Új ház, új család

=New house, new family

On Sunday (January 29), I finished packing my many bags and left my first host family in the town of Erd to move to my second family in a very little town called Törökbálint.

Törökbálint is in between Erd and Budaors (where my school is, and next to Budaors is Budapest) so not only am I a little bit closer to school but also the city, it means I can sleep in an extra 20 mins! In my new family I also have host siblings, a 17 year old brother and a sister who is in university in Budapest so she lives at home.

The process of moving this weekend made me realize something big, big as in the amount of things I own. You wouldn’t think you accumulate too much over 5 months, that is until you have to pack absolutely all of it into bags to move. I don’t know how exactly the process of moving back to Canada will be, but that’s 5 months away so no need to worry now. (Unless you think of not only this but another 5 months worth of things added on to this)

But truly I think unpacking is much worse than packing when it comes to moving.

***

I’ll admit I was very nervous when it came to switching families. Packing and the thought of going through the awkward ‘I’m the odd one out in this house’ stage was overwhelming. Sunday during the drive over here my heart was racing more and more the closer we got to arriving. Luckily the nerves died away not long after.

I have officially been living here now for 2 full days. And all I have to say are good things so far. My family seems very kind and helpful and I’m looking forward to getting to know them. I still get to see Sara because we still go to the same school, and when I moved out of her house, Leiko (my friend from Brazil) moved in!

This move has also made the feeling of being half way over my time here more real. I celebrated my 5 months on January 20th (very exciting since I was home sick), but now this is a more concrete mark of the middle. 5 months there. 5 months here. Only 5 more months total.

-Emma

Weekend in Dresden

Thursday morning last week Kendra (exchange student from Florida) and I got up early and set off for a ten hour bus trip with our Rotary club of Budapest – Sasad to Dresden, Germany for the weekend.

Skipping the long uncomfortable bus ride where we mainly slept, there and back, here is a little summary of my experience.

In the evening after the Rotarians checked into their hotel rooms when we first arrived we set off to one of the Christmas markets in they city. One thing I love about this part of Europe, including Hungary is the Christmas markets in all the bigger cities. There we had bratwurst hot dogs for dinner with potato and either mulled wine or apple juice. The group then separated a bit to look around. Kendra and I waited and ended up meeting with another exchange student, Martin, from her district back in Florida. With him as a sort of guide we walked around for an hour and a half talking, he couldn’t stay too late as for him it was a school night still.

After Martin caught his tram back home we returned to the hotel to wait and get picked up by our host family for the weekend. A German family with two teenagers took us in for the weekend rather than us staying in the hotel as well.

Friday morning we were again up early for a fully packed day. It started with a trip to a little town over called Meissen. Meissen is the home of the porcelain factory (and museum) we visited. We were given a guided tour which included the museum of porcelain as well as getting to see parts of the process up close, everything is still done by hand!

The whole weekend was filled with multiple languages. Every part of our program had someone speaking German with a Hungarian translator and vice versa, luckily German and English speaking Rotarians were always there to help Kendra and I figure out exactly what was being said.

After the tour and lunch there we headed back out into the dreary weather. We were given a walking tour by a couple who lives in Meissen. We saw the little town, the castle, went inside the church, and even the couples cellar where they served us snacks and the Rotarians alcohol. Looking from above Meissen definitely has the little German town look to it, even in the sad weather it was lovely.

Once we returned to Dresden we still had some time to kill before leaving for our dinner. I ended up walking around another part of the city where most of the old/rebuilt buildings are, as well as more Christmas market.

The dinner that evening was held at the house of one of the Dresden Rotary club members house. It was really beautiful and the food delicious, lots of cheese! He had the most envious book shelf that I couldn’t help taking multiple photos of it!

Saturday morning we got up and went to a bakery in Dresden where we got shown and got to participate in making our own stollen. Stollen is a German Christmas bread once might compare to a type of fruit cake but fancier, and more popular.

Afterwards Kendra and I opted to return to our weekend host family as it was free time. Such a good decision. We got back just in time for lunch, after we did our Hungarian homework, and then our host dad took us back into the main part of the city to see some of the must sees.

This was definitely my highlight of the weekend, he was such a great guide both inside and outside of the museum we visited.

That evening we then went across the river to the other side of Dresden we hadn’t seen yet to an outdoor, and very popular ice rink hidden in the more forest area of the city. There we participated in playing curling though not quite like the Olympic curling, this was simpler. No brooms, just wooden stones that one threw/pushed/tossed (pick appropriate verb) across the ice. In attendance was also the exchange student that the Dresden club is currently hosting, a boy named Jason from Taiwan. We also ate dinner there, which was duck, followed by a delicious brownie for dessert.

Finally Sunday morning we were back on the little bus for another ten hour drive back home to Budapest.

***

Now I’m currently finishing my final week of school before Christmas break and am busy making plans with others while not at school. Next week I do have three days of school but they are fun, simply the celebration of the school, class competitions, and presentations put on for the last three days before break.

Seeing all the photos of all the snow over British Columbia is making me really hope for a white Christmas this year, it snowed a little today but nothing stuck, fingers crossed.

-Emma

 

Gyor Christmas Weekend

This past weekend myself and the other Rotary exchange students in Hungary all went to the city of Gyor for a Christmas weekend celebration put on for us by Rotary and the Gyor Rotaract.

Not long after arriving in the afternoon of the Friday we departed for our first of many activities planned. The weekend started with a tour of the Audi Factory (which has more employees than Summerland’s population!).

After Audi we returned to the dormitory we were staying at briefly to get settled before leaving to walk into the city where we went to a hotel for dinner both nights of our trip. The city at night was very beautiful with all the Christmas lights and the Christmas market set up.

 

After returning that evening we had our Christmas party! We had to all sing the Hungarian Christmas Song “Hull a pelyhes fehér hó” to welcome Mikulás (Santa). Then after he arrived we all had to do country presentations for him and in return he gave us bags of chocolate and candy. Us four Canadians decided to sing the french song “Alouette”. The Mexicans were definitely a favourite though with the home made pinata they brought filled with even more candy. Afterwards we gave out our Secret Santa presents us exchange students had planned for each other.

Saturday morning we were up early and out again for a full day. We started with just over three hours at a place called Parapark. Here we split into 6 groups so that we could each get an hour in one of the two escape rooms there, when not in a room we played laser tag and ate lunch. The escape room my group got was quite scary, especially since we were one of the first groups to try so we had no hints of what was inside from anyone else. (The three rooms of our escape room belonged to a Russian Professor serial killer)

After a full day in that morning we went to an ice rink for outdoor skating.

Processed with VSCO with acg preset

 

After a rest period we once again ventured into the city to walk around before meeting at the same hotel for dinner. After our meal we went to a place called Rómer-Ház (bar/multi purpose centre???). We first had a quiz night downstairs on Hungary and Europe and then a concert took place upstairs. The main band Margaret Island was amazing.

Finally Sunday we had a short program before heading our separate ways. We went to a science center called Mobilis where we had a little competition game set up with stations as well as a science presentation. We ended the weekend with lunch at a pizza place near by and then we were back on the train home.

***

I’m so grateful for Rotary and Rotaract for putting on these weekends for us. We all love any opportunity to get together as a full group and they always feel way too short.

As well Tuesday, Dec.6 was St. Nicholas day, when you get your boots stuffed with chocolates and treats from Mikulás!

Now as I’ve been writing this I’ve been putting off packing once again, as tomorrow I leave again this weekend with Kendra (Student from Florida) and our shared Rotary club here to Dresden Germany!

-Emma

Vienna/Sopron Trip

This weekend I was able to go on another Rotary trip. This time the Austrian rotary district invited our little Hungarian district into Vienna for the weekend.

Friday morning I got up like normal for school but rather than pack a lunch for school and leave for the bus stop in the car I packed a big lunch of snacks and had a little longer to wait before walking down to meet 3 other students at the bus stop to travel into Budapest to meet everyone.

It was so great getting to see all of my cserediák család (exchange student family) again. After this weekend it was official how much closer we have become as a group and I’m excited for any opportunity to see them.

We traveled together on a bus all the way to Vienna from Budapest, with only one stop for lunch along the way.

When we arrived in at our hostel in Vienna it took a while to get organized into our rooms especially with all the Austrian exchange students around to greet us.

(View from my bedroom, over the court yard facing the opposite side of the hostel.)

It was really cool seeing a few of us in our Hungarian group getting to meet up with people we already knew from back home but who where staying in Austria. For example I got to visit with Kenna who lives literally only a few towns over from me in Kelowna, Canada and is also on exchange from my rotary district 5060.

That evening after a snack and getting settled in we were very lucky in getting to go to the opera. We saw an Italian opera called La Traviata which was subtitled in German. If it weren’t for Anita having taken Italian and being able to update me occasionally with the story line I’m afraid I would have no idea what was going on other than it was sad the entire time and probably would have followed the lead of a few others a drifted off a bit as we were all already very tired. Though I didn’t really understand it was such a great experience and opportunity and would love to see another opera one day, though maybe one that wasn’t sad the entire time maybe. The talent is so amazing to see.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Afterwards we went across the street to an ‘Asian’ restaurant for dinner. That evening after returning to the hostel about ten to midnight my feet were dead and my legs had had quite a workout.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at 7:30 and us Hungarians had to load all our stuff on the bus by 8. Then the big group of us (42 Hungarian exchange students and I have no exact number but ~70+ Austrian students) set off on a walking tour of the city.

Our tour included two ‘official tours’. One guided tour of the Austrian parliament….

And the other non-guided of the Schönbrunn Palace where pictures inside the palace were not aloud (though i’ll admit I may have ‘forgotten for about 5 seconds a taken two bad quality ones on my iphone…). The palace was our last stop and where the Austrian exchange students left us. We were given 2 and a half hours there and came no where near to seeing everything probably (there’s a zoo on the grounds!). It was so beautiful though and a group of us climbed to the top of the hill with an amazing view of the grounds and the city beyond and sat enjoyed it for the last little while.

Our bus then picked us up from the palace at 5:45 (that means having spent around 7 hours walking around Vienna) and we began our drive back across the border to Hungary.

We arrived in the town of Sopron that night at about 7. Sopron is located just on the border of the two countries. We again stayed in a hostel of sorts that night. After unpacking and bringing everything up four flights of stairs with already soar legs we walked to a very nice restaurant for dinner where they served finom homemade pizza that we absolutely devoured.

That evening we were given just under two hours free time to explore the dead but very beautiful town at night.

The next morning we got up and packed the bus at 8 and returned to the same restaurant for breakfast and later lunch. In between the two meals we had a ‘bus tour’ of Sopron. With our first stop being the Hungarian/Austrian border. While a group of us were taking photos with ‘one foot in Hungary, the other in Austria’ a Hungarian man drove through and told us ‘that a border is not the place to go taking photos’, we didn’t stop. The place was set up for tourists with a nice gazebo, monuments, and signs that tell the history of the location. The Sopron Rotary club was also there to welcome us, they brought with them home made baked snacks and water which we were all very thankful for.

Our second and last stop was at a lake in Sopron which half of it is located in Hungary and the other half Austria.

We then (after lunch) began our what felt like a very long trip back to Budapest, dropping some people off along the way. I was so exhausted when I finally made it back to my house here in Érd.

I’ll admit during this weekend trip I slept in the night probably a total of around 5 hours over two nights, but I just had to take every opportunity to spend time with everyone while I could, for now I think our next scheduled meet up with everyone isn’t until December.

I would like to thank the Austrian Rotary District for inviting and hosting us, as well as the Sopron Rotary Club, and of course my Hungarian District 1911 for everything they do for us during this year so far and in the future.

-Emma

Language Camp

I spent this last week in Zánka with all the other rotary exchange students in the district (aka all of Hungary) at our first orientation/language camp. Zánka is a little town located on Lake Balaton. 

It was such a full week that even now only a few days after returning it’s hard to remember everything that happened so I feel it would be easiest in this case to break it down day by day.

Vasárnap (Sunday)

Most of the exchange students met in Budapest where we all took a bus together into Zánka. It was weird at first knowing only a few people there, especially thinking about that now as after only a week with most of these people and I feel so much closer and can’t imagine feeling overwhelmed by not knowing any of them.

After arriving in Zánka that was the day we went over all the rules of our exchange as well as we were presented with the two euro trips we have the opportunity to participate in (as long as we can pay for them that is). 

Hétfő (Monday)

With our scheduled early rising of 7:30 followed by breakfast at 8 for every morning we started off the official first day of language camp. We had our first class together as a group (minus the advanced kids aka mainly cross kinds who have been here since January) where we just went over the alphabet and took a ‘test’ to see where we were at. After that we pulled from a hat to divide into our separate classes we would be working with the rest of the week.

That afternoon after lunch was our sport day. So we walked up to the fields in the area we were staying and half of us played soccer while the other half (me included) watched and cheered them on. 

After dinner we had a sort of dance night followed by our nightly free time before our curfew. By that time we had already discovered the little corner store under the building we ate all our meals in so I started spending all my money on snacks.

Kedd (Tuesday) 

This was the first day of working with our smaller classes, we had approximately 6 classes that day with lunch in between. 

It was also Amanda’s birthday, and Mariano’s the following day so we spent the evening celebrating for the two of them. 

Szerda (Wednesday)

Wednesday was happily a short day of classes, only about three between breakfast and lunch. Afterwords we walked into the very little town of Zánka and got to spend part of the afternoon taking pictures and eating lángos with the beautiful waterfront view. 

 

On the way home we were able to stop at the grocery store to stalk up on even more snacks. I made the best decision of the week and bought myself two yogurts with granola for the next two breakfasts (Buns, butter, and tomato just wasn’t enough). 

That evening was our ‘Hungarian movie night’ and I’ll be honest in saying I don’t think anyone watched the whole movie. I admit I think I left 15 mins in with a group to go make popcorn in the kitchen and never returned.

Csütörtök (Thursday)

Thursday we spent most of our day with another full schedule of 6? Classes. Though after lunch our teachers realized how exhausted we all were and postponed the last lessons till after our 2 hour nap time/free time. In between each ‘class’ we got fifteen min breaks and I definitely fell asleep that morning during those fifteen mins and had to be woken up.

After dinner that night we had our Hungarian trivia night. Our teams were our classes and we had been given a Hungay fact sheet earlier in the week to study, though lots of questions didn’t come from this. Sadly my team didn’t win.

Péntek (Friday)

Since Friday was our last official day we began the morning with more classes, including reviewing what we already knew. Than after lunch we had a written test and I’m happy to say I got 95/100. That night our curfew was extended n slightly forgotten while we were silent since it was the last night. I ended up with a big group of others getting a very short sleep on the floor of the hallway that night.

Szombat (Saturday) 

Once our host families arrived after breakfast we were lucky enough to to not have to sit through another orientation but this time in Hungarian for our host parents, instead we got to go out for a boat ride on lake Balaton.

***

And so that sums up most of the week in Zánka. It was such a great experience and I’m very thankful for Rotary for putting together these get togethers for us as well as helping with part of our learning of (as our teachers informed us) the second hardest language in the world. 

It’s almost weird thinking to our initial meeting of each other almost two weeks ago on that bus. At the start of the week I was a little worried about finding people to hang out with but by the end of the week I’m happy to say (sorry if I sound too cliché) I have 41(?) brand new friends who I will happily spend as much as time as possible with. I’m definitely counting down the days until October 7 when we will (hopefully all of us) see each other again. 

Emma