Let me preface this entry with this: I am not apologizing again. It’s my blog. And this isn’t to say that people have pressured me to write more (although maybe a little peer pressure is all I need — do it, Jake…go ahead, it’s okay). But I keep getting lazy about writing here, and I really shouldn’t. After all, I am paying for the domain! Either way, you’ll get an update…when I update it (and hopefully I’ll be better about it! Maybe it’s time I expand from just reviews of my time, and add in more about Budapest and whatnot!).
The saddest part is I actually had a blog entry ready to go live back in June, but got frustrated with WordPress’ picture uploading method, and just never published it. I know most of my recent blog entries have been recaps of what’s going on, and this one isn’t going to be any different. But I’m going to keep it short.
Urban Scavenger Hunt! (May 2011)
Funzine, the magazine that contains all that might possibly be fun in Budapest, had a little piece about an urban scavenger hunt around the city, ending with a treasure! So fellow teachers Val and John decided to join me to scavenge the city! The clues were both in Hungarian and English, and some were easier than others. For example, one clue painted on a restaurant wall read “Don’t go the wrong way,” Seeing the sign for drivers not to go the wrong way, we headed the other direction. And then it clicked: if you aren’t going the wrong way, you must be going the RIGHT way. Sounds easy enough, right? One of the more intriguing clues were some letters that had been painted gold to stand out on several plaques along the sidewalk. The letters were:
A K C U A T A C A F
If anyone reads this and can figure out where this clue took us, I’ll give you a…high five!
Anyway, there were 10 clues and all, and each clue had a number that helped to open the lock on none other than a treasure chest. When we finally reached the chest, numbers in hand, we added them all up so we could get the final combo. We’re nervous, excited, and ready for our bounty. And then…it doesn’t work. We try it again. Still no. The math must be wrong. Re-add it all. Same solution. Did we miss a clue? The lady working there is not involved with the solution, so she can’t help. Several other people come by, same numbers, same problem. We re-trace the last clue to make sure we got it all correct. We did.
Ye Olde Booty!
The lady took our name down and tells us she’ll call when the person in charge of the scavenger hunt comes in. True to her word, she called, and we got our bounty. The bounty was nothing too special, but the scavenger hunt was still a blast! Apparently the group that got their prize and walked out the door RIGHT as we were walking in somehow managed to accidentally change the combo or something, leaving us locked out of the box.
Boat trip!
Boat Trip, June 2011
Every year, Varosligeti Iskola takes the lower grades on a boat trip up the Danube. 400 kids and the teachers went to Dunafured, a field about 30 km up river from Budapest. It was pretty cool (actually it was really hot), and the kids ran themselves to exhaustion playing games all day. This was my first time taking a boat on the Danube in Hungary, so that was also very exciting (and slow)! The kids were excited that I went, and showed it by screaming my name until I waved to them. I don’t know what the other teachers thought about that, but oh well.
Day trip to Visegrad!
On a warm Sunday afternoon, several of us decided to head to Visegrad and hike up. it wasn’t too hot, nor too cold. Instead, it was the perfect climate for a hike up the hill to the castle atop. After taking the train and ferry across the Danube, we made the trek, up, up, up! At the top, we enjoyed a peaceful picnic lunch and then explored the castle. If anyone comes for a visit, highly recommend taking in Visegrad. It’s awesome! Word of advice: Don’t run through the hillside to cut the trail. You’ll end up with your legs on fire thanks to the stinging nettle hidden within!
Weekend trip to Eger!
One of my favorite spots in Hungary is definitely Eger. Located about 2 hours from Budapest, Eger is home to the northernmost minaret in Europe, a castle, and a valley full of wine cellars. After exploring the city, our group — Chris, Laurel, John, and Val — headed straight for the cellars. Although known for it’s red wine, Egri Bikaver (bull’s blood), they have plenty of white wines to enjoy. A glass of wine is pretty much 200 HUF, or about a buck. After surviving the wine cellars, Chris and I — the last two standing, for the most part — headed back to the panzio. Just as I’m about to go to my room to sleep, I was cut off by a group of Hungarians, including the chef of the panzio, who invite me to play poker. After enjoying wine all day, the last thing I needed was any jager or palinka. And yet they shared, and I accepted. And survived. The next day, Chris, Laurel, and I wandered the town and wound up at the former Jewish Synagogue, which is now a gallery. The gallery was host to Hungarian painters, and it was an awesome collection! If anyone is in Eger, I highly recommend checking it out!
NOTE: No pictures were preserved from this trip…and that’s probably for the better!
Lucy and Noah come to visit!
On the way back from Eger, I failed to remember I had guests on the way. Without any Internet access over the weekend, I wasn’t sure when Noah and Lucy would be arriving from Zurich. Fortunately, I caught up with them at their hostel and had a good first dinner at
Lucy Goosey and Noah el Boa: Night 1!
Lugas. Noah, my middle school amigo, and Lucy, his partner-in-crime, decided to spend a week in Budapest before heading back to the states, and I really appreciated them coming out to hang. For most of the week, they even stayed at my place, which you’d think would feel crunched but actually was a lot of fun! I definitely made sure they gulfed down some langos at the Grand Market, and we also went to the zoo and saw the baby orangutan! But Saturday, we decided to do something probably few tourists do: go to Vidampark, the amusement park in Varosliget. If you’re worried for your life, don’t go! The sketchiest roller coaster ever, but it was a blast. One of couldn’t handle the spins, and made their way to the bathroom to enjoy their ice cream cone twice! (Hint: It was Noah). It was definitely a sad goodbye, as we’d had a great visit. Looking forward to seeing Noah in August before I head back to Budapest!
End of Year 2 and Summer!
I was excited. The other teachers were excited. And, most of all, the kids were thrilled. The last day of school was closing in…fast! It was a great second year, and I am really proud at how far along my students have come with their English skills. I’ve had a great time at the school, and I had a tough time deciding, but…
I decided to come back for year three. If that wasn’t already clear.
And as of this blog entry, I’m already two weeks into the school year! I’m teaching 1st and 2nd grade again. I’ll miss my now-3rd graders, but I’m having a good time getting to know the new group of 90 1st graders — let’s see how long it takes to learn their names now!
Rather than travel over the summer around Europe, I decided to go home and soak up as much California sun as possible! Some highlights of summer include:
Camping at Silver Lake with my mom’s family: About an hour from Lake Tahoe, Silver Lake is a secluded area with lakes to hike and swim in, and that’s about it.
Obligatory Family Photo
Camping at Yosemite Valley with Noah, Lucy, Paul, Alison, Will, John, and Fanni: Survived a bear walking through the campsite, but what’s more amazing is Noah survived that bear’s visit WITH beef jerky under his pillow. Also hiked to some lakes (which were freezing), and had a great time in good ol’ nature.
Group shot, Yosemite!
John and Fanni visit: Fellow friends from Hungary, John and Fanni, came for a visit to California and gave me an excuse to be a tourist around San Francisco! This included whale watching, the wax museum, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and Marine World!
Humpback Whale breeching -- fish in the mouth!
Now that's a tale of a whale
San Diego: Joined Paul and John Riehl down to San Diego to see two podcasts live: Kevin Smith and Ralph Garmin’s Hollywood Babbleon, and Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes Get Old! Also played my first game of disc golf — which will definitely not be my last. I’ve brought my discs to Budapest, and am so excited to make my way to their courses out here!
Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, and Batman fighting Jaws with a laser!
And that wraps up summer. It was one of the best ones I’ve had in a long time! I had a great time with friends and family back home. It was hard saying goodbye, and I was even nervous about coming back to Budapest and making the wrong decision staying for another year. However, after being back now, I have to say definitely no regrets, and I’m glad to be back in Magyarorszag!
One more piece of news…
Back in February, travel blog Gadling posted information about a travel writing contest on Transitions Abroad. The deadline was March 8th, and I decided to enter. After submitting my entry a few days before it was due, I figured I’m way late, and since the contest had been open for a year, they must have tons of responses and already narrowed the choice down to the winners. To my surprise, I won 3rd place (and $100 bucks)! This was my first time entering a contest like this, so to win anything really blew me away. If you’d like, you can read the article here.
It was a great second year, but I’m especially looking forward to this third year. Some highlights so far:
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Nothing like seeing a movie in Hungary, with assigned seating and cheap tickets/concessions. For those of you from San Francisco, it is worth it to see the epic fog scene towards the end. Awesome!
- Skanzen Wine Festival: I just so happened to be lucky enough to win tickets to Skanzen’s wine festival, thanks to Funzine on Facebook! For those who don’t know, Skanzen is an open-air museum, with different architectural examples from all over Hungary. It’s worth a visit if you’ve got nothing else to do, and you’re out near Szentendre!
- Farewell Summer Fun Run!: For the first time in my life, I ran in a race! It was a blast! My friend, Bea, was brave enough to join me, and together we rocked it! The 5.5 km (3.5 mi) race started at former Roosevelt Ter (in front of the Gresham Hotel), and after crossing over and around Buda, ended back where it began! We treated ourselves to ice cream afterwards — we worked hard for every bite of it, too! Thanks, Bea, for running with me! Looking forward to the next time! I have to say, it almost felt like being a celebrity, with people rooting and clapping for everyone! It was definitely motivation to push on and make it to the end.
Farewell Summer Run: Yeah, we did that!
And coming soon…
- Travel plans for this year: Weekend in Munchen for Oktoberfest; Turkey for Fall Break; Slovenia for a long weekend; and…I don’t know. We’ll see what comes my way! Also, there will be surprise projects that I’m working or collaborating on…but those are, for now, a surprise!
That’s it. You are now caught up. Let’s get this party started!
