Hey all,

Well, the Wednesday post didn’t happen, so I’ll cover the whole week in this one. Before I start, though, here’s the general timeline of my study in Budapest:

August 15 – 20 Arrive and settle in Budapest
August 21 – September 6 Intensive language course
September 9 – December 20 Budapest Semesters in Mathematics courses

As you can see, this week was split between settling in and starting the language course, and it was quite hectic. So let’s dive into it!

  • Sunday. On Sunday about a dozen BSM students met up to explore the city some and get to know each other. We started at the BSM school and headed to the Danube, and from there ended up at a cafe for lunch. Somewhat of a local dish, I had chicken over noodles (think spaetzle) with paprika sauce. Seriously, I could live off of bread soaked in paprika sauce, this stuff is fantastic. After lunch the group split and my half went up to Margaret Island, which is a recreational island in the middle of the Danube between the Buda and Pest sides of Budapest. After a total of about 8 hours of walking we headed our different ways. All the BSM students are spread across both Buda and Pest, either in apartment or homestays.
  • Monday. A bit sore from the previous day’s walking, some BSM students met at the Great Market Hall for lunch and some shopping (see cover photo). Finally was able to get some langos on the first floor, specifically a sweeter one with sweet cottage cheese and powdered sugar. Cannot go wrong for only 800Ft (~$4)! The ground floor below acts as a farmers market of sorts, with stands for anything from chicken pieces to dried fruits (all by the decigram, of course!). In the basement lurks the various and invasive smells of both fish and pickled items. Market Hall is definitely a sight to see and taste and smell, I’m sure you will hear much more of it in my future!
  • Tuesday. On Tuesday was Hungary’s national independence holiday, St. Stephen’s Day. The streets were filled with music and stands with giant pretzels, pastries, and candies. A couple dozen BSM students met up again and we walked around the city, then walked up Gellert Hill to the Citadel. Finally, the day ended in a long firework display synchronized with Hungary’s famous classical music. Check out my Twitter page for some pictures of the day’s festivities!
  • Wednesday. Wednesday marked the beginning of the language course, and they are not joking when they describe it as intensive! For those unfamiliar with Hungarian, there are 44 letters, and each are pronounced a single way (no matter where they are in the word). Further, Hungarians like their suffixes, making words quite long! However, these qualities are not negatives, but characteristics resulting in a structure with its own unique faults and beauties. I am definitely looking forward to having a better grasp on the language!
  • Thursday. The first half of Thursday was a typical set of languages lessons, but in the afternoon we all headed to the BSM school for pre-orientation (read: paperwork). Oddly enough, as I was sitting there in a room of 50 math students, I realized that this was the first time in over a week when someone has addressed a roomful of people in English. Would it be strange to say that it felt foreign?
  • Friday. With BSM business out of the way for a little while, Friday began a long string of back-to-back language sessions from 9am till 4pm. It’s a humbling experience 🙂
  • Saturday. Having a better idea of what my life in the upcoming 4 months will be like, Saturday seemed like a good day to get my day-to-day life (apartment, cell phone, etc.) in order. I headed over to Arena Plaza as a central location and tried out some Hungarian Chinese food (quite good!), acquired a SIM card for my cell phone, and walked through the magnificently large Tesco hypermarket. While maybe not as exciting as a day at the Hungarians baths or a trip to Munich, I must say that it felt good to have a day to feel at home.

As usual, let me know if you’d like to hear more about anything! Pictures from several of these events will be on Twitter soon, they’re…developing.

Come back tomorrow for a reflection on what precisely we mean by a “cross cultural experience” and why the subtle experiences seem to have the biggest impact.