A Small Taste of Hungary

Budapest is often called the Paris of the East, and after spending a few days there I would say that aesthetically this is true, but the feeling was quite different. I spent my time focusing on the history of the city and found that you don't have to look very hard to find it. There are burned buildings from wars and revolutions, memorials to those who lost their lives in the fight against the Soviet regime, memorials to the Jews who were shot into the river and, of course, there were the castles, towers and churches hundreds of years old. I spent most of my time walking around the city hunting for the memorials and reflecting on the way that the history of the country seems to have shaped its people. I am not sure if it was only because of the cold, or if it is truly the way the people are, but everyone was quiet and incredibly reserved. Even a trip to the market (which was indoors and heated) was different from anything I have ever experienced. No one tried to sell me anything. Not even if I loitered at the stall touching everything on display. It was a trip unlike any that I have taken, but I feel that I came out of with a new respect for the Hungarian people who have experienced so much difficulty in the history of their nation.
When I first arrived, I realized how good I am getting at the traveling thing. I was able to find the stand to buy my bus and metro passes (you have to buy them before boarding, and they are not sold at the stops in machines, but rather at newspaper stands), catch my bus, make the metro change, and find my way to my hostel, without a single wrong turn. And it was dark when I arrived. Anyone who has ever ridden passenger in my car or seen me try to navigate my way around Boise, my own city, would not have believed I would ever be capable of such a thing. To all of you, I say ''Take that.'' After I dropped my stuff in my room, I headed out to walk along the Danube, the river splitting the city (which was once two cities, Buda and Pest).

 View of Budapest from Chain Bridge

 Mathias Church from Chain Bridge

Monument to the Hungarian Revolutionaries shot in front of the Parliament

On my second day I walked around the Pest side and admired the architecture. I loved the shapes of the buildings and how different each one was from its neighbor. I went to the Great Market Hall, which was full of people on this day as it was the weekend, and then to the Mangalica Festival. Mangalicas are furry, Hungarian pigs. The festival happens once a year and the Hungarians flock to city centers to celebrate this furry little creature. After the festival I went to the House of Terror. This was once the headquarters of the ÁVH (like the KGB) and in the basement people were jailed, tortured and hanged. It has now been converted into a museum, unlike any other that I have ever been in. The visit begins on the top level and you gradually work your way down. There they house uniforms and memorabilia from the ÁVH and Nazis. They show videos of people who survived the regime, but lost family and friends to the House of Terror. The whole time ominous music is playing that makes you feel quite anxious. Then you enter the elevator and everything is black, and a video comes on. A man who worked as a janitor cleaning the gallow room describes what he saw. Then you are in the basement and see the cells where so many lost their lives. The walls are thicker to muffle the screams, everything is made of cement and damp and constructed to mess with the human psyche. There were cells where one person fits standing, others where the ceiling was at half the normal level causing you to stay hunched, some with a wooden cot, others with nothing, and some that had a constant drip. In each room were photos of victims, and in the final room was the gallow. Needless to say I left with a heavy heart, saddened by the idea that one human could do something to terrible to another, but awed that the people have overcome this past and are working so hard to continue forward. After the museum I took a walk down Andrássy út, a street that ends at Hero's Square and the city park. During my walk it began to snow, making it my first snowfall of the year.

 A combination of so many styles in one street corner

 A burned building

There were lots of really colorful buildings (and lots of really plain ones as well)

 Great Market Hall

 Veggie stall

 Dill and curd cheese strudel, delicious

 Furry piggies

 Vendor cooking up some Mangalica festival food

 yum.

House of Terror

First snowfall of the year, and oh so very happy

Hero's Square

The following day, I decided to make the hike over to Buda. I strapped on my hiking boots (Buda is up a hill, a snowy snowy hill) and was off. I started with a quick stop at the memorial on the Pest side, Shoes on the Danube Promenade. This is a monument in memory of the Jews that were lined up and shot into the river. The statues of shoes are lined up along the edge of river and I spent some time taking in the meaning behind each pair of shoes. It was not something that was easy to comprehend, or really even possible to comprehend. 

Shoes on the Danube Promenade

I crossed over the Chain Bridge to Buda and hiked up the hill. The most beautiful thing that I saw was the Fisherman's Bastion, and to have the opportunity to see it when it was covered in snow was amazing. From the Fisherman's Bastion I went to the Mathias Church and then to the Buda Castle. Everything I saw was so much  more beautiful than I could have imagined, and so much colder. I took a break from the cold and tried some cream of forest mushroom soup, served with some fried goat cheese. It was the most delicious soup, and was the perfect for the cold day. From Buda Hill I hiked up further to the Citadel. This area overlooks the whole city and I assume provides a spectacular view of the whole city, but with all the snow coming down it was impossible to see it. From the Citadel I climbed down and caught a bus to Szoborpark. This park is outside the city and houses statues from the communist regime. These statues were once all around the city, but when the Soviet Union collapsed, instead of destroying all the statues, the citizens of Budapest preserved a part of the history and moved the statues to this area. I loved seeing the statues and having the chance to be exposed to that part of history. On my way back to the hostel for the night I made one final stop at the Synagogue.

Snow and icicle climbing up Buda Hill

Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion

Mathias Church

Fisherman's Bastion, I asked a group of Mexicans to take my photo, and thanked them in Galician

 Headed to the Citadel

 Statue on the hike up to the Citadel

Statue at the point of the Citadel 

 

 Cave Church

 Cave Church, the snow and me

 Gellert Hotel (home to the thermal pools)

 Statue outside the Cave Church

 Szoborpark

 Szoborpark

 Szoborpark

Szoborpark

 Budapest Synagogue, an amazing sight with the falling snow at dusk

The next day I was exhausted, but there was still so much snow waiting for me to come and play I had to keep on truckin'. I bundled up and headed out to Margaret Island, an island that serves as a park between the two cities, no cars are allowed into the center of the island and a running track outlines the whole island. Once again, in case I have not already made it clear, with the snow it was quite the sight. After Margaret Island I went to Szentendre, a small town outside of Budapest. This town serves as a hot spot for tourists wanting to escape from the city and see a quaint, Hungarian river-town. But this must be in the summer. I was the only tourist. It was worth seeing, and looked like something off a postcard, however, Szentendre was even colder than Budapest, so my time did not last long. I headed back to the market to try some traditional pastries. Then I went to fetch my swimsuit and go to the thermal pools. I went to the pools in the Gellert Hotel, the same pools used by the hermit monk that lived in Cave Church to cure the ill. Budapest is the city with the most thermal pools in all the world, and I picked the pools with the nerdiest history. My goodness was it relaxing, no wonder that monk never left his cave.

 Snowy banks of the Danube

 Me on Margaret Island (I worked hard on this trip trying to perfect the self-portrait, to prove I didn't just get my pictures from Google)

 On Margit hid, Parliament in the background

 Church in front of train station before leaving for Szentendre

 In Szentendre

 Postcard town

 Stairway alley

 Bridge over the stream cutting through Szentendre

 Szentendre (on the Pest side of the Danube)

 Hungarian Parliament

 Buda Castle

 Curd cheese strudel (best idea) Poppy seed strudel (worst idea, most traditional)

 Entrance to the Gellert Hotel, thermal pool side

 Gellert Hotel entryway

Gellert Pool (from Google, I did not take my camera in to swim)

 

Gellert Thermal Pools (incredibly luxurious looking, with one exception....)

Swimming cap required. Less than luxurious.

Liberty Bridge

On my last day I spent my time walking around the city, Buda and Pest side, and trying my hardest to spend all my Hungarian Forint (it was not enough to convert back to Euros) but everything was so cheap, I failed. It was snowing again on my last day and I soaked up my last bit of freezing temperatures (yes, I am a bit sick now from ODing on snow time) before my night flight out. The journey home was a new step in my travels, I slept in an airport. On purpose. To make my trip even cheaper, in an attempt to be able to take more trips in the future, I booked a flight from Budapest to London. Slept on an airport with strangers who smelled and snored. Then had an early morning flight from London to Santiago de Compostela. Once again, something I never would have been capable of in the past, but I have grown capable of sleeping in public. Maybe one day I'll be as prepared as the travelers with their own mats and 1lb sleeping bags curled up under the heaters...

 Liberty Bridge

 Liberty Bridge

 Urban park, with mural of a real park

 Tram

 Statue near tram

 Statue on tram rail

 Padlocks of love

 My favorite padlock

 Hungarian market, and tots on a field trip

 Grandma taking the kiddo for a walk, too much snow for strollers, so the adults were pulling kids in sleds

Langos, traditional fried Hungarian bread, with sour cream and cheese (it's what everyone else was having and I hopped on the bandwagon)

Now I am back in Santiago de Compostela, and it hasn't rained yet. I don't expect that to be the pattern for long though. I am itching to go on another trip as soon as possible. I am convinced that traveling, though it may be one of the most expensive, is the healthiest addiction a person can have. And I've got it bad.

This Week I Saw the Sun

This week has been incredibly busy, and equally as fun. This last weekend we had a get together, a going away party and, of course, the SUPER BOWL! It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and I am still tired.
The P.E. teacher at my school, Paco (remember the man with the reindeer antlers from the Christmas party?) plays on a football team in Galicia, and they were hosting a Super Bowl party at a local bar. After having completely given up on watching the game (for what would've been the first time in my life), I got a message about the party. I had planned on going alone to watch the Raven's win, but Angel, Francesca and Becca all wanted to watch an 'American' football game. The second I entered the door, I grabbed Angel's arm and "This is what I've been lacking." It was like taking a giant leap across the Atlantic. And landing in San Fransisco. Turns out the team that Paco plays on is called San Fransisco. This meant that even at my own country's sporting event, I was still in the minority. Francesca, Becca and Angel cheered with me for the Raven's, so I was not alone. The event was such as success that they published an article in the Galician newspaper about the turnout and game. Becca even won the Half Time Raffle, and now is trying to decide what to do with a weekend getaway, that requires a car.

Cerca de 250 personas viven la Super Bowl en Santiago

 Angel, me and Francesca with our Super Bowl tickets, 1€, cheapest entrance I'll ever get

 Becca and Francesca (and the pregame NFL video game)

 American style tapas, something that is mentioned in the article, they are quite proud of this.

Monday was a normal day of classes, but exhausting as I got home after 3am (the game was still going, but the bar was closed, time differences are roughest when you want to watch a sports game). I had my private lessons with Ana's kids, the gym and then crashed. Tuesday, however, was a field trip with the two older classes, tercero and cuarto (9th and 10th grade). The students came to Santiago for the day for a play and a rooftop tour of the cathedral. Let me explain how this field trip went (those of you who have ever led a field trip, or any youth group in the States will have a cow with this one).

10:30: We meet in the Plaza de Cervantes, and Isabel and Susana say "Coffee break (remember they just got to the city), be here in 20 minutes." Then the students start to scatter, and they decide to count them quickly...because maybe there were 35 or possibly 36 to start with...The students go who knows where, and the teachers somewhere else.

11:00: Time we actually meet up. The teachers were late, the students were all there. We head to the play. 

11:30: Time play should start.

Closer to 12:00: Time it does start. The play is for younger students, and mainly in English (our group was the oldest by far), but it was too scary for kids. And they cussed. Props to the theater company. We left just before the end to make it, ideally, on time to the cathedral tour.
The tour of the rooftops of the cathedral was amazing, and somehow, coincided with the only time I've seen the sun in over a month. I was amazed by the amount detail that goes into constructing a cathedral like that of Santiago de Compostela, with a facade designed in Baroque style, to fool enemies, yet the rooftops designed to spot enemies. The cathedral was also designed to host the pilgrims, yet to not disturb Mass. All of these facts fascinated me, but were interrupted frequently by the students asking when we were going to go to As Cancelas, the mall. We had planned on going for lunch, but once we arrived I don't think a single student ate. They all went shopping, and met with the teachers at the main entrance an hour later. Not quite like the field trips I remembered. By any means.

 View from the rooftops

 Cathedral from the second level. Attendees of Mass sit in the pews, yet pilgrims can walk around on the other side of the pillars without disturbing Mass

 Growth on the Cathedral, product of the rain. This gives me hope that Spring will be beautiful (and better be to compensate for the ugly winter)

Statue of Saint James from the roof

Bell towers from the rooftops

 Bell towers and Saint James

 Cross where pilgrims used to burn their clothes after completing the pilgrimage, now it is done Finisterre

 Plaza de Quintana from the roof

 Bell and clock tower of the Cathedral

 Mullion of Saint James. Students used to bang their heads on it for wisdom, a tradition that pilgrims picked up, and the reason for which it is now roped off. The head banging was causing too much wear on the pillar.

I also would like to add how I called the DMV yesterday, and I am sure there is not another person in the world who would say this, but it was the best experience. I was put on hold, transferred, and, in the end, had to leave a voicemail (asking them to call my mom, because I called from my Skype account). Nothing soothes the soul like an Idaho accent. Even if it a DMV employee.
As far as all of my applications and interviews go, I am now at the part where I have to hurry up, and wait (as my dad always says). I am looking forward to being done with applications and interviews for awhile, but the waiting is always the hardest part. I won't know anything until the end of April, and my visa expires at the end of May. Fingers crossed.
Tomorrow it's off to Budapest for five days, a whole other kind of adventure, and the forecast calls for snow. This may be the part I am most excited about as this is also my first winter without snow. Here's hoping!

Still Raining

This past week and a half I have gone to support a friend at her concerts', three to be precise. Giorgia is in a band of students that are mainly here doing study abroad, and they played one night in A Estrada (a small town near here) and the next two in Santiago. I had so much fun watching them play, it's clear that this band really just has fun playing together. Here are some video clips from their concerts, sorry for the poor quality, I hope that you can hear them!

Cover of "We Are Young" by FUN

Giorgia singing "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

I went shopping with friends on the last day of Rebajas, the sales that go on during the month January, and finally got some new clothes. After five months of wearing the clothes that I brought from the States....they were looking a little raggy. Even without sales, clothes tend to be much cheaper in Spain, so it was quite the success. 

Warmest spot in the flat...for the one hour the radiator is on :(

Becca and I admiring the British and American flags displayed at the bar

Giuly and Francesca

Me, Becca, Giorgia

On the work/academic side of things, yes I still go to work, two of the students from CPI dos Dices will be going to the United States to study next year. They both applied for a scholarship to be able to go abroad for the year, and they both got it. This week an article was written for the Galician newspaper, La Voz de Galicia, highlighting their accomplishment. They expressed their excitement and gratitude for this opportunity, and I know that they are both going to do great. This is the article, it's in Galician, but give it a look (it's a fun language to be learning!)

Dúas alumnas de Rois estudarán o próximo curso en Estados Unidos

 

Not all of my students are so driven. I have been having quite the time with them in classes. One student wanted me to teach him how to say polvo (dust, but when used with the verb echar, throw, it means to screw). He and his classmates were insistent that it was of the utmost importance that they learned how to say phrases like this, because if they go to my country and go out with friends, how are they going to pick up people?? I said "Don't worry about that, you can't go out until you're 21 in my country, that gives you six years to study and improve your English". Sometimes they can be quite the stinks, but I adore them nonetheless. 
These are some photos from a local park, I love the style of the trees in Galicia.

 Parque de Vista Alegre

 Rainy days...no longer a surprise. Nor a treat.

 Beautiful greenery, a result of the rain, and palm trees, in the same place as pine trees.

Mossy trees.

 A picture to reflect the weather, crummy.

That Time of the Year

It's that time of year again. That time when people looking for summer teaching positions apply for jobs. And those looking for teaching positions for the next school year as well. This means that my last week has been full of applications, cover letters, resumes, reference letters, an interview, scheduling more interviews and all things a working soon to be non-working-but-wants-to-keep- working-in-a-foreign-country adult must do. Frequently. According to my national ID card, my visa expires May 31, the same day my job ends. This creates a special kind of issue, and applies a lot of pressure to my current situation. I am hoping to find a job at an English summer camp, ideally somewhere in Europe. I therefore would need a visa to do so, and would have to get it in Madrid. If I am chosen to work in Spain next year as well, I will need to be somewhere with a Spanish Embassy that is willing to process a visa for an American (last summer I had the problem where only the San Fransisco office would process my visa, because it was my 'local' embassy). Needless to say, this has led to a bit of frustration looking for positions, even just a short term summer position. It is more likely that an English citizen would be offered a job than myself, because there is no paperwork involved as they hold an EU passport.

This led to the idea that perhaps I could get a position outside the EU, ie Turkey. The responses to my emails, however, have been less comforting. Misspelled, grammatically incorrect response from places that supposedly teach English, asking only when I can start and can they have my picture, have left me thinking that maybe I won't be working there this summer (or if I was it doesn't really seem like it would be the kind of job where I could gain experience teaching English...). I am not giving up on the idea of searching, but am putting most of my effort into trying to find a place in the EU willing to help with a visa.

Work this week was really laid back, I did a lot of practice with the students on really basic points, and noticed that it is something I will have to do more. Yikes. The students continue to be incredibly wonderful, and incredibly Spanish (though I as I have been informed many times, Galician is the proper word). I have been continuing with my private lessons, doing a language exchange a couple of times a week, and looking forward to traveling again soon. Just a couple of weeks until I am in Budapest, and then a few more until I get to be with my parents in Spain and Ireland. I am itching for these trips to be here already.

Notable occurrences of this week:

1. I went to fill a RX that I have from the USA, but didn't have my RX with me. I went simply to ask how to get a RX faxed over, the pharmasist said: 'If you say you have a prescription, I believe you. How much do you want?' WHAT?!
2. I broke umbrella number 7 (though not really a 'favorite' of the week, it's worth noting)
3. The grocery store by my flat will no longer be closing for siestas, but they continue to stay closed on Sunday's
4. I found a place that actually serves food during the hours of bar hopping. It's in a woman's house, and she makes sandwiches at the pace of a snail, starting at 3am. Yum.

I am looking at another week just like the last, and that's perfect. Applying for jobs gives me a sense of completion and forces me to be proactive, two things that haven't happened often since moving to Spain. As illustrated by these photos.

 Me, Ángel, Giorgia, Francesca

Giorgia, Ángel, Francesca, Giuly

Goodnight Sun

If Margaret Wise Brown had written her famous children's book in Spain, the title would have been Goodnight Sun, or perhaps Good-morning Moon. Because that is how it works here. Going out means leaving at 2am, and getting home as the sun comes up, or later. Of all the differences in schedules between Spain and the United States (work, eating, school, store hours, etc), this one is the most difficult to grow accustomed to. Once out of the flat, it is normal to start in a bar. From the bar you move to a bar/club mix. Then to a club. Then breakfast. Then bed. It's so much fun, and so exhausting at the same time. I am certain that the siesta was born from this form of partying. Friday and Saturday night both found me out following this pattern. Saturday night the best thing that has ever happened to me going out anywhere happened in our favorite bar. They played Spice Girls. This meant that all the time spent choreographing dances at age 8 finally paid off. I would like to thank my parents for supporting my obsession, including giving me every Spice Girl memorabilia that Big Lots had for Christmas that year. I know it would've made you proud to see my moves last night ;)

 Francesca, Ángel and me in Forum (the bar that played Spice Girls)

Ángel and me with the penis of Santiago. Seriously, that's what everyone calls it.

 

The rest of my week was pretty normal. I went back to work, it rained, went to the gym, applied for a second year in Spain and bought a plane ticket. All the things that my life will ideally be full of this year. Work was great as always, I still adore the students and love having the chance to practice teaching and to see how practiced teachers do it. I am planning on doing a back-to-basics review with the students based on their short answers to questions about their holidays. Here are my favorite answers:

• What do you want to do this year?
• A girl and a good friends
• Pass old my subjects
• What did you receive? 
• I receivet under pants (this students vocab is incredibly limited, but he knows this word)

As you can see, it is necessary to review the basics. I also hope it will stop the question "Who did you do yesterday Tiffany?" and lead to the questions "What did you do yesterday Tiffany?" The rain this week made me a bit cranky again, as I have broken a handful of umbrellas during my months here (though most in the past month). I am looking forward to being rain free again sometime in the near future.

Toxo has found a new way to keep warm

I love my new gym, though find that the rules at gyms in Spain are different from those in the USA. For example, it is required to use a sweat towel, for sanitation, but there is nothing to clean the equipment with after working out. I paid for my membership and gave them my photo, but there is no check-in when I go, and it is always a different person working. It's a very interesting process. I applied for a second year in Spain to continue traveling, as it is absurdly easy to do so in Europe. This next month I will be going to Budapest, Hungary for a few days. I am looking forward to seeing the history and sights of Budapest, and getting to know yet another city.

I also found a few photos on a different camera from Kim's trip, these photos are from Vigo, the first day that Kim was here.

 Kim showing off her light packing skills

 Naked fishermen statue...

 Statue in the park

Swimmer in the park