Time to leave Budapest

Hello,

This is my last post from Budapest. I'm leaving in three days, and I think I'm ready to go home.

Budapest was not everything I wanted it to be. I guess I saw Budapest as an escape from what USF had been for me. I saw Budapest as a fun adventure in Europe which also traced my ancestral roots. I wanted it to be a place where I would be accepted and I would enjoy every second.

Instead, what little self-confidence I had plummeted within a few weeks of coming here. The only real friend I had here was Ellora, and I felt alone and stressed. I had homework, and I was living in a country where I did not speak the language. I continued to get more and more depressed as my journey here continued. The only relief I had was going to other parts of Europe. First Prague, then London, Ireland, and Krakow. In these places I was so overwhelmed with wanting to explore and take in as much as I could before returning to Budapest that I forgot about my petty problems.

My depression was most likely grown off of two factors. The first being that I already had low self-esteem and as I realized my depression, I began gaining more and more weight, which only increased my depression. The second being that the Budapest mentality is possibly the most pessimistic in the world. Hungary has the third highest divorce and suicide rates in Europe. This pessimism is also hypothesized to be the cause of early death. Most Hungarian men don't live past 56, though the number is increasing. Together with my intense loneliness and self-hatred, this downcast city created in me a sense of lost hope.

This is not to say that I didn't have some fun here. Every second I spent with Ellora, was amazing. She has become my closest friend, and I am so thankful that this experience was able to bring us together, though I am sorry for being a burden on her. I enjoyed my classes very much, though they were stressful. Particularly my Nationalism and Ethnicity class, which taught me to think in ways I had never before seen. And every time we went out with Laci, Zsofi, Melinda, or on field trips, I had an amazing time. And I now have my favorite places in the city; the Danube, Pink Cadillac (pizzeria), Jaffa and Zappa cafes, Pazmany Peter (the school), the movie theater jewelry store, the Great Market Hall, Heroes Square, Andrassy Utca, Raday Utca, Iguana vintage stores, and my apartment.

I do not know yet what I have gained from this experience, though I am glad I lived here for a semester, despite the hardship. It was a growing experience, to be sure. I just don't think Budapest is my type of city. I have no regrets in coming here, just a few gloomy memories.

Now that it is summertime, however, the city is opening up, and it seems, giving us a grand farewell. Today Ellora and I looked up while walking along Raday Utca, and saw medieval type flags everywhere. There were also historic lamps, and modern art pieces. Later, we heard loud drumming and ran out onto the balcony. Below we saw a parade of Chinese dragons, gargoyles, a sun, and even an ent. We still aren't sure what this was about, but we are certainly happy that we saw it. And yesterday it poured rain while the sun still shone. It was spectacularly beautiful.

I am very excited to come home in a few days, though a part of me will always be in Budapest.

Thank you, I love you.

--Seren Sehota

Pictures

There are finally some pictures of Ireland. If you want more, go to Ellora Coombs-Echenhofer's facebook page, and hopefully you can see them.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29926&id=651681323&page=2

Eger and Aushwitz

Hey all. I'm so sorry I haven't written a blog in a while. I'll try to be better, I promise

A few weeks ago my mentor Melinda took Ellora, Kiyana, Stacy, her friend Dharma, and I to the wine town of Eger, Hungary. It was so beautiful. It was this quaint little town with a big castle on the hill and a beautiful church. It was really nice to get out of the city and get some fresh air. Pollution and cigarette smoke have been really taking their toll on my lungs. We walked around the cobble stone streets for a while, stopping for cakes and gyros. Then we decided to go to the top of the minaret. Now that was an experience to remember. While it was only 97 steps the the top, there was no hand rail, the stairs were uneven, spiraling, slippery, and practically impossible to climb up and down. I am someone afraid of stairs and of falling down them, so my adrenaline was rushing when we finally reached the top after what felt like an eternity. Unfortunately for me, the top held no relief. It was about 200 feet off the ground and all we had was a ledge and a rail that was two feet from the wall. I thought I was going to fall to my death. After taking some beautiful pictures of the scenery, I made my way back down the minaret, though not without a near heart-attack. When I got to the bottom, I told everyone else, "I'm really glad I did that, it was a once in a lifetime experience, but I never want to do that again." We left soon after that. It was an all around very relaxing journey.

Last weekend, my central European literature teacher Pedro took us all to Auschwitz and Krakow. We went straight to Auschwitz without even stopping at the hotel. Keep in mind, we had all been on the bus since 7 that morning and it was an eight hour bus ride. Suffice to say we were already a bit frazzled when we got there. Auschwitz! Almost immediately, the impact of the place had rendered me mute and unable to process anything. I was so detached from my emotions, I couldn't even really cry as they showed us the prisoners shoes, the gas chamber, their luggage, their death certificates, where they lived and worked. And that was all only a sixth of what the Germans originally had, they had destroyed everything else. I can't really say the impact of the place, or describe how intense the atmosphere was. It was also raining that day to add to the dismal attitude. I wish I could tell you all what it was like, but I can't. The truth is, it was so hard to take in, I barely remember it. I was like a zombie walking around the place.

Krakow, on the other hand, was very nice. A lot of history, really good food, and really good people. The church was so beautiful, and glamorously adorned. Pedro and Andi, the head of the USF in Budapest program in Budapest, took me and Ellora to a really nice Indian restaurant in the Jewish district, followed by
drinks in this candlelight restaurant with Spanish lounge music and antiques hanging on the wall. I was dazzled by the magic of the place. Krakow had a beautiful castle that we all explored, but I empathized with Pedro when he said, "If I have to visit another church or castle again, I might kill myself." I'll admit that they all do seem to run together after a while.

I can't really load pictures right now. If you really want to know how these places look, go there yourself. I highly recommend it.

Ireland

For spring break this year, Ellora and I decided to travel to Ireland. Going there, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I know it wasn't the magic I experienced.

Getting there was very very rough. I lost my passport on the plane and had to wait for an hour in a cold steel room with tears streaming down my face before they found it and we could finally go see Dublin. We stayed at Portland BnB, a delightful place, albeit loud (it was close to the road). The next morning, we woke up to the smell of a real Irish breakfast, a fried egg, toast, cereal, sausage, bacon, black pudding, and a fried tomato. Yummy!!!

We went into town, completely unsure of what we were going to do that day. The first thing we did was go into Eason which is the Barnes and Noble of Ireland. I bought a book. Then we decided to do one of those double decker bus tours that lets you hop on and off at different locations. We went to Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Zoo, Trinity College, and Oscar Wilde's statue. All were wonderful. The best part of the bus tour, however, were the very funny drivers who would tell you about little locations. It was also wonderful because all of Wales was in Ireland for the rugby tournament the next day so everywhere we turned people would be dressed in hilarious outfits supporting either Ireland or Wales. I got flashed by a guy in a huge green, white , and red (Welsh Colors) afro wig who was also wearing a tight red spandex suit. It was hilarious. That night we went to a wonderful Italian restaurant and enjoyed dinner, wine, and tiramisu.

The next day we woke up very early to get to Cork by train. The train ride was lovely. Ireland is so green and magical. And occasionally old Celtic ruins dot the landscape. We arrived in Cork before lunchtime dropping off our stuff at the Shannon Bells bnb. We then found our way to the Blarney Castle. It was so old and...old. It really was a castle. But I got to kiss the Blarney stone making me now eloquent, and I saw the first of seven rainbows on top of the castle. Ellora and I met some funny Canadians there and we spent the rest of the day hanging out with them going to lunch, Indian food for dinner, and the Thirsty Scholar for a drink. They were so much fun to hang out with, at least understanding each other.

The next day Ellora and I just wandered around. I got more books at Eason and we went to two movies, In Bruges with Colin Farrel, and The Accidental Husband with Uma Thurman and Colin Firth. The first was very good, the second was cheesy but enjoyable, I'm just happy that we sneaked into it instead of paying. That night we went to a great Irish restaurant, but I was feeling very sick, so we went back early and read.

Zoom, we were on a bus to Galway. Galway was my favorite of the three cities. It was right next to the ocean and had these little cobblestone streets, old stone bridges, colorful buildings, and a friendly atmosphere that you just can't get many places. Even though I was still sick, I was stupendously happy. Ellora and I got food and then went for a long walk through Galway, Salthill, along the ocean where we saw two more rainbows, and back to our BnB called the Seashore Lodge which was run by a very talkative dotty woman in her fifties or sixties.

The Cliffs of Moher! The Cliffs of Moher!!!! The most beautiful place I have ever been in my life!!! The Cliffs of MOHER!!!!!!! Not only was it spectacularly beautiful, but it was splendidly windy. It was so windy, I fell into the wind overlooking the cliffs, and felt like I was flying. Well, I was. I wasn't using any strength to hold my self up, just to keep the wind from knocking me down. We went to a couple of other cool places to, like the mini cliffs of Moher, a 5000 year old tombstone, and a large underground cave where we got to know what total darkness looked like. But the best part of the day was THE CLIFFS OF MOHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were back in Dublin eating dinner at a nice bar and getting ready to fly back to Budapest. It was sad leaving Ireland, but I was excited to get home to see Kim and Stephen who were already waiting at our apartment for us. We got back late and exhausted, but happy. A few days later Shannon came and now our apartment is bustling with the sounds of creaky floors as everyone tries to not make too much noise getting around. Well, back to class.

Cemetery Thoughts

This is just something I wrote while in a cemetery.

I think dying is when you miss a step. Your heart stops and you forget everything, just for that split second and your foot is searching for a place to belong. Except that death removes all thoughts, all sense of anything.

Your soul is the one looking for a place to belong. Then you find yourself surrounded by ivy and hungry crows looking to crawl all over you. Still, your heart hasn't caught up you. You're still searching.

Even when the bullets come. Erasing your tombstone with their selfish grace. You hear them, but it makes no impact on your thoughtless thoughts. You look out at the sunset, its beauty unbecoming on your grave.

What is beauty, or bullets, or ivy? It's all just nothing; nothing until your breath catches up with you and you find your step. Nothing until your foots hits the concrete stairway leading to your grave.

London

London was so incredibly fantastic. It was raining when we landed, the only time it did rain. Other than that it was very sunny with blue skies every day, if not freakishly cold (I'm talking 20 degrees average). I think that one day, I may want to live there for at least a little while.

Ellora and I stayed in the Ashlee House youth hostel, which ended up being not that good. Crowded, uncomfortable, and with French boys having sex in the next bed! But we didn't actually spend that much time there, no, we spent most of our time in the city sight-seeing and getting to know the place better.

The first day we went to the British Museum, which is HUGE!!! We took a 90 minute hight-light tour. It was quite educational, but tough to grasp everything. Next we went to St. Paul's Cathedral where we were awed and inspired by the architecture and color. Not to mention the 600 or so steps we took to get to the top so we could view the city from the high high tower. It was gorgeous.

We walked from St. Paul's to the London Bridge and by the Globe Theatre, not that exciting really, but still amazing and enjoyable. We went back to the hostel shortly after and decided to go to the Lucas Arm's Pub, which was so much fun. We didn't really drink but the experience of being in a real English Pub was delightful.

After we got back, some French boys asked us to join them at O'Neill's, a pub and club near Trafalgar Square in Leicester Square. We went but we never actually saw the boys there. No matter, we had a blast anyway. It was good music, good people, and great dancing, (the wild and crazy living room kind). It was fun, despite the fact that I re-sprained my ankle.

On Saturday, we went to Big Ben, Parliament, and inside Westminster Abbey. Wowza, talk about some history. We got to see all the great monarchs and poets and the like. Beautiful. Afterwards we went to Buckingham Palace, which was pretty, but no too exciting. It was nice walking through the park though. And finding where to go to Lord of the Rings, the musical.

What's that you say, Lord of the Rings became a musical? Yes, yes it did. And it was HILARIOUS and SUPERB. The story was abysmal, and the actors seriously needed training (especially the Aragorn and Gandalf). But Gollum was incredible, the actor was fantastic, reminiscent of Joel Grey and the like. The songs were actually surprisingly good, as were the dancing and battle scenes. The orcs were phenomenal dancers. And Arwen had a voice that angels would be jealous of. They did elliminate most of the major characters. The only characters they had were the four hobbits and Rosie, the rest of the fellowship, Arwen, Galadriel, Shelob, Soroman, Gollum, Treebeard, and Boromir's father. And that was it. They totally got rid of Rohan, and so much else. Ironically they kept some of the stuff that wasn't even in the movies, like Soroman in the Shire, kinda. Very very bad, but so wonderful. I'm definitely happy I saw it.

Our last day was spent in the British Museum, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, and Abbey Road. The British Museum had this great Terracotta Army exhibit that Ellora and I had to wake up for three hours ahead of time just to wait in line for tickets. But it was worth it. Another once in a lifetime opportunity for me. As a hopeful archaeologist, seeing all the ancient artifacts and warriors made can only be described as heart racing and jaw dropping. I nearly cried from happiness at one point.

The Tower Museum was fantastic. I got to see the Crown Jewels and they were so sparkly and shiny. Made me wish I was queen. Phew, big diamonds, big. The weapons and the fortress were incredible. It was like walking through 17th century England on the banks of the Thames. The Tower Bridge as well was like that.

Abbey Road, was a road. Not too much, but it was exciting to see where the Beatles walked, followed by Peter Jackson barefoot, (I think he wishes he was a hobbit beatle). We went to the most fantastic pub afterwards called the Marlborough Head with the best food, (treacle tart, yummy), and the bathroom was through a bookcase. So amazing.

The best moments for Ellora and I were seeing LotR the Musical, and walking through that bookcase in the pub. The only regrets I had were not seeing Kensington Gardens for the fairies, and discovering all the hidden less touristy places. But I know I'll be back, ready for more. And as an extra good sign, it was snowing when we landed in Budapest, the only time it has.

If you want to know more, email me specifically. co_dolphin@yahoo.com.

Prague

I'm not quite sure where to start with Prague, I mean, I was only there for a couple days, but I saw and did so much. Prague is beautiful. The only real problem that I found with it was the overcrowding of tourists. It was like Disneyland like that. People everywhere, all speaking different languages, the natives obviously annoyed. Other than that, however, Prague was perfect.

We got there mid-afternoon on Friday, and our first impression was actually of disgust. The city apart from the central touristy zones is incredibly filthy. Graffiti and dirt cover every building. As soon as we got to New Town Square and Old Town Square, however, everything sparkled with a kind of magic. Prague is very hilly and windy. Colorful European buildings line every street. Any where you go, there's a beautiful historical monument.

After we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, Laci and Zsofi took us to the new town square, which was beautiful and mall-like. Then they took us to old town square, which is much more historical. In the square is a clock tower, and every hour it rings, tourists crowd around wanting to see the way it changes. I saw it change about six times. I went up the tower the next day, and I could see all of Prague from up there. It's such a beautiful city. The rooftops are all red and Gothic cathedrals sporadically encompass the landscape.

My favorite thing we did the entire trip was walk across the Charles Bridge at sunset. It was so romantic crossing the bridge. It's a purely pedestrian bridge over the wide river, and couples lined the wall kissing under the yellow lamps. Fourteenth century statues stood on the side brimming with prestige and age. On a tall hill stood the castle and St. Vitus's Cathedral which is so beautiful. I walked up there twice, once at night, and once during the day. At night the lights of the city filled me with such hope and beauty. During the day, the history and age of the city was awe-inspiring.

Unfortunately, my camera broke so I didn't get any pictures of Prague, but Ellora got a lot, so as soon as she posts them, then I will too. I'm getting my camera fixed this weekend in London.

That's only a brief summary of my trip to Prague, but honestly it was just such a wonderful, fantastical journey putting it into words is practically impossible. If you want a fuller account, go yourself. Just don't go for more than a couple days, the tourists are really annoying. : )