Our Last Week in Budapest

Updates from FREE Weekend:  Everyone got back safely and in one piece: the Vienna group returned on three different trains, although all were more or less a hundred Euros poorer; the boys survived in the Czech Republic; both of the international flights, from Amsterdam and Berlin, arrived without delay; and Tina returned from London with Cari whom we were all excited to meet.  Although the trips were a great change of pace from our everyday experience, we all felt ready to return to a "normal" life back in Budapest.    The best parts about our normal life here are the familiar surroundings, the quasi-familiar sounding language, and the Forint that is much more forgiving than the Euro.  We will have a rude and unfortunate awakening when we have to use our own US dollars that we know for certain isn't ours.  The Forint somewhat resembles Monopoly play money that we can use in real life but have no real concept of its actual value.  Conversion rates are enlightening to a certain degree, but I haven't fully grasped the worth of the currency.  

Similar to the change in currency is the change of culture throughout Europe. Whenever we crossed the border to another country we had to learn new cultural norms. This is very hard, especially after we barely know the culture of Budapest. Luckily, some things do stay the same, such as the public transportation systems. It was nice to know how to find our way around another country. Most things don't stay the sam

e. The language is one very obvious difference, along with currency. Trying to sift through your wallet of US dollars, Euros, and Forints for the correct currency is always difficult. Then of course when you are trying to pay people back with whatever currency that you may have is interesting when trying to remember the conversion rates. 

 

As we travel, we appreciate the familiarity of not only what the US has to offer when we return, but the aspects of Hungary that we have adopted as the norm and give us comfort.  For example, breakfast will seem incomplete without orange drink, hard boiled eggs, and the assortment of meat.  

Many of us will have suitcases filled with Jó Reggelt and Milka bars that have replaced the comfort foods we usually resort to in the US.  Even though we are leaving soon, there are the little things about Budapest that we aren't ready to give up just yet.