Home Is Where the Heart Is

Flowers from my students 

A little over 6 months ago, I was on my way to Hungary, ready for a new adventure in a new country. I left behind my family and friends so I could explore Eastern Europe and have an amazing experience. I have learned so much during my time here, but that time is quickly coming to an end. On Friday, August 29th, I will be returning to the US. Although I am very excited to rejoin my family, I know I will miss some of the wonderful people I have met while in Hungary. 

Moncsi, Ricsi, and I 

Ancsa and I 

First, I'm going to miss my students. I know that sometimes they found my class boring and simply had no desire to converse in English, but they were still nice about it, and I really enjoyed talking to them. I consider many of them to be my friends, so it will be hard to say goodbye. There were numerous times they could cheer me up when I was having a bad day, or make some comment that made me laugh. I can't wait to see what great things they accomplish after high school. They were a lot of fun, and I know I will miss them a lot. 

A selfie in front of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna

Secondly, I am going to miss the other teachers, especially my fellow English teachers. Although I always had a ton of questions for them, they remained patient with me, which I really appreciated! Plus, they invited me places, and helped make me feel welcome in my new surroundings. It was a joy to work with them, and I will miss them as well. 

Hiking in Romania

I have also had the opportunity while here to travel to a lot of new places, for which I am very grateful. I met a past professor for a day in Budapest, went hiking in Romania with Szilvi, spent a few days in Vienna, went to Poland, spent a week with my aunt in Rome, and went to Ireland for 10 days with my family. It has been a blast, and I'm so glad I was able to have this opportunity.  

Posing in Poland 

I read a quote a long time ago on Pinterest that said "I have left my heart in so many places," and that message resonates a lot with me. I still miss all the amazing people I met while I lived in England, most of whom are either still in England or spread out in the United States. Some of my friends who have also graduated from Bluffton are moving across the country as well. And, now a piece of my heart will always be here in Sarkad with the quirky and interesting people I have met on my adventure. I am excited to return home, but I know I will miss my Hungarian family as well. 

So, thanks for everything Hungary! It's been real. 

Ireland: Tales of family, driving on the other side of the road, and soft weather

I traveled to Ireland to meet with my parents and younger sister for ten days, and it was an amazing trip! I left on August 6th! I had to go to the school first to check into my RyanAir flight and print off the boarding pass. Then, I took the bus to Gyula.  I was taking two suitcases, so unfortunately there was no room for me to sit on the bus, so I stood for the whole 30 minute trip.  Then, arriving in Gyula, I waited around 15 minutes before catching a bus to Békéscsaba. I then took a train to Budapest. While on the train, I was screamed at by the train conductor in Hungarian because apparently I had accidentally purchased a discounted ticket without realizing it. Fortunately there was a man sitting across from me who could speak English, so he was able to translate for me and convince the train conductor to not only stop yelling at me, but also to decide to void my return ticket and have it work for one direction. It was stressful to say the least, but considering how many times I have been yelled at by Hungarians, it's becoming routine. When I arrived in Budapest, I tried to call the airport minibusz service, but it turned out my phone was out of minutes, so I took the metro and 200E bus to the airport.

My flight was delayed two hours, much to my disappointment, but I finally arrived in Dublin! I had been told to take the 747 bus to a tram, but I couldn't find the 747 bus at all. Instead, I took the 16 bus to the city center, and then took a taxi to where we were staying. Unfortunately, the taxi driver short changed me by 10 euros, but I was so glad to see my parents, it didn't matter! They took me up to the apartment we were staying in, and then I got to see Mary, too. It was beyond awesome!

Inside the Jameson Distillery

Dad after receiving his certificate

On our first full day in Dublin, we started with the Jameson Distillery. It was so cool! We all love Jameson (although Mary doesn't drink it straight like the rest of us), so it was a wonderful time. We learned all about the triple distillation process of making Jameson, and all the other steps in making the delicious drink, including how things worked historically, as compared to now. My dad took part in the whiskey tasting part, comparing Jameson, Johnny Walker, and Jack Daniels, and received a certificate! It was awesome.

Dad, Mom, and Mary in the museum

After going to the Jameson Distillery, we went to the Irish National Museum. For some reason I really dislike museums, but the rest of them had a great time. I did learn a lot about how Irish immigrants were involved in so many of Americas wars. They had a section on wars, which my dad enjoyed, and then there was an Asian exhibition, and a different section with silver snuff boxes, tea pots, and other random things. There were a LOT of snuff boxes, let me tell you. There was also a furniture section, and a section of items from a Franciscan monastery.

Irish National Museum Courtyard

Long Room at the Trinity College Library

On the second day, we started off by going to the rental car place in order to make sure everything was in order for when we went to pick the car up the next day. Everything was fine, so we then went to the city center. We stopped for lunch at a delicious pub to get out of the soft weather (aka rain), and then went to Trinity College. We went to the Trinity College Library, looked at the Book of Kells--which was incredible!-- then went into the Long Room. It was really neat!

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Enjoying my complimentary pint of Guinness 

Next, we walked to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It has a beautiful garden, and the church itself was lovely. We wandered around there for a while, and then walked to the Guinness Storehouse. The Guinness Storehouse, we found out, is the biggest tourist attraction in Ireland. More people visit there than the Cliffs of Moher, the Giant's Causeway, or any of the other beautiful places in Ireland. That's insane! The Guinness Storehouse was overpriced and much less cozy than the Jameson Distillery, but I'm glad that we went and experienced it all the same.

I'm at Blarney Castle enjoying the soft weather

On day three we went to the car rental place again, picked up our car, and took off for Cork! My dad did really well driving on the opposite side of the road, but trying to navigate Ireland's tiny streets was interesting. We made it to Cork without any difficulties, and after moving our belongings into the apartment we were staying in, we went to Blarney Castle. The castle itself didn't have as much intact as other castles that I have visited in the UK, but the grounds here were beautiful! And, we all kissed the Blarney Stone, which was cool! 

On the next day, we wandered around Cork. We started the day out by going to mass at Trinity Church. That is the first time I have been to mass in English in over 5 months, and it was so great! Going to mass in Hungarian, German, Polish, or Italian is not the same, so getting to celebrate it in English was incredible. After mass, we took advantage of a cute little walking path through Cork that takes you by their main tourist attractions. We saw an old fort, St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, the Red Abbey (a tower left over from an old Augustinian monastery), and South Chapel (the oldest Catholic Church in Cork). After enjoying these little gems, we went to Penny's, which is the Primark of Ireland. I loved Primark when I studied abroad in England, so going to Penny's was a blast! Mary really enjoyed it as well, and got herself an adorable outfit. 

South Chapel in Cork

The lovely landscape at Dingle 

On day five we left Cork early in the morning to drive to the Dingle Peninsula. Getting to our Bed and Breakfast was a bit stressful because the GPS couldn't find it, but once we asked for directions in Dingle everything went smoothly. After stopping for lunch, we went to drive around the peninsula. I LOVE DINGLE!!! It is such a beautiful place!! We stopped at some cottages that people lived in during the Irish Potato Famine, saw some beehive huts, climbed up a random hill for no reason (okay, there was a great view, but still), went to Brandon's Creek, and finally, saw the Gallerus Oratory and Kilmalkadar Church. 

Gallerus Oratory

The Gallerus Oratory was built in 700AD, with walls that are 4 feet thick and made of stone without mortar. It still stays completely dry when it rains, which we experienced first hand! It was amazing. Apparently it was originally built for a small monastic community. The Kilmalkedar Church was built in the 12th Century. It wasn't as impressive to me as Gallerus, but it was still really cool! It's amazing that something so old is still around.

Kilmalkedar Church 

My parents at Dingle Peninsula

Cliffs of Moher

On the sixth day we sadly left Dingle and headed for the Cliffs of Moher. The drive took us through some amazing scenery, and then we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. Oh. My. Gosh. They were so beautiful! And majestic! I simply so not have enough adjectives to describe how staggering they were! I would highly recommend going there if you are in Ireland. Seriously. They're awesome. Mary picked this location, so she gets major props!! After exploring the Cliffs of Moher, we left for Galway, where we spent the night before returning to Dublin.   

After enjoying a delicious breakfast at our B&B, we drove the 2 and half hours back to Dublin. When we arrived, we dropped the car off and went to go to our hotel. Unfortunately there was something wrong with my Google map directions, so it took us a while to get to the hotel (it was on Pembroke Road, not Pembroke Street), but we eventually made it. After settling into our rooms, we went to eat lunch at a north African restaurant, which was so delicious! Then we walked to St. Stephen's Green, a nice little park near our hotel, before walking into a shopping area where we looked at books and souvenirs.  

The next morning (Aug. 14th) after a tearful goodbye (at least on my part), my parents and sister left for the airport and the US. I stayed in Dublin another full day, and flew home on the 15th. I spent the night at a hostel in Budapest because my flight landed at 9pm, and then took the train back to Békéscsaba the following morning. I then took the bus to Sarkad, and made it back to my apartment before 11am. I already miss Ireland, but I miss my family even more. I feel so blessed that I was able to enjoy a vacation with them in Ireland, although I do wish my older sister Rachael could have gone as well. 

That's all I have to share at the moment, but this summer vacation is finally coming to a close. TTFN! 

A Roman Holiday

From July 22nd to July 29th, I went to enjoy Rome with Aunt Mary. I know I normally give a day by day description of my travel, but since this trip lasted 8 days, that would be tiresome to write and read.

Pantheon

Let's start with the sights I saw while in Rome. First, we went to the Vatican Museum, and I finally got to see the Sistine Chapel! Last time when I was there with Kaylee, the Sistine Chapel was closed because they were choosing the next pope. Although it was exciting to be there during that time, we were both disappointed to miss the Sistine Chapel, so finally seeing it was awesome! We went to multiple churches, which were incredibly beautiful. We visited the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Villa Medici, saw beautiful fountains (although the Trevi Fountain was under construction), and saw the Mouth of Truth. Rome is full of so many beautiful sights that it is amazing.

Pope Francis saying the Angelus 

We also had the opportunity to see Pope Francis say the Angelus! It was so amazing to see him in person! St. Peter's Square was completely full of people, and it was awesome. 

The other amazing thing about Rome is  the food! Although Italian food is still delicious when it is prepared elsewhere in the world, it is unbelievable in Italy-- as one would expect. Most mornings we went to a pastry shop across the street and had the most amazing croissants and other pastries. I can't explain how amazing they were. The pasta, pizza, and paninis I had were insanely delicious, and I don't know how they could be that great. Yum! 

Seeing my aunt was also wonderful. It was so nice to see someone from my family and have a chance to speak English! Considering how isolated I am in Sarkad, it was incredible to see a familiar face. 

Overall it was lovely to return to Rome! 

Now I will be returning to Ireland tomorrow to meet my parents for 10 days! I am absolutely thrilled to return to Ireland and see new parts of the country, but the best part is getting to reunite with my parents and younger sister. The only way it could be better would be if my older sister could be there, too! 

Poland!

On July 5th Szilvi, Lajos, and I got on a bus at 7:30am to go to Krakow. Brimming with excitement over the upcoming adventure, I was much too excited to sleep on the bus. Sarkad is located in the Great Plains of Hungary, which basically means everything is really flat and there are fields everywhere, much like Ohio. However, one difference is that there are a lot of fields of sunflowers here in addition to wheat, corn, and hay/ straw. Most of the way there I admired the fields and listened to music. Unfortunately our bus drivers got lost a few times on the way there, so it took longer than expected. Once we reached northern Hungary and entered Slovakia it was much hillier. 

Castle ruins we passed on our drive through Slovakia

Here I am at the top! 

At around 5pm we arrived in Zakopane, Poland. This city is used by a lot of tourists for skiing in winter, but they also have a lot of tourists in the summer as well.  The place was brimming with people while we were there. We only had an hour to spend there before we needed to get back on the bus, so we headed towards the funicular so we could visit the top of the mountain. It was lovely up there and we could see the Tatra mountains and Zakopane down below us. There were also a lot of stalls selling food and other souvenirs, and a large bungee jumping contraption that looked frightening, but the girls who tried it seemed to enjoy themselves.

A picture of one of the girls bungee jumping

We got back on the bus and finally arrived in Krakow at around 10, although we got lost trying to find our hotel. We stayed in Hotel Studenckie, which looked like it was a dorm that they were allowing tourist groups to use over the summer. The hotel had teamed up with a restaurant called Eden, so we ate at Eden for breakfast and dinner every day. They served us dinner when we arrived, although by that time I think most people wanted to go to bed instead of eat. the food was good, and then we were free to go to our rooms. While we were there I shared a room with a woman named Andi. She didn't speak any English, but we got along fine. She was very nice. 

Divine Mercy Sanctuary 

The next morning we were up at 7 for breakfast. Then we hopped on the bus to go visit Divine Mercy Sanctuary, a Catholic church that has a Hungarian chapel underneath the main church. The bus drivers got lost on the way there, but we made it safe and sound. The chapel was lovely with beautiful mosaics of Hungarian and other European saints. After we were told a bit about the chapel, we had an hour to look around the church. We went upstairs to the main church and there was mass going on, so I stayed for mass while Szilvi and Lajos went up to the top of the tower. There were a lot of confessionals lining the sides of the church, so I went and asked one of the priests if he spoke English. He didn't, but he showed me to a priest who did speak English so I was able to have confession, which I haven't been able to do since moving to Hungary (no priests here that I've met speak English, and I don't speak enough Hungarian yet). Szilvi and Lajos came to get me, and we went back to the bus. 

One of the mosaics in the Hungarian Chapel 

Cloth Hall in Main Market Square

We then were taken to Krakow's Old Town. This place is absolutely stunning. The building are beautiful, and there is an incredible atmosphere there. We stopped to listen to a trumpet playing outside of the tower in St. Mary's Cathedral, and then walked over towards the Cloth Hall.  From there we walked to Jagiellonian University Museum: Collgium Maius, where we watched a clock show at 1pm-- when the clock struck one a procession of statues made their way around the clock while a song was playing. It was interesting. 

After that, we went inside the Cloth Hall for a few minutes, then went inside St. Mary's Cathedral for a few minutes. They were having mass though, so we couldn't stay long.

St. Mary's Cathedral in the Main Market Square

Then we were on our way to Auschwitz. Auschwitz is only around 70km from Krakow, but it took us 2 hours to get there because the bus drivers got lost again. Thankfully I took advantage of the time to take a nap. 

Entrance to Auschwitz I

We arrived at Auschwitz and prepared for our tour. I found an English tour a few minutes into our Hungarian tour, so that was helpful. I'm not sure I can find words to describe what it is like to walk through an area where millions of people lost their lives due to racism and greed. We walked by rooms full of hair cut off of the women after they were murdered, empty cans of the gas used in the gas chambers, their plundered belongs, including glasses, shoes, suitcases, pots and pans, the childrens' toys. It was quite moving. 

Hair brushes and combs stolen from the victims. These are only the ones that were left when the camp was liberated. 

I learned that the majority of the Jews murdered at Auschwitz were Hungarian. I learned that they would use the hair of murdered Jewish women to make rugs for Germany. It is horrific to imagine that anyone would be willing to do that to another human being. During my tour I also saw the starvation cell where St. Maximilliam Kolbe volunteered to take the place of a man who had a wife and children. He survived for two weeks without any water or food, and then the SS gave him a lethal injection. There is still a candle in there that St. Pope John Paul II placed in there in St. Maximillian's memory.  

A gas chamber

We saw a gas chamber, where victims were told they would receive a shower before being killed in minutes by cyanide gas. Then their bodies would be placed in a furnace (which we also saw). We learned that there were instances that they had too many bodies to put in the furnace, so they would pile the bodies up outside and set them on fire. Polish people who lived nearby apparently wrote to the Allied countries, but they supposedly didn't take action because it wasn't a military base. However, if they did bomb the camp, they would have just killed more Jews, so I'm not sure what should have been done.


After touring Auschwitz I, we clambered back on the bus to be taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the second Auschwitz camp that was built later on when they couldn't hold all the victims any longer.

Entrance to Auschwitz- Birkenau 

Auschwitz-Birkenau is almost twice the size of Auschwitz I. It help a lot more victims, and even more people were murdered there than the other camp. We walked through the entrance, the same one shown in Schindler's List, and could see the barracks, guard towers, and the bleakness of this second camp. We were shown one of the barracks. Apparently they were originally made to hold 42 horses, but instead 400 prisoners were forced to squeeze in there every night.

Barracks were 400 inmates were forced to sleep

We were also shown the toilets the victims had to use, and told they were given 10 seconds in the morning and 10 seconds after work to use the bathroom. If they didn't comply, obviously there would be violence as a result. 

Following this, we climbed to the top of the entrance of the camp. There were just barracks in every direction. It's impossible not to feel despair, anger, and disappointment in the human race after leaving Auschwitz. 

Toilets for the victims

I have heard people before question whether the Holocaust really happened or not. I find that view offensive and simply ridiculous given all the evidence in the contrary, including the eye witness accounts of victims, but I think it would be impossible for anyone to question the reality of the Holocaust after visiting the concentration camp. It was truly a worthwhile experience, and I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to go there while I was in Poland.



Following our tour of Auschwitz, we went back to our hotel and had dinner. I had some Polish beer during dinner, and I must say that it was quite enjoyable! Considering how much I normally dislike beer I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it.

A statue carved from salt of St. JPII 

The next morning we started off our day by touring the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The mine is full of impressive carvings made from salt. It's a neat place! When taking the tour you walk around 1.5 miles, and the deepest part you are 135 meters underground. You also have the joy of walking down around 800 stairs, but thankfully an elevator takes everyone back up to the top.

After our trip to the Salt Mine, we went back to Krakow to Wawel Castle Hill. It is so beautiful! We toured Wawel Cathedral. Luckily I was able to get an English audio guide for this part, and I learned a lot about Polish saints, royalty, artists and writers, and had an absolutely lovely time. I love exploring beautiful churches, so it was fantastic. I climbed up to the bell tower, visited the crypt, went into the St. JPII chapel, and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Wawel Cathedral

After touring Wawel Cathedral we went on a bus ride through the Jewish Quarter of the city. We stopped outside the current synagogue, drove past Schindler's factory, and probably saw other things, but since I was tired and couldn't understand the tour guide, I took advantage of the opportunity to take a nap. Then we were taken back to the Old Town, and had free time to do whatever we wanted in the city. Szilvi, Lajos, Andi, and I went back to Cloth Hall to get a few souvenirs. I bought gifts for each of my parents, and I'm excited to give the gifts to them in Ireland! I'm also excited to shop for my sisters while I'm in Rome.

We then stopped at a confectioners shop to get some chocolate and found a cafe where we could sit outside in the Main Market Square, quench our thirst, and rest our feet a bit.  Once we were feeling better, we toured a few churches. They were absolutely stunning! Krakow is apparently the most Catholic city in Europe's most Catholic country, so you can imagine that there are beautiful churches everywhere. 

We headed back to the bus which drove us to the hotel with around 30 minutes to spare before dinner, so Szilvi, Lajos, and I went down the street to get food for the trip home. We made it back for dinner, and after dinner we drank beer and chatted about various things. It was a lovely evening. I then went back to my room and packed, dreading our 12 hour bus trip home. 

A picture of the Dunajec river with Slovakia on our right

We woke up early the next morning for breakfast and were on our way. However, our bus ride home was much better than the trip there because we not only didn't get lost, but also stopped for a 2 hour boat trip down the Dunajec!  

A view of the small wooden boats we travelled in and the outfits the rowers wore

We sat on these little wooden boats and had two men row us down the river. It was so lovely outside, and definitely was much better than sitting on a bus. Our rowers didn't speak English or Hungarian, but we still managed to communicate. It was simply idyllic there, with the mountains, cute little houses with hammocks on the banks, and the sound of water. 

We got back on the bus and headed home. We reached Békéscaba at around 8pm, and headed back to Szilvi and Lajos's house. I spent the night there so I could visit the immigration office the next morning. 

I absolutely loved Poland! It was so beautiful, and I can't wait to go back in December with my sister Mary! It is a great place, and I would highly recommend it. Now I have 11 days until I leave for Rome, so I am trying to prepare. I can't wait for my next adventure! Well, that's all for now, but I promise to write about my Roman Holiday. Ta-ta for now! 

Summer Vacation

School's out for summer! If you can't tell, I'm absolutely thrilled! I will definitely miss my students, but since I will probably see them over the summer at various times, I'm not too torn up over the situation. I have so many incredible trips planned for this summer that it is impossible not to be excited!

11 C's goulash 

Friday was our last day of school. Hungary does a lot of school related things differently, and the last day of school was no exception. We were supposed to have the first three lessons like on a normal day, but most students and teachers just went outside to enjoy the lovely weather (it was 27 C). Then, after the "lessons" all the students went outside. Each class prepared food that they made over a fire. I spent most of my time with 11C and 9 KNY, and they made goulash (11 C) and chili (9 KNY). 11 C's class is really musical and most of them play guitar, so for most of the day they played popular songs on guitar and I sang along. It was so much fun! I wish we had done that during the school year, but I will definitely plan on spending a few classes singing/ playing next year.

Ancsa (from 11 C) and me

While we were singing, the school had several games organized, like tug of war and other similar types of competitions. They also played music (most of which was in English) that sounded like David Guetta altered popular songs. There were also videos made by each class that they tried to show everyone, but the screen was difficult to see because of the sunlight, so I don't think we watched each class's video. However, since they were all in Hungarian, I didn't really know what was happening.

Masa, the exchange student from Japan, was recognized in front of the school, and he gave a small speech where he thanked everyone and expressed how sad he was to leave his new friends. Thankfully he won't actually leave Hungary until July, so I don't have to say goodbye yet! He will be presenting about Japanese culture on June 30th in Sarkad, so I am really excited to learn from an actual Japanese person what their culture is like!

Selfie with Moncsi and Ricsi (9 KNY students)

I went over to say hi to 9 KNY and they ended up feeding me some of their chili and some cake. It was delicious! They are so much fun to be around, so I really enjoyed being able to spend more time with them before summer. They walked home with me, and we made plans for a swimming trip this upcoming week! The last day of school was quite relaxed, and was really nice.





These first two days of my summer break have been spent cleaning, learning Hungarian, baking, reading, and enjoying having so much free time! I am already counting down the days until my first trip (19 days until Poland!). I purchased my plane tickets for all of my trips, so now they are finally feeling real! I can't wait to explore a new country with Szilvi and Lajos, travel with my Aunt in Rome, and reunite with my parents and younger sister Mary in Ireland! I think this is going to be an amazing summer!

Female Solo Travel

Alright, so this is a topic I have been thinking about for a while now. I am constantly bombarded with questions and comments from people because I am doing so much travelling alone. So, I'm going to share my thoughts on the matter! Fasten your seatbelts people, because it's about to get real.

Travelling alone is not that big of a deal. I know that probably sounds crazy, but it's true. I have found that when I travel someplace new I normally spend the first day wandering. In fact, I generally get lost. ON PURPOSE. When I told my Becoming a Scholar students about this at Bluffton, they all were shocked and had pretty similar questions: "Aren't you afraid?" "What if you are abducted?" These questions are still following me to Hungary. My students always seem genuinely sad for me when they realize I am travelling alone. I am frequently asked if anyone will be with me, and when I reply that I'll be alone, they generally say, "Oh, that's too bad." Other students have mentioned that they are afraid to fly to a different country alone. I'm always asked whether or not being alone in a big city frightens me.

The answer isn't terribly complicated. I love to travel. I love meeting new people, seeing new places, experiencing a new culture, and if I am alone while doing these things, it isn't the end of the world. Travelling alone has its perks. When travelling alone, you can take your time when observing new places and you can absorb more about a culture or place. You can make your own decisions about where to go, what to see, whether or not something is worth the entrance fee, and no one will be hurt or angry. If I want to sleep in until noon, that's my decision. If I want to wake up at 7:30am, I can do that without making anyone else grumpy. My choices are my own, and it is a liberating feeling.

As to being afraid, for the most part I feel very comfortable. The great thing about big cities is that there are so many people that no one really cares what you are doing. However, I would be a liar if I said I am never afraid or uncomfortable. There were times in Vienna when it was getting late and I did not feel safe walking alone. Simple answer? Don't go walking around alone late at night. There are other precautions that I take as well. I always inform my family of my plans, and usually tell people here in Hungary as well. I pay attention to my intuition, and if I feel uncomfortable I get out of the situation. I've also found that acting confident not only helps me feel confident, but also gives of the impression that I know what I'm doing. In Vienna I had multiple people asking me for directions to various landmarks, so either I look approachable or knowledgeable (or both). And, best of all, I have never been in a situation so far that I felt in danger.

The fact that travelling alone is such a big deal for women is a sad commentary on society. I realize there are aspects of travelling alone that make it frightening for both genders (not knowing the language, possibilities of getting lost, etc.), but that it is considered even more dangerous for women is depressing and a clear sign that something needs to change. I know I'm not the first person to express these thoughts and ideas-- there are entire blogs dedicated to female solo travel-- but how many times will I have to fend off questions like the ones mentioned above? Why must women be pressured to stay in one place out of fear?

In conclusion, I would also like to mention that I think it is important for people to step outside of their comfort zone. When I push myself beyond what I thought I could do, I learn more about myself and grow as a person. Travel is a fantastic opportunity to grow, to learn about other people, and to open your eyes to what the world is like from a different perspective. It's a way to gain confidence, to learn how to budget time and money, and to make new friends. I would say it is completely worth it. So, although I may viewed as unusual and foolhardy, I refuse to let fear (my own or anyone else's) hold me back.

Budapest Day Trip

Szilvi and I posing after the concert

This weekend I went on another day trip to Budapest! Szilvi and Lajos are part of a choir at their church and had a concert in Budapest. They were kind enough to invite me along, and I leaped at the opportunity to return to Hungary's capital.

The choir left early on Sunday morning (at 5:45), so I spent the night at Szilvi's house. She made Mexican food for dinner, and it was delicious! We watched YouTube videos and enjoyed each others company until midnight, and then went to bed. I woke up at 4:30, got ready for the day, and then we were off! The bus ride was uneventful, so after a few hours we arrived safely in Budapest. The choir performed at Buda Castle in the National History Museum.  They sounded fantastic!

Matthias Church 

After the performance, we walked around the Buda part of the city. We saw where the Hungarian head of government (I think he is called a prime minister, but I'm not positive... sorry!), and there was a changing of the guards while we were there. Then, we went towards Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion. They are so beautiful and offer such amazing views of the city! We went to eat lunch at a self serve cafe, and it was delicious. Then, we walked back towards the bus and went home.

Fisherman's Bastion

Okay, so I think Budapest is incredible, and I'm going to try and explain why I feel that way. First of all, the city itself is unbelievably lovely. The architecture is stunning. Secondly, there is so much history there. Yesterday while we were walking around Lajos pointed out a building that the US occupied for a long time after the World Wars, and you could see the bullet holes (or maybe the damage was caused by a bomb blast) in the walls. The history is right there staring you in the face if you pay attention. The third reason I love Budapest is the topography. The Buda half of the city is really hilly, while the Pest side is quite flat. There is also a river, which adds to the atmosphere; basically there's a lot of variety and something to interest everyone! Budapest also has an atmosphere that I find different from other capital cities I have been too. I don't know how to describe it except to say that the city feels safe, is clean, the people seem friendly, and I thoroughly enjoy myself every time I visit.

Another Picture of Matthias Church 

The view of Parliament from Buda Castle 

Hungarian Food

Stuffed Cabbage 

This past week I have been talking with the 9 KNY students about food. Why, you may ask? Well, they have an English exam at the end of May which will determine whether or not they can stay in the bilingual program or not, and one of the categories is food.  We have discussed British food, American food, and Hungarian food, but a few days ago the students surprised Aman (my British co-worker) and me by telling us a few of Hungary's more unusual foods.


Before I discuss these foods which are quite strange to Americans and Brits alike, let me just say that a lot of food in Hungary is quite enjoyable. Everyone has heard of goulash (at least I hope you have), which originated in Hungary, and there are many other food which I really like, including stuffed cabbage and chicken paprikash.  Buzzfeed Food even did an article about Hungarian food called "33 Hungarian Foods the Whole World Should Know and Love" which one of my students shared with me (If you would like to read it, here's the link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/anitabadejo/hungarian-foods-the-world-should-know ). Although there are common Hungarian foods that are still a bit odd to my American tastebuds, like soups made out of fruit, I still haven't tasted anything that I couldn't eat.


Getting back to the story, my students decided to bring up more unusual Hungarian foods for the enjoyment of Aman's and my reaction, and we did not disappoint. Here are some of the foods they told us about:

1. Some Hungarian will occasionally eat fat on toast instead of butter. One of the students also mentioned that some of the older generation will put sugar or paprika powder on the fat. I was told that this tradition started because families didn't have much money, so they would use fat instead of butter of margarine. 
2. Hungarians have a day when the family gets together and they kill a pig. They then make the pork into bacon, sausage, etc., but some Hungarians also eat parts of the pig that are not eaten in American, like the pig's ear, tail, and legs.  I think they also use pigs blood in some sort of recipe, but I'm not sure what recipe. 
3. There is another meal where they eat the genitalia of a rooster. Hungarian also will eat the lower leg of a chicken, the chicken's neck, and the head of a chicken. 

So, to my American friends, these all probably sound a bit strange and unappetising.  I personally haven't tried any of these foods yet, but I would probably try them if the opportunity arose. They have to taste alright for people to still be eating them, right?

On the other hand, some American foods seemed really gross to my 9 KNY students. First, they thought gravy looked really disgusting.  I find this amusing since I don't know anyone who dislikes gravy, but maybe if I make it for them they will change their mind. The students also did not like the idea of shepherd's pie, quiche, or chicken pot pie, and thought all three looked inedible.  They also think stuffing looks unappetizing.

I think discussing food with my students has been extremely entertaining and educational for both sides. There were a lot of horrified looks and laughter, and I personally had a great time. It's been fun learning about the cultural differences between Hungarians and Americans, and I look forward to learning more!

Vienna

I did not have to work from May 1st to May 7th, so I took advantage of the break to travel to Vienna. I left early on Saturday morning, took the bus to Békéscsaba, then a train from Békéscsaba to Budapest, and finally a train from Budapest to Vienna. Overall it was a little less than 7 hours of travel time, and very inexpensive, especially compared to train prices in Western Europe! The trip was fairly uneventful, except that from Budapest to Vienna I had to sit on the floor; they sold more tickets than there were seats, so I sat on the stairs in front of the exit with a group of boys from England.

I arrived at around two in the afternoon, and immediately did something equal parts embarrassing and entertaining. There was a taxi queue outside the train station, so I walked up to one of the cars and asked if they could take me to Wombat's City Hostel. Much to my chagrin and amusement, the car was NOT A TAXI! He had parked in the taxi queue, but somehow I managed to choose the only car that wasn't a taxi! When I realized my mistake, I said "Really? Well that's embarrassing," and started to laugh. So, I decided to take the metro instead. The metro was uneventful and it only took 15 minutes to go from the train station to my hostel.

I checked into the hostel, dropped off my luggage in my room (they had lockers in each room, so all of my belongings were secure), and took off to explore Vienna. My hostel was in the Naschmarkt area of the city, which was advertised as a sort of farmers market, so I decided to begin my explorations there.  Much to my disappointment, there weren't any fresh fruits or vegetables; instead, there were used clothes that were on the ground and looked fairly dingy and unclean. And, to make things even more excited, a man peed on the street right next to me. How weird is that?!

Next, I took off in the general direction of the city centre. However, on my way I saw the dome of Karskirche, and decided to wander in that direction. I meandered for 3 hours around Vienna without looking at a map, decided I was hungry, found a restaurant, and then used the restaurant's free wifi to figure out how to get back to my hostel.  I arrived back at the hostel with no problems, and met my roommates. The other three girls who were staying with me were all from different parts of the world. Ali, a 30 year old, was born in Puerto Rico, moved to LA when she was 12, and was in the middle of a six month solo backpacking trip through Europe. The other two girls didn't tell me how old there were, but seemed close to my age. One of the girls was from Korea and the other was from the Philippines. They were nice enough, but the Korean girl woke up every morning between 6:30 and 7:00, and was very loud, and then returned late each night at around midnight and would turn on all the lights; as you can imagine, I found this irritating, but it wasn't a huge deal. Excluding my noisy roommate and the spotty wifi, Wombat's City Hostel was extremely clean, the staff was pleasant, and it was inexpensive, so I would highly recommend it to anyone travelling to Vienna.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

On the second day, Sunday, I started off my morning by walking to the city centre and attending mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral. The cathedral itself is quite lovely, but going to mass there was incredible. The mass itself lasted two hours because there was a string section, choir, a professional soloists who performed mass parts from Hayden's Mass in a Time of War, which incidentally the choirs at Bluffton sang my sophomore year.  The accoustics in the cathedral were amazing, the voices were sublime, and I had a lovely time. After mass was over, I spent some time looking around the cathedral and taking pictures before returning to the city centre. Much to my disappointment, most of Vienna is closed on Sunday's because they are observing the sabbath, so I spent a few hours wandering around the city centre window shopping. there was a souvenir shop open, and since it was colder and windier than I had expected, I bought a scarf. For lunch I stopped to eat a bratwurst from a street vendor, and it was delicious!

Secession Building

Next, I headed back to my hostel to drop off a few things before walking to the Secession Building, which looks interesting with its gold dome, but was vastly disappointing. This building is a modern art museum. I personally don't enjoy modern art much, so it wasn't really enjoyable to me, especially since one of the exhibits was a bunch of insolation that had been cut out into capital letters and then nailed to a wall. There was also an exhibit that contained pictures of plaster feet. The best part of the Secession building was the Beethoven Frieze, which is a fresco created by Gustav Klimt that narrates Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

Karlskirche

My next stop was Karlskirche. This church was incredible! It is so stunning from the outside, but the inside is even more amazing! There is a small museum section that contains religious art and objects, as well a photography of the church, and then there was the church itself.  The dome is beautiful, and the whole place had lovely artwork and exquisite detail. I personally found this church more appealing than St. Stephen's cathedral because of how light and lovely it is, but I enjoyed both considerably.

I took a selfie in front of Schönbrunn Palace 

On Monday, my third day in Vienna, I went to Schönbrunn Palace.  This palace is where the Habsburg's spent their summers.  The palace itself is beautiful, ornate, and quite large, but the gardens were so extensive it was amazing. They include the first zoo, a maze, numerous fountains, and the Gloriette. Schönbrunn Palace was my favorite part of Vienna by far.  

Inside the Belvedere

After visiting Schönbrunn, I went to find the Hunderwasserhaus (a crazy building which appears to have no straight lines in the entire place) before going to the Belvedere. The Belvedere is another palace, although it wasn't inhabited by the royal family- it was built by Prince Eugen who was a general.  Like the Louvre, the Belvedere is now an art museum. I enjoyed looking at the art, but I also spent a substantial amount of time enjoying the palace itself and its extensive gardens. Unfortunately I only had time to go the the Upper Belvedere, but I still enjoyed myself thoroughly.  

Hunderwasserhaus

On Tuesday morning, I woke up early, took the metro to the train station, and went home. I was tired, but happy with my trip. So, I went to a new country, explored a city, saw a lot of beautiful places, and had a great time. It was difficult to settle down into working after vacation, but it was nice to see the students and teachers again. 

I also have started to finalize plans for this summer! In the beginning of July I will go with Szilvia to Poland, visiting Krakow, Auschwitz, an old salt mine, and some other interesting things in that area. At the end of  July, I will return to Rome to meet my Aunt Mary! This time I will be able to see the Sistine Chapel since they won't be electing a pope, so that's really exciting! We also might take a few day trips, so that will be fun. 

Finally, in August my parents and younger sister will meet me in Ireland. I am so thrilled to see my family! 

Those are my upcoming trips, and I will do my best to start blogging more about Hungarian culture and my life here. Ta-ta for now!