Culture shock and reminiscence...

Gratitude 51

I am thankful for safe travels home and being home for Christmas. :)

So...I know this is past the weekend, but it's been a jumble around here. (Plus, the internet here is as slower than a snail! I arrived back into the States safe and sound late Friday night (Eastern time) after about 24 hours of travel.

We left the Institute at 5am (Hungary time...11pm Thursday in Eastern time) and Robi took us to the airport. It was harder than I thought to say goodbye. But I knew I'd be back, too. I sat in the Budapest airport for a quite awhile then had a crazy time trying to check...they had different itineraries for me than I had. Then, since the Budapest airport was still on strike, I had to drag all of my luggage to a different terminal to check it in separately. Miraculously, I did not have to pay overload charges on my luggage! (But earlier in the morning, I had to leave unnecessary stuff at the Institute. Oh the joys of packing!)

Waiting in the long, winding line for customs, I met a nice American couple who were teachers in an international school in Budapest. They have been living there for 8 years. The weather in Frankfurt was apparently awful, so we sat on the runway for nearly an hour before taking off. Didn't really bother me...I took a nap...amazing how easily you can fall asleep on a plane in an upright position when you have slept only an hour and a half the night before and had many late study nights previous! I should have missed my connector flight overseas to D.C. becuase we were late arriving, however it was an hour late leaving, too. I didn't have the most comfortable of seats on the long plane ride, but it was alright. It was quite an interesting time, though....I had a Mormon missionary on my right side...haha!...oh boy!...and a cute little German lady on my left. She was so sweet. The conversations with the Mormon boy, though, were...interesting to say the least!

Once in D.C., I found customs to be a ridiculous joke. They pretty much just looked briefly at my passport and let me walk right through. Really? Convenient, yes, but really? You'd think in the nation's capital they'd be the strictest. Guess not! I wanted to be bumped on the earlier flight to Cleveland since I was there in time, so I ran to that gate, but it ended up full. I got some food and camped out at my gate for four hours. It wasn't too bad, though. I made a few phone calls and sorted pictures on my computer. Nem baj. My friend Crystal picked me up in Cleveland, and I stayed at her flat for the night, since I got in so late.

Being in the States felt so weird. I'm still having some trouble adjusting. It's not necessarily bad here (although I know I am not the most pro-America person)...it's just very different between here and there. I knew reverse culture shock would happen, but you can never anticipate what it'll be like. On my flight to Cleveland, I sat next to this nice man, and we chatted about our travels. He had been in Budapest a month prior, and we were discussing the difference in life. I told him I didn't really experience any big "culture shock" going there because I was prepared for it but coming back I didn't know. He put it well when he said, "Yeah, you were prepared to go there...but you weren't prepared for coming back because you didn't know how and how much you would grow, so that is the adjustment that'll be hard." It's true. I've grown so much...more than I could have ever anticipated. It's wonderful but makes adjustment different.

I turned my cell phone on when we landed in D.C. and was kind of confused. Ridiculous, I know, but I haven't had one for four months. I am still forgetting where I put it or leaving it on the counter when we leave. I noticed how much of a nuisance mobile phones can be, but they are convenient for when you need quick contact.

Then, I pulled a twenty dollar bill out of my pocket to pay for a bottle of water and wasn't sure what to do with it. That sounds completely stupid, but I was honestly confused. It was not a 1000 forint note or a bunch of coins, so it was something I really hadn't looked at in four months. I think the kid behind the counter just thought I was completely psycho when it took me a minute to hand it over to him. It is strange having to reprogram your mind of prices and how the money works. I remember how much trouble I had with that when I got to Hungary, not understanding the huge amounts. American money all looks the same. It's not all different colors. Weird.

I am having a really hard time with the not speaking Hungarian or having to think so much to have what I need to say understood. Odd, yes, but I very much enjoyed that challenge and learning the language. When I got into the States, everyone kept giving me weird looks when I answered them...then I realized I was giving them the automatic answers in Hungarian. Oops! It's just become habit, but apparently they don't appreciate that around here. haha!

I finally met my nephew on Saturday night. He's still so little! Nagyon aranyos! So adorable! :) And such a happy baby! My sister and the baby were snowed in here until yesterday. (Yay snow!!! I wish it had snowed in Kecskemét while I was there!!) They are coming over again tonight and spending the night, so they'll be here for Christmas morning! How exciting!

Now for a bit of reminiscence of my last few days in Hungary...

Tuesday was my Solfege exam. I felt quite well-prepared, but I always get nervous right before anyway. Agi was in there because apparently there is supposed to be a second person in the exams. After the very long exam, Klára spoke with each of us individually, giving us an idea of our grades and giving some commentary. She was very pleased with my progress this semester, but of course, there is much work still to be done. We also discussed some work I can do in preparation for when I return for more studies in a year and a half.

I had a lesson with János in the afternoon as normal. It went quite well. He's a very good teacher for me.

Then, I had my last conducting class. I have made quite a lot of progress in that subject! I said my "Viszlát" to Zoltán, since he would not be in again before I left. He realized I was the only one in the class that would not be returning for the next semester, but I told him not to fret because he'd see me again soon.

Tuesday night was a mad dash to make sure I had all the information I could learned for my General Music Literature exam in the morning...the one I had gotten the hand-out for on Friday, didn't have all the materials or information, the library was closed, and I had to learn it all in four days, while everyone else had till mid-January. Yeah, I kind of freaked, but it actually turned out to be my best exam.

It was Mihály, Zita, and myself, since I was the only one who needed to take it then. Zita was the second person. She was hilarious! She kept telling me, "Nyugi, Samantha!" which means "relax" and cracking jokes the whole time. haha! I ended up having to do everything orally, which meant I didn't get to write about what I knew about the listening examples but had to verbally formulate the words on the spot. Eeek! When Mihály turned his back, Zita whispered, "Don't worry...I'll help if you need it!" haha! Oh, Zita! I was on a roll, though, whipping out information so quick, I don't think Mihály could process it fast enough. haha! However, then he started asking me questions we hadn't even touched upon in class. I had not a clue, so I told him so. He handed me a book and told me to look up something, saying it'd help me out....it had the answers right there on the page! haha! Then, he was asking me the country origins of different words that described styles. Again, we never learned any of this. How was I supposed to know. It went kind of like this:

Mihály's question

Me: Italy...? (figuring that was a somewhat educated guess)

Mihály: No...there are three peninsulas off of Europe, but that is not the one I'm looking for...

Me: umm...

Zita (whispering to me across the table): Spain.

Me: How about Spain?

Mihály: Yes, that's correct.

Gotta love the ridiculousness! Guess it just goes to prove that they were right when they said they would push and pull me as far as they could through the whole semester but would also be there to catch me before I fell. :)

The rest of Wednesday was crazy studying for my three exams on Thursday morning...Hungarian music literature, Folk music, and Methodology. So much information! But I did them all and to the best of my ability. That's all I could do.

In the evening on Wednesday as a short break from studying, we went to Tom and Yolanda's flat for a little Christmas party, where we ate lots of cookies, had a white elephant gift exchange, and sang Christmas carols...in various languages.

For our last Solfege lesson on Thursday, we met only briefly and listened to a Bach Christmas cantata. Nagyon szép! Very lovely! Then, I chatted with Klára about some books she had mentioned I should work out of to keep up with my solfege work.

Before my last chamber lesson, I was trying to finish up my packing and succeeded in smacking my head on my marble window ledge in my room. Nice. Needless to say, I had a nice gooseache and walked into my lesson a half hour later with an ice pack on my head. My singing was not at all the grandest (I imagine my deprivation of sleep had some impact on that!), but I got some great last-minute imput on my Hungarian pieces.

Later in the afternoon, I had my finally lesson with János. :( It was awful, which was upsetting on top of the upset of it being the last lesson with him for now. I told him I would be back soon, and he said, "Why wouldn't you? It's a wonderful place...and Hungary is in the center of the world!" haha! Not sure how true that last statement is, but I have grown rather fond of it, and already miss it greatly.

Many of us went out to dinner Thursday night at a nice little restaurant and were also going to go out later that night but never ended up going. (Thursday nights in Kecskemét are not the most "happening," either.) Instead, we hung out in the kitchen, played some cards, and made apple-cinnamon pancakes at 1am. None of us really slept much that night, but that's okay...that's what the plane rides were for! haha! :)

Boldog Karácsonyt kivánok! :)

(I wish you a merry Christmas!)

Saying Viszontlatásra to Magyaroszag...

Gratitude 50

Hungarians make me smile! I love them! And I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend this semester abroad.

Today was my last lesson with János. :( A last chamber music lesson. A last Hungarian lesson. And three gigantic exams began the day. (Needless to say, sleep has been minimal this week! Yesterday I had a large exam, too.)

A few short hours from now, I shall be heading to Budapest to begin my crazy trek home in time for Christmas. I am excited to go home and see family...and my puppy Rafiki! hehe! But the "good-byes" are always far harder than you ever can anticipate. I've grown rather found of this place...Hungary...the Institute. I feel like its another place I can call "home" now. And why is it that when things all begin to click it is time for transition again? (I can only imagine what "culture shock" returning to the States will be like after four months abroad.)

This time over here has been AMAZING!! The music has changed for me...in such an incredible way. It has become something far more special; it means more than ever to me. I am so blessed to have had these wonderful experiences. :) And made incredible friendships that I hope will last a lifetime over. I am already looking forward to my return in the not-so-distant future.

I shall post some tidbits from my last few days here and tales from my certain to be crazy travel experiences...as they always are!...sometime over the weekend. :)

Gratitude 49

I am thankful for laughter in the midst of stress. :) Life is amazing like that.

Putting faces to some names...

I ought to be studying for my exams, but I thought I'd grab a few moments away and post a few pictures from last evening. However, I can only ever post five pictures to a post...I need to find a way that I can post more...I hate choosing!

I've been throwing names all over my posts and didn't always have faces to add to them, so here are a few. I have so many people to thank for all I've learned, accomplished, studied, discovered, etc., here. I have grown so much, and owe a million "Köszönöm szépens" to those people. :) Their guidance, support, encouragement, incredible teaching, and constructive critiques when I needed to be told things like, "This is how it is, and this is how it needs to be..." or "No, Samantha, that was wrong. Még egyszer. (Do it again.)" have been wonderful, priceless gifts.

Sun Xing from China and I...she's been teaching me Chinese...but I can only say "Good morning," "Good," and "Yes"...I think it's more difficult than Hungarian!

Clare from Iroszag (Ireland) and I
(Our Hungarian teacher Agi in the background)

The infamous Orsolya and I...this woman has actually gotten me to practice piano and enjoy playing! It's a miracle! haha!

Clare, Zoltán, and Asia from Poland

(Katrin...this is how I imagine a "musical" Martin...you know...the one you don't have to trick into going to an opera! haha!...he doesn't look like him, but his mannerisms and speech remind me very much of Martin. haha!)

And, of course, the infamous János...such an odd but brilliant fellow! haha!

So yesterday, as I've already said, was great. The concert went well and was fun, as was our little celebration following. The kitchen was crazy this weekend with everyone preparing yummy food and desserts. Lots of excitement and craziness ensued the Institute yet again! haha! It was all worth it, though. :)

Gratitude 48

I am thankful for an amazing night and wonderful Christmas concert. Kind of on Cloud 9 right now. Nagyon boldog vagyok. I am very happy. It went very well. A csitari, despite the awful rehearsal, was brilliant. Nagyon jó! :) Pictures and a few stories to come... Oh! and I heard a new snail joke tonight! haha! Amazing!

(And everyone loved "Gram's cookies"...)

Gratitude 46...and a lot of catching up...

I am thankful for snail jokes. ;)

Wow! I am so far behind on posts. I must apologize. It seems that as things become shorter, more and more work appears. I shall do my best to remember what's happened...plus, this blog also acts as a sort of "travel journal" of my time abroad (because, unfortunately, my memory is far from perfect and cannot remember everything I'd like it to!).

Tomorrow evening is the annual Christmas concert/party. :) How exciting! I will be singing Kodály's setting of A csitari hegyek alatt, a Hungarian folk melody. Beautiful piece! Nagyon szép! It makes me ask every time, "This is a folk song?! Really? Are you sure? Biztos?" (Plus, Kodály had to insert several high A-flats in it...obviously intentionally arranged for soprano...)

Today, I baked cookies...Gram's recipe...butter balls (aka snowball cookies)...for the party tomorrow. They turned out superb! Yay! It was crazy trying to find what I needed this morning. Oy! Baking in another country! However...note to self for future events...butter balls are the cookie to make when trying to bake somewhere where they don't typically have marshmallows or peanut butter! They're perfect

Okay...blasting back to the past...waaayy back... (This is an extremely long post, so happy reading! haha!)

Not too much sticks out to me since my last real post. Wednesday morning (Dec. 3rd), Marika was in my room cleaning, and I walked in with my cup of tea ready to set to work for the day. She speaks only Hungarian, so whenever we talk, it's Samantha-make-up-some-Hungarian time. haha! She is so cute, though! I love her! So nice! She came over to my computer, which has a picture of my nephew on the desktop and pointed saying, "Ah! Nagyon szép! Nagyon aranyos!" And then something, which I made out that she was asking if he was mine! I replied, "NEM! NEM! NEM! NEM! Csak 21 éves! Nem most!! 10 év!" ("NO! I'm only 21! Not now! [Another] 10 years!") She laughed, and I grabbed my dictionary looking up the word for sister! haha!

On Thursday, Dec. 4th, I snuck off to Budapest with Christa, Jong-sup, Clare, and Asia to see Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte at the Palace of the Arts. Amazing building! Incredible voices! Phenomenal orchestra! They went specifically to see Iván Fischer, the conductor...he's one of the best from what they tell me. I went for the voices. I was so tired, so it was a fight to stay awake, but the music was absolutely fantastic! So glad I went. Was a little upset that I had to be pulled from my voice lesson before we were through because of the traffic to Budapest. I ended up as the last lesson of the day, and János would have given me probably an hour, which I could have greatly used, so I was frustrated. But, oh well. That's life I suppose.

Last Saturday (Dec. 6th), I made Christmas cookies with Top and Sun Xing...Gram's infamous cut-out cookies. Such fun! Sun Xing had never baked before! I couldn't believe it! But apparently, ovens are not very common in China...only stove tops. Interesting. She was so cute!

It was a crazy adventure...and not much real work got done that day...oops! haha! When we were nearly done, we called Gram on Skype. Asia and Sun Xing talked to her, and we showed her our makings. It was funny. I said at one point when I was having difficulties conquering the icing, "Gram, come help...this is a big mess!" And she said, "Okay, I'll be right there." For some reason, Sun Xing thought that was the funniest thing. And the two of them just so excited about talking to my Gram. haha!

The whole weekend was a wonderful Kecskeméti hétvege, though. Quiet and relaxing. I really do like this lovely little town. :) It might not have as much "excitement" as Budapest, but it has such wonderful charm.

(Gratitude 47...I love the bells that ring every hour...even though they begin at the crack of dawn and interupt solfege lesson...I find them absolutely charming...I shall miss them...although I can sing the Kecskeméti tune in solfa now!...I had to learn it for my Hungarian Music Literature exam coming up this Thursday.)

Monday (Dec. 8th), we observed to fourth grade at the Iskola for the last time. Our final observation this coming Monday will be a peak into the seventh grade.

Tuesday had a little extra excitement. I had been asked to sing the Kodály piece (above mentioned) for some invited guests in the concert hall. I didn't really know who or what the whole thing was for, but it was fun. I found out later from Lászlo, the director of the Institute, that it was mostly cultural "leaders" of Kecskemét...I guess he wants to organize events with them and get everyone more involved in life in and out of the Institute and around Kecskemét. Go him! :) I was so honored to be asked to sing...and to sing a Kodály piece in Kodály's "place" I guess you could say...the place created in honor of him based on his musical foundational ideas and in his hometown. It puts a whole new perspective on the music when you are where it began. It becomes sometime very special and real. How incredible! So many times in these past months have I felt, both here in Hungary and in my travels during this time, an overwhelming feeling of "walking on musical history". It's just awe-inspiring. It's like I said before I left the states, I am going back where it all began...that in itself is a precious gem that impacts your own musical experience in no other way possible. :)

Anyway, it went brilliantly! It was a little unnerving at first to be singing in Hungarian to a bunch of Hungarians, but it was fine. I enjoyed myself. Because the event was scheduled in the afternoon very near my voice lesson time, János and I felt it best I try and switch lessons with someone, so it would not be interfered with. However, much to my dismay, the only time I could switch with someone was at 10am! UGH! But it was fine. And I am glad I saw him before the performance. That made me the first lesson of the day, though, and when I arrived at the room, he was not there yet. I thought at first that perhaps I had the wrong room. He came after a couple of minutes to find me doodling a mind game on the chalkboard he'd taught me the previous week. He didn't know I was going to be there instead of the girl who normally has the lesson, and I think I confused him. I said, "Surprise! :P You get to begin your day with me! Aren't you excited?! haha!" And of course, his first question is, " Have you sang already today?" (Even at 4:30pm he asks me this...) I said, "Eh...kicsit..." (A little...I hate singing in the morning!) He made me sing something and gave me this face like "A little?!" It is a very rare occasion for me to walk into my lesson having not sang or began warming up, but I still didn't feel warmed up. I was just afraid he was going to make me sing the stratispheric Mozart!

János joke of the day: "Relax your tongue...like a dead snail!" hahaha! (except it's far better when he then impersonates the dead snail!)

Conducting in the late afternoon went well, too. (Sorry...Tuesday was quite a big day!) We began 3/4 meter conducting, and I was up first. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this conducting thing! haha! Zoltán told an amazing cheesy tree joke, too. Love it!

After class and a bit of dinner, I decided to go out for a short walk and pick up a few things from the store. On my way out, I ran into János and Zita. Before I even got out a "Jó estét", János came up beside me and said, "So...how was?!" in reference to the performance earlier in the day. I said, "Nagyon jó! Very good!" He was pleased to hear so and congratulated me. :) (Before my performance, I was sitting on a window ledge outside the concert hall, and he walked by, reminding me of "the point" and then started doing Tai Chi...crazy man!) I left them saying, "Sétalni megyek", which means, "I am going for a walk." It had been such a great day that I was in an incredible mood.

My walk was splendid! Such a lovely night! To get the store, I had to walk through the Christmas markets. At one of the vendors, I found this lovely necklace, which I ended up purchasing. Then, as I beneath the glittering lights along the way, I heard Bing Crosby's White Christmas begin to play through the square. It was such an amazing moment! (Gratitude 48) Perhaps, it was just the mood I was in, but everything just held this beautiful magic.

Of course, my incredible mood had a bit of a slump later that evening when I found out that Chadwick will be out of town on the scheduled date of my recital! :( I was very upset! However, we shall worry about that when I return to Capital in a few weeks. For now, it's not important to worry about.

Wednesday, Lászlo thanked us for performing the previous day. How nice of him! He gave us a Kodály CD (of course it'd be Kodály! haha!) that is actually performed by Roland, János, and some other lady who used to teach here. Crazy. It was cool, though. Lászlo's really nice, but I shall never forget our first encounter during my entrance exams! Jaj! We had a bit of a battle about how to use solfa for sight-singing. haha! It is very humorous looking back, but in the moment, it was kind of traumatic. haha!

My piano lessons with Orsolya are never dull! Always craziness ensues! I love her, though! She always has the most random analogies, too! Love it! haha! I get so tense when I play piano, though...I just don't trust my fingers to hit the correct keys. However, I am sooo much better at piano than I was when I got here! It's amazing what actually practicing piano can do! haha! I have never practiced piano so much in my entire life! It's good, though. I need to make big strides in my piano. It's very important.

Thursday was an up-and-down day. It didn't start out so grand beginning with folk music. I am really worried about that exam... Solfege went pretty well. It was our last real class. For some reason, I was excellent at picking pitches from the tuning fork...that doesn't always happen so much. Not complaining, though. However, I don't know how well that'll happen in the exam on Tuesday! And for once, I am not really worried about a solfege exam. I feel fine. Not nervous. I've already played/sang most everything for Klára already, so it'll be fine. I think it helps, too, being comfortable with your teacher. She's been a great help. Need to concentrate on my sight-singing and memorized melodies a little more, though. This "inner hearing" thing...yeah...still having trouble grasping that concept, ridiculously enough.

In Methodology, I had to teach a song by rote, which I think will be very helpful when I am teaching a studio. That went well...although she still believes I want to be a classroom teacher....umm...nem!

Chamber music with Roland went quite well. He always manages to say something to upset or irritate me, but this Thursday not so much. It was very productive and mostly positive and constructive criticism.

My lesson with János...AMAZING!!! Although nagyon faradt (very tired), I was quite peppy. I somehow found some energy in me. I am not exactly sure how it happened, but I was making BIG sounds! It was so cool! I understood and knew the difference between "before" and "after". It was incredible! (However, yesterday it wasn't entirely there, and today...not at all...very upsetting and frustrating!) He made some alien reference about an octopus coming out of an eggshell and suctioning to my face or something. I don't really have any idea what he was talking about. I guess it was some movie. But I did what he was asking somehow. I just need to figure out how to do it without him "holding my hand", guiding me step by step and reminding me every ten seconds. That's the real dilemma. It'll get there, though.

Thursday night, a few of us decided to go to the cinema to get away for a bit. It was fun, but the movie we saw was absolutely terrible! Such a wonderful image it portrayed of the States! Not!

Friday (yesterday), was just an "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-good, Very Bad Day" type of day. It began with General Music Literature, where I received the paper on the exam...which I take on this coming Wednesday! (Everyone else takes it when they return in January.) Yeah...I was not a very happy camper. Like four days to prepare? ha! And I found out at about a quarter past noon that I did not even have all the information or materials for this exam. I ran downstairs mumbling a few curse words to find out how long the library was open...and of course it closed at noon for the day! I guess that tipped me over the edge, and I just burst into tears in the middle of the hall. I found Asia later, and she luckily had the materials I needed. However, I was still extremely upset. I still have no idea how I'm going to pull all of this off. Then, I got an email that just made me angry and more upset. Thankfully, I didn't have to conduct in conducting class because I wasn't ready. But then in the evening, we had rehearsal for the Sunday concert. Ugh! That was terrible! I was so upset with my performance. Oh, how I hope the theory of "bad rehearsal, good performance" holds true for Sunday evening. Roland didn't say anything to me, but I know how dreadful it was. It was just so off, and I know that piece so much better than that. But Friday is over! And we're on to a new day!

Well, I guess that's pretty much life right now. Quite a long, rambling post, but it was much overdue. I'll get some pictures of the concert and party tomorrow and hopefully post them Monday. I leave Hungary on Friday! So soon! :( I shall return in the near future, though. Budapest airport on strike right now for some reason. Wondering if it'll be over by Friday... I'll be home for Christmas, though. :) I hope it snows here before I leave!!!

Gratitude 45

I am thankful for quiet weekends in Kecskemét and Christmas cookie baking! :)


Unfortunately, the internet here is in a state of chaos, so for now, this will have to do. Perhaps later tonight or tomorrow, I can fix this up with some photos and a proper update. It's been quite an eventful few days...well eventful for everyday life anyway! :)

Yay Christmas Season!!! :)

Gratitude 44

I am thankful for the beauty of Christmas time. The lights, the snow (except that's missing in Hungary right now), the jolly cheer, hearing holiday tunes as you walk down the street, all the festivities, the sweet smells of peppermint, cookies, gingerbread, and cinnamon, etc. I love it! :)

(Also, I've been here since the end of August with my camera and just now discovered Sunday night that I can play around with the pictures...edit, change color, add words/borders, etc. Go figure! haha! But hey, the color change in this photo actually makes it look like there is snow in Budapest...but there sadly is not.)

Continuing on...

Saturday was a glorious day in Budapest...despite the rain. Such a brilliant city! It was Wendy, Clare, her sister Mary, Hilary, Casey, and I that went. When we got off the train, we sang Christmas carols in the train station. haha! Yes, we are crazy, but it was great fun...and we made some people smile!

We went ice skating in the park by Heroes Square! Such fun! Cold but fantastic. I have always wanted to go to NYC in winter and skate in Rockefeller Center, but skating in a park in Budapest, Hungary with a castle behind you and a grand monument in front of you...yeah, that's pretty sweet. :) Wendy had never been ice skating before! Crazy I thought! But then again, she is from "down under" where it definitely doesn't get very cold.

Afterwards, we hopped on the Metro and found our way to the Christmas markets. How exciting! Just as Dr. Mathias said, they are awesome! So many things and pretty decorations and yummy food. We got a mug of hot mulled wine to warm us in the cold and wandered around the markets looking at all the vendors. It was definitely a great experience to see and so glad we went.

In the evening, Wendy, Hilary, and I returned to the markets for a bit. It was even more gorgeous lit up with the Christmas lights and trees and garland! :) I love Christmas time!!

We took the last train back to Kecskemét and were greeted by beautiful white Christmas lights glittering through the whole town square! Nagyon szép! So lovely! It had been the first day of the Kecskeméti Christmas markets. :)

Sunday was the day when I everything came crashing in my brain. I realized that I only have 2 1/2 weeks left and have to wrap everything up in that time. Let's just say, I'm currently slightly overwhelmed. And stressed. And frustrated. Had a bit of a freak out. All will be well, though. Just lots to think about.

I took a walk around the Christmas markets in the town square and found the most amazing gift for my dad. hehe! It's brilliant! Quite excited. ;)

Today, I was just not ready for anything, but I made it through. We had a Hungarian music literature exam, which Sun-Xing and I had stayed up really late studying for the past two nights because it was the only time we had to work on it. Ugh! I don't do late nights and early mornings so well. I need my beauty sleep. haha! The exam went well, though, I think. Nothing horrible.

Solfege was not as successful, but semmi baj. It'll get there. Klára sensed the frustrations and stress and nerves. I arrived back to class after our break before the others, and her and I had a short chat, which made me feel a little better.

My voice lesson was not so great on the singing level. At least, I didn't feel so personally. János asked if I was tired. (It's never good when your teacher asks you that.) I was tired. My voice was tired. Not enough sleep. Stress. It all influences how you sound. However, I think it was a good lesson on a different note. I was really frustrated, and we talked a lot about it, why I was, what it was, how it was, and really started to pinpoint the difficulties I was having. We're making some great progress. There's just not enough time... So frustrating.

Apparently, I'm making strides in conducting, as Zoltán seemed pleased...but then I think he started to get frustrated as I kept not being able to fix what he was asking. He remained very light-hearted through it all, though. (I think he was afraid of a repeat incident of a few weeks ago. haha! I needn't worry, though, I don't think. Talking with him helped...and helped him realize how much trouble I was having.)

Sun-Xing and I went to dinner at the River Pub tonight because, again, neither of us wanted to cook, and our brains were on overload. When we came back, I caught János before he left to discuss what to sing on the Christmas concert. This shall be interesting...

Now, I am off to bed. Crazy day of work to do tomorrow. (But I'll probably sneak out to the Christmas markets for a bit...) Piano lesson in the morning...

The whirlwind of life lately...

You remember when you were a little kid, and you would spin around and around in circles till you were so dizzy you toppled over? That's been life...at least the past few days. So much to do! And I leave in two and a half weeks! So soon! My brain needs a short rest, so I decided I'd try to catch up a bit. Been getting limited sleep lately, though, so I am going to try to hit the pillow early tonight.


Blast to the past...


It snowed on Monday (Nov. 24)!!! For about an hour...then it turned to rain. :( I want snow! Mounds and mounds of fluffy white decorating the town in a glitterly frost! However, it was beautiful for those few minutes.




Last Tuesday was a typical crazy Tuesday. However, I had switched voice lessons with Caitlin, so I had an hour lesson on Tuesday rather than a 1/2 hour on each day. Plus, Zoltán was not there in the afternoon, so no conducting!

My lesson went pretty well. And the most amazing part...János finally gave a somewhat literal definition to "the point"! Incredible! (But only after I was so frustrated with trying to find "the point" that I gave him a disgruntled look and asked what exactly this point that is never defined really is.)




Wednesday, I had to take the train to Szeged to straighten out my residency permit/visa papers. Agi could not come with me, so I went on my own. Piece of cake. Hop on the train. *do-do-do* Take the bus across town. *do-do-do* Go to the immigration office. *do-do-do* Hop back on a train to go home. This traveling thing is nothing. haha! (Of course, just a few months ago, it was the scariest thing! haha!) The trip went so smoothly, too. I was kind of shocked. When I got to Szeged, I took the bus Agi had instructed me to take, and the bus driver was super nice. I told him where I needed to go, and he made sure I knew where everything was along the way and that I got off at the right stop. Once I knew I was on the right bus, I knew where I needed to get off, but he was so sweet about it, being so helpful. The moment I saw he had fuzzy little puppy stuffed animals on his dashboard, I knew he had to be the softy Papa-type. haha! I ended up getting there about a 1/2 hour too early, and they would not let me in, so I took a walk down the street towards one of the big main squares of town. I found a lovely little pedestrian-only area and a little confectionary rightly titled "A cappella" where I got a pastry and a tea. Then, I made my way back to the immigration office taking a different route and WITHOUT using my map! (I guess my sense of direction is getting better!) At the office, I had to wait a bit but only about 30 or so minutes, and then it took them approximately four minutes to stick a sticker in my passport and have me sign a couple of papers. Then I headed back to Kecskemét where I had my pile of work waiting that had yet to be touched since I had to take that last minute trip. Nem baj. I was somehow ready for Thursday.


Thursday was Thanksgiving! Woohoo! We had a big feast planned at the Institute that evening, but we had to get thru classes first. In solfege, I got all of my dictations correct! But I didn't believe they were right until Klára confirmed it...in response, she said, "Nagyon jó, Samantha! How much you've progressed! But our work definitely is not finished if you don't believe/know for yourself that it is correct." True. We'll get there someday. I have discovered that I really don't trust myself to give the correct answer or that I know how to do something. I'm a work in progress.

Our turkey feast was amazing! (Gratitude 43) It was really neat to share our holiday with so many other cultures. And so much food!

Friday, I had double conducting (to make up for Zoltán's absense on Tuesday). Other than that, I accomplished very little work. My brain was on Friday mode. Nem jó. In the evening, Sun-Xing and I decided to cook dinner together because neither one of us wanted to cook, so we thought we'd suffer together. haha! Later, we just needed to get away from the Institute for a short time, so a bunch of us went out for a bit.

Saturday morning, we caught an early train to Budapest for a day of ice skating and a visit to the Christmas markets!

Gratitude 42

When I remember where I am... :)


Crazy couple of days. Went to Szeged today to straigten out my whole passport ordeal...finally an official Hungarian resident...but of course I have to leave in a few weeks. Promise to fix this into a real post as soon as I can. For now, I must get some sleep...full day of classes tomorrow and then our Hungarian-American Thanksgiving dinner! :)

A Kecskeméti hétvege...

Gratitude 41

I am thankful for conversations with Chadwick! :) He makes me smile! (I miss that man! It's just not the same without him!) I got to talk to him through instant messaging and then for a little while on the phone last night!!!


It's been a Kecskeméti weekend. Very laid back and a little lacking on the productivity scale, but it's been good. I needed just a weekend in Kecskemét.

Yesterday, I awoke a little earlier than I would have liked, especially since I didn't go to bed till after 1am. (My body never seems to like to let me sleep in...guess that's a good thing in some aspects.) I spent an hour and a half writing postcards...lots of postcards...and then hopped off to post them before the post office closed. Gallavanted around town a bit but justed ended up getting grumpy. As I walked out of the last store, though, to head back to the Institute, there were snowflakes swirling in the air!!! :) Yay! Still no real snow, but that's a start. Back at the Institute, Wendy and Hilary were so funny...they ran outside, Hilary still in her pjs and were jumping around and shouting. The porter thought we were all crazy...then we told her it was snowing, and her face lit up, too.

The rest of the day was very unproductive. Feel a little guilty about that but not as much as I probably should be. I did practice a little piano and some of the piano stuff for solfege and also worked on memorizing a Kodály piece for voice. I am not great at memorizing, but I am finding it is far more difficult when you are trying to figure out/learn the language, too! I really like the language, but it is very difficult. (Although János tells me, "Oh, it's not difficult. Very simple," every time he tries to explain something in Hungarian to me...yeah, simple because you speak it as a mother tongue. You know, I am so amazed by the fact that people...especially the teachers here...can speak 3, 4, 5, some even 6 languages! That is just incredible! And they can switch between them with the blink of an eye. I wish I could do that! But that is a qualm I have with the American education system that I don't really want to go into.) I must have sat there for two hours looking at this piece...and it is only three strophic verses...I ended up flipping through my dictionary to find a word-for-word literal translation, and that helped a lot...building my Hungarian vocabulary, too. However, I awoke this morning with it going through my head...I think I may have got it...or am very close. :)

In the evening, as with many evening, especially weekends, a bunch of us sat chatting around for a couple of hours in the dining room. We have some of the weirdest conversations, though. Adds to the list of very memorable moments of life at the Institute! haha!

This morning I awoke, again, early and with memories of crazy dreams I'd had. (I have the weirdest dreams! I don't always remember them, but the ones I do are always so strange!) Sun-Xing and I went to the open market. Oh, the adventures at the open market! It is very cold out today but nothing too horrible, and she looked at me and said, "Is that the coat you are wearing?!" I had on my winter pea coat...she had a "marshmallow" coat (you know...those puffy winter coats). I just laughed. She cracks me up. This is the snow...or rather "wanna-be" snow...we found when we walked out of the Institute:

It's practically just a bit of frost! And this is the snow Mom sent me from home:



I showed that picture to Wendy and Hilary, and their eyes got really big!



The open market is always an experience. It's fun. However, I don't particularly enjoy walking past the dead pigs and what not. Yuck!

I saw Poinsettas for Christmas already! :) This place is great for practicing Hungarian. We met this one man that we were buying veggies off of. He was so funny. I had to ask him to repeat the price like five times before I got it. He was like, "Nincs problemo." I said, "Bocsánat! Most tanulok magyarul. Csak kicsit." (translation: "Sorry, I am now studying Hungarian. Just a little." He was impressed that we were even studying and trying to speak the language. (Spending a few months in a culture, you start to pick things up eventually! I find it hard to believe that some people spend years in a foreign place and never learn any of the language. How can you not when everyone around you is speaking it?) Turns out he spoke some English, so the next ten minutes were him quizzing us on how much we needed to pay and how much change he was giving us back. haha! That's really why we go to the market...to learn Hungarian. haha! :)

I really need to accomplish some work today, though. (Although it is already nearly 1pm and still haven't touched anything.) I made mashed potatoes today, though! Yum! Very exciting! However, it kind of makes me homesick for Thanksgiving. (My grandma promised me a turkey for Christmas, though!) It's this Thursday, and there aren't any plans yet...

Gratitude 40

Anna Netrebko's new album which has been on constant play on my computer and my ipod the past few days. :)

So...I am most definitely much closer to Switzerland than if I were in the States, so I am wondering...where on earth are the Ricola throat drops in this country?! My search this morning while I was out to pick up a few things yielded no findings. :(

Continuing my update...as promised! :)

Today has been very exhausting, and my attempt to play piano tonight are not getting very far, so I decided I'd finish catching up on my posts before a shower and bed. I think I will accomplish far more productive work after a good night's sleep.

Picking up where I left off...

After my lesson on Saturday morning, I headed off to Budapest to meet my friend Noémi's cousins/family. Before I left the states, she had arranged for me to meet them some weekend while I was here. Her cousin Mercedész is about 19 I believe, and she met me when I got off the train. We went to lunch at a Turkish restaurant and then visited Margitsziget (Margaret Island in the middle of the Danube), the Castle District (one of my favorites of Budapest! but there are also so many favorites I have!), and Mátyás Church. In the early evening, we headed to her hom in Erd, a suburb of Budapest. Her mom had homemade goulash for us, and I got to meet her family. They were all so nice! Mercedész speaks English very well and so do her older brothers. The rest of the family are learning, so we were mixing languages. My comprehension of Hungarian is...well, not so much, but we made it work. I helped them practice English, and they helped me practice some Hungarian. The little boys loved to say my name for some reason, too.

Sunday morning, Mercedész took me to an English and Hungarian church service in Budapest. (I'm not exactly sure where...I probably could not find it again on my own.) The pastor was American, hence the English and Hungarian. It was very interesting to see. The worship songs were in Hungarian and occasionally sung a second time in English, and there was a translator for his sermon. He was very animated, and I realized how oddly I kind of miss American humor. (I also oddly...and randomly...miss my pair of sweatpants.) There is humor here, of course, but it can be a little different. I have found that "our" humor isn't always understood. I think Americans just full of constant snappy comments (kind of like Gilmore Girls if you've ever seen that). I am realizing as I try that to explain this idea is kind of confusing, so I'll just leave it at that.

Budapest

Parliament in Budapest

We returned to her home for a Sunday lunch. Her mom and little brothers made a great Hungarian meal. And then in the afternoon, it was time for me to head back to Kecskemét. It was nice to meet them, and I hope we can stay in contact. Mercedész said she'd like to meet up with me when I am in Budapest for a visit to the Christmas markets, so that shall be fun.

Noémi's cousins and aunt and uncle

Mátyás Church

After my weekend away, I had lots of work to catch up on...including learning a very difficult Mozart aria that János has been after me about.

Tuesday was stressful. Solfege didn't go the grandest, and it didn't help that I had not prepare as much as I should have. My lesson with János was a half hour of me "composing" Mozart and Sun-Xing on the piano "composing" Mozart in another way, so altogether, we were far from Mozart's composititon. I love coloratura, and it is meant for my voice. However, learning it is another story. It takes me far too long to really "get" it. I was getting so tense and frustrated. At one point János was standing next to me trying to help me "organize" the run we were working on, and I think he thought I was going to cry, so he put his hand on my shoulder, looked at me, and said, "Samantha! RELAX! Nothing wrong! You have to learn how to learn it, too." Argh! I should have had it learned by then!

I did not have piano with Orsolya thankfully because I switched times with someone, so now I have it Wednesday mornings. It had to be done...Orsolya was very disappointed with me in my lesson last week.

Before conducting, I was able to catch Zoltán to talk with him about conducting, something I should have done long ago. That class has been a struggle, and I was in the middle of the ocean and needed to find my way back to shore. Talking with him really helped. Especially after my experience in class on Friday, I was a ball of nerves when it came to conducting. Friday certainly was not his fault but my own for not knowing the piece well enough. He explained some musical things to me and made it a little clearer for me. (I also learned that my thoughts that he was at his wits end with me was a complete creation of my own imagination. Good to know I guess.) Near the end of class, he leaned over to me and asked if I wanted to give it another try. Somehow, from our conversation, I had calmed down and was completely collected as I conducted the "choir." In turn, I was able to respond to all of his directions without hesitation. :)

Wednesday, my lesson with Orsolya was a little better. For some reason, my fingers always fumble all over the piano the first time I play something in there. It's quite ridiculous. Needless to say, she was, again, very disappointed with me. However, I asked to play it again, and it got better. I fumbled again in my Bach piece, but she was apparently very pleased with my musicality, so it made everything better I guess.

Emma and I went to the market after my lesson and then goofed off around stores in town. The rest of the day was spent finishing all of my folk music analyses! Yay! Now, I just have to learn and memorize all twenty with solfa and text. Oh boy! I get to do that, too, with about twenty melodies each for Hungarian music literature and general music literature. Fun times! haha!

In the evening I went to yoga, a much-deserved reward for hard work all day. However, because I went, I was not exactly prepared for my voice lesson today.

Today started out in a not so great fashion, as I awoke 15 minutes before class started. Ugh! And I had gone through such trouble to set my alarm early, so I could review some solfege in the morning. Grand! As I skittered down the hall 15 minutes late for class, I ran into János as he came in, and he just gave me a funny look before laughing. Crazy man!

Solfege went quite well. Progress is showing little by little. I think Klára was quite pleases as well. Methodology, too, went fine. We are learning how to teach songs by rote, which is very useful for me in a studio setting. Chamber music with Roland was another story. I kind of got scolded, but it was deserved. I guess that is what I get for having neglected doing what I should have for the lesson. I know it is my responsibility, and I accept the task and will fix my blunders. (I think "A csitari hegyek alatt" by Kodály needs to top my to-do list for this weekend!)

My voice lesson was okay. I know I sang way too much today, so I was not as fresh of voice as would have been best. Nem baj. What's done is done. I spent the time before my lesson looking at the Mozart aria because it desperately needed it, but it would probably have been most wise to be quiet during that hour. My lesson was more like 45-50 minutes today even though it is only supposed to be 30-minute sessions, but I was the last lesson of the day today. No complaining, but I am slightly vocally fatigued simply because I did sing an awful lot today. All will be fine, though.

Last week, I asked him if we could work with/on my high notes a little more because they went into hiding for awhile. Since then, he's been I suppose "testing" my limits because this was the scenario today:

Me: (after doing a series of ascending staccato vocalises) How high was that might I ask?
János: Why? Well, there was a D-flat or a D or an E.
Me: Not bad.
J: (completely nonchalantly) Well, that was only an F, and then after that F-sharp. No worries. The last one was just a G.

Me: A 'G'!!! That's pretty high!

J: Yes, it is. I was just curious.

He is so ridiculous! Just curious! haha! Oh goodness! My high notes are really coming, though. In the Mozart piece he said that interestingly enough the high D definitely wasn't the problem, even though it was my biggest "fright." Overall, we accomplished some good things today, but I kept missing "the [vocal] point." (Again, "the point" is never literally defined.) Before I left, we were talking, and I convinced him to tell me his running snail joke. hahaha! Brilliant! I think it is one of the most hilarious things...umm...ever! That definitely made my day! (Gratitude 38)

(I get to live beside this! Gratitude 39)

Kettö héttel ezelött?!?!

Unbelievably, it has been two weeks since I last posted. What has actually happened in those two weeks, I am not really quite certain. Life has been extremely busy with no time to even think about blogging. (However, I do need to catch up, so that I have some type of journaling to look back on from this adventure.) I barely talked with my family, either. I kept telling my mom I'd call tomorrow...for about a week. Sorry for that! So...I am going to try to use super-speed to catch up as I really ought to be using this time for studying, but I may have to finish over the weekend.

Blasting back to the past...

The rest of the week since my last post, I am pretty sure was similar in story to all the others I have written about. Apparently, nothing too eventful happened, as nothing very vividly sticks out in my mind. Agi had us watch the Hungarian movie Kontrol on Thursday evening. It took place in the Metro and was rather violent but had some quite hilarious parts. (Before I left my lesson to go watch it, János was trying to tell me about a part but was laughing so much he could barely speak. I had never seen him do that before! And he was right...the part he was describing was hilarious.) However, when it was through, I was scared to ever ride the Metro again for fear of someone jumping out of the shadows and throwing me on the tracks in front of the train. BUT...I faced my fears, and on Saturday when I was in Budapest I did ride on the Metro...constantly peaking over my shoulder.

Budapest :)

We had a visitor from Denmark, Mirjam, for two weeks, so I went with her to Budapest that Saturday. I ended up being like a tour guide oddly...even though I had only been there are few times before. I had my little map and transport tickets and was speaking Hungarian. (Katrin, I felt like you! hehe!) I was so excited that I was actually able to use some Hungarian. I have managed to pick up quite a bit of vocabulary over the past couple of months. It is amazing what being "thrown" into a culture can do for your language skills! (That, I think I shall call Gratitude 33!) I got our train tickets entirely in Hungarian! and was asking directions and where things were in a store, ordering our food, etc...all in Hungarian! :) That was fun! Many times, though, I'd ask in Hungarian, and they'd reply, "Do you speak English?" Argh! Nem, speak Hungarian to me! It's the only way I'll learn! We met so many nice people, though. Some Americans that used to live in Ohio...such a small big world we live in! And...in a music shop, we met a man who was a student at the Kodály Institute in 1982. He was from Canada and is teaching in Romania now and is good friends with Orsolya. How crazy!

What on earth could this pretty building be? Yes, it is the train station, designed by Eiffel, himself.

Gratitude 34...train stations/the ability to hop on a train and be somewhere so simply (because stations in itself...who really likes to wait around in any station or airport...not I!). Plus, it's fun.

Of course, from the inside, you'd never know that is what the outside looks like!

Állomás! Állomás! Budapesten! Kecskeméten! (Yes, that is really what the man through the speaker says...well, there is more to it than that, but I have no idea what it is...all gibberish.)

Monday (Nov. 3), I went to a concert at the Katona Jozsef Szinház, which is behind the Institute, with Wendy, Mirjam, Jong-sup, and Christa to see János sing. Much of the Institute faculty was, of course, there as well. Such a lovely little theatre! I did not enjoy the sopranos at all, but the mezzo was fantastic, as was János, and the tenor was pretty good as well. The first half was the Kecskeméti Symphony. That was neat, too.


Tuesday, we had Mexican night at the Institute...one of our many "cultural bonding" experiences. The food was delicious. Caitlin eats Mexican all the time at home, and here it is fairly rare, so we decided to chip in and get the ingredients if she cooked. Such fun!


Hungarian adventure of the week:
I had to set up a Hungarian bank account about a month ago for my residency permit (which I still don't have...but that's another story entirely!), and about a week after we had set it up, I received some letter from the bank. It was all in Hungarian. I had no idea what it said, but it looked just like an advertisement, so I threw it away. Little did I know that it actually was telling me how to get my bank card. Oops! So, I got up early one morning and tottered my way to the bank ready to take on the task of figuring this out. I got a number...pretty sure...no, I know I hit the button that said "Lost Card"...I waited...and waited some more. Then, when they finally called my number I prayed that I would get an understanding teller. I lucked out. The lady was super nice! And made sure that I could see what was being done, so that I understood everything. Such nice people there are in Hungary!



Okay...fast-forwarding through time...


Thursday (Nov. 13), I had the best chamber music lesson I have had with Roland. We worked on a Hungarian folk song I am doing, A csitari hegyek alatt. Lovely piece. :) It went quite well...for the first time. (Rhythmically, it is a challenge, as well as high...and the fact that I do not speak the language!) The part that made my day the most was that as we left, instead of saying "Jó napot" like should be said to our "elders," we said "Csokolome" to Roland, which literally means "I kiss your hand." It is very old Hungarian and was/is used only by older men to greet women, as they used to be greeted by kissing their hand. We all had a good laugh! haha! (Around the Institute, some of us get a kick out of saying it to each other, but I am not sure anyone was ever daring enough to say it to a professor...it is all very informal here, though...every professor/teacher here goes by their first name, no mr.'s or mrs.'s)


Friday was...thankfully Friday. Conducting was pretty much the worst experience of my life! Oh, it was awful! I was pretty much told to sit back down and do it again on Tuesday. Ugh! I somehow managed not to cry. After class, Zoltán was all worried he'd hurt me and asked if I was okay. Yes, he upset me, but it was more on my own fault than any his. He had every right to criticize my work. Honesty isn't always easy, and the truth can hurt sometimes, but we cannot move forward without knowing what to correct.


After choir, I went out for a bit because I knew I needed to step away for a little time. I also really needed some laundry detergent...and I ended up impulse buying a new cute black purse. So worth it! And I am so glad I did. It was time for a new purse. Plus, it's really cute. For dinner, I ended up going out with Emma, Wendy, and Hilary, and then we goofed off after dinner. We had a good time. Unfortunately, though, I ended up spending even more money...I found a cute blue sweater on sale...again, an impulse buy, but a very good one! So pretty! (Gratitude 35...impulse buys that turn into the best of purchases!)


Saturday morning, I had a make-up lesson with János from the previous week. 10:30am voice lesson? Ugh. But I had no choice, as I was going to Budapest in the afternoon. So...I got my butt out of bed at 7:30am, got a nice long shower, made sure my things were ready for Budapest, went to the open market for some honey. (Gratitude 36...the most amazing honey I have ever had in my life! Finom!) It was a lovely morning, too. On the way to the market, I was standing at the crosswalk with an old man, so I decided to say "Jó reggelt" ("Good morning"). He gave me the weirdest look. I was just confused. Just trying to be friendly. When I got to my lesson, I said to János, "Nekem van egy kerdes..." ("I have a question...") His reply: "Just one question?!" Well, it is never one question with me, of course! Anyway, I asked him if Hungarian greet random people on the street...apparently not. I think I gave him a good laugh, though...I seem to give him his daily dose of laughing. So, that moment on the street, I must have had a huge "AMERICAN!" sign flashing above my head...yet, they all seem to think I speak Hungarian. haha! Oh well!


The lesson...the most incredible voice lesson of my life! No, it was nowhere near perfect. There were many mistakes. The sounds were not always the most brilliant. However, in a sense, it was perfect. In a new way. Perhaps the secret is that perfection is in imperfection. Nem tudom. I don't know. And probably never shall. However, me finding satisfaction in something that isn't perfect...now, that is progress for a perfectionist like me! (And that shall be Gratitude 37) But really, it was a fabulous lesson...and at 10:30am!! We really accomplished great things. My coloratura is getting better. Despite my "stubborn-ness," it is for my voice. I really do love it, but the "getting" it part is what is the most frustrating. Oh, I have so many frustrations! János sees my frustrations every day, and he has been so understanding. He reminded me that finding the answers is never easy, but it is very important that I do not give up. (Actually, I am not sure the concept of "giving up" even exists in my vocabulary...I am too stubborn I think!) We all have things we must work through, and he remembers from his own experiences of learning going through the frustrations I am. It was good to be reminded. :)





***Stay tuned for the rest of my updates coming soon! I promise!***

Gratitude 32

Yesterday, I received my first "Hungarian" hug. (This may sound absurd, but Hungarians don't really seem to be much for hugs.) When I went to my piano lesson, Orsolya was ecstatic, having just completed a very successful presentation for the conclusion of her doctoral studies, and she embraced me as I walked in the room.

*****

Today, the United States...and the world...sees the first African-American President. Today is a huge day in the young history of our nation. I admit I am not the most "pro-American" U.S. citizen, but it is my homeland and what happens affects my life, too, whether I am abroad or at home.

No, I did not stay up all night just to see the election. (I might be crazy, but I'm not insane!) The final polls closed as morning came on this side of the world, but those over here are happy to see the change that can be made. Until living over here, we...I...never realized just how much power and pull the United States has on the world. Our decisions affect the entire planet. The consequences of our actions as a nation reverberate through every nation. Yet, we don't see this, or if we do, we ignore it. May the coming days, months, years bring positive change and brighter days to this world.

*****

This week back to classes has been a jump right back into work. Thankfully, Monday was a light day, so it gave a little more recuperation from travels and return to neglected work. I was (still am) quite behind on Solfege. However, class yesterday was not too awful. Klára was quite understanding because of our travels, but in my eyes, that is no excuse for not completing our work. There really is no excuse. I feel awful when I am not prepared as I should be. You can only look forward and change how something to come will turn out. What's done is done. The past cannot be changed.

János was not here yesterday, so I did not have my lesson. Although I desperately need lessons, it was probably for the best. It also relaxed me a bit from trying to get everything done Monday evening and gave me more time to do the things I could more properly.

Orsolya was very strict in my piano lesson, but it is only for the best. She's helping me tremendously in my piano skills, which will only better my musicianship and vocal music, too. I must learn to relax. I just get so tense when I play for fear of clanking wrong notes, and in turn, I end up hitting more wrong notes. (The same goes for voice with János!)

Because my piano lesson began fifteen minutes late, it ended fifteen minutes late, which meant I was nearly twenty minutes late for conducting! Oops! Zoltán didn't say anything and by the end of the lesson, had forgotten. I think for one of the first times, he didn't have to pull out his patience card with me. (Probably because I didn't have to conduct...which would have been a disaster as I shamefully had only looked at the piece two hours earlier...for about twenty minutes.)

After classes, I still had lots of homework and practice to be done, but I decided to relax a bit first. Normally, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I just have a bowl of quick-make soup and bread rather than actually cooking. I was going to do just that, but then decided that I had to have zucchini (which I rarely eat at home...even though there's always an overabundance), which meant that I had to go to the supermarket to get it. So I went. (It gets dark at 4:30pm now. Ugh!) And of course, I walked in for only zucchini and walked out having spent $10. How does that always happen? Then, I had to cook it, so what was going to be a quick but leisurely dinner turned into a two-hour escapade. Brilliant! I am so ridiculous! However, I amazingly still accomplished quite a bit last night.

This morning I didn't wake till after 10am, and it is now nearly noon...I really need to start getting some work done today! I shall leave you with this adorable photo of my nephew sent to me the other day. How precious! :)

Return to Hungary

Gratitude 31

I am thankful clean clothes after living from a small bag for ten days!

Saturday afternoon, I arrived back in Hungary. Through my time of traveling, I received THREE stamps in my passport!!! :) Including a Hungarian one! (Yes, believe it or not, I actually had to go through customs when I entered Hungary...as opposed to getting my bags and walking out the door when I arrived from the States...weird as that was.)

It was nice to be "home." I love Hungary. I have grown rather fond of it here. It is a lovely gem too easily forgotten/overlooked. However, it is also a much different life/world than the rest of Europe. It was also a little difficult to remember there is a language barrier that you have to be patient and work to understand and be understood. I was still on lazy-brain English and got a little irritated with the lady at the airport when I was trying to figure out how to get to the train platform. I don't know why, but for some reason...and we are all guilty of doing this at some point...we think that if we say the same thing slower...and sometimes louder...they'll understand us...even if they don't speak English. I don't know why. It's rather absurd, but somehow we actually think that works. I am still working to switch back to Hungarian. I still find it completely amazing that people like my teachers here speak English as a second...or even third or fourth...language and can switch between them at a blink of an eye.

Anyhow, I did eventually make it to the train platform and almost got on the wrong train. I, again, fooled people that I could speak Hungarian. I don't know how I do that. All I ever actually say is "nem," "igen," and "köszönöm." The airport shuttle driver looked at me startled when I asked him a question in English. "Beszélsz magyarul?!" He had apparently assumed that I spoke Hungarian because I had answered him in Hungarian (my answer was "igen") at the airport. It's kind of funny. I guess it's a compliment, too, but it doesn't always help with communication...the problem is you still have to understand what they say back to you...in Hungarian. I'm working on it.

Back in Kecskemét, I found a letter from my friend Noémi. :) And it was time for a shower and to do laundry! I love clean things! And then they smell so nice, too. :) At night, Tom and Yolanda had a little Halloween party at their flat. Those of us that were back went and ate junk food and shared stories of our travels.

Sunday, I went to Budapest with Christa (the student I go to yoga with) and her husband Vincent. We went to the opera house to see Beethoven's Fidelio. Well, I can say the music was lovely as expected. As for the rest...I have decided that I possibly may need to get a red dress for my recital in March...but I don't think I can ever look at the color green the same again. (It was a modern staging...they had some good ideas but went about them in entirely the wrong way...and that is all I shall say.)

Now, I am incredibly behind on sleep and practice. I am fighting with the faces of Stress and Anxiety right now and trying to win. I have SOOOO much to do (and of course, I am blogging right now and should be practicing...). I terribly neglected things while I was away...especially the most desperately needed nurturing of solfege. So I am breathing right now. I'll get it, and everything will be okay. I just need to stay relaxed and pace myself...no anxious flurries allowed!

My holiday (part 5)

Gratitude 30

I am thankful for the beautiful weather while I was in England. Surprisingly, it barely rained. It was lovely. Cold, but lovely.

Thursday was just a lazy day in the English countryside. Sophie and I made "candy corn," or attempted to at least. THe baking part was quite interesting but good fun. It came out sort of the texture of candy corn but was more like a toffee to taste. I may have to play with it with Becca over Christmas. I bet she'd enjoy that!

In the evening, Sophie and I joined a couple of her friends for drinks in a pub in Epsom. It was a cute little place. There, we had Früli, which is a strawberry beer. :)

Friday, we went to London one last time. She decided to leave early, so I stuck around town on my own for a bit. I gave St. Paul's a visit. :) It is beautiful! I did not go in because the queue was to the street and even the student price was quite steep. It was so amazing just to see it, though. (I sat on the steps like in Mary Poppins, too! hehe!)

After wandering around the area around St. Paul's for a bit, I hopped on the "tube" (aka underground) to catch a look at the Tower of London and Tower Bridge as the sun was setting. Then, I decided it wise to head towards a train station and head back even though I would have loved to stay longer.

For supper, Sophie's family and I went to an Indian restaurant for some curry. (For some reason, the British are obsessed with Indian food.) It was my first time having real Indian. It's good but not my favorite by any means.

We watched a bit of British telly before bed, and in the morning it was time for me to bid a farewell to my lovely England (for this year, anyhow!).

My holiday (part 4)

Gratitude 29

"'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'

At once, they left their nets and followed Him." -Matthew 4:18-20

I am thankful for this verse that was framed on the dresser in the room I stayed in at Sophie's. I saw every time I was in the room. After all these years, I think the meaning of this verse has finally been revealed to me.

On Wednesday, London saw its first October snow since 1934! I always had the impression that the whole country glistened in white all winter, but they tell me that they get very little snow and never normally before April. I guess I fell under the Dickens charm like the rest of America!

I also venturede into London on my won. I love that "town!" It is just an amazing place. I went to Westminster Cathedral. It was stunning! There happened to be a mass while I was there, so I went but was not impressed with it at all.

I walked towards Buckingham Palace. I was a little bummed I could not find a guard that was close enough to get a picture with. (Most people know that I am kind of obsessed with...well, London...but the guards...I actually kind of feel bad for them...they look so board...and random people are constantly taking pictures of them. Poor guys!) It was lovely, though. I met a British family then meandered through St. James Park towards Parliament Square. Vienna has green, but only in London do you find parks like that. So picturesque. Love it! As I walked towards finding Parliament, there was this police brigade guarding someone. Oh, such a hullabaloo! It makes me giggle!

So Big Ben...this was the first time I was really able to see it. So many say it is nothing spectacular, but they are full of nonsense! It's incredible! :) I found Westminster Abbey and was going to go in, but it was really expensive, so I contented myself with the outside of it. Next, I made my way to Trafalger Square and intended to go through Leicester Square subsequently, but I guess I side-stepped a little. I somehow went right around it and got to Covent Garden. It was fine because I was going there anyway. (There's a Build-a-Bear there and had to pick up a few requested items for my little sister.) I wandered around there for awhile. It is a nice little place.

When I returned to Ashtead (where Sophie lives), it was dark, and I had absolutely no clue where I was going. I luckily met a nice old man who pointed me in the right direction. I love the British! hehe!

On a last note, London is loaded with business men in suits...pinstripe seems to be largely popular. It's just like my Papa always says about getting on a train, reading the paper, and being in the city for work. They really do do that. I'd love to work in London someday. NOT as a business woman...as a musician of course. Maybe someday, I'll be singing at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Who knows!

My holiday (part 3)

Gratitude 28

I am thankful for getting to spend some time in beautiful England this holiday...especially since I didn't think I'd be able to this adventure abroad. 

Sunday morning, I got up bright and early to make it to the airport with plenty of time because I didn't know what type of security or customs I would have to cross. In one day, I received two stamps in my passport!...the extent of stamps I had been given over the bast three and half years since getting it...they just don't like to stamp them. The Prague airport is ridiculous, and I am not a fan of the set-up. Pretty much the extent of security there was looking at my passport and scanning my bag in a millisecond before getting on the plane. When I entered the UK, though, customs were crazy, asking all sorts of absurd questions and requesting to see my return tickets. She didn't ask, but that would have been something to try and explain that I came from Prague, am returning to Budapest, and have an Amsterdam stamp in my passport...and no Hungarian visa or residency permit notated in my passport. She looked very perplexed, though. 

Sophie's family is absolutely lovely. Her and her dad picked me up from the airport, and we drove through the countryside to her home. I felt like I was instantly dropped into As Time Goes By!! (I love that show!) The little roads we were driving through and the areas we were passing were practically identical to those in the scenes of that show. haha! Brilliant! Gotta love it! My brain was so confused with him driving on the left side and the driver's seat being on the opposite side. I mean, it wasn't a shock or anything, but it can mess with your brain a bit. We had a wonderful English Sunday lunch. Yum! 

In the evening, we went to their church. It was a contemporary Christian service. I prefer the more traditional, but it was nice. It was my first time to church since coming abroad. (Well, aside from the German mass I attended in Vienna. I want to attend a Hungarian mass at some point, but I'm sure that'll be slightly overwhelming, too.) The people there were very friendly and sweet. And...believe it or not, I met a woman originally from Columbus! She said she came here to study in her third year of college, as I am, met a man, and the rest is history. Again, what a big small world we live in! I also met this little old lady, Mary, who insisted upon giving me a "good, proper English hug!" :) She was such a sweetheart! 

Back at the house, we had some tea, Sophie's dad and I chatted about opera, and watched some British TV. They also made me try marmite on toast. It was...different. 

The time zones have been messing with my head. Daylight savings had me flip my clock back an hour, and then when I got to England, I had to flip it back another hour, so I ended up slightly jet-lagged on top of already being sleep-deprived. (I don't sleep very well in hostels no matter how nice it is.) There was a period of a couple of hours, though, that I had no idea what time it was because my watch said one thing, Sophie's computer said another, and when I called home on Skype, my sister kept saying a time there that was only four hours difference. Apparently, I am actually only four hours time difference from home this week because daylight savings happens this coming weekend in the States, and then I'll be back in Hungary, making it six hours again. All too confusing!

On Monday, Sophie and I went into "town" (aka London) for the afternoon. I absolutely LOVE London. I am a very blessed person to have already in my life had to experience and see and live so much of this incredible world. As with Vienna, I could spend a lifetime in London. (I have to say that those are my two favorite cities!) We went to Oxford Street, Regents Street, Soho, Carnaby, Selfridge's, China town, expored a few alley ways/side roads, and Covent Garden. It was a lovely day, which ended with a cup of tea at a cafe in the Covent Garden "piazza" listening to a street musician. He was quite good. We also heard an opera/classical singer there who wasn't bad but so tense she made me tense just watching her. 

We took a London taxi! to Waterloo station to catch a train back. Umm...super sweet! We passed West End and saw from a distance Big Ben, the London Eye, and St. Paul's Cathedral. And it really is true that London cabby's are the friendliest people. 

Today, we went into Guildford, a town nearby. It's mostly a shopping place...I'm not a big fan of shopping...but it was nice. And I found a beautiful floor-length dress for only £35!!! It'll be lovely for little recitals or fancy nights at the opera. hehe!

P.S. It is really strange to be in an English-speaking country for the first time in two months! You mean I don't have to act out what I am trying to say in a funny, ridiculous manner and try to muttle through some poorly-grammared foreign sentences? Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy doing the later...a great challenge...but it is a rest to the brain for a bit not having to.