Budapest!

Sorry; I haven't been able to get to a computer until now.

This will be a long post, so bear with me! I have lots to talk about....

the flight: so I've always considered myself a good traveler. You know what they say about pride! Long story short, with about an hour before my flight from Warsaw to Budapest,I realized I was in the wrong place. To get to the right terminal, I had to take a train, which of course took15 minutes. Then I saw it -- a line of 50 people at a security check.

I almost lost it. I begged people to let me go ahead of them. Lo and behold, they parted like the Red Sea! I went straight to the front of the line, threw my stuff on the conveyer belt,grabbed it on the other side, and took off! I didn't even put my shoes on all the way.

I had to run from Gate 27 to Gate 3. It took forever! But about halfway there, I heard a heavily-accented voice say,"Ms. Hardy?" I kind of paused, wondering who in the world knew me there. It was a Polish Airlines rep. He said,"They wait for you! They wait! Go! GO!" Yep, they held the plane for me. I couldn't believe it. It was like being in a movie. Another worker met me partway and ran beside me checking my stuff. He literally threw my passport back in my hands as I got to the tunnel and said,"You have nice flight!"

Moral of the story: always check and doublecheck your flight info. And fly Polish Airlines!

Anyway, my apt. is great. I was thrilled to find that I have a microwave, iron, and vacuum cleaner that someone was kind enough to leave behind for me. Unfortunately, I don't have a phone. or a bed. The landlord is coming to bring me one. Until then, my couch folds out and it sleeps ok,so if you're planning to come visit, you can get some sleep. The best thing,by far, is the view. I have an outstanding view from the balcony -- I'm on the 4th floor! I'll post pictures when I get internet access.

The people here are phenomenal! The others at the school have been great. They picked me up at the airport, cooked for me, took me to church, and carried the whole load of us to Ikea and the grocery store. That alone took several hours. But it was fun. And the Hungarians have been surprisingly friendly -- I think. I really don't know what they're saying! But several in my apt. building have spoken to me. I just smile back!

I did speak a little Hungarian to the guy at the grocery store. all I said was I don't understand and thank you, but he was nice to me and didn't openly mock my pronunciation, so I feel like I've tested the waters a bit.

well, my turn at the computer is almost over.... hopefully I'll have internet access soon!