Autumn Autumn Everywhere

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Autumn has arrived. There is a chill in the air. Some days are very cold, some days sort of cold, some are still mild/slightly warm, some are sunny and some are rainy. Mostly they are overcast. I still have yet to invest in an umbrella and a school bag. This has caused me to run around the city with a large, boxy looking gut more than once. I love the fall. Today I went to the city park which is basically across the street from me and spread out on the grass to read for a few hours. It was absolutely lovely. There were children and dogs everywhere. The sun was out. The perfect fall day and the perfect Sunday.

I stayed in Budapest this weekend. We hung out around the city and found some new clubs to go to. There is definitely no lack of night life here, though you do need to know the good places to go. It has taken us a bit to find them, but with the help of some 'student mentors' who are Hungarian students at our school that have volunteered to assist us whenever possible, we are succeeding. I was out until 5 am two of the nights this past weekend. I met some Hungarians and other students from Ireland, Nigeria, and Spain. One night, a few of us were headed home for the night around 2 am. As we were getting off the bus at our stop, a girl around our age started talking to us. She was Hungarian but spoke english well. She asked if we wanted to go to a club with her. Well, sure. It ended up being a block from where we live, which is great to know now because we hadn't been able to find any clubs near us yet. And she is the nicest person ever! When we arrived, we also ran into one of our mentors. I cannot get over how small a city it can seem when it is in fact so large. Coming home last night, as we got off the bus, a Hungarian fella started talking to us this time. He walked us home and we exchanged numbers. I wish it was this easy to make friends everywhere!

Note on how small a world it is... I went to the immigration office the other day to get my resident permit. When I came out, I noticed this girl had on a Calvin College sweatshirt. I know of a Calvin College, but I figured it was a different one. I heard her speak english, so I started up a conversation... and sure enough... she goes to the Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, less than a mile away from my house. She's here with about 20 other students from Calvin. We didn't exchange numbers or anything, but who knows, I'll probably see them around the city at some point.

I went to the baths for the first time yesterday. Oh. My. Goodness. They are absolutely amazing. I went to one of the more famous ones. It was gorgeous and felt so good. It was just as I had imagined, except better. There were old men playing chess in the water and baths both inside and outside. I will be returning.

My birthday is in 3 days. 21!!!!!!!!!!! It is kind of ridiculous actually. There are 4 people with birthdays within 6 days of each other. October 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th. So I don't know what is going to happen exactly. I am a little bummed that I won't get to celebrate the big 2-1 in the states with my crew from wisco as would be happening if I weren't here right now, but I think i'll get over it (slash just have another 21st bday celebration when I return in a few months). Even though many of them have big papers due on Thursday, my friends here have vowed to party hardy with me on Wednesday, so we'll see where that takes us.

Hope all is well with you friends and fam. Think of you all often.

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Photos

Hotel?
I believe this is just one of the many hotels in the city, though I'm not sure. Snapped this on one of my night walking tours.

Kate with the ridiculous Nipple mug
Yes, Kate is actually able to drink from the nipple. It is not just for show.

My good friend Claire Bear in my favorite sweatshirt which i'll probably never get back
snapped this as we sat in the dark in the park playing cards, listening to live music from just outside the venue, drinking cheap vodka to keep us warm.