There’s this feeling at the start of something new, a bewildered “I can’t believe this is where I am” moment.
For me, I’ve felt those emotions in Budapest, Hungary; Tel Aviv, Israel; Stavanger, Norway, and the airport in Zurich, Switzerland. Yet, after awhile, the body and mind settle down, and the excitement of newness is less overwhelming.
It’s like sitting on a sand bar in the ocean and finally being able to stay in place as the waves rush around you. Instead of the ocean, I’m sitting on an island in the middle of the Danube River in Budapest.
I get it, how poetic, but if you were a Hungarian living in Budapest, how else would you describe the surroundings in your life?
I’m propped up against a tree, on a patch of grass with a bottle of Belgian beer. I'm surrounded by a city that has finally come alive with spring. I’m at ease with a feeling that’s been creeping up on me: presence.
Yesterday, I walked from my office internship across Margaret Bridge to the mile and half long Margaret Island. While there, I had some surprisingly delicious eggplant lasagna — FYI, Budapest does serve some things without meat. There, I found a sakura, or cherry blossom, tree quietly standing between two large pines.
I camped out for a bit under the tree and thought about all the things I liked — little things like writing, reading books and the way the petals fell into pink piles on the ground.
Today, I walked back to that same spot in hopes that I would find a quiet place to write this article. But most of the petals had disappeared from the tree, and children were playing underneath it.
I walked to a grassy field in a different part of the island, where I saw people lounging shirtless, sleeping and tanning.
Since this is my last column, I’ve been thinking about the past three months — how I’ve been constantly moving, getting the chance to be and do something different every day.
It’s a freeing concept but also the scariest. I wish I could describe in greater detail my visit to Prague or my weekend stay with families in Kalotaszentkirály, Romania. I’ve had so many “I can’t believe this is where I am” moments that it would be hard to compile them all.
I’d rather just take a moment to write what I like about today, while sitting in this field. I like the woman at the store who opened my bottle of beer on the edge of a counter because we both didn’t have bottle openers. I like that I finally figured out I’m actually learning Hungarian for fun, not for anyone’s approval. And I like this island, of which I’ve only managed to explore less than a quarter so far.
In my last month here, I plan on staying in Budapest to fulfill a few more goals I’ve had in mind. To name a few, I’d like to wake up before sunrise to hike Gellért Hill and then hike it again at night to look over all of Budapest aglow with lights.
I hope to get on a random city bus and see where it takes me, maybe just to get lost for a few hours. I still have to find the best coffee shop, although the Goat Herder Espresso Bar has my heart.
After learning so much about communism, I think its time I trek out to Memento Park to see statues of Lenin, Marx and their followers. I also believe my friends and I have a few more dances waiting for us at abandoned buildings turned into ruin pubs as well. I have a lot more exploring to do, and I know that before I leave I’m going to make sure to say “I can’t believe I’m here” a few more times.
