ESN Corvinus Rockin' It

Yesterday was orientation day. We met at the school around noon and all gathered in one big room to hear a bunch of important information. Definitely information overload, but they’re sending us all the information via email, so that’s good. I almost fell asleep if it weren’t for my British friend, Kay, sitting next to me making jokes and saying ‘literally’ in his beautiful British accent. After about two hours of just information, we were asked to sign a form that stated we have arrived in Budapest and then we got to take an orientation packet. There are 285 international students studying at Corvinus and the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a group of Hungarian students who cater to us! They plan all of the events, sight-seeing tours, parties, and give us any information we need. It’s so good to have them; they show us where to go, give us advice, and try to teach us some Hungarian even though it’s extremely difficult! So after the orientation, we could go out into the lobby and purchase an ESN card, which will give us discounts to all the weekend trips that ESN plans, as well as discounts to a bunch of different restaurants around Budapest. Then we could also by a Pub Crawl ticket and a Fresh Camp ticket. All my friends and I bought the card, the Pub Crawl, and the Fresh Camp ticket. The Pub Crawl is Thursday night when ESN will take us to four different popular pubs and we get free entry and discounted/free drinks. Fresh Camp is on Saturday and Sunday – ESN is taking us to Eger, Hungary. Google says, “Eger is the second largest city in Northern Hungary, the county seat of Heves, lying between the Mátra and Bukk mountains. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings, and red and white wines.” With our ticket to Fresh Camp, we will be doing two Hungarian wine tastings, four meals, a night stay somewhere, and access to a private party. ESN is doing it right. I’m so thankful for all their help.

Side note:

Today, Wednesday, and Thursday are sight-seeing days coordinated by ESN. We are going to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath today, so we are all bringing our bathing suits and towels. I’m guessing it’s like a big hot tub. Copy and paste the name into google, so you get an idea of what it looks like. On Wednesday we will walk around the Pest side and take a visit to Parliament, and Thursday we will see the Buda side. Once it starts to get warmer, the Buda side is known to be way more green than the Pest side.

So after we purchased our ESN card, Pub Crawl ticket, and Fresh Camp ticket (it was all around $100 which I think is extremely reasonable), we went over to the Great Market Hall that’s right next to Corvinus University. I walked in and almost cried. On the bottom floor they have every fruit and vegetable known to man plus nuts and dried fruit. I was in heaven. On the top floor there are cooked food stations with all Hungarian food, and also little shops to buy souvenirs, bags, coats, shirts, etc. I bought a huge pack of mushrooms, three bananas, and three oranges for under $3. Score! In the future, I’ll probably do most of my grocery shopping there because it’s cheaper than the grocery stores, but I just didn’t have bags to put everything in this time. So, we went grocery shopping to a place right across the street from our flat and got a few things. I made my first dinner in the flat last night – a huge, fresh salad which was so good. The first few days I was here I was starting to worry that I may have to start eating meat again – every food here has meat in it. I’m glad I can cook/prepare food for myself now! There is one other guy, Ben, who is a vegetarian, too so we’ll stick together!

After that, we had to meet back up at the school around 7:30pm and we all separated into five different groups. These smaller groups did a tour around the school and played get-to-know-you games. After that, we all gathered in a big room and they had a Hungarian dance performance for us. It was really neat to see this! They do a lot of stomping and slapping on their boots and knees – very different! At the end of the performance, they came out into the audience and grabbed a few of us to dance. I was pulled up there and let me tell you, I was sweating afterward. The guy I was dancing with was covered in sweat, but he was teaching me a few Hungarian dance moves. I got a few of them down, but some were too hard for me. But, I was dancing with him in front of all the other international kids, so when we went to the bar ESN rented for us that night, everyone kept coming up to me saying how good of a dancer I was! It was funny! While I was dancing, all my friends saw me and came over to where I was dancing and were taking a bunch of pictures. I was just laughing so hard! So, yes, after the dancing we went over to the bar and met some more people! I talked with one guy who is part of ESN and is Hungarian, so he told me he would show me all the local Hungarian bars and restaurants because we’ve been going to more of the bigger bars/restaurants. His name is Bendegúz (pronounced Bendy in English).

Around 4am they started closing the bar, and no other bar was open for us so we ended up back at Marco Polo Hostel. Too funny! We thought we were all out of that place.

I’m ready for a thermal bath; definitely could use some relaxing time. Until next time…

xoxo

and I completely forgot… It snowed pretty hard yesterday! I woke up and opened my curtain and it was just pouring snow. Loved it! This is just the beginning… February is their coldest month. Thank God for my boots.

Some photos for you!

This is Corvinus University. Beautiful!

This is the bridge right outside of Corvinus University. It connects the Buda and Pest side. Corvinus is on the Pest side, but they do have another school on the Buda side. I think one of my classes may actually be on that side, but my roommate will have all her classes on the Buda side, so she can show me where it is!

This is one of the lobbies inside Corvinus. I can't even believe I go to school here.

This is one corner of my new room!

This is the window/door in my room that opens up to a very tiny balcony.

This is where the Hungarian dancers performed for us.

These are the little bread stores that they have at every metro station. You can get sweet or savory breads. They have some with icing, some with meat and cheese (like a Hot Pocket), and some with just baked cheese on top.

My favorite place! Great Market Hall. So many different fruits and vegetables to choose from.

This is the Parliament building at night - and my roommate in the bottom right corner. 

This is the view right outside of Corvinus University. The bridge looks so pretty lit up at night.

Hungarian dancers

The girls did a dance with wine bottles - hard to tell in this picture. They did a little dance with the wine bottles and then some boys came in and danced with long wooden sticks. Very fascinating! 

And Here are Your Keys

The jingle as it went into my hands was fabulous! I finally found a flat! It's in a really good location and actually really close to the hostel I'm staying at. It's about a minute walk from the main street where all the metros and public transportation is and it's only a minute from our favorite bar - the one that serves carrots. :)

So I'm making this one quick because I'm tired and want to go hang with the rest of the group, but today we went to see the flat at noon after I was woken up by ten people at 11:55 screaming Maddie you have a flat appointment in FIVE minutes!! So I threw on my jacket and boots, rinsed tooth paste in my mouth, and ran. I almost didn't go, but I'm so glad I did! It's a beautiful place-  pictures to come for sure! I know I keep saying that. I have my own room with a small little balcony that looks out on the street. When I say small its probably only a foot five feet by one foot. I'm living with a girl from France - her name is Frederique. And I'm also living with Ana who is originally from Connecticut, but lived this past year in Peru. So within ten minutes of seeing the flat, we said we wanted it and it was a done deal. I got the keys and he said we could move our stuff in. We brought over a few bags right after that, but I'm still not completely moved in. Then we went to lunch - I found the best salad place ever. So yummy. After that we walked around the city and then had to meet our landlord at his office to sign our contract and pay our first month rent. Using the ATM here to get money... oh my gosh. It was all in hungarian even after we picked the English option, but after about twenty minutes of trying we got the money we needed. It started snowing when we were walking around today... it was really cold!
After our appointment with our landlord, we went out to dinner with everyone and then we were going to see a movie but since we are all so tired we just decided to come back to the hostel to hang out. Good thing we didn't go though because we heard from other people who tried to go that the movie was all in Hungarian. Could you imagine Django in Hungarian? No way.
Orientation starts tomorrow at Corvinus University, so I'm looking forward to finally seeing the school!
Sorry this post is all over the place. I'm tired...


xoxo

Take a Walk with me through Budapest

My last two blog posts were very rushed blogs, which is how I feel most of mine will be because I’ve been nonstop busy since I got here. I can’t even remember what day it is. I’ve just been staying at the hostel since I got here and everyone here is so much fun! There’s a group of about 15-20 of us and we just hang out all the time. During the day we have been looking at flats to rent, and then at night we go out with all the international students who will be studying at Corvinus University. I was supposed to see two flats today, but the second one got changed to tomorrow. The one we saw was unfurnished but it should be furnished with Ikea furniture by next week. The flat I’m supposed to see tomorrow is in a really good location and it seems like it will be a great flat! Hopefully I’ll be getting settled in soon. I can’t stay in Marco Polo hostel much longer. I took my first shower since being here… typical Maddie. Like I said, I’ve just been too busy and catching up on sleep. I’m still a little tired, but I’m definitely adjusting to the time difference pretty quickly.

So a few different things here. The elevators. They move so fast, you wouldn’t believe it. Every time I’m about to get on an elevator, I feel like Will Ferrell from Elf when it takes him five minutes to step on the elevator. You have to like time it perfectly and jump on quick. It’s scary and extremely steep. The public transportation is great here. For about twenty dollars a month, we can ride unlimited on all the buses and metros. It makes getting around the city really easy.

The bars. They are fabulous. Most bars have like several different rooms, indoors and outdoors and in each room there is a different bar and different music. It’s like a five-in-one thing. One bar we went to just felt like it was never ending. Also, last night we went to a bar that’s really close to our hostel and they served carrots. No joke. Like big sticks of carrots. And waitresses will walk around with a bowl of carrots and you can buy them! It was hilarious. We bought one just for kicks.

Food. Everything has meat in it. They think of vegetarians as people who eat a cheese-only diet. They make fried cheese. I guess like mozzarella sticks, but they are like rectangular and huge. But, I also don’t eat cheese. So my biggest meal so far was today and I’m finally full. Two bananas, a huge pack of almonds, and dried figs. Yes. And I also found V8 – my favorite drink in the world. Never in my life would I have thought they’d have V8 here. And bread is super cheap. It’s their staple food. They serve sweet breads and cheesy breads at all the metro stations. And at the grocery store a big piece of bread is only 14 forints, which is less than 10 cents in America. Very cheap. Everything here is cheap. It’s awesome.

What else? Oh the people here are ridiculously friendly. Last night we were at a bar and then we wanted to find our friends at a different bar and this Hungarian guy walked me and three other guys all the way to the other bar that was probably an hour walk away! We honestly thought he was going to mug us or something, but he was just being really nice. We were shocked.

District eight is the forbidden district. A few guys went there to look at a flat and they almost got robbed. This man came up to my friend Anthony and was asking him about his belt and was like “let me see it. I want to buy a belt, too” and as he was looking at his belt he reached into his pocket and tried to steal his wallet. Anthony said it fell on the ground because the guy dropped it and he grabbed it and ran away from the guy. You’ll never find me in district eight. Budapest is split up by districts and the good places to be are district 5, 6, and 7. I’m pretty sure I’m in district 6 right now.

Apparently my school is gorgeous, but I have not been there yet. I was looking at pictures that someone took with their camera and it looks like a huge museum. I cannot wait to check it out and show y’all the pictures!

And update on my swollen neck. It is getting way better. I think being on the airplane flight irritated it and made it swell up even more. But now it’s almost healed. Thank God!

Oh and when we were walking around we passed by a fitness center so we decided to check it out. For what it is, it’s so expensive. I think about $40 a month and there are just some weights, a really old bike, and two treadmills from the seventies.

All the water here is bubbly. I have yet to find just normal water. It’s killing me because I am used to drinking so much water. I thought I found one today and I was so excited, but then it bubbled as I opened it. What a let down.

Well, we are about to go to dinner soon and then back to the bar that serves carrots. Ha! I think tonight is going to be an early night though. We all are really tired because we didn’t get back until around 6am last night. People just stay up so late here! And while I was at the bar some hungarian girl came up to me and she was like "your mother!! your mother!! she's looking for you!" And I was like, my mom's not here!?" And she was like "No, on facebook!" And then I remembered that my mom posted a picture of me on to the international students facebook page saying if anyone saw me, to let her know! Gosh, so embarrassing. But, I know if I were a momma, I'd be freaking out, too. I just didn't have a way of contacting anyone the first few hours I was here.

I also met a girl from Sacramento, California – she’s a niners fan! At least I’ll have one other person to cheer on the 49ers with! And one of my friends from Germany said that just recently, within the last five years, Germany gets really into the Superbowl. They start their festivities around six or seven pm with dinner and then just stay up for the superbowl. And they said they make it a super American night. They get chicken wings and just pig out while watching the game!

I’m just doing the same thing until I get into my flat, but I’ll keep you posted if anything new comes up! We may visit a thermal bath tomorrow. I think we could all use it.

xoxo

P.S. My friend Ben from the Netherlands asked me last night if I have a square. I stared at him for about five minutes until he started laughing and said “like Madison Square Garden!” I lost it. And then two other people later that night, when I told them my real name was Madison, they were like oh yeah like Madison Square Garden? I didn’t know it was that popular!

FINALLY in BUDAPEST!

Hello everyone!

So it's definitely been a crazy travel experience. My eight hour flight to Germany was a wreck. My swollen lymph node was driving me crazy, almost to tears at some point. But I got through it. As soon as we landed in Frankfurt, I stopped at a bathroom to wash my face and put on new deodorant. I tried to sleep as much as I could on that flight, but some obnoxious guy snored the ENTIRE way there. I put on my headphones and tried my best to get enough sleep. I think the worst part was my swollen lymph node. My layover in Frankfurt was about three to four hours. I had to walk forever to my next gate and I felt so lost. I had to ask every single person I came in contact with where the heck gate A40 was. There was a different answer every time. Finally I found my gate and passed out on the chairs. I got about an hour of sleep until the rest of the people came to the gate and started making noise. I boarded the plane, read four chapters of the book I purchased in Atlanta, and as soon as I was going to take a nap, it was time for arrival. The flight was only an hour and twenty minutes. Such a quick flight! I landed in Budapest tired as heck. I tried finding the shuttle that was supposed to pick me up from the hostel I'm staying at, but I could not find them at all. After an hour of waiting, I decided to just get a different shuttle from the airport. I paid for that shuttle and then was directly transported to the hostel I'm staying at. Within ten minutes of getting to the hostel, I ran into a guy from USC and he told me that they were about to go on a hike. Obviously, the first thing I would do when I get to Budapest was hike the city. The guy I ran into ended up having to look at a flat that he may stay at, but I ended up touring Budapest with Anna and Anthony. Anna is from Connecticut and Anthony is from Canada! We had a blast! I bought my month-long pass to travel on public transportation; it only cost about $20 for unlimited travel for the month. We went over to the Buda side and got to see the castle on that side. From the castle we looked out onto the lit-up side of Pest. It was absolutely beautiful! I didn't have my camera, but I had Anthony take some pictures for me that I can hopefully post soon! We got to see the Parliament building and Corvinus University lit up just as it started to get dark. After that, we made our way back to the hostel we are staying at to get ready for dinner. We went to some random restaurant we found along the street. I ordered a salad without the chicken and got a horrible look; seriously no chicken? haha It was funny. And then I got to explain to everyone we were with (about 10 people) that I am a vegan and will try my best in Budapest! After dinner, we found the bar that was the location of the hostel party. I thought the parties took place at the hostels, but they actually take place at bars with all the people staying at hostels. Tonight we went to Morrison 2, which is a popular bar in Budapest. It was so so so much fun! Me and the three other girls from USC did karaoke to the song California Girls! Perfect. We stayed at the bar until about 2am Budapest time and then we took the bus back to the hostel. It's cold here, but not as cold as I thought it would be! I've had so much fun already and have met so many great people! Tomorrow I will be looking for an apartment with the rest of the students here! All the students are really confused on how to do it, so we are all in the same boat together. I guess we will all figure it out! It is definitely time for me to get some sleep.

xoxo

Before Take Off in Atlanta

Whew! It’s been a whirlwind these past couple of days. It always seems to get so hectic leading up to traveling. I started packing on Monday and got as far as laying out my clothes. That’s a good start. Tuesday I put it off all day until around 3:00 when I decided to go to Target to get an adapter and locks for my luggage. I also picked up travel size deodorant and face wash. I’m going to need it once I land in Germany. Tuesday night I pretty much finished packing minus a few things that I was able to finish today. I didn’t have to leave for the airport until around 3:00pm today, which is a good thing because I woke up this morning with a swollen lymph node in my neck that was killing me. We made a last minute doctor’s appointment (one thing you’ll learn about me through this blog is that I’m kind of a last minute girl), and they were able to put me on a strong antibiotic to fight the infection.

I got to the airport and everything was a breeze! The international part of the Atlanta airport is beautiful, and things go so quickly because there aren’t as many people. I checked two bags and have a small bag and back pack that I am carrying on the plane. How I am getting everything home? I have no idea… because I’m definitely going to be buying things while I’m there. I guess I’ll have to leave Budapest a few of my clothes items.

I just picked up a book that will hopefully keep me busy if I can’t sleep on the flight. My flight to Germany is about eight hours and then I have a three hour layover in Germany. After that, I only have an hour and a half flight to Budapest. Ideally, I will sleep the whole eight hours on my flight to Germany after I take some Dramamine or Tylenol PM. That stuff knocks me out.

All day today I’ve been more than freaking out, but I just have to remember that this is going to be such an incredible experience. I think what’s making me so nervous is that I have no idea what to expect once I get there. It’s not easy just flying to another country alone.

They just called first class passengers and I’m up next! Wish me luck on my endeavor! I’ll post once I finally land in Budapest and get settled. Love you all and thanks for reading along!

T-minus FIVE DAYS!

So you're all probably wondering... Budapest? Is that in India? I don't even know where that is. I had to pull up a map to see exactly where you are going. You're going to Istanbul, right?
Funny enough, I didn't know much about Budapest before ranking it as my number one choice. As many of you have asked me before... why Budapest?
Well, I wanted something different and unique. I knew I could visit Spain, France, Germany, Italy, etc, but I wanted to live and experience most of my time in a country I didn't know much about. I'm studying abroad through the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California; Marshall has partnered with  over thirty schools in other countries and for my application I had to research all the schools and locations and rank all thirty-plus schools in order of my preference. After reading surveys from students who have studied at the schools during previous semesters, I felt like Budapest was the perfect location for me! Although it will take some time getting used to the average 40 degree weather. I'm used to 80 degrees in February out in Los Angeles! But, I have my furry snow shoes ready to go thanks to a Christmas present from my dad! :)

For those of you who still don't know where Budapest, Hungary is, I have circled it for you on this map!

I'll be studying in Budapest at Corvinus University which is located on the Pest side. Budapest is split into to sides by the Danube river. On the left side is Buda and on the right is Pest. I'll be living and studying on the Pest side. 

This is Corvinus University, beautifully lit up at night:

That's just a photo from google. I'm sure you'll see more pictures of the school once I'm there. 

I'm not packed yet, but hey, that's me. I'm usually a night before, day of packer. Maybe I'll start a few days before this time. I'm planning on only bringing one suitcase and one carry-on. I'll be staying in a hostel for the first few days that I am there, while I have to find an apartment in the city. Most of the international students who are studying at Corvinus next semester will be doing the same. They even sent out an email regarding the HOSTEL PARTIES that take place all during next week starting Monday. I'll be there for two of them since I get in Thursday afternoon. The hostel parties are basically let's meet in one central location and head to a different hostel each night to party. That way, all the international students who are staying in hostels for the week can meet each other. Hopefully I'll be able to meet some people that I'd like to room with for the semester, ideally all international students. 

Shout out to my momma who has already ordered me $250 worth of Hungarian money (HUF - Hungarian Forint) which is 47,500 HUF. I know, 47,500HUF seems like a whole lot of money. Interestingly enough, the HUF skyrocketed in value recently, so now my $250 is only worth about $220. Can you believe it? 

That's it for now! I'll let y'all know when I land safely in Budapest. The time difference is crazy. I'm only used to dealing with three hours when I'm at school in California, but now I'm six hours ahead of Atlanta, seven hours ahead of Alabama, and NINE hours ahead of my friends and family in California. So when all of you are watching the 49ers kick butt in the Superbowl, just keep in mind that kickoff will start at 12:30AM in Budapest. 

xoxo