Missing Life in Budapest [last blog post]

I miss a lot of things. This post is really just a ramble of all the things I desperately wish I had back. From the smallest things like not having to scope out the English writing on menus and signs, to being able to take a bus or train for a few hours and be in another country… for cheap.

I also miss…

Not being able to buy alcohol without showing my ID [the US is so strict on its drinking policy and it drives me nuts now], not being able to walk everywhere and have the option of a metro or train – in Roswell and LA we drive everywhere, pressing a code to open the gate to my apartment complex [7key1209!], not being able to find a happy hour deal quite like Pointers one liter beer deal, and having to tug a rope to obnoxiously lift a metal blind that covered my windows – instead, I just have to pull my curtain shut.

Additionally, when I’m hungry late at night the only food option is my kitchen. There are no kebab, falafel or 24 hour shops right down the street. When it’s a nice day outside, I can’t easily whatsapp my friends and say we’re going to the island. When I go out with friends, we won’t be staying up until sunrise even though its completely normal to still be drinking at 7 in the morning in Budapest.

I’m going to miss the delicious scent of bread in every metro station, watching the sunrise from the Chain bridge and on the roof of Corvinteto, being shushed be employees dressed up in weird costumes in the waiting line to Doboz, not being able to read all the ingredients in the food I buy [this was so annoying at the time and I’d spend a ridiculous amount of time in the market because of it, but I would do anything to have that back], being able to whatsapp Sarah Clayton to do anything and have her be down because she’s just like me and loves to explore, and not being able to understand every conversation going on around me – it cleared my head.

I would do anything to have my two hour class breaks on Thursday to make lemon, ginger, honey and eucalyptus tea when we were sick, to climb Gellert hill and share oranges, or to play at a park with one of my best friends I made in Budapest and having our fun breaks always end in “Shoot! We’re going to be late!” and sprinting to class to make it there almost always ten minutes late. My dear friend, Anthony, always knew how to entertain me during those two hours and always convinced me to hang out with him even if I tried to make excuses. I thank him now for his convincing ways.

I’ll miss Ben and his fine 70s rock choice of music and his record collection – also his goofy ways and his just as awesome Dutch friends that came to visit in Budapest. I’ll miss Henrik and his German ability to chug beer, sing karaoke like a true rockstar, and maintain a positive outlook on life no matter the situation. Henrik taught me how to smile in the worst of moments. I’ll miss Ana’s skype conversations that I could clearly hear right outside my door and all the music she would play – my room seems so quiet now. I’ll miss Freddie and her choice of music and her lovely singing voice. I’ll miss Miguel’s way of always making me laugh even though every time I saw him he was more than likely just making fun of me. I’ll miss Marie’s love for food. Show her food, talk about food, make her food – she’s always down for food and knew the best restaurants in Budapest. I’ll miss Dianne and her crazy party self – she was always down for a good party and I could always count on her to be wherever we went out. I will miss Valentine and how funny she is – this girl made me laugh so hard. I’ll miss Sarah Pitzen and her clumsy self. Iris and her Miss ESN award for being all around beautiful and an incredible person – and I’ll also miss traveling with her and leaving the farewell dinner to grab a bottle of wine at a 24hr place. I’ll miss exploring Budapest with Sarah Clayton, traveling with her, and hanging out with her always. Her humor is so original and I wish I recorded everything she said for a day – the words that come out of her mouth are ridiculous but she’s hilarious. I’ll miss Kay and his video taking skills and the way he says “literally,” which was the only word I could say with a British accent. I’ll miss Dany and the way he would just laugh and shake his head whenever Ben and Anthony made stupid comments which was all the time. I’ll also miss his crazy dance moves in Corvinteto. I’ll miss Cecile’s bounciness and love for life – always a happy person! I’ll miss going to Astoria fitness class with Nienke, and laughing so hard at the instructor that had to come over and help me out because I couldn’t do the dance moves. I’ll miss Tobias and his crazy comments during class – this kid made comments out of this world and every time he talked in class we all just laughed and shook our heads. Like this kid had crazy ideas running through his head non-stop, but he always knew how to have a good time! I’ll miss Lucas and his convincing ways to make me and Anthony almost skip class to go to Margaret Island and then later find out class was canceled so we could’ve just gone earlier to the island with Lucas. I’ll miss Neils, Rafa, and Laurent even though I didn’t see them much after the first few weeks in Budapest – we had some good times in Marco Polo and I was always really happy to see them on the few occasions during the semester. I’ll miss Seyda and how fun and loving she is! Even though I hated when she did this, I’ll miss seeing her mix red wine with pepsi and accidentally trying it one time. I’ll miss rowing with Marlies and Nina. I’ll miss Helen and Lukas being the cutest couple in Budapest. I’ll miss Istvan and how awesome he was to hang out with us all the time even when it wasn’t for ESN ‘points.’ Istvan always set up hiking trips for us every Sunday just because he knew all of us wanted to hike. I’ll also miss him going all out for the Cardboard Hat party – he taxi’d over to my flat with about ten huge and heavy pieces of cardboard. And my other ESN friends, Reka and Vera – such sweet, caring, beautiful and funny girls! I’ll miss swimming with Vera on Tuesdays and I’ll miss Reka running up to me my first night in Budapest saying that my mother is looking for me! I’ll also miss how sweet she is and how she cared so much about all of us international kids.

I miss walking down to Leves on Mondays with Jason, Jan, and Maurizio to get cheap soup in a cup, and knowing that later that night everyone will be at Morrisons 2 before 11pm because that was the thing to do on Monday nights. I’ll miss singing my heart out for karaoke at Morrisons and I’ll miss playing quarters with Europeans using actual quarters.

The small things…

I’ll miss looking around at such beautiful architecture, having to answer to my non-native English speaking friends what certain words are and often times either saying “We don’t have a word for that…” or “Crap, umm… you caught me off guard…” then 5 minutes later being able to think of the word, being able to look around for an hour and explore ruin pubs because in America there’s nothing ruin about the clubs, greeting and saying goodbye to friends with a kiss to each cheek, being able to drink beer on the street – totally legal and totally acceptable here [I’ll miss buying 200-300ft half liter beers at Mana24 and sitting in a park during the middle of the day for a study break with friends], getting made fun of for saying y’all like a true southern girl but got some friends to start saying it even though it was definitely in a joking manner, taking palinka shots outside of school when exams were over, having half liter cans of beer be the standard size, walking outside and not seeing those annoying tour guide people convincing me to get on the ‘hop on hop off’ tourist buses, having to tell time on military time, being able to walk 25 minutes to class – it was my time to think and wake up for the day, and of course the delicious pogachas [Hungarian version of biscuits] that I was so tempted by every time I saw them.

But life goes on and I’m more than thankful for the life I have now. New opportunities arise and I pray one day I’ll have the chance to meet with a few of these people again. Budapest will never be the same city without all of us there. I’m so thankful, blessed, and honored to have experienced such an incredible opportunity and to be so loved and accepted by so many different people. I never thought in a million years I could say I have met people from all over the world. Now I can. I love the friends I’ve made in Budapest more than words can explain. They touched my heart forever. We trusted each other, relied on each other, were so open with each other, and truly loved each other for who each of us is. True, genuine friends that I’ve met here and I’ll cherish these friendships forever. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the accepting nature of the friends I’ve met – couldn’t have asked for a better group of people. I said this from the first week I was in Budapest – it was the best four months with the greatest people I’ll ever meet in my entire life. Hands down. And I wouldn’t change a single thing. Budapest, you taught me more than I could’ve hoped for and showed me a whole new culture with such amazing opportunities. I kept my heart open, my mind clear and welcomed new things every day. Doing this, I feel like I completely immersed myself in the Hungarian culture and got out exactly what I wanted. I can now say I have made great friends from Turkey, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Greece, Canada, the Netherlands, etc. And whenever I want to travel, I know exactly who to call.

Humbled and completely blessed. I had the time of my life.

Thanks for reading along. If it weren’t for y’all I wouldn’t have had these blog posts to look back on. Cheers to a great semester! Headed off to camp for the summer… another crazy adventure.

xx

Everything's in English - London Layover

Szia! [hello in Hungarian pronounced see-ya]

I already miss saying ‘Szia’ for hello and goodbye, ‘Köszönöm’ for thank you, ‘Bocsánat’

 for sorry/excuse me, ‘Köszönöm szépen’ for thank you so much, and ‘baszd meg’ for f*** you [I never actually said that though but it was funny to learn].

I’m sitting at a Starbucks at the Heathrow airport in London and I’m amazed at how much I keep reading all the directional signs and restaurant menus here. Everything is in English. For the past four months I have been reading signs that have different languages and maybe sometimes English. I didn’t realize how much I missed the ease at just looking at a sign and being able to understand it. The currency here in London is in pounds, which exchanges as 1 pound is about $1.50. My flight from Budapest to London was about 2.5 hours, but it felt so quick. I slept the entire time. I only got three hours of sleep last night, so as soon as I sat on the plane, I was out. I missed the food/drink service and really only woke up every 40 minutes or so and then fell right back to sleep.

There’s a one hour time change from Budapest to London, so I was confused at first about my flight time and when I landed in Atlanta, but I got things figured out. I may have confused my mom but I told her to call the British Airways flight to confirm my landing time. I think she’ll be able to figure it out. I have about 3 more hours in the airport here until my flight departs to the states. So long Europe!

I already miss a lot of things from Budapest, but it still hasn’t hit me that I won’t be back there for a while. Right now, I feel like I’m doing a little travel and in a week, I’ll be back there with all my friends. I’m really glad I have camp to go to this summer because it will take my mind off of missing Budapest. I’m going from one surreal life in Budapest to another surreal life in the middle of the woods in Pell City, Alabama!

I bought 2 apples and a banana for brunch when I got off the plane. I haven’t had a crunchy apple in so long. For a short period of time, Budapest had the crunchy Pink Lady apples and although they were expensive, I bought them because they were delicious! They stopped carrying them in markets though after about three weeks. Not really sure why. All the other apples there are mushy. I told my mom if she could bring anything to the airport when she picks me up, it would be an apple. Ha! And she said she’ll bring some cold spring water, too! I’ve been drinking lots of tap water in Budapest and I’m a little tired of it.

Can’t believe this is it. I’m off to walk around the airport to read more English signs because I can!

Special shout out and congratulations to my brother and his baseball team: Roswell Hornets! He’s a senior this year and they just won last night to go to the state championship against Milton High School! It’s funny because Roswell and Milton are only about 5 miles apart from each other – great baseball area! I’m so proud of Zach and all the accomplishments he’s had over the past four years of high school. I’m so excited I’ll be able to see him play his last few Roswell High School baseball games! Watching him do what he loves just makes me so happy.

Zach thinks I’m getting home on Saturday, so fingers crossed he isn’t reading this blog. He graduates on Thursday, so I will be surprising him for that. He thinks I’m missing his graduation… little does he know I’ll be there! [update: I surprised him tonight when I got home from the airport around 10:45pm… he was just going to bed but I ran into his room! He was shocked! It was so great to see him!]

I’m looking forward to getting my nails done and my eyebrows waxed tomorrow. It’s been a while. Need to clean up a little bit before graduation! My aunt and uncle [dad’s brother] are coming down to Georgia to see Zach’s graduation, so it’ll be nice to see them – I think we may go up to the lake for Memorial Day weekend after Zach’s grad party at my dad’s house on Friday. It should be a fun week at home until I’m moving on to my next adventure at camp – I’ll be going to camp in exactly one week [next Wednesday]. I have a lot of stuff to do before then – catch up on things and buy stuff for camp. I do not have wifi here in this airport, so this post will most likely be updated once I get home tonight. Weird that in such a short time I’ll be back in the US where everything is different and where I can no longer legally order a drink at a restaurant for another 2 weeks. ;) I think I’ll have a bit of a culture shock once I get home, and definitely post-erasmus depression – a joke we’ve all talked about here, but something I think all of us will actually experience.

‘Egészségedre’ [cheers] to an incredible semester and to the best four months of my life! Excited for what God has planned for me next, sad to be leaving such wonderful friends I made in Budapest, but happy and beyond blessed to have had this opportunity.

xx

01.

Never in a million years would I thought this day would come, especially with this much sadness. This morning I took a walk to my landlord's office to pick up my deposit and then I came back home and ate a quick lunch. On my walk I ran into some more locks in the middle of a park.

Locks on a statue in a park

I've seen the locks a lot here in Europe, but mostly on bridges. These locks were attached onto a statue in the middle of a random park in Budapest. Most people in a relationship will lock up their love like this.

I met some people for a day time pub crawl around 2pm. The first pub we went to was actually closed even though their website said it was open at noon. Next we headed to Szimpla and Ben caught up with us because we walked by a record store and he had to go in. I signed my name on a chair at Szimpla, took some pictures, and enjoyed my last hour in one of the most eclectic pubs ever.

Signing my name on a chair at Szimpla [Maddie 2013 USA]

After Szimpla we moved to a really cool outdoor pub called Koleves Kert! It was awesome - one of my favorites here. It was all outside with colorful chairs, hammocks, great music, and stones all over the ground to give it a beachy feel.

Ben enjoying the music, beer, and hammocks at Koleves Kert.

Straight chillen' at Koleves. I could've stayed all day.

After Koleves we headed to Fogas - we had been to this pub before during a not-so-good pub crawl so we wanted to go back and see it! We didn't have much time there because we wanted to make it back to Pointers Pub before 6pm for another happy hour liter of beer. I'm telling you I've been to Pointers way too much these past couple of days. We made a run for it and took a bus from Blaha to Astoria and then ran for the train at Astoria to take it to Kalvin ter. We had about ten minutes before 6 and as long as we ordered before 6, we got the happy hour price! We counted up how many we needed, and the total came to 17 one-liter beers. Some more people showed up and we ended up getting a total of 20 one-liter beers. Our waiter was a little overwhelmed, but quickly served us!

14 of the 20 one liter beers at Pointers! 

We hung out at Pointers until around 8pm and then I said my final goodbye to Lara, Sanna, Sarah Clayton, and Lukas. This was just the beginning of my goodbyes. Afterward we went to the Miguels' flat, which is right next to Pointers and we hung out there playing a music game online. The game would play a 30 second clip of a song and we had to guess the title of the song and the artist as fast as possible. Ben rocked at this game. I was not so good. We ended up staying there until around 11 and we were considering going out but everyone was a bit tired and I wanted to get home to finish packing and get some sleep before my flight tomorrow. First I said goodbye to Miguel Trepa and Miguel Duarte [my favorite Portuguese guys!] and tried to hold back my tears. The rest of us walked outside and Camillo was going the opposite way of us, so I then said goodbye to him! He's from Italy and although I just met him a few weeks ago, I really enjoyed meeting him! We walked down the street some more and then I had to part ways from Valentine, Marie, and Dianne. Love these girls so much and had so much fun with them! It was really hard to say goodbye to them. They are such sweet girls and I'm so glad I was able to meet them. Last, Ben and I walked a little bit further together and then it was my final goodbye. This was really hard as Ben became one of my closest friends here. I know I'll be back in the Netherlands at some point in my life because it was one of my favorite places that I visited! I have faith that I'll be seeing these amazing people again. After hugging Ben for the last time we parted ways. That was it. It all came to an end at that point and emotional Maddie couldn't keep it together. My walk home was just a disaster, but I realized that I'd rather be incredibly sad leaving these people than having to leave Budapest without having such close friendships. All the people I've met here have changed my life in some way. They taught me so much about honesty and what it means to be a true friend. They also taught me how to love and accept anyone. I've never felt more loved in my life by friends and I've only known these people for four months. Think if I would've stayed an entire year with this group. I never thought I'd become this close with so many incredible people from all over the world, but it happened and I wouldn't change any second of my time abroad.

My taxi is coming in 4 hours, so I'm getting a quick nap I guess and then heading to the airport. Can't believe it's all over. I'll be writing and reflecting more in the next couple of days. At this moment I need some sleep, but I have a five hour layover in London tomorrow where I can spend some time blogging. 

Thanks to all who have kept up with my journey here! Hope to see y'all back in the states. Love to all! 

xx

02.

I started to pack today and definitely broke down in tears a few times. I'm serious when I say this has been the hardest goodbye ever. I looked back through old notebooks and old ticket stubs to certain events and just started tearing up thinking about the memories and how I'll never have them back.

I pretty much finished packing for today then talked to Sarah about our pub crawl tomorrow. We are doing a day time pub crawl to all the pubs we haven't been to yet! It's holiday today, so no stores are open. I had to stop at a 24 hour store to pick up dinner because I have nothing at my flat. I made dinner and then headed over to Sarah's to plan for our pub crawl and get ready for my last Monday Morrisons. Ben came over and Miguel came about an hour later. We headed over to Morrisons around 10:15 in order to make it before 11. If you pay to get in before 11 then you can get three free beers. Great deal! I had a lot of fun at my last Monday Morrisons. I'm definitely going to miss this place so much. We sang karaoke and danced the night away. This place is known as Henrik's place, so me, Ben, and Sarah sang Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones for Henrik since he is already back in Germany and couldn't join us tonight. 

Me, Sarah, and Ben after singing Satisfaction for Henrik! 

Ben, me, and Miguel at my last Monday Morrisons.

Although it was a sad day packing, I had a lot of fun tonight with the people still around in Budapest. The only things keeping me remotely excited about leaving Budapest is seeing my family and what God has planned for this summer at camp. I learned a lot about true friendships here in Budapest and I'm so happy I have my camp friendships to come back to. Genuine, honest, caring, accepting people. My kind of people.

xx

03.

Today unexpectedly became a really fun day! I met Sarah at Szimpla to walk around the market and we ran into Caitlin, Mimi, Dianne, Valentine, and Marie there! They said they had seen my pictures from the week before and decided to come. Sarah bought some jam and chocolate peanut butter to bring back to her family, as well as truffle butter. We got to try all of it and it was really good - freshly made!

Szimpla from upstairs

Afterward we decided to make it over to the Buda side to check out an abandoned church that Sarah heard about. We explored the Buda side and finally ran into the church - it was the Tower of the Church of Mary Magdalene. On our way there we stopped and took pictures of a church we ran into called the Reformed Church in Budapest.

The Tower of the Church of Mary Magdalene

Reformatus Templom [Reformed Church]

It was nice to just walk around all day with Sarah - she's my adventurous travel partner. She's always down to just explore the city. It was gorgeous weather today - sunny with a nice cool breeze. After walking around for about three hours, we decided to go back to our favorite place as of Thursday, Pointers Pub for happy hour 1L beers. It's hard to resist when the weather's so nice! On our way over there, I ran into Seyda and I'm so happy I did because she's leaving really early tomorrow morning for Barcelona and won't be back to Budapest until after I leave. Seyda's from Turkey - one of the coolest girls I've met here! She has so much energy, always positive, and extremely caring! 

Seyda and I saying goodbye. I'll meet her again some time in my life on a visit to Istanbul. 

Sarah and I decided to get Ben before going to Pointers because we know his two flat mates, Anthony and Dany, are in Croatia so we were hoping he would be around in the flat. We rang up to his room, but we got no answer so we assumed he was out. Once I got wifi at Pointers, I texted him just telling him we were there and he said that he was on the free walking tour with a group of people, but would stop by as soon as he could. He got there right as we were finishing our beers - he said he left the tour early because it was kind of boring. We hung out for a little while longer and then decided to part ways to make dinner. We made plans to meet back at my place around 9 to go check out a outdoor pub, Ankert.

Pointers Pub Happy Hour! 1L beer for 490ft [$2.20]

Sure will miss how cheap life in Budapest is. Ben and Sarah came over around 9 and we headed down the street to Ankert - it was about a ten minute walk from my place. The pub was awesome! There was an outside area and then smaller inside areas with couches. The pubs here are all so interesting and different because they really don't have much to them. A lot of them are made from old junk and simple artwork, but that's what we love about them. They aren't super fancy, but just relaxing and interesting.

Main bar outside at Ankert Pub.

About 30 minutes after we got there it started downpour raining, thundering, and lightning. It was cool because we were already sitting inside, but we had an open window next to us so we could hear the rain and the thunderstorms. Camillo joined us after about 1.5 hours. We just talked and hung out there, and then ended up leaving around 12:30 when they were closing. It wasn't too busy because it was raining and because it was a Sunday night, so they probably wanted to close early. On our way home, Sarah and Ben stopped at the infamous falafel place by my flat and ordered falafels for a late night snack. I wasn't too hungry/didn't want to pay for it, so I didn't get one.

I've been having so much fun these last few days just exploring the city even more and continuing to find new places to check out. It would take me so many more months to see everything here in Budapest - it's such an  incredible city! Tomorrow I will begin packing up my things, and get ready for our last Monday Morrisons night! Morrisons was the first club I went to when I arrived here in Budapest, and it will be my last late night club here. Starting and finishing Budapest at Morrisons. Seems appropriate. Ben has been to every single Monday Morrisons except for two. I'd say that's some extreme dedication. I only went to about four or five over the course of the semester. Tuesday we are planning a pub crawl with a group of people to ruin pubs we haven't been to yet since they opened for the nicer weather. Should be a fun last day here in Budapest! See you soon, America. Not quite sure if I'm ready, but I guess at some point it was bound to happen. 

xx

04.

Wow! It has been a whirlwind since my exams were completed Thursday afternoon. Last night because of the rain we didn't end up going to the island, but instead met at Henrik's place for only a few minutes and then we headed over to Corvinteto. Ana and I had Iris and Sarah over at our place for a few drinks before going and we ended up staying here longer than we thought because of the rain. We left around midnight to head to Henrik's flat, and then left there around 1 for Corvinteto. I'm not a huge fan of Corvinteto because of the high cover fee to get in, but Henrik told me he'd pay for some of mine because I honestly didn't have the amount in forints to afford it. I love that kid. Ben was really stubborn and because he hates the music at Corvinteto [it's all dubstep] he ended up not coming out with us. Once we got in we had so much fun! Even more people met up with us at Corvinteto since it was one of our last nights all together. I woke up to a facebook message from Kay saying, "really difficult to say bye to you! but i guess all we have now is memories... "marco polo... "literally".. Morrisons.. call me maybe.. Zagreb madness.. flat parties and it ended in corvienteto.. take care and see you soon aka in august xxxx" [Kay and his brother will be traveling down the coast of California in August, so I'm excited to see him when he comes!]

We all danced our butts off... sweat dripping because dubstep requires some hardcore dancing. At one point in the night, Anthony and I went up to the terrace on top to take a break from the music and catch our breath. It was in this moment I realized I only had a few more hours with him and I had to make it the best. We went back down and kept dancing and then around 5am [did not even realize the time], we went back up to sit on the terrace and it was already light outside. We had no idea! Our plan was to leave Corvinteto to watch the sunrise on Gellert hill but at this point we just decided to stay at Corvinteto and watch the sun rise from the roof! It was actually beautiful. Despite my pleads to not have another drink, Henrik and Anthony bought me another beer so we could cheers for the sun rise.

View of the sun rise from Corvinteto

Anthony and I on top of Corvinteto watching the sun rise!

We left Corvinteto around 6 - 6:15 once we were being kicked out, and Henrik, Anthony, Henrik's friend Tim, and I walked back to Anthony's place but on our way the boys wanted to stop and get food to make breakfast. We passed by a shop that opened at 6:30 and it was only 6:20, so they were insistent on waiting. We literally took a seat in the middle of the road and just laid there with the sun beaming down on us. Only two cars honked for us to get out of the way. Finally the shop opened and we were the first customers of the day. Anthony bought eggs and Henrik was buying milk, flour, and eggs. As the eggs scanned, Anthony yelled, "Dude what are you doing? I have eggs!" And Henrik took the eggs and tried to scan them back across the scanner to undue the transaction. The lady was just shaking her head... I laughed so hard I had to walk out of the store. We finally made it back to Anthony's place and they ended up making pancakes. Anthony fell asleep at the table because he was so exhausted. We ended up leaving around sometime around 7:30. Anthony had to be up for his departure to Croatia at 9 so he didn't get much sleep. I can't imagine what their morning was like at 9. Ben said Dany wasn't even packed at 9 when they were supposed to leave.

I said my final goodbye to Anthony and it was so heartbreaking. Definitely one of the hardest goodbye's I've ever had to do - we became such close friends here and I'm so thankful for his friendship. I walked home and started bawling. People on the street must have thought I was crazy but I didn't care. I'm horrible with goodbyes. I got home and couldn't sleep for a while, so I wrote Anthony a letter thanking him for a wonderful semester. Since both of us were exhausted this morning, I wasn't really able to say what I wanted to say to him and thank him for everything. 

I ended up going to sleep around 8:30 in the morning and woke up around 12:30 in the afternoon to Ben texting me about plans for the day. We decided to head up to the island because the weather was beautiful! Ben, Camillo, Helen, Dianne, Lukas, Henrik, and Tim all joined us at the island and we spent about 3 hours there hanging out in the sun, listening to music and chatting. 

Henrik, Lukas, Helen, and Dianne on Margaret Island

Ben and Camillo on Margaret Island

We left around 6 to get home and make dinner before we were going to meet back up again at 8 to go to a pub for live music. I came home and ate a quick dinner and then walked over to Ben's flat. It was weird being in there without Dany and Anthony there. Everyone met back up at Ben's and then we walked over to this pub to see live music. We all wanted a rather chill night since we have been partying pretty hard since exams were over. We got to the pub around 8:30 and they started to perform around 9:30. The music was advertised as blues, country, folk mix. They were actually really entertaining! And I was shocked to hear them play Wagon Wheel. This random Hungarian band at a small, local pub played Wagon Wheel. I was loving it! Sarah and I looked at each other and we were just like "no... not wagon wheel!?" And then we got all of our friends into the song by clapping and dancing. At the end all of us stood up and clapped for them! Miguel yelled his typical, "Amurica baby!"

Tonight was Henrik's last night, so when we left around 12:15, we all had to say goodbye to him. Again, another close friend, and another sad goodbye. He'll be studying in Indiana on exchange next semester, so we are trying to plan a trip to get all the Canadians and Americans together to see each other with Henrik! We're talking about a possible trip to Toronto! I've never been to Canada and now that I know so many people from there, I'd love to visit! 

I'm going to start packing tomorrow. I have a lot of cleaning and packing to do before I leave. These goodbye's have been real tough for me. I keep thinking I'll be back at Corvinus on Monday for class, but then I remember it's all over. I've loved every second of this semester and I'm not ready for it to be taken away. My friends here mean the world to me - life really won't be the same without them, but they've taught me more than I could've ever asked for and showed me that there truly are genuinely happy, positive people in this world. 

xx

05.

Sick to my stomach. This cannot be happening. Most of my friends leave tomorrow for Croatia and will not be home before I leave. I hate this.

Today I went to Faust Wine Cellar with Sarah and Iris - it was so much fun!

My favorite red wine that we tried from Eger - Bull's Blood.

Sarah, Me, and Iris at the wine cellar.

We tried two white wines and two red wines and then a sweet white dessert wine. All of them were really really good! My favorite was the Bull's Blood red wine, but I also was really surprised at how much I liked the white wines we tried, too. I don't normally like white wine, but these were really delicious. Now I can see how people like white wine - especially outside on a warm summer day. We ended up staying at the tasting for about 3.5 hours. Didn't realize until we left that we were there for so long! On my way home, I was going to stop at Anthony's house to get my backpack from school yesterday with my phone that I left there. I was walking down Raday and ran into a group of the boys back at Pointers pub for another round of happy hour 1 liter beers. I ended up hanging out laughing with them for about 45 minutes until Ana called me to meet for dinner. We had one last flat mate dinner tonight. I left the boys to their 1 liter drinks and will see them all tonight. We laughed so hard about the events from last night... such a crazy night with everyone. I apparently told Ben's dutch friends that I'm more dutch than their new king and that I'm actually the queen of the Netherlands - so when I got there they said "Hey Queen of the Netherlands!"

Ana, Freddie, and I went to eat at a really good restaurant near Deak. I ended up getting Indian lentils and they were delicious! We sat outside at dinner and it got pretty cold once the sun went down so it was nice to enjoy a warm bowl of lentils.

Tonight is my last night with a lot of people here. We are supposed to meet soon on Margaret Island, move to a club, and then stay up all night to watch the sun rise. It actually just started raining, so I'm not sure what the plans are now, but I'm sure whatever we do, it'll be fun! I'm just not looking forward to saying bye to people tonight/early tomorrow morning. It just isn't right. Best four months of my life.


xx

06.

Finals are over! Felt so great to be done.

After my two finals yesterday we were really ready to celebrate. Anthony and I finished our second final around the same time and ended up walking out of the class together. I thought Anthony had shut the door already, so I screamed we're done! And he was like shhhh. After the exam we were outside and Amanda came out and said that the whole class heard me scream that and all started laughing. And our teacher just said, "Hurry up so you can all feel like Maddie!" hahah
Anthony even brought Palinka to the exams. Hungarians love their Palinka - it's like what they are known for. It's a traditional Hungarian brandy made by distilling fermented fruit. Thanks Wikipedia. We had a shot of Palinka right outside school [Anthony, Nienke, and me]. Call us crazy but we were just so happy it was summer holiday!
Afterward we went over to the old campus to buy Anthony a sweatshirt and then headed to Pointers Pub on Raday utca. Their happy hour is 1L beer for 490ft ($2.20).

Anthony enjoying his liter after exams!

Egészségedre! [Cheers in Hungarian]

Sarah Clayton and me enjoying our Pointers 1Liters in the sun!

I really was only going to get one liter, but then Anthony said he'd pay for my second one, so why not. Sarah and Iris joined for a study break and then Miguel came to join us since he was off for the day from his internship. Through out the afternoon, a bunch of different people showed up which was really fun! We stayed around 5pm and then I went back to Anthony's to hang out for a little before the 'Beautiful Night' event. We finished the rest of the Palinka... bad mistake... and met everyone back at Corvinus around 7:30 to take the train over to the chain bridge. We were a little late meeting them but right when we got there the train arrived so we ran, hopped on, and the people waiting for us followed. We were the first ones to get there but eventually people started showing up in groups! We watched the sunset and hung out with everyone on top of a road tunnel that overlooks the chain bridge and the city. This is a picture of where we were:

We stayed there pretty much all night and some people left to go to a club, but when I left I decided just to go straight home. Or the people I was with decided for me that I'd go straight home I guess. :) Last night was so much fun - I really am going to miss this place, but even more, these people. Some of the greatest people I'll ever meet in my life. 

xx

07.

In exactly one week I'll be at home. This morning I woke up pretty early and started studying. Around 2pm Sarah Clayton asked if I wanted to hang out for a study break. I was so down. I showered and met her, and we headed over to the park at the National Museum. We cheer'ed with our Hungarian beers to our study break.

After about an hour, we headed over to Anthony's place (I was going over there to study again and Sarah went to say hey!) I stayed there until around 10pm, but then had to make it home so that I could watch the live stream of my brother's baseball game! They are in the elite 8 playoffs right now. If they win tonight, then they will advance to the top 4 in the state of Georgia!! How exciting!? So nervous watching! They are currently winning 1-0 at the top of the 4th! So proud of my lil bro! I'm staying up to watch the entire game (it's late here since I'm six hours ahead), but I'll watch and study at the same time. Or try to study. Two exams tomorrow and then I'm done!! And officially a senior in college!? I'd love to know where the times gone...

I also found out today that my good friend, Denny, will no longer be able to work at camp this summer. :( When he told me, I thought he was kidding. He was supposed to be in my program area (canoes) and we were both in that program area together last summer. I don't know what I'll do without him. Camp will not be the same.

xx

UPDATE: ROSWELL WINS!!!!! ADVANCE TO THE TOP 4!

08.

Long day of studying, presenting, exam taking, and studying some more.

First, I went back to Starbucks near the Basilica to study for my exam I had at 6pm tonight.

Then I headed over to the Buda side campus to my Resources of Viticulture class where I presented on Napa Valley wine region. One Italian in our class presented on a specific wine, Vin Santo (I think it was called), and then he actually brought a bottle of it homemade. It had no label on it or anything - straight from the growers. We were all able to try it and it was like nothing I've ever tasted before. It was really dark in color for a white wine and the smell was incredible. It was really sweet and really heavy. I couldn't have a whole glass of it I don't think. The after taste was amazing - it stayed in my mouth until I ate something else. It tasted like walnuts and honey. So delicious.

After that class, I went back to the Pest side campus to study in a coffee shop outside my school before having to take my exam at 6pm. Anthony, Ben, and Ana stopped by for a second to keep me company, and Anthony gave me a key to his place since the keypad thing to ring in wasn't working. I was planning on going over to his flat after my exam to start studying for our Thursday exams. We both have the same two exams on Thursday. Tonight's exam killed me. It was everything I didn't really study and I felt like I made up all the answers... I think I did okay, but not too great. I'll know on Friday how I did. After the exam, I stopped by Tesco because I was starving and bought 2 bananas. I ate them before even getting to Anthony's flat. Once I got there, the boys decided to make dinner and because they know I'm short on money, they said they'll be kind and feed the homeless (meaning me) tonight. I told them they did not have to do that, but they were more than happy. They even made a vegan meal since I was there - tofu, veggies, and rice. I really appreciated it and couldn't ask for better friends here! While they cooked I played three games of solitaire and finally on the last game I won!

After a delicious meal, we had some coffee so that we could wake up and actually focus on studying. Anthony and I went into his room and went through 2 of the 5 powerpoint slide shows for our Services Marketing class. We ended up doing a lot less than we planned, but when you put us together, we just end up talking too much. I'm studying with Anthony though because his computer crashed and he doesn't have a computer to use, and as of yesterday they have no internet at their place. So he really needs my help and it's more fun to study with someone else. Tomorrow I'm going to study on my own just to make sure I know the majority of the stuff, and then I will head back over to their place around 4 to finish up studying.

Tonight was a lot of fun and made me realize how blessed I am to have made the friends I made here. They are wonderful, and more than I could have ever asked for. I'm really not sure what I'm going to do without these people. Anthony reminded me tonight that I have three more days with him. THREE. Him and a lot of other people are leaving early Saturday morning for Croatia and won't be back until after I leave. I really started to tear up but forced myself not to think about it. I'm going to be a mess Saturday morning saying goodbye to them. I can't even believe the semester is coming to an end.

This song keeps running through my head:
"You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times. So take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this."



xx

09.

Had my first exam this morning and it went well! Two hour exam finished in 45 minutes. I waited outside the classroom for my friends to finish, so that they could sign my map.

Stopped by Tesco on my way to the exam to grab a banana with the 100ft coin I had in my purse (I was hoping I could buy at least something with it). 100ft is about 50cents. I changed $20 into forints after my exam and then went back to Tesco to grocery shop for the week. Still trying not to spend a lot of money because I'm extremely broke. Spent $10, so we'll see how far that lasts me. Before I made dinner, I wanted to get an onion, so I ran back out to Tesco for the third time. Let's just say it was a Tesco day. And because I'm dedicating this day to Tesco... I'm so thankful that it's right across the street from me. When I look out my window, I can see the backside of Tesco. Super convenient.

From my window - you can faintly see TESCO written on the grey panel. 

I've been studying all day, and managed to watch the Revenge season finale as a study break. It ended so abruptly... can't wait for next season!

It was also randomly freezing cold today, so I ended up staying inside most of the day to study. I have a presentation (on Napa Valley Wine Region) and a final for Advertising Management tomorrow.


xx

10.

I'm now able to count on two hands. Unbelievable. This morning I sent Emily off at 3:30 in the morning - she took a taxi to the airport. I ended up going over to Anthony, Ben, and Dany's flat last night because they invited me and Emily over to watch a movie. I wanted to go so that I could sign their flag and they could sign my map, and Emily told me she was okay with me going. She was just going to look up information on her program, finish packing, take a shower, and then get some sleep. I went over to their flat around 11 after spending most of the night with Emily before she went to sleep. I got to sign all their flags and Anthony and Ben signed my map. Dany wasn't there, but his flag was so I signed it! We ended up watching Disturbia and then I had to walk home in the dark, and the rain. I just kept thinking positive thoughts and tried to get the image of the creepy man from that movie out of my mind. After sending Emily off at 3:30am, I went back to sleep. She must have been exhausted. She made it safely first to Amsterdam and then to Rome. So excited for the journey ahead of her. I can tell she's already loving Rome from the pictures she's posted. I woke up this morning to go to the market at Szimpla. I've been meaning to go and really enjoyed it! Szimpla is the eclectic ruin pub down the street from me, and walking around it during daylight with a market inside was absolutely beautiful! I didn't buy anything, but wish I could have. I'm legitimately poor, but it's rather eye-opening. I only buy what I need, nothing more. After the market, I walked over to Starbucks to study and stayed there for about 4 hours. After studying, I decided to walk home a longer way so I could enjoy the sunshine. I came home and had a kale salad for lunch and started to work on a presentation I have due on Tuesday. Since the trip to Tokaji (wine region) is canceled, I will now have a presentation due on Tuesday and instead of taking my final for Advertising on Friday, I can take it on Tuesday. Not much time to prepare, but I'll get it done. That way, I'll be done with finals and officially a senior in college at 2pm on Thursday. Can't even believe it. After working on my presentation - I'm doing a presentation on Napa Valley wine region, I continued to study for the final I have tomorrow. I pretty much have most of the information down, but will wake up tomorrow morning to refresh my memory and then take the exam at 10am. 

My brother's baseball team (Roswell Hornets) has made it to the elite 8 in the state of Georgia! So proud of them - they play their next playoff series on Tuesday. Two games on Tuesday! Rooting them on and hoping for a victory!! If they make it to the championship, I may be able to see a game which would be AWESOME and so rewarding! Every day my brother has a game, I text him "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!" I got it from Friday Night Lights and I just love that saying - it's so true! 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there and especially to my momma! 

--

Happy Mother's Day to my best friend and inspiration! I couldn't have made it this far in life without her. She's the energy that keeps me going, the believer in my dreams, and the wisdom to carry me through any hardships I've faced and will continue to face on my journey through life. I wish I could be with you on this special day, holding your hand while getting lost hiking, but laughing every step of the way. You know how to make me smile and you always know exactly what to say to encourage me, help me, and advise me when I'm confused. I love you more than you know, momma. Can't wait to see you - I'm going to run up the escalator at the Atlanta airport and jump into your arms. You better be ready! To the best momma in the world - I want to thank you for all you've done for me. If I could be half as good of a mom to my kids, that'd be more than enough! Google infinity xx

11.

Emily and I slept in this morning, and then we headed out around 12:30 to tour the city! We first went to the Great Market Hall, and I needed to buy a flag for a flag signing party but then Emily gave me the greatest idea of getting a map of Europe and having people sign that! LOVED THE IDEA! So we searched around the market for a map of Europe but couldn't find one... everything was Budapest or Hungary maps. So, since I was missing the flag signing party today I realized that I could get my map either tomorrow on Monday. After seeing the market, we went over to Gellert hill and climbed to the top! We sweated our butts off all the way up and when we finally got to the top we were drenched in sweat. The breeze and the view at the top made it worth it though! We made it back down the hill and headed over to the Buda castle and Matthias Church. After that we crossed over the chain bridge and headed to a catholic church that we wanted to go to for mass. At this point we were starving, so we headed over to a street near Corvinus Univeristy to find a restaurant. I passed by a tourist store that was packing up their stuff outside and closing up and ended up finding one Europe map amongst a bunch of Budapest maps! I was so happy especially because Emily was able to sign it before leaving tomorrow! We ended up eating at an Italian restaurant with a 20% off discount. That definitely caught our attention. We had a delicious, filling meal and then headed back to my flat to chill for the night - we ended up walking about 10 miles today!

At Fisherman's Bastion, next to Matthias Church!

Matthias church

Parliament from Fisherman's Bastion

Gellert Hill

Festival we passed by this morning at the National Museum - massive bowls of food!

Emily and I on top of Gellert hill. Love this girl more than anything and am so thankful she was able to come visit me in Budapest. We've had such a fun weekend, and although she couldn't stay long, I'll always remember this visit - so special! Best friends for 13 years now.

xx

12.

EMILY'S IN BUDAPEST!!

Picked her up from the airport today and we walked around the whole city for about two hours! Just got dinner on Raday utca (street/road) and now we are headed out to Szimpla and the club, Doboz afterward!! So happy she's here and so excited for her adventure awaiting her in Italy and Greece!

xx

13.

Today was an amazing day.

I had class this morning and then instead of studying before the second half of my first class, Anthony flipped a coin and let fate decide that we would hang out in the park near school. It was actually nice to get outside and spend some time with him.

We went back to Corvinus for our second half of class and it only lasted about 15 minutes! Afterward, our friend Lucas invited us up to Margaret Island and we were so temped to go and skip our next class that we had at 3pm. It was around 1:45 so we had some time to decide whether we would skip class and hang out on the island or go to class. I went back to Anthony's since he lives close to school and I decided that I was going to go to the first half of class and then maybe leave early and go to Margaret Island with them. I told Anthony that he could go ahead and go to Margaret Island if he wanted to, but he said he felt guilty missing class if I wasn't going to miss. Dany lives with Anthony and he is in this class with us, so he decided he would tag along in our plans. We headed out to class kicking and throwing the soccer ball back and forth between each other. We were going to be about ten minutes late to class, but then we realized four of our friends from class were hanging out outside. We walked up to them and they said class was canceled. Again, fate that we should've just gone to Margaret Island. So, we headed straight to the island from there! We played american football and hung out for a while. I had to meet some girls at dinner around 7pm so we headed out around 6:40. I met Ana, Sarah P, Sarah S, and Iris at Iguana (an amazing american mexican restaurant) and we had a really fun time there enjoying mexican food that we've been so deprived of!

After dinner, I headed back to my flat to drop my backpack that I still had from class earlier this morning, and then headed back over to Anthony's place to hang out before going out to a club tonight. It was supposed to be a boys night at Anthony's but he told me that I could come and bring Sarah Clayton. We got there and hung out for a while and then headed to a club called Trafiq and we had a really good time there! It was my first time at this club, so it was nice to explore and see something new!

Henrik leaves tomorrow to go back to Germany, but he will be back in a few days to finish exams and then he leaves for good on May 18th. It will be so sad saying bye to him... but he will be studying in the USA next semester at Ball State. We are maybe thinking of doing a reunion in Montreal with the Canadian kids, Henrik, and me. We'll see if it works out!

American football with the boys on the island:

Mexican restaurant!

Margs all around + one bloody mary!

I'm going to miss this kid more than anything and every time I think about leaving him, I get sick to my stomach. He's really become one of my best friends here and I couldn't imagine Budapest without him. Love you, Anthony!

EMILY COMES TOMORROW!



xx

\

14.

Exactly two weeks from today, and I'll be landing down in Atlanta in about two hours.

This morning I went for a run up to Margaret Island - kind of a crappy run because being sick for three weeks ruined any endurance I had. Oh well, at least I was active and that's all that matters. Afterward, I met Anthony, Sarah, and Istvan to go to the Chinese market. It was extremely sketchy, but it was really interesting to check out! All the stuff there had to be stolen or fake. We were there for about two hours - I didn't buy anything because I'm extremely tight on money, but Sarah bought some perfume and the boys bought knock-off Ray bans and some boxers.

(I don't know if you can really tell in this picture, but I rocked the middle part today. Haven't done that in so long)

After the Chinese market, I came home and made a salad and then have just been studying all night. Nothing too exciting, but was definitely productive until I went to make tea in the kitchen and Ana got a skype from our friend here, Miguel. He is interning and had to stay all alone tonight in the office until midnight, so he was bored and decided to skype us. It was a fun skype conversation... Miguel always makes me laugh hysterically. And I guess I always make him laugh too because whenever he sees me he can't help but laugh. He makes fun of my American accent all the time, especially when I say 'totally.' 

I'm going to miss these people so much it hurts to even think about leaving. Today I found out that most people are leaving on May 18th for a farewell trip to Croatia and aren't coming back until after I leave. So Friday May 17th will be my last day with a lot of my close friends here.... sad to even think about. 

xx