Spring is tentatively appearing in Budapest. Though the weather report still threatens snow, the sun is trying to find its way out of the clouds. Last week it was midterms, so nothing seriously interesting to report there aside from the usual study madness that surrounds test taking. A more interesting development in my life is that about a week from now it will be Easter. Being in a Catholic country, this means that I will have a four day weekend which will be excellent, especially since my mother will be visiting me.
There is always a certain amount of stress when a parent visits. Of course, it will be awesome. No doubt about that. I will be able to share a place that I have come to love and call home with a member of my family. The problem is that there is too much to show in too few days. Favorite restaurants and sights of Budapest will be a whirlwind for her in her few days here, whereas I have had the last months to wander about and take it all in at a leisurely pace.
Simply put, after living here for about 2 months, it will be hard to show the inner world of Budapest in just a few days. Looking at a city for a few days is a blur. A happy and wonderful blur that can only be induced by the greatness of travel, of course, but still a blur. Spending a couple of days or a weekend somewhere results in a memory of jumbled events, places, foods, and people, whereas studying abroad allows are personal to genuinely integrate, learn, and try to evolve into a different person. Seeing how other people live over the course of a few days is a completely different situation when compared to actually living with “the natives,” so to speak, and living how they live.
In my opinion all travel is amazing, whether for a few days or a couple of months. I would jump at the opportunity to escape to the Bahamas for a weekend or simply to take a road trip with friends for a few days around the US. Short trips are excellent breaks from the everyday cycle of life. Studying, working, and living abroad has its own advantages, but rest assured, it is not a break or a vacation, it is life.
Here, I have classes and midterms. Here, I have an internship. Here, I cannot simply sit back and watch the world happen, I am part of that world. I have habits, like I did at home. Time passes. I go to the restaurants with a group of consistent friends. My life is not like living in the ever changing world of a hostel. I live in a dorm where I do laundry, cook, and go shopping.
On the weekends, I escape to Debrecen or Kosice or Belgrade (or Sarajevo and Dubrovnik and others this weekend). Then, I am the tourist. I see the sights, snap photos, sample the local delicacies and make quick friendships with fellow travelers. I return to Budapest as a home base: the place that these little excursions emanate from.
In the end, my mom visiting me (as she always does when I go abroad, which is wonderful) will allow me to see Budapest in a new light, even though I have been living here for months. This week I will be a tourist, not a student.
1 Comment to "At Home in Hungary"
Following my adult children to their overseas study venues has been a parental highlight for me, an extension of their learning and language explorations. I am very lucky to he able to participate, albeit briefly, in Ecuador, Russia, and Hungary, thanks to Margaret’s willingness to acquire languages and knowledge of other countries.