My mind is swimming with so many thoughts and experiences already, and it’s a bit hard to concentrate because I’m so exhausted. However, I wanted to get this post out tonight so the memories are still fresh in my mind. Then it’s shower time (I feel so gross) and bed time. I cannot wait for that!
So my journey began at 12:45pm on Monday, September 17 (Adelaide time) when Chris dropped me off at the airport. He saw me off through security and then I proceeded through customs/immigration. Then I boarded my plane to Kuala Lumpur, the first of three flights for the trip. On this flight the attendants came around with cups of beer asking if we’d like any. It was a standard beverage on offer. That was a bit weird! I did not partake of any alcohol, as I figured I’d be tired enough without it by the end anyway.
My next flight was from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam, which was a much longer flight than I expected. It was 12 hours long. Of course I was sandwiched between people in the very middle of the plane. I HATE middle seats. I love window seats. Unfortunately none of my seats on this journey were window seats. It made me realize just how important that is for me when I travel. A big part of why I enjoy flying is because I enjoy looking out the window and watching the landscape change, and then watching as we descend into a new place. Without that the journey seemed quite boring and tedious. Because I didn’t have that to spice up the trip, everything seemed a bit harder. I had to go through TONS of lines throughout the trip, and let me just say that these lines were nowhere near as fast as lines in the US or Australia. I spent most of the time during my layovers standing and waiting. Not fun.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into
the bathroom stall at the Kuala Lumpur
airport. I’ve never seen a pit toilet in a place like an airport!
While waiting in the Amsterdam airport for my flight to Budapest, I swear I heard my name called over
the loudspeaker. The announcer called my name and told me to report to a
certain gate because the flight was waiting for me. The weird thing was that
the flight was to Frankfurt, which I was
definitely not going to. I spoke with an airport staff member and she told me
to ignore it. I’m pretty sure there were two Kristen Lears in the airport that
day!
After an hour and a half
flight from Amsterdam to Budapest, I collected my bag and made my way
out of the airport. I debated whether to get an airport minibus shuttle
directly to the main train station in the city (where I would get a train to Miskolc) but I decided
not to. Despite being exhausted, I wanted the challenge of finding my way there
myself on public transportation. I probably would not have done this before
Sarah’s visit, but after finding our way through Melbourne on public transportation I’ve
gotten a better (although not perfect) grasp of how it all works. So off I
went, first on a bus from the airport, then on two Metro lines, and finally an
intercity train to Miskolc.
I ran into an Irish couple traveling through and the lady remarked that she was
impressed that I was doing that alone and that she admired me. Wow! I was
really proud of myself for taking that step out of my comfort zone. Of course
it took longer to get to the train station than it would have if I had taken
the airport shuttle, but I’m glad I took the hard route. I rewarded myself with
ice cream while waiting for the train. It was a perfect day for ice cream:
sunny, warm, and slightly breezy. While waiting for the train I people-watched,
which made me realize I really am a foreigner here. I speak no Hungarian
whatsoever, and many of the older people here don’t speak much, if any,
English. It was a bit of an isolating feeling, especially since I am traveling
alone and have nobody to talk things through with. I’ve done a lot of watching
other people to see what they do in certain situations. Even though I can’t
read some of the signs I can still pick things up from others. I’m taking this
as another learning experience. It made me realize how “easy” I have it doing a
Fulbright in Australia.
I can’t imagine having done a Fulbright in a country where I don’t really know
the language.
My brief look at Budapest. The buildings are old and beautiful.
Inside the Budapest-Keleti train
station.
As the train pulled out of
the city (by the way, they drive on the right side of the road in Hungary)
I watched the scenery change from graffiti-covered walls in the city to fields
and fields of farming. I even saw some bats flying around along the tracks! Most
of the little villages we passed were quite dilapidated. Miskolc is relatively large, with about
170,000 people, and from what I saw of it while passing through today it has
both old and new aspects. I’m looking forward to exploring it tomorrow after a
good night’s sleep. When I got off the train a nice young lady helped me get on
the tram and to my bus stop. Her name was Ursula, and she is a PhD student
studying linguistics. She offered to help me without me even asking, which was
really nice. She rode on the tram with me so I’d find my way. What a great
gesture!
I arrived at the university
around 7:00pm and checked into my room at the “Uni-Hotel”. They gave me my key
and I went and started to settle in. About 20 minutes later a security guard
came to my room and said something in Hungarian, which I didn’t understand. She
called the front desk and I spoke with them on the phone, since they speak
English. Apparently I was not supposed to be in that room, and instead in
another building entirely. I had to pack up quickly because the real guest was
there and waiting. I was so frustrated. I was exhausted, thirsty, hot, and now
I was being kicked out of my nice room. I had to haul my crap up the hill to
another building, where the attendant spoke no English and said I didn’t have a
reservation. Luckily a student overheard and came to my rescue. She translated
for me and eventually we got things sorted out (I did have a reservation but
the guy hadn’t seen it). She helped me get a towel since I didn’t bring one (I
had specifically asked the conference organizers if towels were provided and
they had said yes). After much stress and craziness I’m finally settled in. I’m
not sure how easy it will be to go to sleep, because although I’m super tired
there’s also the blaring music from other rooms, including the one right next
to mine. Thank God I have good earplugs.
Okay, it’s now 9:45pm. I’m
off to shower and go to bed. Nothing sounds more appealing than that right now.
I’ll try to update on my adventures while here, but no promises. Don’t worry,
if I can’t do it here I’ll write all about it when I’m home! Wish me lots of
fun!
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