Oh, the sights and sounds (and smells) of the city!

Hello all!

After the first night, which was awful, my original opinion of the city has definitely changed.  Despite the fact that there is graffiti everywhere and no one smiles, the city isn't actually that bad.  You just have to get used to the fact that almost everyone smokes and there is dog poop in the street (don't step in it!).

Today was the third day of the language program.  It's been really helpful, but the class moves very fast and is very intense.  We meet from 9-4 almost everyday, but we have learned to say a lot.  The best part is that we can literally walk out the door and practice on the street or in restaurants.  Last night I got off one of the trams and a guy asked me a question in Hungarian.  I responded: Nem beszel magyarul.  Grammatically, that's incorrect because I forgot to conjugate the verb, but he understood (and walked away).  Probably the most powerful thing we've learned is actually being able to pronounce things correctly.  The vowels are especially difficult, but we're getting the hang of it!  We are also studying massive lists of vocabulary, from fruits and vegetables, buildings, salutations, and all of the different word endings.  Hungarian has no prepositions, so instead of saying "inside the restaurant", we would say "etteremben", where the "-ben" means "inside".  It's a little complicated, but once you get the hang of it, a little easier.

I've decided not to get internet in my room, mainly because I don't really spend much time in my apartment.  If you are familiar with my living habits at St. Olaf, then you already know that I mainly use my room for sleeping, breakfast, and showering.  The city is really amazing at night, although the first few times, it's been a little creepy.  Sometimes I'll be walking home and if someone starts following me, I get a little paranoid.  Fortunately, nothing bad has happened.

Picture time!

I've uploaded a few pictures right now.  The first few are of the inside of my apartment.  It's not much, but since I don't have a roommate, it's been fairly comfortable.  On Monday the 19th, we climbed up Gellert Hill, which is on the western side of the Danube.  It was actually clear and sunny that day, so we could easily see the entire Pest side of the city.  We haven't had any sun since then, so hopefully it will stop raining soon!

If you have facebook, you can see a lot more pictures there.  I will try to post as many as I can here, but that might be limited to how many I can put up per blog post.

I'm also going to start a list of weird European oddities that I've noticed, which I'll put in a section at the bottom of my posts. 

Well, it's dinner time, so hopefully I will be able to post again in a few days or so.  Sziasztok (see ya!)

Sincerely,
Mathew

It's Europe, go with it!

• doors usually open inwards into shops, not outwards like in the US
• the music selection at most restaurants is usually American music, but of no general type.  I've heard everything from Queen, Rihanna, Pink, Guns 'n' Roses, jazz, and Frank Sinatra.
• the elevators are really small and really slow
• drivers do not usually stop for pedestrians
• there is dog poop in the streets, and most dogs walk around without leashes
• typical responses to "how are you?" include "shitty" and "I'm still around!"
• Food is less than 1/2 the price in the US, usually better tasting, and you only have to tip about %10
• Beer is less expensive than soda/pop
• Toilets with pull-cords are common
• people say "hello" when they greet each other and "hello" when they leave each other
• water comes with or without "gas", depending if you want it carbonated or not
• water is NOT free at restaurants, and you can usually expect very slow service.  allow at least 1 1/2 hours for dinner.
• PDA (public displays of affection) are normal and socially acceptable.  people also drink in the streets and on the trams (also acceptable)