Update week 7 con't

Alright. I'm back. So picking up with Wednesday...

It was, of course, a full day with class all morning and then again in the afternoon, so by the evening, I was bursting to get out into the city to do ANYTHING non-academic. Lucky for me, there was a Chinese Festival in town! One of my roommate's lovely friends (that's you, Avery :) had free tickets to see a show at one of the more upscale theaters in Budapest. I'm telling you, this was one of the most spectacular shows I've ever seen. I think my jaw dropped to the floor at least 30 times throughout the night. Not only were there acrobatics but several performances involved dances and elaborate costumes, as well as ancient Chinese instruments and songs. None of us could stop talking about the show for the rest of the night, it was just that good.

Thursday was cold and rainy again, but Megan and I decided to do our 6 mile run anyways. It turned out to be great running weather, and it was definitely good to clear the head before studying for the exam.

After finishing the exam on Friday, 8 of us left in the afternoon for our adventure in the great outdoors. Yep, it was all backpacking, hunting rabbits, and fighting off bears for us. Just kidding. More like staying in what most closely resembles a hostel on a rather large campground in the Buda hills (yes, that's still considered in Budapest). Getting there was quite the adventure because a) we didn't really know where we were going, b) there was a bomb scare in the area we were headed, so the bus we needed to take wasn't running as far as we needed it to go, c) it was pitch black by 6pm, d) it was also freezing cold and rainy, e) we seemed to be in an area inhabited by speakers of extremely limited english, and the list continues. Luckily, we met a woman on one of the buses who recognized that we were not hungarian and probably didn't know what was going on with bomb threat, so she offered to show us the way (as we were traveling in the same direction as her flat). This woman was actually a blessing from heaven with a capital B. She even recommended some good things for us to see and do while we were in this area, and we ended up going to one of the cafés she pointed out the next day (and the cake was just as good as she said it would be!). Friday night was filled with super intense bonding time that included nutella, rub-on tattoos, and massage trains. Is there any better way to spend the night in a sketchy hostel that looks like a scene from a horror movie? No way.

Saturday morning we all pretty much slept in and then boarded the "Children's Train" (it's operated by children to carry on a tradition started during the soviet occupation of Hungary) to the base of Janos-hegy, the highest point in Budapest. After enjoying the hilly walk up to the summit, we all breathed in the glorious fresh air while taking in the view of the city we've grown to love so very much. Though it was super foggy, we found the dome of the parliament building. It's hard to explain, but there's something so cool about being able to identify your geographical location in a foreign country. I don't know.

After getting semi-lost walking back to the town, some of us headed back home while others went to the café for a couple of hours (woops) that I told you about earlier.

And then, it was a night of intense hydration in preparation for our race the next day! Sunday morning came, along with the sunshine and no-wind conditions. Perfect running weather. The race itself was an incredible experience. As I was running, I kept telling myself to memorize the image of running along Andrassy Ut towards Hero's Square with cheering hungarians lining the streets. Quite unforgettable. We all finished within our goal times..I wanted to finish the 6-mile loop in less than 50 minutes, and I made it! Everyone got a medal, a t-shirt, an apple, and a goody bag. Free stuff is the best. Needless to say, my tired legs begged me to chill out for the rest of the day, and I decided to listen.

So, wow. I'm tired just writing about it. I keep thinking that some weekend is going to fall into the "average weekend" category, but I keep proving myself wrong :)

Hope you enjoy the pictures. I'll get them up soon. Love you all!

Jó észekat,

Valeri