but first, hear what I have to say.
As I am recovering from being ill after traveling (I blame Alen, my awesome [but sick!] travel companion), I have a lot of time to reflect on what I'm doing here.
As I scan through the last 7.5 months, it's easy to find the fun things, the not-so fun things, the Hungarian improvement and the relationships with other volunteers that I've formed.
However, I've found myself in a sort of slump. The culture that I experience in Budapest is not exactly "Hungarian" culture. It makes me really jealous to see the experiences that other volunteers are having in rural Hungary. I've never really celebrated any of the holidays. I don't have a group of Hungarian people that I call "my family here". I don't even have much of a relationship with my workplace.
A lot of it comes from being in the city and I have loved being in the city, don't get me wrong. It's an amazing place and I've had experiences that are different. It's just not the experience one hopes to have during a year of service. In fact, I can look back and wonder "Who did I serve?" I spent all my time just trying to build relationships... and have them broken.
As it is with any job, it takes about 2 months to find my place at each placement... and about that time, it's coming to an end. I was at the school for 2 months, trying to make it work. I was at the tanoda for 4 months (but they were closed 1.5 of those - 2 weeks for Christmas, then 1 month in February). I've been at the children's house for 1.5 months. I'm not sure how long they'll stay open (do they take the school schedule and end in June?), but hopefully this one sticks.
My new job has been great for Hungarian improvement, learning to play with babies and inclusion at high cultural events on the weekends... but still lacks in normal, everyday culture.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I had only two expectations this year: learn Hungarian, learn Hungarian culture. I've learned Hungarian... and I've learned BUDAPEST culture, which is a lot different... and aside from everything written in Hungarian, this culture could very easily be transplanted into the states, so it's not very different at all.
*~*~*
There are some really cool tourist attractions in the city - sometimes they're the ones that everyone goes to... others, you have to search for. When Jeff and Katharine and I were wandering in the Castle District, we decided to do try the underground cave labyrinth. After searching for a bit, we found it! And now, I want to share the experience with you :)
Jeff and Katharine are patiently waiting for me as I "oooh" and "ahhh" over a cave café near the entrance.
Here we go! I'm going to be giving you a little tour via the pictures. One funny note: as we entered, we were each given a guide as we bought our tickets. Jeff and Katharine got English ones and I got... a Hungarian one. YES! I was mistaken for a Hungarian! :P I was pretty proud of myself :)
This is the keeper of the labyrinth - we saw him periodically throughout the labyrinth, guiding us along...
Ancient Hungarians believed in Shamanism. This is a Shaman dressed in wolf clothing and a deer mask.
According to Hungarian legend, the Magic Deer is the ancestress of the Hungarians. This is a Magic Deer being chased by two men, Hunor and Magor (representing the Huns and the Magyars).
Also according to legend, Attila the Hun inherited a mythical sword given by God to Scythian kings. He swung this sword and declared his desire to "conquer and reconcile all peoples of the world." This is a symbol of his sword being guarded by Hun soldiers.
"The Lost Rider"
"Labyrinth Cross"
Hungary was first established in 896. In the year 1000, St. Stephen started to widely spread Christianity. You may remember St. Stephen as the first king of Hungary. I'm not quite sure how he was king for 104 years, but maybe he didn't start right away. Or, maybe the guide in the Labyrinth is wrong.
Anyway, this is a Baptismal Font in honor of Christianity.
Mongols (Tartars) invaded in 1241 and nearly destroyed the country. This corrider reminds us of this invasion.
now what?
We followed the smell of wine. Mathias Corvinus was the first king to come to power without any "dynastic link". This was his wine fountain. Not sure if it's the exact one or if it's a replica. My guess is that it's a replica.
ewwww!
In 1526, the Ottoman Empire destroyed the Hungarian forces in the epic Battle of Mohács (the one AFTER the Búsós, as you may remember from my trip to Mohács, Hungary). In this battle, they also killed the Hungarian king and the independent Hungarian kingdom. This is a sculpture of the fall of the king, still wearing his crown. (it's the just top of his face - from his nose up)
As we walked along, there were different sounds being projected. The first was a simple heartbeat. There were long, slow sounds. There were shorter, happy sounds. In this place, all of the sounds came together to form a beautiful arrangement.
"Who turns and looks back from the middle? And the soul swings out from standstill. In the music of the Ivy Grotto, all the rhythms and tunes of the wanderings through the labyrinth can be heard. All the tunes. In tune. In harmony." (taken from our guide book)
and now, our guide, pointed us in the direction to go home...
No comments:
Post a Comment