Where Am I?

Where Am I? What a strange question to ask, I always know where I am. However coming from my readers the question would read: Where Are You? A strange question within it's self. Did you know this is a new question? I read an article recently that spoke about the question: where are you? The article points out how before the invention of cell phones (or mobile phones as the British would say) You would never say "where are you?" in conversation because you would always know where they are. Land-lines had a definite location, if you were calling someone at home you knew they were at home, if you called someone at work you knew they were at work. However now with mobile phones and the internet it is very possible to talk to someone have no idea where they are. However, again I'm off topic.

If you've scrolled past my blog in the past few months you probably thought, or perhaps spoke allowed "where are you?" or "where is she?" and you were right to wonder. Perhaps your terribly pessimistic and thought I died. Wrong, still alive and kicking. Perhaps you have an interest in life beyond Earth and thought I was abducted by aliens. Wrong, to my knowledge I've never met an alien. Perhaps you know some of my hidden dreams, like trying to life off the grid and think I finally did it. Wrong, a bit of a coward here, not sure I'd want to go off on that adventure alone. Perhaps you thought that I hated Hungary and was simply enduring my time here. Wrong, I love it here! I love it some much I broke my cardinal rule about never going back somewhere. Whoa! Yeah, I know, I broke the rule. So by now you might be thinking I'm in Budapest. RIGHT!!! Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

I'm here sitting on my futon, in my apartment in Budapest, Hungary. Unfortunately you know very little about my life and experiences here. I don't know why I stopped writing, I just did. I can't tell you how many times I opened up my blog and looked at it. I tried to write something but it didn't sound like it was coming from me. I didn't like that, I want what I write to sound like me. So I didn't write.

Ahhh, but now I am writing. What's changed you ask? I don't know. Or maybe I kind of know but don't know how to write about it without sounding crazy. Or maybe I just don't want it on the internet cause not everyone likes honesty, especially when it comes to how people feel. Regardless of the reason, I'm writing now, and I hope you like it.

So back to where I am. I am in Budapest, Hungary. The other day I went on a really long walk and I documented it for you, my readers, who deserve to know what the city who stole my heart looks like.

So I decided I wanted to go for a stroll and take pictures of my life. It occurred to me that despite talking with my family and friends regularly there were so many little aspects of my daily life they knew nothing about. So this is my way of showing people what my life really looks like. When I started off the day I was quite disappointed to see that I had just missed the bus. Look at that empty bus stop, an empty bus stop is never good. If it's empty, you've just missed the bus, I didn't want to stand around for the 15 minutes it takes for the next bus to show up. So I decided to walk to the commuter train. It takes 10 minutes to get there and the stop is home to 2 commuter trains, and 2 buses that end at the same place as the commuter train. Since I hate waiting around its a good option for me.

  

 My decision paid off and the commuter train showed up just as I got there. If this happens it actually ends up being about 6 minutes faster than having waited for the bus.

The commuter train ends where metro line 2 begins and as I found myself walking towards the metro I had to decide where to go. I knew part of my plan for the day was to acquire cilantro and there are only three places I know in Budapest that regularly carry it.

 I decided that after two long weeks at camp (I might tell you about this later), I deserved something American. So I decided to go to the foreign foods shop that sells lots of American goodies. The shop has multiple locations and I decided to go to the one near parliament. This stop like many in Budapest is so far underground that the escalators (the only way out) are nearly terrifying. Look how it just keeps going!

However I'm rewarded for my perseverance with an immediate view of parliament. This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world in my opinion, and I love walking past it.

Parliament even has cooling mist that comes out of its square. It's quite funny to see everyone literally run towards it when it begins. It often looks like a scene from a zombie movie as they run with their arms in front of them.

After enjoying the mist and the people watching I wandered towards the store. I came out with a fresh package of cilantro (score!) and a small cube of American cheddar cheese. Although I could have easily blown my whole paycheck there, I resisted. One of the things I do miss from China is my cilantro woman. She had a cart and sold cilantro for one kuai. I miss her.

As I didn't feel ready to go home yet I decided to take a wander over to Szabadság Tér (Freedom Square). It was one of the first places I went to that in Budapest back when I arrived this past winter. It was also one of the few things I blogged about. I like going to Szabadság Tér because it reminds me of that first walk there. It was cold and windy, I couldn't even say "do you speak English?" (beszelek angolul?), and I had no idea what this festival would actually be like. Now when I confidently navigate the streets there without carrying a map it reminds me of how far I've come.

The square is also now home to a rather controversial monument about the Hungarian victims of the Holocaust. I don't fully understand the issue with the monument, but from an aesthetics perspective, I just don't like it. And to end on a good note, check out these really happy oranges!