Happy New Year

It's now 2009 and Jeremy and I have been in Policka for about 5 months (in Europe for 7) and over the last few days I have been thinking about our time here. Christmas was a week and a half ago and there where many times when Jeremy and I felt lonely, homesick, or just a little strange because we were far away from our family and friends in the US. We would walk around town and see people with their families or buying presents for friends and it made me think about home a lot more. What was my family doing? What does my brother want for Christmas? Is our tree up yet and did anyone put up the hideous carousel that plays Christmas music? Did anyone go to my grandma's house and re-arrange "NOEL" so it reads "LEON" or "LONE"? These thoughts saddened me, but I know that I had Jeremy with me and this would be our first Christmas together. The closer we got to Christmas, I noticed that our friends and people from the church would frequently ask us how we were doing and if we miss home and if there was anything they could help with. Many families invited us to have lunch or dinner with them, which was wonderful and made Jeremy and I feel like we also have a family and home here. I can't begin to express how helpful and kind people have been to us, but it has truly been a blessing.

Budapest

After Christmas Jeremy and I decided to take a trip to Budapest, Hungary. It is about 6 hours away from Policka by train and the ride is beautiful. We arrived in Budapest on December 29th and stayed until January 1st. We had heard from people what Budapest was beautiful, and it truly is. There is a river which separates the "Buda" side from the "Pest" side and on each side there where many interesting things. The city is known for its spas, which have been around since the Turks were there, so we went to one. It was the first time either one of us has been to a spa, and it was neat. The one we went to has an outdoor bath, so in the crisp air it looked like a steaming calderon. It was super cold going to and from the outdoor bath, but completely worth it. We also did some sight seeing, both at night and during the day. I think my favorite places were the shoe monument for the Jewish people who were shot into the river during WWII and the Fisherman's Baston, which is an old Turkish castle.

We also went to a small Hungarian restaurant where I had croquettes and goulash soup (mom, it was just like the recipe you have) and Jeremy had chicken with veggies and dumplings (off-the-dish noodles). Our meal was excellent and really reminded me of home. The people we met were wonderful, our hostel was great and the Hungarian language is impossible! I know I can speak for Jeremy also when I say that it was nice to come back to Policka and understand, because for the first time during our time in Europe we encountered a language that was completely foreign. Czech is difficult, but coming here we has a small understanding of what it would sound like. We had never heard Hungarian spoken, so it had no distinct sound, unlike French or German or Czech. So the languange was a little crazy, but it was definatly a fun and much needed adventure.