You're Wearin' Me Out, Budapest!

It’s been a while and I apologize. On the other hand, it means I’ve been busy and that’s a good thing. Where did we leave off? Oh yes, Fresh camp. I have a lot to catch up on.

So we met Saturday morning at 8:00am to leave for fresh camp. We took three big coach buses and traveled about two hours away. I tried sleeping on the bus, but I sat next to Anthony and he makes me laugh way too hard. So, an entertaining bus ride to say the least but didn’t get the sleep I needed after falling asleep around 5:00am and getting up at 6:45am to get ready for Fresh Camp. When we got to Eger, it was raining, which was such a bummer because we were supposed to do a City Rally – still don’t know what that means, but I think we were all supposed to just hang out in the town. We dropped our stuff down in the hostel and basically all 200 of us took over the hostel. I stayed in a six bed room with Morgan (from France), Susanna (from Germany), Anna-Lena (Germany), Sarah (Canada), and Anthony (Canada). We had some time to hang out for a while before we were supposed to meet downstairs at 11:45 for lunch. We went to this really nasty, kind of cafeteria style restaurant. All the vegetarians were pulled aside and we had to wait until the end; it was funny because everyone in line passed by us and we had to explain we were vegetarian. Ben and I joked around about feeling like we were at a zoo or something on display for everyone. Ha!

After lunch we went back to the hostel and got into groups to play some get-to-know-you games. We were supposed to do all these games in the city, but since it was raining we just used separate rooms in the hostel to do the activities. It got competitive and each activity had points – we had team names and signs! At the end we all gathered in a room and the winners were announced; my team got second place and won a bottle of palinka! Oh, I haven’t told you about palinka. It is a Hungarian liquor, very potent, and absolutely disgusting. But, everyone here has to try it. I almost threw up and will never have it again. After that big competition, we all got on the bus to go to this Hungarian restaurant where they had a live Hungarian band playing for us. We had dinner and some sort of a wine tasting there. It was a lot of fun and afterward we all went back to the hostel for our own private party. I was thinking we were going to go to a bar in the area for our own private party, but no, they set up a DJ and everything in a room in the hostel and all of us just hung out in the hostel. It actually was a lot more fun than I thought it would be!

In the morning, they woke us up by banging on all of our doors and making noise to wake us all up. We had breakfast at the hostel and then we had the choice to go to a castle or a thermal bath. I decided to go to the thermal bath and this one was a lot more modern than the last one I went to. There was a water slide in the indoor pool, and there was also an outdoor pool. When we drove up, it looks like an extremely nice resort!

After the bath, we all went to a vineyard and wine cellar where we were able to try a white and red wine in the cellar. It was really nice and we got to learn about how they make their wine. Basically they make it without oxygen, which is a lot different than other wineries. After we did some wine tasting, they served us lunch/dinner upstairs and it was such good food! I had mushroom soup and a vegetable plate, and I’m still craving more of it. After that, we headed back to Budapest and all were passed out on the bus. We were so tired, and a nap was much needed because we had to prepare for superbowl later that night. We got back around 8:30pm – I did some laundry, took a shower, and put my jersey on for the game! We rented out a room in a really cozy Belgium bar and had a blast! It was upsetting to see the 49ers lose, but I will say we finished strong. Just not strong enough.

After the superbowl, I got home around 5:45am and I had class at 8:00am. So, I did the wisest thing anyone could ever think of and decided to skype my best friend from USC, Kerresa. She forced me to do it. So we got to skype, and as much as I loved getting to catch up with her, I did not sleep one minute before I had to start getting ready for class. Let’s just say the five hours of class I had on Monday was rough. Very rough… but I got through it. Classes here are good. They seem like they’ll be pretty easy. I’m signed up for  five business classes now, but I only need four, so I am going to try them all out and then drop one business class so that I can take a Hungarian wine class that seems really interesting. My roommate is in the class and says it’s going to be a lot of fun!

I’m still trying to get a Hungarian phone number, but it’s frustrating because I have to buy a whole new phone that will be compatible with their service here. So for now I just communicate with my friends in Hungary via facebook and whatsapp. It’ll get a lot easier once I have a Hungarian number. I’m also still on the lookout for a gym. I haven’t worked out since I’ve been here and it’s driving me crazy.

This weekend is cultural weekend, and ESN has some events planned for us. Tomorrow is the Invisible Exhibition, but I won’t be able to make it because I have class. Saturday is a visit to the House of Terror Museum and I will definitely be going to that! It is a museum that portrays the hardships that Hungarians faced in the 20^th century.

A lot of my friends are having house warming parties this week, so there’s something every night that we can all go to. Since I’m extremely tired right now, I’m going to stay at my flat and relax before my long day of classes tomorrow. It’s the first night I’ve decided not to go out… I need a break. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll feel more refreshed.