Things I Surprisingly Don't Miss

It's finally Friday and that means we've been here two weeks exactly. It has been a big adjustment but I'm starting to feel comfortable. First we had a week of orientation with the Fulbright Commission.  I'm so grateful that they put this together. We had the opportunity to learn about Hungarian language, history, economy, education, politics, and art. This was topped off with some tours and lots of food! It was a wonderful week. 

This past week was filled with me preparing for my research and practicing my horn. One of my affiliations is at the Országos Széchenyi Könyvtár, the National Library. The library is inside the Buda Castle. Here is a picture of it at night:

Wow, I get to go here!! I can still hardly believe it. 

Throughout these two weeks, I've noticed the absence of two staples from my life in the US. Yet, I don't miss them much. First, I don't have my trusty sidekick, more affectionately known as Yari. Yari is my Toyota Yaris that I've driven everywhere, every day for the past 8 years. Here in Budapest, I don't need a car and I wouldn't want one either. There is great public transportation (subway, bus, and tram), and everything is walkable. Parking is extremely limited. Here by our apartment all of the roads are one way so the parking is parallel with one side being halfway on the curb. I can't imagine parallel parking and getting one set of tires on the sidewalk. Yikes! The second thing is my phone. I admit that I have never been one glued to my own phone but I use it much less here in Hungary. I have my phone with me here and the battery will last several days at a time since I barely use it. It's refreshing, in a way, to see people without phones. At home, it seems like everyone has a phone and they are using it constantly. That's not to say people don't have phones here, they do. They're just not out at all times. 

I'm sure that I will notice more differences as I spend time here. I look forward to it! It's exciting to experience a new way of life!