The First Few Days

Being it Sunday and having been here for nearly five days, I have experienced more drastic change in this first week than nearly any other time in my life. The most minuscule things such as grocery shopping, going out to restaurants, or sight seeing are all impacted by the language barrier and cultural divide. Having grocery shopped three times already to attempt to stock our mini fridge and kitchen that is nearly of equal size, we have attempted to use what little Hungarian we know in addition to making no mistakes so that as little language is used as possible. As sad as it is, a true sense of globalization has hit me. The necessity to adapt and learn this culture in order to integrate myself has become the forefront of my desire while in my stay. Although English is used by most under the age of 40, and is spoken nearly fluently by a large amount my age, the divide is inevitable. In Hungary, English is implemented as early as primary school in the attempt to make Hungarians more global and adaptable to our ever changing world, as no other country uses this language. However, the older demographics we see the less and less English we hear, as the influence of communism is more apparent. The elders only know Hungarian and Russian due to Stalinism and Hungary being a communist territory very close to mother Russia. And, although we know basically no Hungarian, their (under 40) acceptance to our attempts and respect to them is taken warmly, as they love to use their English as much as we love to attempt to use our first words of Hungarian. But we do not want to plan on people using English, and we hope to quickly be able to converse just enough with the locals to get by. It is as though we are again infants attempting to assimilate. . . strange.

Since my last entry I have noticed a striking element about the streets of Budapest: when people walk they walk with a look of frustration. This is not to say that their hate everything, as they are incredibly nice people. It is yet another reflection of the era of communism, as (especially the elders) spent to many years with nearly nothing to smile about, it has practically become a part of the culture. However, inside closed doors, they are always in high spirits. Next, the main difference I have noticed between Americans and Europeans already is the volume that we traditionally accompany ourselves with. Walking down the street at 4:30 in the afternoon and seeing hundreds of people, I am always amazed as to how quiet it is. Only footsteps upon the pavement are heard amidst the mass of people, and the occasional car going by. It is truly a sight to be seen.

The most interesting thing to me is the way that they communicate with one another. In the States, as you all know, all too often we will ask someone how they are doing simply because it has seemed to become commonplace, yet we do it usually because we feel obliged to, or because it has become custom interaction. Here, Hungarians only ask each other how they are doing when they genuinely are concerned with how someone is. It is a lesson that I have already come to realize that we can all be impersonal at times, even when we do not mean to.

Lastly, Beer is cheaper than water. This is quite convenient for Hungarians and their thirst.

Pictured left is the Hungarian National Castle, which was used from as early as 900 until World War I. The switch from a monarchy to the parliamentary republic that is used today was an influential one that reflected the newer world post WWI. As of now, this castle houses the National Art Gallery, and the National Library, which houses every book ever published in Hungary. Ever. The amount of history here is incredible. I took this shot on a sightseeing tour with my program, and it was one of nearly 200. Up top is the modern day Budapest, with one of so many trams that act as the city's lifeline. Having used the trams and buses myself, I am already in love with how connected this city is, as those in cars are mostly stuck in traffic, and the main mode of transportation is either the municipal systems or walking. Although, I am living on the Pest side, which is the much more urbanized and densely populated portion of Budapest. Attempts to compare this to San Francisco have failed miserably, and density is the only similarity I have found. One thing I have already learned is that whether in Europe or the States, we are in a global society.

Thanks for reading.