Chocolate Chip Cookies

If I do say so myself, I am somewhat of a chocolate chip cookie expert - I make pretty darn good cookies. Therefore, since cookies, in particular, chocolate chip cookies seem not to exist here, I told my team I would treat them to homemade chocolate chip cookies.

On the way home from the countryside last week, I checked to make sure that they had all the ingredients and asked what to look for in the grocery store. Baking soda = bicarbonate szoda, brown sugar - yes, we have that, vanilla - check we have that too! I was beginning to think this would be a piece of cake - or well cookie. :)

Hurdle 1: I went to my local "Match" on Friday night pretty much knowing they would not have what I needed because shopping there is more like shopping in a convenience store than a grocery store. Anyway, so no surprise no vanilla - they were out, no brown sugar, no baking soda BUT they did have eggs, butter, sugar, and flour.

Hurdle 2: I made my way to Tesco - the local Walmart - via Metro. I started my search for brown sugar. I couldn't find anything that looked like brown sugar. I did find brown....sugar. The kind of sugar that looks "raw" but no molasses added brown sugar. I move down the "baking aisle" and find baking soda - CHECK!! and then find what they call vanilla - this tiny bottle of clear liquid - ok but still no brown sugar. I then spent the next 30 min finely combing every aisle of this store and STILL did not find brown sugar. I did however find the "American" food section which did have a bag mix for chocolate chip cookies which I decide to take as my back up plan. Finally, I ask a store clerk who claims to speak a little English but really i think she speaks about as much English as I speak Hungarian, nem-nem-nem. A random dude in the store tries to help me but he just points me to the "brown" sugar.

So, I decide to purchase the "brown" sugar and experiment a bit. I get to the check out and try to pay for all of my stuff - Oh I forgot - I had also decided to get a hand mixer - an old school hand crank mixer since mixing cookies by hand is a bit difficult. However, the checker gets to the hand mixer looks at it and sets it aside. I tell her, "No, I want to buy that". She points to the barcode on another item and then wags her finger and points at the mixer - I took that to mean since it did not have a barcode I could not buy it - so frustrating.

Hurdle 3: I get home from Tesco and unpack my stuff - all my stuff that is EXCEPT the vanilla which is apparently magically missing. These cookies are going to be terrible :(

So - I am sitting here making cookies from a bag and praying these turn out to at least give these Hungarians a "taste" of the US and not wish to never see another cookie.

PS My team also told me that the word "cookie" in Hungarian is the word a small child or a parent talking to a small child would use for the male anatomy. haha

My favorite part of Budapest

Trying to channel Mike Shoemaker in this one.....

egen, egen, egen, nem, nem, nem

Is it possible to start to hate certain words? Perhaps because I have a VERY limited Hungarian vocabulary but I have a strong dislike for the words egen and nem (yes and no). It's not the word said just once but for some reason, Hungarians tend to use these words in triplicate, say them as one word, and utter them at an immensely fast pace - egen-egen-egen or nem-nem-nem. still not quite sure why I find it just a bit irritating.

blunt Hungarians

I have heard that Hungarians tend to be blunt honest people. I am not sure I had truly experienced that until yesterday...

while sitting across a conference table waiting for our conference call to start, my manager looks over at me. First she compliments my earrings telling me that they are beautiful. I say thank you, my parents gave them to me - they are my favorite too. She then quickly and naturally rolled right into, "You need to dye your hair." pointing her finger at my straggling gray hairs.

While I have spent my entire life wishing I had the thick, curly hair of my father, I love my hair for all its faults. I love my straight, super fine, crazy lot of hair. I am not ready for the curly gray hairs or the hair dying that will have to start in the near future. However, it was hilarious to me that she felt comfortable suggesting such things to me, in front of the client no less.

anyway, off to Castle Hill today with the guys in the midst of a freaking blizzard - I thought it didn't snow that much in Budapest?!?!?

There is a Blackberry Fairy

so....

Guess who has a functioning BB again.... ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so happy. SO SO SO happy. I am connected again.

PwC failed to switch on my international plan. So today I finally got fed up enough to stick through customer service and within 30 min I had a phone again. YES YES YES.

Cavanaugh or pink hotel

Back out at Szarsa (said: Sarcha) for the week. I am not quite sure how to describe this place. It is a mix of dorm room and "hotel". Let me give you some details:

1. twin bed with no box spring: Cavanaugh
2. "cleaned" (ie bed made) daily: hotel
3. deeply slanted ceilings leaving portions of the room and bathroom to feel cavelike and unusable: Cavanaugh
4. chocolate on pillow - on the first day at least: hotel
5. less than 60 square feet of space: Cavanaugh
6. only one channel on TV (well in this case, one English channel): Cavanaugh - though I would prefer WNDU to CNN world
7. real metal key with room number printed on it: Cavanaugh
8. low water pressure in the shower: CAVANAUGH
9. shower "stall": Cavanaugh - at least I can't slip and break anything while getting in this thing
10. dim lighting from poorly placed light: Cavanuagh - wish I had the sauna lamp to help out here
11. neighbors: Cavanaugh - I was awoken last night by the sound of my neigbor snooring... need i say more?
12. excellent food: neither hotel or dorm - I look forward to dinner every night, generally accompanied by Palinka (to be discussed in a later post) and always so good

There is a "Hungarian" charm to this place. However, I do miss my real bed :(

Anywhere but here

I had one major goal for the weekend.... get out of the Pest. It's not that I haven't been loving it here, I have. However, it is about time I start to knock off some of my travel goals.

After a longer night than I had planned on Friday night, (when I glanced down at Peti's watch and noticed it was 4:30 am, I knew there was a problem) Jo, Ari (the new kid from the NYC office who will be here through July) made our way to Kelati train station in hopes of catching a train to Bratislava at 9:30 am. Unfortunately, we managed to miss the train by 5 min. At this point we knew we didn't want to wait for the next train to Bratislava later that afternoon. Jo, in his attempt to be heard through the thick window of the ticket office, shouted loudly to the ticket agent, "tickets for ANYWHERE BUT HERE". I am sure any English speaking person in the ticket office was sure we HATED Budapest. We did finally determine that a train left to Vienna in about an hour. So we bought our tickets and headed off to Vienna. I thought I was going to get my passport stamped but alas - dumb EU - no stamps added.
Once we arrived in Vienna with no map and no pre-knoweldge or research as we had not planned to go to Vienna we rode the underground to St. Stephen's Cathedral. It put St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest to SHAME. Wow. so beautiful.

Next we wandered downtown a bit to find a cafe for some "coffee". We somehow managed to wander into just the right place - teeming with locals and excellent coffee. The coffee was the best I have had since leaving the US. I could have had 2 or 3 more. We got a few tips from the girl sitting at the table next to us and headed in the direction she gave us to see more architecture and beautiful buildings. Although I had no idea what I was looking at, it was awesome. I will have to do some research this week to figure out exactly what it was we were seeing.
We then wandered through the shopping district for a bit and found dinner at an excellent restaurant. By that point it was time to head back to the train station. It was a long day but so well worth the trip. I am eagerly anticipating a return trip to Vienna but this time I will be prepared with a bit more knowledge of what I want to see in the city.

Act IV - mallS Act V - monks and wine

Act IV - mallS

EEP, I am going to have to call you out in this post for putting me through one of the more tortured shopping experiences of my life in the Proper Topper where we spent no fewer than 90 minutes deciding on a winter hat in a store that at BEST is 50 square feet.

However, I think that experience has been topped by the amount of time I have spent with Jo looking for a winter coat and camera in 3 different trips to shopping malls. On Saturday post injury, we wandered West End Mall for almost 2 hours. Even once he had found a dirt cheap but nice coat he decided to pass because he "hadn't seen enough options yet". I was thinking - dude, you need a winter coat, this one is nice just get it. We returned to Mammut Mall on Sunday morning for an hour or so before we headed to Castle Hill. I pray he found a coat and camera this week so I can be freed from shopping in anymore Budapest malls for awhile

Act V - monks and wine
After my mall trip and brief tour around Castle Hill on Sunday, Julia (said you-lee), my manager, and her friend Zsuzsanna (i still don't know quite how it's said - something like zju-zanna) picked me up for a trip back into the countryside to a Benedictine monastery that dates back to 996 AD. Random fact learned on the tour - the Turkish (who invaded and took over the monastery at some point) did not like statues or carvings of human faces. They cut off all the noses in the monastery as they thought this would keep the faces from breathing and kill them. Totally weird.

While the monastery was cool, particularly the library, the best part was the wine tasting. Apparently Benedictine monks are not allowed to drink. However, these monks were given special permission to drink as they ran a winery but were only allowed to drink their Hemalina - or just the amount that kept you from being drunk. However, as this was a different amount for each person, there was no set limit - just Hemalina. Well anyway, now there is a wine named after this "limit".

And so ends the saga of last weekend. I made it home in time to welcome Joe from my home office to town for a few weeks and then repack for Szarca.

Act III - Relaxation and Pain

Act III - Relaxation and Pain
After looking around Great market Hall and eating lunch, I moved on to my final destination of the day - Gellert baths which was across the Liberty Bridge (green and beautiful - see above). I have been wanting to go to one of the many baths in the city but had hesitated as I was unsure about going by myself. The Gellert Baths have separate male and female sections for the thermal baths which I decided was better when I would be there alone. However what I failed to consider was that as a result of the single sex-ness of the bath, there was a LOT of nudity. I am a prude American - what can I say. There are just things I would rather not see and know about a complete stranger. (Note as a result of the nudity - no pictures are allowed inside. Sorry - maybe I will have pics of the next bath) I did however have a great relaxing time. I went in the sauna and in the steam room and tried both thermal baths. It was a quick 2 hours later and I decided it was time to be on my way.

By the time i got home I was ready for a HOT shower and this is where the pain began. My bathtub/shower has a very high side and deeply slanted sides and back and NO slip resistant bottom. So one step in and I had somehow slipped managing to bang my knee and stub my toe. I screamed in horror and sat down in the bath holding my knee which i thought was the more offensive injury. Little did I know that in about 30 minutes my damn toe would be black/blue/red and throbbing. I think I broke it :( and it wasn't even doing something fun and adventurous. Maybe I should make up a story about it. Like: I was rock climbing in the Swiss alps and suddenly a mountain goat appeared out of nowhere and while I was trying to climb out of its way quickly, I slipped and broke my toe OR I was riding on the back of a moped of a cute Italian man in Rome (don't worry mom, I would never actually do this) and he turned a corner too quickly and i put my foot down to stop us from falling and broke my toe. Then at least i wouldn't feel so stupid for having a bum foot week 2 into my mostly walking trip.

to be continued.....

Dear Turkey and Cheese sandwich

oh how I miss you :(

Can I just say I ordered "quesadillas" for lunch today and they were served atop french fries and accompanied with "guacamole" which was more the color of mustard than guac and I am not sure it actually contained any avocado at all. I am also not entirely convinced that there was any cheese in these quesadillas.

Lunch is not my favorite meal here. :(

Act I - Car Crash, Act II - Mummies, Langos & Ecuadorians

Act I:

My weekend began with the trek back from Szekesfehervar. Krisztina was our lucky driver. The drive actually went pretty smoothly given that the bus system had been on strike for several days and there were more cars on the road than usual. However, the smooth sailing ended once we got back to the PwC office. While I have NO clue how to drive a stick shift, I do know how to park a car. Let's just say there were no fewer than 3 new beauty marks on our lovely fiat by the time Krisztina got the car into its assigned spot. I am just glad I will never be asked to drive here - apparently Hungarians don't believe in automatic :)

When I got home, Jo and I went for dinner in our neighborhood and had a great meal at Minyon. However, as we were eating a bit late, we all but got kicked out as they turned our table into the dance floor. As Jo is from South Africa and his parents own a farm, I was asking him for cool wild animal stories. Of course two of the stories he tells me involve large Hippos nearly eating him alive. I mean really - who has Hippos in their backyard and multiple experiences that involve a near death experience with them. The night ended with Jo and me aimlessly wandering our neighborhood to try and find an open coffee shop. We ended the night empty handed :(

Act II - Mummies, Langos, & Ecuadorians
Jo had to work on Saturday so he left me on my own to explore. Naturally, I planned a jam-packed day. I wanted to go to St Stephen's basilica, Budapest's version of Eastern Market - well Eastern Market on steroids, and then finally make my way to Gellert baths - one of the Turkish baths in the city. I got all the way to the basilica before I figured out I had left my directions at my apartment - oops. St. Stephen's Basilica is known best for the relic of St. Stephen's hand. I'm not quite sure that the eerily green, mummified hand is all that spectaculor but I can now check it off my list of dos while here.
Next, I headed to the great market hall in search of lunch and maybe a bit of shopping. As I rounded the corner to the market, I could hear a roadside "band" playing and had a deja vou feeling. When the band came into view, I recognized their bags. Here was a random Ecuadorian band. I walked up and talked to their PR guy and turns out the band is touring Europe. How random and small world - Ecuadorian band in Budapest. As I walked into the Great Market Hall, it was a bit overwhelming. Stalls and Stalls and Stalls of the same thing repeated over and over again - fruit & veggies, bread, meats, and paprika. Upstairs I found my new favorite food - Langos. I guess I could describe it as a cross between a donut and pizza. I realize that sounds gross but it was sooooooooooooo good. Heart-clogging, hip-widening GOOD.
Yes, Lauren, that is Coke light - don't kill me. While I haven't totally kicked my DC (now CL) habit, coke light is certainly less tempting.

I think the most note worthy part to the Great market Hall is that the place was teeming with bars. I mean literally bars - the kind where men stand at 11:30 am on a Saturday and play cards with the Beer maid.

to be continued......

Full weekend

This weekend was jam-packed. I think it will take me a few days to fully document the awesome-ness of this weekend - with one minor set back.

So to give you all a taste of this weekend and the stories to come, I can sum up the weekend with mummies, langos, saggy boobs, a black & blue toe, monks, and wine!!

I am too tired to do this all justice, so stay tuned! I promise to tell you all about it :)

I am back out to Szekesfeharvar and Szasa for the week!!! BUT this time I am bringing the camera - it is already packed so that I can document its unique charm.

Holidays in the Pest

For anyone looking to come visit, I learned that I have 2 separate 3 day weekends before I leave here. March 15 and April 6.

Welcoming all guests!!

4 Hungarians, 2 Germans and an American walk into a bar ( or restaurant)

Tonight we had a cross team dinner with another PwC crowd that is also staying in the awesome Szacsa. I am sorry all for not bringing my real camera this week, so the oversized clock (aka my now defunct blackberry storm) will have to do for this event. The trout really was the whole friggin' trout. Head, tail, bones and all. Oh, and this is Krisztina. She is my only teammate whose name I don't butcher everyday. While she throws an extra z in there, it is said the same way or so I am lead to believe.

Anyway, dinner was great fun tonight. I was the only native English speaker at the table but it was fun to get so many different opinions and to talk with other non-Hungarians to see their perspective on life here.

I also tried Palinka, sour cherry flavoured, tonight. Whew - it was so strong. They served if from this fancy pour-er thing into these teeny-tiny "wine" glasses. I will have to take a picture of that too.

Oh and P.S. random fact of the day: Szekesfehervar used to be called Alba when it was under Roman rule 1500-2000 years ago. I am really wondering why they couldn't just keep calling it Alba. WaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaYYYYYY easier to say and spell. Just saying.

Loud Noises

I know it isn't rational but whatever experience I have here, I generalize that ALL Hungarians do things a certain way. All Hungarians blow their nose as loud as possible and all doors in Hungary are non self closing and require excessive force to close.

The men who work in the building I am currently working in frequently blow their noses so loudly it sounds like a chorus of off-key french horns. Awful and disgusting. Is this a Hungarian thing? A European thing? Or maybe just men who work all day in a noisy bottle cap factory who think it is acceptable to let everyone know they have too many mocos in their nose - thing?

Second generalization: Non-self-closing doors require violent force to close. I must be accustomed to doors that automatically close behind me gently as I am often startled in this office building by the noise of someone SLAMMING their door. Even the bathroom door requires you to shut it behind you or the door will stand wide open for all to see. I guess this could be good on a day when you are angry and just need to get your frustration out - WAPAHH SLAM - aggression towards door instead of a person. I don't know but as someone who currently sits in silence pretty much all day, I could really do without the heart attack once an hour. Why don't they have those nifty automatic close devices? Is that really all that modern an invention? Just wondering.

Word a day

What if I try and learn at least one Hungarian word a day - say it and spell it? If I manage to keep it up, I would know over a 100 words. I think that would be pretty impressive. I have told my team I want to give it a try. So, since today is my 7th day in the country that means I have to know at least 7 words:

1. igen - Said: E-gen Means: yes
2. nem - Said: Nem Means: no
3. czirke - Said: Chir-key Think cross between chicken and turkey Means: Chicken
4. Szekesfehervar - Said: Sekesssh-feharrrrr - var Means: The name of the countryside town I am staying in AND Szekes (with chair) fehar (white) var (castle) Does this one count as 4 words???
5. jeges - Said: ya-gesh Means: cold
6. ebed - Said: A-bayyyd Means: lunch
7. Pusci - Said: Pussy Means: Kiss
8. Fak - Said: Fuck Means: Trees
9. Elnezest - Said: El-knee-zesht Means: Excuse Me
10. Koszonom - Said: Ko-so-num Means: Thanks
11. Egeszsegedre - Said: egg-as-sheg-a-dre Means: Cheers
12. Csak Lassan - Said: Chalk La-Shawn Means: Easy Tiger I am doubting I will ever have a need to use this one.

Do I get a prize for being ahead of schedule???? I guess this allows me a few cheats down the line. :)

Szekesfehervar = Seekkkesssssssh-faharrrrr - var

I am going to be living in a "hotel" (read: cross between a bed and breakfast, swiss chalet, and bad motel) out in the middle of nowhere for a couple of weeks - well at least during the week. I am not so keen on that plan but it does mean less of a commute and both meals paid for.... Something tells me this will be nothing like staying at the pink Marriott.

Tonight, I made an improptu meal of broccolli and pasta with frozen red onion (oops, guess the fridge is a bit too cold) garlic, and paprika for Jo and myself. It was ok for my first meal made in the apartment with a busted wine opener and no garbage disposal.

After dinner, Jo and I went in search of a wine bar. The first one was closed. Who knew that Monday night was the only night it wasn't open? And then we found one even closer. It is a bit like Proof but more casual food and less high-tech storage devices.

The bar tender was black and spoke fluent Hungarian. Is it wrong that I really wanted to ask him about how he ended up in Budapest? He is the first black person I have seen since being here and had he not opened his mouth I would have assumed he was American - dumb American me :)

Webcam

The webcam is up and working using googlevoice. If anyone wants to chat, let me know!

Puszi Puszi ...... which sounds like Pussy Pussy

Yes, this is how people say "kiss, kiss" here. Kinda makes you laugh.

I had dinner tonight with another secondee from the US - Atlanta and her American friend that also lives here. They had some more insights into the things I will miss from the US - ziploc baggies, febreeze, the ease of just walking in and out of the grocery store with the things you need and want. However, they both also told me that I will enjoy the experience and be glad that I did it.

Sore feet

Jo, my new South African friend, and I went out touring. We started with a mission to see the Danube. Check.

Then we decided to walk across the bridge to Buda. Check. I took a few pictures but the cloudy day doesn't do the bridge justice.

It really seems like 2 different citys - one hilly and one flat. We walked through a park on the Buda side and introduced Jo to his first snow. It was disgusting dirty snow leftover from the snow on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week but there was enough in a pile left from someone's snow man to make a few snowballs.

We continued to wander on the Buda side and found a mall!! I finally bought a webcam (Check!) and might get to try it out tonight - maybe. By that point in the day both Jo and I were pretty tired so we opted for a metro ride home instead of walking all the way back. Jo seemed pretty wary of the metro system as he had never ridden one before. However, the metro seems to work more or less the same as the metro at home - entry is a bit different and I am not sure how you transfer between lines BUT I know I can at least ride successfully. (CHECK!!)

We ended our adventure with a coffee from what I am guessing is the Hungarian version of Starbucks - coffeeheaven. I wish I could just skip work all week and continue to explore.

Church and Hungarian food

I have still not quite adjusted to the time here. I am falling asleep late and waking up late too. As a result I missed my opportunity for good picture taking light today - it gets dark here at about 4.

However, I did manage to find a church with an English mass today. I had the time wrong by an hour so I had to hang around for the hour before it started. I think I can add to the list of things I will appreciate when I go home - heat in Church. I was SO cold by the end.

The pictures are of the outside of the Church. It was really pretty and kind of rustic - no overdone, gold encrusted statues as I remember all the Churches in Europe having. There seems to be a tight knit group of British parishoners that help with the English mass - they invited us all for tea afterwards :). Maybe next week.

I had dinner tonight with another secondee, Jo, from South Africa who just got in today. We ate dinner in a restaurant in our neighborhood and I had my first Hungarian food. It was more or less steak and potatoes with a "stew" of mushrooms and peas. It was actually pretty good - very heavy but good.

However, the most interesting part of dinner was learning about South Africa. It was interesting to learn more about a country I really know nothing about.

First Hungarian bug

at least it wasn't a Daddy Long Legs

and yes... I did kill it

I will pay you $1

if....

you can tell me what the heck these symbols mean

I think doing laundry would have been easier had this been in hungarian. At least I could use a dictionary then.

PS I downloaded the user manual and it does not show these symbols nor mention what they might mean. It just indicates to "select a programme". Thanks Whirlpool (model FL 5085/A AA800)

A lot for one day

Day 2 at work meant:

a new CELL PHONE!!!!! +36 30 334 3959 but the realization that I am without a bb for 3.5 months - what am I going to do without permanent access to Google maps, pandora, internet, and emails?

a taxi card

my very own badge to get in the pwc building

I had a whole lesson today on 1) pronouncing hungarian words - I may leave here and still not know how to say a single word 2) Hungarian names - People say their name backwards here - last name first and and first name last. However, if they are writing to a person who is English speaking they will often switch the order. This makes it very confusing to figure out which is the first and which is the last name. Confusing further, they often have familiar names that people only get to call them once you are good enough friends. Ugh how can a name be so confusing. 3) vacation time - Hungarians save their vaca time for summer when the work week is only 32 hours long so you can take a full week of vaca for only 4 days of vacation time. 4) sick time - Hungarian doctors will often instruct their patients to stay home for an entire week if they have a cold and they actually really stay home 5) maternity leave - the government pays for TWO YEARS of 60% of your salary AND you have a guaranteed job when you come back. maybe i should move to Hungary when I decide to have a baby? 6) overtime - Hungarians auditors get paid it. I would get paid time and a half for all my time over 45 hours a week during busy season and 32 hours during the summer. Do you know how rich I would be?

8,490 Forint = $45

Today was my first day back to work and it also meant my first trip outside of Budapest. The day started with a 45 min trek out to Alcoa, being pulled over by the Hungarian police because our headlights were not turned on, and getting a sense that the Hungarian "countryside" is pretty desolate. However, the day ended with a trip to Tesco (Hungarian version of Walmart) to buy myself among other household goods a $45 hairdryer ( I mean really did I need a real blow dryer that bad???), and a drive across the Szechenyi Chain Bridge which was a great ending to a good day. I wish my camera had made the trip. A walk across the span will be in my near future and I promise to add some pictures of my own of the awesome lion structure and beautifully lit bridge.

My first adventure

I ventured out this afternoon with the only goal of finding dinner. Well I sorta cheated in that I went to Vapiano BUT there was no English spoken in the two transactions before I had bought dinner so it wasn't a total cheat.

I also did a bit of window shopping and determined that I probably do need to buy some boots. About 2 blocks into my adventure I stepped into the street thinking I was stepping on slush but it was really a slush covered puddle - yuck.

i am also adding to my observations:
snow is cleared here by hand by men using wheelbarrows and wearing bright yellow vests. i think this explains why sidewalks and roads are not very well cleared.
manhole covers are pretty - see picture
only terrible american chains make their way across the globe - burger king, mcdonalds
there are a lot of "parks" with statues of men - maybe I should learn about who they are.

Budapest day 2

Well, I went to bed last night thinking I was going to read for a few minutes but as soon as my head hit that pillow, I was out. I didn't even have to try.

I woke up to my alarm which I had set for 9 am in hopes to do something today. However, my body thought otherwise and I really slept until 11.

About an hour ago the best man in the whole world came and fixed my internet and I am feeling much happier and much more connected.

I am now trying to convince myself to get dressed and go do something so I don't feel like a total loser for staying inside on my second day here.

It is lightly snowing outside and there are kids playing in the snow in the courtyard outside my window.

The pictures above are my apartment - it is pretty close to the pictures I had seen online. The decorations are a bit sparse which makes it feel a bit depressing but I think I will make it my own eventually.

To add to my observations from yesterday:
my door requires that I lock it with my key from the inside - only a problem when you can't remember where you have left your key and the internet man (your would be savior) is standing on the other side of the door waiting for you to open it.
i need a manual for the washing machine to figure out how to use it. it is all symbols and even my internet man had no clue.
when it snows in England they freak out - I have found one English channel on my TV and it is a British news channel. I think they have spent about 1.5 hrs talking about what looks like less than a foot of snow fall. I guess the dramatization of weather is a worldwide phenomenon.
either my building or maybe hungarians on a whole are very environmentally conscience. The lights in the hallway must be turned on when you enter the hall and they automatically go out less than 5 min after you turn them on. They also only gave me one towel and no flat bed sheet - less laundry I guess.

Budapest day 1

So per Reina's suggestion, I am going to attempt a blog. We shall see how this all goes. I know this will be a repeat for most but here is what day 1 in Budapest was like:

so i am here and alive. the flight wasn't so bad. layover was a bit
rough as i really really wanted to sleep.

things i have learned so far:
they switched the z and the y on the keyboard and the apostrophe requires shifting 1. i am slow to type as a result.
you must request a bag at the grocery store
the street lights here turn yellow just before they turn green.
keys are funny shapes - more squared off
most importantly, my phone does not work, the wireless internet in my room is not functioning and tv has 9 channels and i am not sure that any of them are in english - i may need more books

i managed to go to dinner and pay for it without much trouble. it was fine - just the closest restaurant that wasn't a buffet. they included 8% gratiuity - very odd.

so the first entertaining story to tell so far is that i get off the plane and collect my luggage. i look around for the man who should be carrying a sign with my name. there are several other fellows with other people's names but nothing that even comes close. i decide to wait 10 min and see if he shows even though it is nearly 30 min after we had landed at this point. so my 10 min time limit passes (also note that at this point i have already determined that my phone does not appear to be getting a signal but on occasion decides to flash full bars.) So I try one more time on my cell phone with no luck to call the HR lady here. so i am left with no choice but to figure out
a pay phone. i change some us dollars to forint and ask for change to use the phone. i get to the phone and can not figure out where change might go into this phone. so then i decide that ok fine credit card it is. but alas all instructions are in hungarian and putting in the credit card does not give me a dial tone. so i have to ask for help.... at which point the security man - think sterotypical eastern european man who wrestles for his college team - sees that i am asking for help on the pay phone for a local call and offers over his cell phone. Kelly 1 for using her feminine charm to get her something. so apparently my driver's car broke down and so that is why he is not here to pick me up. so they send a cabbie who does not speak english - so much for using this man to show me things on my way into the city. all and all not the best first experience in the country but hey i made it.

so tomorrow i am sleeping and then i have to figure out a plan to do something. maybe try the metro. a man is coming to fix the wireless internet problem tomorrow so i am hoping that will happen - not sure i am going to be able to survive without it. i am using the computer in my building's office and it is painfully slow.

anyway just wanted to say i made it and at least day 1 is over.