Visits with Mary

The past few weeks while in Budapest I've had the opportunity to visit with Mary, the woman in this picture. I'll admit that I was reluctant to visit her at first, but luckily my mom was insistent that I do so, and I'm so glad I did. Why was I reluctant? Well, I wasn't sure if she spoke English; I didn't think she'd know who I was; I didn't know what to talk to her about; I didn't know how to get to her house....all excuses.

Let me back up a little and explain the situation with Mary. My mom was in Austria for a semester in 1973. Her roommate's mother had met Mary's family in Budapest back in 1948 when she was a post-war nurse based in Vienna. (That is another story that I'll tell you if you want to know). Mom's roommate wanted to go visit Mary's family in Budapest, and my mom and 3 other friends went with her. Below is a picture of them with Mary (in the center), her older sister, and her mother. According to Mary, they stayed in Budapest 4 days and visited everyday. After that, Mary sent them all Christmas cards and has even maintained correspondence with the girl on the far top right up until now.


The first time I visited, I took the sister missionaries with me. I thought I might need some translation--although she had been corresponding with my mom's friend, writing and speaking a language can be different and I didn't know if she got help with the letters or not. My mom couldn't remember if she spoke English. Well, turns out she speaks perfect English. She was born in New York City in 1925, but moved back to Hungary in 1931 after her father had a hard time finding work during the Great Depression.

In that visit and my subsequent visits, she told me fascinating stories about returning to Hungary in 1931, World War II and the Russian siege in 1945, the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, the fall of Communism in Hungary, her father being trapped in Belgium when the Axis powers invaded and having to get back to Hungary on foot, etc.

Her oldest sister moved to Canada and never returned to Hungary, but Mary and her other sister stayed in Budapest and neither never married. Her sister died 2 years ago and Mary has been very lonely ever since. She never leaves her apartment--there is a woman who does all her shopping, comes and cleans her apartment, gives her a bath, etc. That woman must have special doses of patience! While Mary does have fascinating stories, she has also grown extremely cynical and pretty bitter about life. I would try to start conversations that were pretty positive--that I thought left no room for negative comments--but she would always seem to find something negative about it! For example, I was singing Christmas songs with her yesterday and I suggested starting with Jingle Bells. After we sang it, she asked if I knew who "Fanny Brice" was ("And soon Miss Fanny Brice was seated by my side"). Well, I always thought it was "Fanny Bright," but in either case, I didn't know who she was. That set Mary off ranting for quite a while about how young people these days don't know anything...blah, blah, blah...

As long as you have a thick skin, however, she's fun to visit. She's sharp as a tack--remembers everything (although I have a feeling most stories are embellished!). She still sits and does needlework, and she gave me this traditional Hungarian patterned pillow cover she made. I am thankful that I was able to meet her and hear some of her stories, and I imagine we'll be exchanging Christmas cards :) She is probably one of the few people in the world who has experienced the events that she has and can recall them with such clarity and articulate them perfectly in English. In fairness to her, her bitterness comes from a life shaped for many years by fear and overbearing authority and a lack of hope. Deep down, she is sweet and I will miss not visiting her again. Meeting her has greatly enriched not only my Budapest experience, but my views of the world in general.

Christmas Market

I love the Christmas markets in Europe. They are lively, festive, and full of wonderful crafts and treats. At the Budapest Christmas market, there is a stage with people singing, dancing, etc., throughout the day. I have been several times trying to decide what I want to buy. Here are a few of the pictures I've taken there:

Making Kalacs...one of the best things ever. It is bread cooked over the fire and then rolled in cinnamon or sugar or walnuts, etc.:


Charity with our first kalacs purchase:


Traditional folk dancing and music:


With Marie (Hungarian friend from church) in front of the dress shop:


With Alanna (friend from school):

Visegrad

Last Monday I went to the nearby town of Visegrad with 4 of the missionaries serving here in Buda. None of us really knew what we were going to see or what to expect, but we'd heard good things about it. The day was an adventure from beginning to end--from nearly missing the bus, to being let off in the middle of nowhere, to slipping up and down to muddy trails in the rain. We had a lot of fun. Visegrad is a tiny town --maybe 1500 people-- with the key attraction being a really old deteriorating castle on the hill overlooking the Danube. Unfortunately the castle is only open on weekends during the winter, so we couldn't go inside. Here are some pictures of the day:

The castle on the hill behind all the fog:


Overlooking the Danube from the castle--the fog was so thick that we could hardly see anything:


On the trail:


Posing with Sister Glade--the seats were wet so we were just trying to perch on the edge:


I'm not sure if climbing on castle walls was a mission-approved activity :)


An authentic catapult:

20 Years of Formal Education...

Well, assuming I passed all the finals I took this week, my formal education has now come to a somewhat informal end. It hasn't really hit me yet. Oh, right...maybe that's because I have to frantically study for the next 2 months for the bar exam. Maybe the relief will hit after that (hopefully?).

Really, though, I've had some great experiences in school--from elementary school all the way to law school. I've had wonderful teachers and mentors. If I went back 10 years and had to do college over again, I wouldn't do things exactly the same way--I think that's part of learning...being able to look back and see how you can improve and change. However, I'm satisfied with the way things have turned out. I've been very blessed with opportunities that I never imagined and surely didn't deserve, but I know that the experiences I've had have taught and are teaching me important lessons that I need to learn to be a better person.

Truth be told, I've forgotten most of the things I've read in books or heard in school, and the countless "facts" that I had once committed to memory aren't always at the ready for my use. I can hardly remember a lot of the things I studied for my exams last week! (seriously) But I think that I have finally somewhat learned 'how to learn' and I've also learned that how much a person knows is most certainly not reflective of their worth as a person in society. Of the people I've met throughout my education--teachers, professors, employers, ecclesiastical leaders, students, mentors, roommates--the people that I admired the most were the ones who cared about other people and cared about what they were doing. Those are the examples that I most want to follow.

Frankfurt

This weekend I went to Frankfurt, Germany, to the LDS Temple. Although getting there involved a plane, bus, train, and walking, it was well worth it and I loved it there. The weather was chilly, but altogether tolerable--it only rained while I was in the temple. I was able to attend the temple on Friday and Saturday, as well as take in the downtown area and Christmas market in Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon and evening. Frankfurt was great--very modern; I almost felt like I was in America except everyone was speaking German! My flight was so early this morning that I decided to sleep in the airport last night--and by "sleep," I mean lay there on a bench with my coat over my head until 4 a.m. when I couldn't stand it anymore :) That's the second night in an airport recently....it's a toss-up between spending the night at an airport and on a bus or train!




At the temple with two new German friends, Janina and Patricia:


Christmas market in Frankfurt:


Frankfurt:

From the Citadel

Last Sunday afternoon I hiked up Gellert Hill in Budapest where there is a citadel on the top. Apparently the citadel was built in the 1940s by the Soviets to quell any revolutions (or something like that). The cannons in it were actually pointing into the city.

It was kind of a rainy day, but the view of the city from the top of hill was still spectacular. Here are some shots:

Looking back at Castle Hill:


Danube in the middle, Buda on the left, Pest on the right:


Looking down on Castle Hill and Buda:


The freedom lady holding the palm branch on top of the hill:

Thanksgiving Party Picture

Here's the people I spent Thanksgiving with last week. I, unfortunately, was taking the picture, so I'm not in it, but I love this picture because it shows the personality of the people in it pretty well. The elders are kneeling in front and I have no idea why they are not in suits and name tags, but I decided that it wasn't my place to ask or worry about it. The elder in the black coat is my roommate's cousin. My roommate is in the plaid skirt, and the couple in the middle with the dog are her friends Jutka and Imre. The couple on the left is their son, David, and his wife, Jenia.

Hungarian Career Women and My Roommate

Last weekend there was a conference of Hungarian Career Women at the Parliament here in Budapest. My roommate participated by singing the Hungarian national anthem, another song, and speaking as a member of the arts panel. I went along to support her--she did a great job, and I found the conference to be quite interesting. This picture is of us in the entrance hall to the Parliament (and, no, contrary to what some have thought--and despite the sash--she's not Miss Hungary!).

I considered naming this post "American Soap Operas: A Moral Compass?", and you're probably wondering why. Well, since the conference was all in Hungarian, I was just passing the time by counting columns, checking out the various outfits and hairdos, comparing light fixtures....you know. Well, after about 45 minutes, I noticed this little cupboard under the desk in front of me (the conference was in the Parliamentary Assembly Hall) and I opened it up and found an ear piece inside. I put it in my ear and...discovered an English translation! I was kicking myself for not discovering it earlier, but then I became too amazed by what I was hearing to think much about it. I hope I came into the speech at the wrong part or that the translation was just bad, but what I heard was that "we (Hungary) need to look to the values portrayed in American soap operas and return to those values." Boy, was I flabbergasted! Could this guy (a professor of some sort) be serious? First of all, when I hear "soap opera," I certainly don't think "values." Second of all, from what I hear and see and notice, I think that many people in Hungary are already doing a pretty good job of emulating "American soap opera values." He continued on in this same strain for the last 5 minutes of his speech, and he seemed to be saying that American soap operas portrayed women in strong roles, fulfilling both home and career responsibilities effectively, and modeling what women are capable of. Hmmm....the reasoning has too many flaws to even begin listing them, but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that the translation was off, and he really wasn't referring to soap operas!

I want to just make one more serious comment on the conference, though. I didn't stay for long (about 2 hours) and I didn't understand 1/2 of what I was there for, but from what I heard and read in the English program I had, I found the entire event to be very sad and, frankly, possibly more destructive than helpful to the "cause" of all women. Women were hearing that they can do everything, have it all--family, career, community service, etc. No mention that something would have to give. I didn't see any panelists on the program who were mothers and homemakers by profession, but there were plenty of ambassadors, congresswomen, CEOs, musicians, etc. It was almost as if the message was that women not only can do more, but that they will be valued in society more if they do more. "Traditional" roles of wife and mother were things that could be had on the side, rather than valued as central to a woman's life. Perhaps I'm being too harsh and judging something that I didn't even see (okay...the second part of that is definitely true), but that was the impression I got and it makes me sad that women around the world are getting the message that they need to "have it all" according to the world's standards.

Google Reader Changed My Life

I just wanted to say that Google Reader is saving me probably hours every week (I'd like to be certain that is an exaggeration, but I'm not!). No more mental strain trying to remember which blogs to check, no more wasting time looking at websites that haven't been updated....it's wonderful. I learned about it here on my brother-in-law's blog. If you don't use it (or a similar feedreader), go read his blog entry and TRY IT! You'll love it and the time it saves!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for--there is no way to make a complete list, but here are ten of the things I am grateful for today (I'm sad our family couldn't be together to share them with each other in person!):

• Education
• Health
• Plain Yogurt
• Weekends
• Internet
• People in Hungary who speak English, or at least smile if they don't
  
• Trustworthy Friends
  
• Scriptures, Prayer, and Revelation
  
• Wonderful Eternal Families :)
  
• Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ
  

Joke Answers

I knew Kristen would make a good faith effort to answer the jokes. 1/6 ain't bad. The only other person I could count on would be Jeff--he's always up for a good joke--but since he's a missionary, he doesn't read my blog. Since I suspect no one else will want to take the guesses, I'll put the answers here and save you anymore suspense (and give Kristen a new arsenal of jokes to save Ryan from hearing the cat/mitten joke for the 5,000th time!).

1. What did the Martian say to the rose bush? -Take me to your weeder.
   
2. What's ok to serve but not to eat? -A tennis ball.
   
3. What do astronauts like on their sandwiches? -Launch meat.
   
4. Why was the girl staring at the can of frozen orange juice? It said "Concentrate."
   
5. What has ears but never hears a thing? -A cornfield.
   
6. How do basketball players stay cool? -By sitting close to their fans.
   

I think my personal favorites are #1 and #4!

Welcome to 2 New Nephews!

I am so excited to welcome 2 new nephews into my family! Redd Thomas was born on November 16 in Fallon, and Mark Perry (?) was born on November 19 in Minnesota. I am looking forward to meeting them in a month (or whenever the first chance is, in the case of Mark). They are both lucky boys to have wonderful parents and older brothers and sisters! [not to mention aunts and uncles :)]

I don't have any pictures of Mark, but here are some cute ones of Redd (his sister Stevey is feeding him in the last one):

Bikram Yoga

Sweat, sweat, and more sweat. That pretty much sums it up.

Yesterday I started going to Bikram Yoga classes with a friend. Follow the link, and you can find out more about it than you probably every wanted to know. You can also see pictures of the studio here in Budapest, which I'm told looks exactly the same as every other studio in the U.S. Basically, the classes are a series of 26 poses, each done twice, taking 90 minutes. It is done in a really hot room; I've heard it called "hot yoga" before--I'd guess that the room is about at 100 degrees. No, I'm not kidding. Forget the fans; bring on the space heaters! (And if you've ever lived with me, you may know just how much I "love" space heaters...oops, did I say love? I mean hate...)

I thought I was going to die during my first class. Obviously, though, I didn't die, and since I committed to 10 days, I'm going to stick it out. After 10 days, I make no promises. But it's been interesting and I'm happy to have a friend to drag me along. I will say that, even if I don't become a hot yoga convert, I will never again say that it is not real exercise!

I also feel like hearing it all in Hungarian is an extra mental exercise--trying to figure out what the heck is going on! Apparently I'm the only newcomer (my friend does it in the U.S.). Luckily, the instructors speak very good English and will generally do the first set in Hungarian and second set in English. Also, it's quite common to hear things like "Toes out, Ash-e-ley"; "Ash-e-ley, lock your knee"; "Spine straight, Ash-e-ley!"; etc. You get the idea...they've zeroed in on me! But they're really helpful and nice.

This is what I look like....ha ha ha (like I could ever get my legs to do that!)

Budapest Pictures--Part I

I realized a while back that I haven't really taken very many pictures of Budapest, although this is where I spend most of my time. Yesterday, despite the FREEZING weather, I ventured out to use my mad photo skills (haha...I never take the camera off the "Auto" setting) to capture some of my everyday sightings. I planned to take all afternoon to walk around the entire city, but before I'd gotten too far I thought my fingers were going to fall off, so I decided I would have to do this in installments. Plus, the weather was so gloomy that all the pictures look sad and dark. But, since I risked my health to take them (just kidding, mom), I'll post some here.

Parliament:


In front of Castle:


Fenicular (?) up Castle Hill:


Szechenyi Chain Bridge--my school is just on the far side of the bridge:


Lion on Chain Bridge:


On Castle Hill:


Castle:


Castle District:


Castle District:


View of Parliament and Danube from Fishermen's Bastion


Tracks by my apartment:


Unfortunately Common sight--tram, old lady walking dog, homeless man under tree:


Tunnel I go through to get to school:


On the way to school:


Buda, from Castle Hill:

Ireland--Hiking in Wicklow Mountains

While in Ireland, we went to Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains--it was absolutely beautiful! The bus dropped us off at an some old monastic ruins, and from there there are tons of hikes to take around these 2 lakes. We had a great time. We chose the most rigorous hike, but ended up turning around early because the weather was getting very cold, rainy, and windy, and people who looked much more prepared (not to mention in shape) than us were turning around. Also, we didn't want to run out of time--true to form, we had taken a wrong turn early on in the trail, only correcting ourselves at the point where we ended up losing about an hour. I think I found my equal when it comes to getting lost! All in all, Glendalough was awesome and I am so glad I followed the recommendation of a good friend who suggested going there.

Here are some of my Glendalough pictures:






We found this dark and scary path after we'd taken the wrong turn--


It probably wasn't the best idea to choose this hike when we didn't have any of the things it said we needed (hiking boots, compass, map, raingear)

The trail:


Top of the mountain:


Glendalough:



Self-timer shot: