views we have... *sigh* i can't wait to get back there...

Sziasztok!

Yesterday, the head honcho for the RCA stopped by for a bit. Jhonny Alicea-Baez, the director of Global Missions, was visiting with Duncan Hines, the RCA representative for Europe. Of course, I was sick that day, so didn’t go to work, but met them at my school later. Hopefully I didn’t just get them all sick as well! They visited the school and the church where I am volunteering – it was crazy to be in the midst of so many important people in the life of global mission and have them all be focused on me and what was going on at Vörösmarty Iskola and St. Columba’s Church for a short period of time.

This is my last blog post from Hungary for about a week. I can’t believe I’ve actually been gone from the US for 6 weeks! It seems like just a few weeks, but yet it also seems like an eternity. At some times, it doesn’t even feel like I’ve left with familiar sights and sounds all around… At other times, I wonder if I’m only across an ocean because I feel like I’m on another planet.
Budapest is just… a sight to behold. The other night, I fell in love. I can honestly say that I will never forget that moment when I stopped taking pictures just to take it all in. I have been feeling ill these last few days… ill enough to not go to the school, in fact. By afternoon/evening time, my warm teas and meds have kicked in and I begin to feel better, so I try to get out of the flat. That evening, I took my camera and decided to do a little solo exploring – my first adventure alone here. It was interesting and I felt intimidated. I am one that honestly doesn’t like to experience new things alone, so taking this step was actually a giant leap for me. I’ll save the story for when I get caught up in my pictures, but at that moment, after a hard weekend, I knew in my heart that there would be NOTHING keeping me from returning to Budapest on Monday. It is my home for the time being and I know that I will soon find my niche here and begin to feel at home.

Upon returning, I look forward to a lot of things: actually getting my visa, starting with the afterschool programs at the school, starting to work with youth at the church, maybe finding a soup kitchen or shelter to work with… and developing some friendships with Hungarians.

But for now, all I look forward to is going home – seeing my family and my friends whom I have missed so much, even though aside from my absence, their life has continued. It feels strange that life hasn’t really changed that much for many of my friends and family members, when my life has been turned upside down. I just look forward to seeing them and sharing time with them. The thought of sharing a few hours with my best friend is getting me through the stress of the next 24 hours, for sure. The thought of being with my mom in less than 24 hours is making me tear up at this very moment. It was great when I called her yesterday and I could almost picture her smiling when she realized it was me on the other end. What a feeling that must have been for her! What a feeling it was for me – to finally speak to my mom after a month of only emailing!

With that thought, I leave you, of course, with a few more pictures. Please be in prayer for:
*safe travels
*end of the sickness
*renewal, refreshment, relaxation
*family struggles – please!
*a fantastic time of celebration and joy on Saturday – when my baby brother, Randy, and Nikkie renew their vows and have their wedding!

*~*~*

These first two pictures were taken over two weeks ago, as we left Monoszló. The first picture is of my roommates for the first 3 weeks in Hungary – Kristy, Emilie and I shared a room in Sarszentlörinc and again in Monoszló. During that time, we became quite close and I can’t wait to see them again throughout the year! :) The second picture is of the American volunteers (including Canada). We have all been together for 3 weeks, one week of which was ONLY us… and within minutes of this picture being taken, Emilie would board a bus for Magyarmecske… then Jeff and Matt would board another bus headed for Budapest, where Matt would stay, but Jeff would travel on to Nyirtulek… then I would board another bus headed for Budapest, leaving Emilie who would later travel back to Sarszentlörinc. Such a sad period of time followed such a happy picture! However, we will all be back together soon for American Thanksgiving at Dick and Carolyn Otterness’ home in Budapest.



This next picture is to show you what happens when you send a card or make pictures… It’s my bedroom wall. I basically have two open bedroom walls, so there’s a lot of room to expand. Also, what you don’t see is that I’ve also decorated my book shelf (what is the shelf in the picture) with another letter and the picture of CHAOS that was taken at the mall on the giant foam food things. Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that things don’t just get discarded – I promise! And everyone that comes into my room always has to look at them, so it is also a great time to share with others the stories I have about y’all.

pictures and prayer requests...

Just some more picture stories for you to enjoy. I haven't much of an update, but I want to catch you up on the pictures that I have in queue, waiting for your viewing enjoyment.

First, this is a picture of just the beauty of Monoszló. That's one thing that strikes me about this country - the beautiful scenery. I love it!


The next two pictures are just final pictures of our language school participants - do we look like we know how to speak Hungarian now? These are the young adults that I bonded with the most because we struggled together, we learned together, we experienced the beginning of our Hungarian life together... we played games where we 'killed each other', we encouraged each other... this is the group that I look forward to seeing again the most.



and that's all I have for now - tomorrow's another workday!

prayer requests:
* my throat is starting to get sore again - not sure if it's just a one day thing, but my flatmate has also been sick. please also pray for Andrea's healing.
* safe travels home.
* peace at home.
* the Gurk family.
* renewed ideas of where I fit in over here - tomorrow we stay afterschool to experience that program and see what our role might be during that time...

nem title...

My first Saturday of basically free time has turned to be a good one. We woke up late (9a) and were rather lazy this morning. I can’t believe that without an alarm clock, I am awake by 9a every day. It kinda sucks, but at the same time, it helps me to feel like I am accomplishing something with my life.

I realized yesterday’s post was a bit of a downer. I know that there’s a reason for my being here, but just I feel just as I stated. I feel like I also should not need to censor my feelings. Also, don’t get me wrong, as I am truly excited to go home. I just also know the stress that has come from being home for such a short time. I mean, I obviously want to be there for my brother’s wedding or I wouldn’t have paid $900 for the ticket. However, I also know that *I* bought this ticket and so I am trying to spend my time as I want/need to spend it… there is just so much to do in such a short amount of time. At least I will never be bored! Sleep deprived, igen (yes), but nem unalmas (not bored).

So now, my roommates, Silke és (and) Silvia, és Timothée are watching a movie. This is after a busy day of shopping. We found a great discount store where there were cheap soap products and some food. We also found many, many bookstores which were closed, but I look forward to exploring them. I would love to find a Hungarian/English Bible. Then we found the HUGE marketplace where you can buy meat, cheese, bread, fruits, and vegetables on the main level. On the second floor, you can buy souvenirs of all types. In the basement, there’s a supermarket, but also fish and Chinese and Mexican food items. I never thought I’d see the day when I could make tacos for my roommates! Silke doesn’t even know what Mexican food is! Srsly!

Well, I am going to return to the movie and will post this as we venture out to the bar tonight. Oh, how I cannot wait until the day when I don’t need to buy a beer in order to update you on my life in Hungary.

Tomorrow is church at St. Columba’s Church. There is a guest pastor from Bavaria, so that will be exciting :) I cannot wait until this family and I become closer and I know each of them by name.

So, now, like always, I leave you with some picture stories. I hope you love these photos as much as I enjoy sharing them with you.

*~*~*

The second night of our welcome seminar (after language school), we welcomed the Roma Glasgow Band children. The children and Gyuri (and even Matt on his violin!) provided us with fantastic music and then some dancing lessons. It was great fun! Matt seems to have gone on tour with them, having played 2 other concerts with them while he awaits for the start of his placement. Just last night, we had the opportunity to visit with them again at an ÖDÉ recruitment night and they are always a treat to watch, but they also love to teach us songs and dances as well. The songs they teach us are in Romani and I wish I knew what it is we’re singing, but I’m sure they’re good songs nonetheless!

more of an update than yesterday's post...

Going I realized today that in one week, I will be back in the United States for a short period of time. It’s a strange feeling, actually. Part of me is so excited to go back to see my family and my friends. I’m excited for my brother’s wedding and truly believe that this will be a great time of celebrating the love that he and Nikkie have for each other. The other part of me is sad and worried.

I am sad because I am only beginning to feel comfortable here. I am working on setting up a routine and trying desperately to become my own unique self here. However, we have yet to be legal (Matt and I keep getting denied our residential visas for various reasons) and Silke and I have yet to get a real job description. I think we’re getting closer, but it’s still frustrating.
On Tuesday, Jozsí, Zoltan, János, Matt and I (yeah, Trazy and the boys :P) went to Budafoki Utca, to the Office of Immigration to get our residential visas. Zoltan and János are coming from Transcarpathia, Ukraine and it seems that attempt #2 was great for them. Within an hour, they were done and on their way… Residential visas in their hands. Matt and I were another story. After getting to the office, we got a number and then sat waiting for over an hour for our number to be called. We went and spoke to an agent and things seemed to be going well, until they asked for my insurance paperwork. Problem: I have no paperwork with my name AND my number on the same paper. Matt, luckily, had this paperwork, so it appeared that at least he would be successful. Not the case. Turns out, last time we were in the office, Jozsí had asked if we needed the original lease agreement with our flat owners. The agent we spoke to then said “No, a copy would work just fine.” Not the case. So, maybe someday soon we’ll go back for attempt #3...
Everyday that I’m not at Budafoki, I am at Vörösmarty Iskola with Silke, doing nothing. Let’s take today for example. Yesterday the English teachers told us to arrive at 9a and then they would figure out what we are doing. We arrived at 9a and then they asked us what we’d like to do. Uh… * insert grand pause * … Okay, great, let’s go to a 6th grade class. “Do you know what you’d like to do with them?” Uh… * insert grand pause * … Not really because we had no idea what we’d be doing today, so we didn’t really prepare. Plus, this is a new class for me, so I don’t know what they’re learning… but yeah, we’ll figure something out. “Do they know body parts?” “Yes.” “Fantasztikus, we’ll play body parts musical chairs to practice body parts.” Then when we were done, it was the same scenario. We got to go to a 5th grade class next and apparently we were supposed to teach them days of the week and months. I had no idea. Silke had no idea. Great. I’m glad I’m good with rolling with the punches! So, we tried to play some kind of lame game with months and days of the week. By lame, I mean, srsly lame and boring, even for me. And then at 11a, we were done. We needed to wait a few for lunch, so we wandered down to the calendar and notebook store, looked at planners (yes, Kevin, I actually thought about buying a planner!)… then decided I really need one that starts in 2009, not 2010, so I will wait and get a 2009 one at a dollar store when I’m home. We went back and got lunch (no soup today, but there were UNPICKLED beets! Yum!), then we went home. At this point, I feel very much un-needed and as though I’m not accomplishing anything whatsoever, except giving the teachers a break from teaching by providing a game every day. Hmmm…

I’m also worried about going home because it’s been stressful already because I keep getting asked to do things that I CANNOT do. I am in Hungary. I am not superwoman. I will not be available for things until Saturday because, well, I fly in on Thursday evening. Due to jetlag and the fact that by then, my body and my brain will hurt, I’m not doing anything taxing. No planning. No trying to fix things. No stress. Then, on Friday, there are some things I need to do for me. Sleep in. Unpack/repack. Meet with my pastor and/or Jay, for instance. Buy brown or teal shoes for the wedding. Get some things I need, like shampoo/conditioner, stick deodorant, that 2009 planner, etc. See my family so that I can just… be with them. See my extended family. Apparently in there, I’m supposed to decorate (this has been moved from early Saturday morning to all day Friday). Not a big deal, I agreed to do it, just wasn’t planning on two days. Friday evening is the rehearsal and dinner. Then the wedding is all day Saturday. I’d planned on this – it’s the main reason I’m home – don’t plan on seeing me that day unless we’re related or you’ve been invited. Sorry. Sunday… I don’t know what I’m going to say in church. I don’t know what I’m doing here yet, so besides language school, multiple trips to the Immigration Office, English games and random sightseeing trips, I’ve done nothing. I am excited to see my other family, just not excited to explain that I have no idea what I’m doing here. Sunday afternoon is lunch with my whole family. Not sure what that’s going to entail, but it will entail something. Then Sunday night is CHAOS (guest speaker at my own youth group – so weird!) and then hanging out with dear, dear friends. Jodi and I are debriefing on Monday morning (honestly, this is quite possibly the part I’m most excited about), then I’m sure there will be some good family time in there… Then I fly out again. I wish I could come home every six weeks, but you see the stress that this one trip is going to be? Ejha! Well, enough worrying about that. I’m going to work on putting together a minute-by-minute schedule – if you’d like to be in it, email me. Chances are that if I haven’t asked you, there isn’t much time left, but please, let me know if you’d like to meet. I have a few meals and coffee breaks available, and you’re always more than welcome to come to Home Acres at 9:30a and CHAOS at 7:17p on Sunday. And for now, I leave you with pictures and a story. :)

*~*~*

During language school, we decided to take a trek up to the highest peak around Lake Balaton. Yeah, like do a little mountain hiking. It was a great time and an excellent way to spend an afternoon/evening.
These first two pictures are pictures of the actual peak. Just getting to this point was a great climb all, of course, uphill, but it was fairly smooth and enjoyable. We looked at this peak and just cringed, though.



We began our walk up the stairs. This is Silke, the German girl that I work with and room with following behind us. These steps were very steep, but little did we know that these were the easy ones!


This was taken from about half-way up. It was so beautiful and definitely worth the climb.


This is taken from the peak. The girl in the picture is Emilie, a Boston native and one of my roommates in Sarszentlörinc and Monoszló. The lake in the background is Lake Balaton, Hungary’s inland sea. It’s a very touristy part of Hungary and many foreigners vacation around the lake in the summer time.



This is a picture of the place where I took the first two pictures. Look at how high up we are!


And this is the language school crew, minus the two Hungarian speaking helpers. From left to right – top row: Evelyn (Germany), Emilie (USA-Boston), Simon (Germany), Kristy (Canada), Zsofi (Hungary-our teacher), Isabel (Germany), Silke (Germany), Jeff (USA-Holland, MI)… bottom row: me, Heidi (Denmark), Romain (France), Matt (USA-Cleveland), Timothée (France)… What a good looking group of people :)