Just hanging out

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Greetings everyone! I am back again with an update on my activities here in Budapest. Since I last posted here not too much has happened but here goes…On Wednesday I went on field trips in both my classes. The first class, Hungarian, took us to a local library that used to be a rich family’s mansion. The place was beautiful. Apparently the city bought the house after the family died and turned it into a public library cause it was so cool. The children’s area was really really nice, it looked like so much fun. They had a pit in the floor of one room that was full of square pillows that kids could just lay in. Because my EAP group is full of kids, they all just climbed right in. Pictures will follow.
After touring the library I went back to school to meet my next class for a walking tour of the Oktogon area of Pest. Interestingly enough, this is right where I live! Wow! So I we went back across to Pest and walked around my neighborhood some. Turns out that after communism fell in Hungary (1989) the apartments that people had been renting from the government were put up for sale, real cheap to the current renters. Because of this the apartment buildings don’t belong to any one person, they belong to a bunch of separate people who live in the different apartments. As a result refurbishing the building becomes a very difficult task, as everyone has to come together as a group and get the money together to make it happen. This is why so many of the buildings here in the city have that run down look.
Yesterday was a much more exciting day. It began with a quiz in my Hungarian class. I’m not sure how I did yet, but it’s interesting cause I actually have learned quite a lot already considering I couldn’t say anything really when I got here. My other two classes were pretty uneventful besides the announcement that a group of four of our students left their apartment door unlocked Wednesday night and they got robbed while they were all home asleep. Someone apparently came in and took three laptops, a few cells phones and a passport. When Heidi, the woman in charge of the program, was talking to me about this she said to make sure we were nice to our neighbors cause if your friends with your neighbors stuff like this is a lot less likely to happen. She also said to always lock the front door, but I always do that anyway. This group of students had already gotten noise complaints EVERY night they had lived there. And then they got robbed. Sucks for them.
Last night my roommates and I went out with Aggie’s cousins Janos and Julie. It was really great. We began the night at a German pub in Buda. We split different kinds of bratwurst as well as these giant legs of pork. We also had the recommended German beer, which was probably great if you are German but I wasn’t overly impressed. When we were almost done Janos’ friend Tom showed up and we proceeded to take a bunch of fun pub pictures that I will obviously share with you all. After the pub we went to a Hungarian club in Pest, which was PACKED. They played a lot of really random music from home and everyone there was singing along. It was really fun. The guys here aren’t annoying at the clubs apparently, not one guy bothered us all night, it was really nice. Janos, Julie and I are possibly going to go to lake Balaton sometime soon to go fishing, I am really excited about it.
Since I know all you guys really just love the pictures to most anyway, without further ado here are some random shots from the last two days…

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Photos

Dragons
These are some dragons that you can see through the window at the library we went to. I will call them "Puff" and "Puffy".

Amazing rooms
This is just one of like seven "sitting rooms" in which people can chill and read their books. If it were me, I would just stare up all the time.

Lighting
Obvisouly lighting is an important part of a library, so here we go. Lights!

The Philosophy Room
this is the philosophy room. It was all this beautiful dark wood. Aparently philosophers don't need much light to read by so it was pretty dark, but it was a great room none the less

Pillow Pit
This is the pit of pillows. It was pretty amazing. Sitting in it, beginning on the left and working clockwise, we have Mike, Ezra and Eric.

Childrens Area
This is another part of the childrens area. It is a little blurry but I had to include it just cause this place was so cool. I am going to try and bring the little girls I am going to be babysitting here. It's just that cool.

Opera House
This is the Hungarian Opera house. I will have to go see an opera here eventually. It is supposed to be really really nice.

Stacey and Janos
This is Stacey and Janos with some German beer. Stacey is my roommate.

Me and Paige
This is me and my other roommate Paige. We are trying to look like sweet little german girls.

Stacey and the Pork
This is Stacey demonstrating how a T-Rex may have looked had there been one trying to eat our giant meaty legs. Is there such thing as a german vegetarian? This Pub would not be for them.

Julie and Paige
This is Paige and Julie. Julie thought this was just a normal picture, aparently Paige thought it was not. Paige does not always make faces like this, I guess the pub just brought out the best of her.

Julie and the Thing
This is Julie, holding a...thing. Who knows what this really is on the inside. Janos made me try some. It was alright, and I am still here today so it wasn't poison. But that's about all I know about it.

Stacey Eating and drinking
This is Stacey demonstrating how to properly eat your pork and drink your beer, German style.

My demonstration
This is me demonstrating the proper eating and drinking technique. Pagie is totally jealous of my style and is trying to sneak into the picture.

Janos and Julie
This would be Janos and Julie. They rock. Seriously. I love them. They are Aggie's cousins so obviously amazingness runs in the family.

Weird Faces
This is me, Pagie and Tom. We are making faces. I'm not quite sure what kind of face I am making....I think Pagie was going for the sweet little german girl again.

Laughing....and Paliment
This is us all being dumb in front of parliment. well...we are on the other side of the river from Parliment. But there it is behind us.

Janos and the Kazoo
This is Janos playing Stacey's purple kazoo. In an effort to always be prepared Stacey caries a kazoo around. It is better to have a kazoo and not need it than to need one and not have it. It was put to use last night. Kazoo's and german pubs go together GREAT.

Comments

[Aggie]

Oh MY GOSH!!! That's my cousins! I can't believe it!!! I want to go out to pubs with them too! Julcsi looks so difference since the last time I have seen her, so much more grown up with her bangs and spiffy glasses. Tell them that I love them so much and that I want them to take me out too. Actually, can you just pack them into your suitcase on your way home. Lake Balaton is beautiful, you'll love it. I have so many memories from there when I was a kid. Ask my family to take you to my old house that my dad built. I'm so jealous...I want to be there with you to experience all this too. Well I miss you a whole lot. Have tons of fun, but be safe. XOXOXO, Aggie