A Hungarian wedding!

Today, I went to a Hungarian wedding! It was held in St. Stephen's Basilica, Budapest's largest. I knew both members of the couple - the bride is the senior administrator in our office, and she helped organize my entire move to Budapest. The groom rented me my temporary flat and has been taking me to play pick-up hockey with his team. They've both been absolutely wonderful to me and it was so cool I got to celebrate their big day.

The service was Catholic and all in Hungarian - I positioned myself next to some co-workers so I could follow along. (Due to the language barrier, much of my life is contingent upon positioning: for instance, not being first in the line for hockey drills so I can watch what to do first. It's something akin to using your other senses to compensate for the lack of a lost one.)

The interior of the cathedral was gorgeous, and there were tourists watching quietly from the sides. It was hard to believe I was a part of it all, having just gotten here three weeks ago.

The reception was at a well-known pub in Budapest that the groom co-owns. I spent most of the time with co-workers, which was nice in advance of starting work tomorrow. (No Labor Day in Hungary!) The groom told me that I could stop by the bar tomorrow evening to pick up the bike he'd found for me. Unless Jason picks a good name for my bike (see post 8/13), I'm going with Leslie's "Bessie Two" option.

So, play time's over! I stop not working tomorrow, but also stop not getting paid. :) This has been in the works since February, and I'm looking forward to it.

Other things:

• Couldn't find anyplace in town that carries ESPN2 for the NU game. So, I refreshed my blackberry every 30 seconds!
• My wrists have not fallen off after playing 8 hours of hockey in 3 days. The women's team had an exhibition game Friday, and I started... at wing! (I've played defense for the past 7 years, but have been having a blast at offense here.)
• Got my residence permit. The process wasn't 100% smooth, but it was much, much easier than it's been for my hockey teammates to get American visas.
• I never want to go to IKEA again. I was able to express that thought in a conversation with my cab driver tonight on the way back. Best Hungarian conversation to date!