The End of 2008: A Hungarian Synopsis

As has been pointed out to me on recent occasions, I have potentially been shirking my blogging responsibilities as of late. For that, I apologize - I vow to right these wrongs in the new year. But before that, let's revisit the last Hungarian weeks of 2008. This may be long, but I'd prefer to call it "comprehensive."

First stop: Paris
In early December, I headed to France for a long weekend to meet up with a friend from Chicago and do a business school interview. It was a blast. The last time I was in Paris was with my 8th-grade French I class, so there was a slightly different atmosphere this time around. We had a chance to eat good food, drink good wine (I nearly broke a chandelier opening a champagne bottle) and see good sites. A few noteworthy items:

• I headed for the "Flower Market," which I understood turned into a "Bird Market" on Sundays. Now, birds were certainly not the only item sold at this market. By the rodent area, I saw two men with furry creatures on leashes. Upon inquiring (in French! Mme Smith, my French I teacher, would be proud), I learned that they were their pet minks. I really don't think I've ever seen one alive (e.g. not on a coat).
• I wandered into Notre Dame, accidentally and conveniently timed with a free concert on its pipe organ. And of course, the concert included pieces by Franz Liszt, the Hungarian-born composer whose musical academy is two blocks from my apartment.
• Now, let me preface this. I have done a lot of touristy things recently. The past 5 months have been a touristy blur. And after two full and fun days in Paris with my friend, I was art'd and museum'd out. So, what better way to kill time after my interview on Monday than by heading to Paris's "Museum of the Sewers"? The museum was literally underground, in an old (and still connected) part of the sewer system under the center city, complete with running water. I actually learned a lot - in his memoir, Napoleon claimed that extending Paris's sewer system was his greatest accomplishment. Les Miserables has an extended sewer scene because Victor Hugo was buddies with the guy who did all the survey work for Napoleon. And if you want to know how they keep sewers clean, just let me know. I can tell you.

Second stop: Office Christmas Party
Back in November, I had agreed to play my sax with a band of a few other co-workers at the beginning of our company holiday party. At first, I was surprised that we were allowed to play Christmas carols in such a public setting. When I asked a co-worker if that might offend someone attending, he looked at me, puzzled, and exclaimed, "We don't just play them, everyone sings along!" Even the fact that it was called the company "Christmas Party" surprised me. I sometimes forget how engrained political correctness is in daily life back home. I also enjoyed a comment later in dinner - I was seated next to a German couple, and they found it hilarious that a group of Hungarians was singing "Stille Nacht" and "O Tanenbaum" in English, rather than in the original language, German. Later in the evening, everyone stood up in front of the group to read a poem about their Secret Santa - when that person realized that they were the ones being talked about, they came forward and got their gift. It was a cute tradition made possible by our smaller office size. (I moved from a 300-person office in Chicago to a 50-person one in Hungary.) It was a really fun night.

Third stop: Competitive Beer Run in the Woods
When I heard about this event, I had to do it. And so, on a cold December Saturday, I found myself in the middle of the Hungarian woods on a team with 4 Hungarian guys and 1 American guy, battling a field of 200+ others. (One of the Hungarian guys was a co-worker, which was my connection.) Teams were composed of 4-6 members; teams scored points based on the distances they traveled and how many beers they drank when they arrived at each station. Some of the pit stops were pubs: the go-to food was bread with smeared grease/fat, onions and salt. We survived, had a lot of fun and managed to only be lost in the woods at night for about an hour. This also wasn't something I would have been able to do if I only stuck around expat circles - the advertisements were all in Hungarian, and my American teammate and I were definitely some of the only non-Hungarians there.

Fourth stop: Hungarian Language Challenge
After stop #3, my co-worker and I intended to go check out an Edward Norton movie, which was showing in English at one of the local theaters. Well, when we sat down, it turned out we were in "Mongol," which had Mongolian speech and Hungarian subtitles. I powered through and actually got most of the movie. I will admit that it is a lot easier to match speech to visible actions in a war flick. ("You killed my daughter, you must die." "No, you must die." stab stab)

Conclusion: So, 2008 ended well in Hungary. And I didn't even throw in the part where I got authentic "bangers and mash." I headed back to the States on 12/19, where I proceeded to see as many people as possible, lose my voice for 4 days following the Alamo Bowl, buy many necessary American items and have a tremendous time. It was great to see you all!