Day 134: There's More To Study Abroad Than Just Studying Abroad

It's Christmas Day and I'm sitting in a hotel in London. My family is asleep, and it's just me listening to music, at the work desk, sorting through the hundreds (in fact, thousands!) of pictures I've taken over the last four months. It's been an eventful semester, and I think I've learned quite a lot.

When I first got to Budapest, it was a complete and total shock to my system. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who spoke a language I did not understand. I was living in an apartment, fending for myself in terms of food, no comfortable dorm support system or cafeteria to fall back on. And really, almost everything was different. I had never really seen dirty places before I got to Budapest---I grew up sheltered in a nice part of town and when I left home, I headed to a university that spends millions of dollars every year keeping its campus picture perfect. And then I arrived at the Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, met someone BSM had sent to pick me up, got into a taxi, and then walked out onto a street spotted with dog poop, ridden with the stench of sewage. Welcome to Budapest, and in that moment, I made the identification in my head: Budapest = dirty. Eww.

I didn't talk to that many people about my distaste for the city, and those that I did talk to shared my viewpoint, thereby encouraging this perspective that Budapest was nothing I expected it to be. Language school started, and the nine hours crammed into a stiflingly hot, stiflingly small classroom didn't exactly help me appreciate things more. And then I got sick (terrible stomach problems), missed a few days of school, realized how much happier I was staying home, and then became the first language school drop-out. Yippee. When people were learning Hungarian, I was sitting at my desk doing math. The days felt pleasantly long, and I was safely in the confines of my apartment walls---the one place in Budapest I felt comfortable. Sometimes in the evenings, I'd go to a friend's place for dinner. Eva (my flatmate) would let me know what sort of hang-out things people were doing so I wouldn't miss out. I was doing what I wanted to do. Occasionally spending time socializing, and mostly staying in and studying.

When language school ended, Eva and I took a trip to Sarajevo, which was absolutely lovely. I never wrote about it here on the blog, but hopefully I'll get around to it eventually. We took a 12-hour train to Bosnia, stayed in a hostel (I never realized that there were non-hotel/resort accommodations prior to this), met a lovely Bosnian girl through couchsurfing who showed us around, and had a fantastic time. It was a fantastic trip and was the first step to lessening my apprehensions about traveling and exploring new places.

And then school started. I would go to class and learn math, and then I'd go home and learn more math, and then I'd fall asleep to a bedtime story of math, and then I'd wake up and learn math, and then repeat. Day in, day out, so much math! I was an extremely happy camper. Amidst all of this math, a few of my friends decided to form a cooking rotation type thing, and so we'd have dinner at each others' places. It was great to chat with them and have a good time, but I always felt like I was wasting time by being there. I thought: It'd be so much more time-efficient if I just stayed in and shoved something down my throat. Then I'd get to learn more math, and I wouldn't waste hours every night just doing dinner. But when I tried doing this, my friends would pressure me into going out---you've been doing math all day!, they'd say. They were right, but that was exactly what I wanted to do. Math, math, math. Nothing else. And in my narrow-minded perspective, I thought that they were not serious students because they wanted to hang out over study. I thought: Don't they see how every moment they spend talking over dinner is a moment lost in learning math? Don't they see how this is going to affect their futures? Don't they understand the importance of studying? How short-sighted and narrow-minded and judgmental of me.

Over the course of the term, the way I divided my time slowly shifted away from studying, and I think that I have come to realize the worth of getting to know people. It seems like a really trivial statement, but it wasn't an obvious thing for me. I wanted to get to know people, but that would take time, and I thought my days would be better spent trying to learn as much math as possible. My friends would pressure me into hanging out with them, and it wasn't like I didn't want to hang out with them---I just thought studying was the one and only important thing. And when I look back on it now, I'm so glad that they were so bent on drawing me out of my room. Because the thing is this. When I look back on this last semester, what I remember are the people. The people I traveled with (to Sarajevo, Prague, Istanbul). The people I cooked and ate dinner with. The people I went on long walks with. The people who would come over to our apartment to eat, the people who would come over to do math, the people who would come over just because. I got to know a lot of really amazing people this last semester, and I've made some really wonderful friends. That's really the heart of it, I think. I think that's what I've learned this semester.

I love math, and it's wonderful when I get to do it all day. But there's more to learning than just studying. There are people to meet, places to see, and doing these things has exposed me to new and different perspectives. Example: When I was in Istanbul, I was talking to a friend, and we were talking about how to us, math matters a lot, and it's probably going to be a big part of our future, but there are people who live their whole lives selling gyros. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's taken me a few months to realize that there is a lot that matters in this world, and in the phrase "study abroad," it's the whole term that matters. It's not just about studying. And it's not just about being abroad. It's about learning new things, seeing new things, meeting new people, gaining new perspectives.

Yesterday, I left Budapest, and said goodbye to a place I have grown a soft spot for, in spite of its poop-ridden streets. It is a place I have grown a soft spot for not because of the place itself, but because of what I have experienced and learned there. Yesterday, it felt like I was just leaving for a short trip, and I'd be back soon. But I think it's slowly sinking in that I'm not really going back. And now, looking at the hundreds of photos I took this last semester makes me nostalgic. I miss the people. My friend wrote me an email, and he quoted something from "Dune" that I think is appropriate: "Parting with friends is a sadness. A place is only a place."

Merry Christmas everyone! And in Hungarian: Boldog Karácsonyt!

Day 119: Friends, Yarn, Snow, etc.

It's the Friday before finals week and I think it has only just hit me that in one week's time, I will be saying goodbye to the people I have spent the last four months with. We came from our own separate ways, and we got to know each other, and soon---too soon---we will be out there again, dispersed all over the world, doing our own separate things.

I got sick at the start of this week, and yesterday, I decided to stay home to rest. I worked for most of the morning, and then in the early afternoon, the doorbell rang, and my friend Rob was at the door, asking if he could come in to work, chat, etc. I let him in and we did some rep theory and then just chatted. My flatmate Eva came back to the apartment shortly afterwards bearing knitting supplies (she had gone out to get some for herself and for me), and we chatted at the kitchen table. Forty-five minutes later, the doorbell rang again, and Brian and David walked in (both of whom had just finished class). We spread ourselves out around the apartment and chatted, occasionally looking down at our papers to think about a math problem. (At this point, I had already started knitting.) A hour later, the doorbell rang again and Wendy joined us (and brought a chocolate cake with her!. And then Jeremy. There were discussions and there were jokes and there was laughter and there were good times, and then I thought: these people are so cool. And then: I'm going to miss them. And: how is it that it is already nearly time to pack our bags and leave?

We're going to throw a party, I think. After finals. To get everyone together, just before the suitcases are loaded into taxis headed towards the airport. I know it will be fun, but I can't help but anticipate the nostalgia that will hit when the after-party clean-up begins---to know that we are at the end of the semester, that we are at the end of our collective time in the same geographic location, that it is unlikely that we will have another gathering with the same people again. But I have also realized this: for some, maybe this is the end, and this is the last time we will be together in the same place; but for others, this is just the start of things, and Budapest is where it all began.

But enough of all this silly nostalgic talk. There is always more time for this sort of thing later. So: tonight! Some friends and I are going to the Nutcracker! We're going for a super-early dinner at Hummus Bar first (our standard pre-concert/ballet/opera food stop) and then to the beautiful Operaház! I'm very excited. It will be an excellent finale to the last week before finals. I know I should be studying. And yet. So it is like this:

Friday: Class, Hummus Bar, Nutcracker
Saturday: Music rehearsal, Study
Sunday: Study
Monday: Class, Study
Tuesday: Death by final
Wednesday: Further death by final
Wednesday afternoon: Freedom!!!
Wednesday evening: Farewell party/music informal concert
Thursday: TBD

Not a bad end of the term, I'd say. It's been fun---not too much work, lots of food, wonderful friends. Not that work isn't fun. I really love work, actually, and if I were to do this semester again, I might be tempted to take another class (or two?) and learn more. But then again, I think what really made this semester fantastic were the people. Well, not any people. Friends. They're lovely, really.

On a completely separate note! Knitting! It's wonderful. Last Sunday, I acquired some knitting needles and some yarn, and in a couple days, I whipped up this little hat for my roommate:

And now some random pictures:

Ice Skating on top of WestEnd!

On Monday, December 6th, I awoke to find my shoes stuffed
with chocolate, gingerbread, and a lovely bar of soap!

The lovely cake Wendy brought over.

Eva bought me knitting needles yesterday. So I started knitting. Hours spent studying: 0. Hours spent knitting: 8.

Afterthoughts: What?!?!?! Finals are next week?!?!

Further afterthoughts: It is much better to spend a Friday night at the Nutcracker rather than at home studying.

This has been a sort of all-over-the-place post. But I haven't blogged in a while, so I'm going to post this anyway. Oh! And it snowed last week!!! A couple last pictures:

Here's the courtyard of my apartment complex. I'm in the flat in the top left-hand corner.

Városliget! With snow! My friend came to visit Budapest and we went to the Szechenyi baths together. I took this on our way there.

My street, lined with cars, and all covered in snow!

You might be wondering why I'm so excited about snow. Well, this is the first time I've ever seen snow in a normal setting. That is, excluding vacations and stuff like that. Anyway. It warmed up this week and everything melted. Sad.

Oh, and I forgot. I mentioned before that I went to Turkey for Thanksgiving. Well, it was lovely. Perhaps an update later. But for now, here's Istanbul:

Bye! Hopefully I'll write and post pictures again soon.

Day 92/93: Welcome to Praha. You Are Tourist Number 10,834,572,984,571,395,738.

Last weekend, a group of us BSM-ers decided to go to Prague. So we took a overnight bus there and arrived in the wee hours of the morning. It was beautiful there: the streets were quiet, the squares were empty, and it was just wonderful.

These soft-spoken hours are my favorite time of day, and it's been a long time since I've experienced a sunrise that wasn't the result of a late night of math-ing. And I'd have to say I was quite a fan. I love everything about daybreak: the lighting, the mood, the smell, everything. I think everything's more beautiful then. It's like the beginning of things---fresh and clean and new.

The astronomical clock!

I have no idea what this clock is supposed to tell me.

After taking several pictures in the square in front of the astronomical clock, we headed to our hostel to check in. It was a pleasant place. It's called "Prague Square Hostel" and it's really close to the center of things. The clock is only a couple blocks away, there's a Starbucks and several other cafes just around the corner, and it was a generally clean place to stay. It wasn't quite as nice and welcoming as the place my roommate Eva and I stayed at when we were in Sarajevo, but it was livable. They had this funny sign above one of the doors:

For the rest of the day, we wandered the streets of Prague, and as the hours passed, people started waking up, and by mid-afternoon, the streets were completely swarming with tourists. That's my biggest complaint about Prague: it feels like the city is so focused on trying to get tourists that you can't find the parts of it that feel really authentic and organic. I mean, it's still really beautiful and quaint and has that classic European-city feel, but I guess all I'm saying is I like it better when there's no one around. Is that selfish of me?

Anyway. Here's a bunch of pictures:

TGI Fridays is everywhere.

All of the streets were made of cobblestone! I love cobblestone!

By the bridge :) So pretty.

My friend enjoying the view.

They had all these incredibly intricate and epic
statues lining the bridge.

Climbing the stairs to the castle.

The cathedral (church?) in the castle.

Crazy photo-taking skills.

First meal in Prague: Czech beef goulash and potato dumplings.

And delicious apple strudel.

Litter :(

It's hard to see, but if you look closely, you can see that each
little log thing has a seagull perched on top of it!

So pretty! :)

We walked along the river.

Birds in flight.

Frank Gehry's crazy masterpiece!

And me hilariously (and unintentionally) leaning
exactly in line with it!

Dinner! Mmm!

This pasta doesn't look like much, but it was absolutely fantastic.
Pepper, oil, cheese, and spicy stuff. Yumm.

After dinner that night, we went turned in early and headed back to the hostel because we were all exhausted. The overnight journey from Budapest to Prague really drained us all, and after a full day of walking everywhere, our energy levels were running low. We chatted for a while in our room (six of us were together in an 8-bed dorm), and then one-by-one, we gave ourselves to sleep. I'd have to say that a 7-hour butt-bruising overnight bus ride really makes you appreciate the luxury of sleeping horizontally.

The next morning, my friend and I woke up at 6 am to catch the sunrise. We packed up our stuff, checked out of the hostel, stuck our bags in storage, and headed towards the castle. It was absolutely incredible. It was just getting light when we were crossing the bridge, and the reflection of the soft city lights on the water was beginning to fade...

It was so beautiful!!!

We made it up to the castle, and watched the sky grow steadily lighter until the sun broke over the horizon. It was amazing.

The castle.

We wandered around, just walking and talking, and then we came across a small park. We decided to check it out, hoping for a place to sit down and rest. And guess what we saw? Peacocks! These were the first two we saw, but we kept walking along the path and when we got to the end, there were more of them! A dozen in all!

We got hungry and found this place:

They had this special, that looked yummy:

So we got it, and it was huge. It looks really tiny in this picture, but I assure you it was a massive amount of food. It was also a massive amount of protein.

I don't think I have ever eaten as much meat as I did in those two days in Prague. It was delicious, but even after a couple meat-heavy meals, I was quite ready for some vegetables.

For our last meal, we went to this place called Kolkovna, which was recommended by the front desk person at the hostel. We had tried to eat there the night before, but they were completely booked, so we made a reservation for Sunday night.

It was great. My friend and I shared a grilled vegetable dish and a chicken dish (chicken was the one meat we hadn't eaten in Prague yet... we had already had turkey, pork, duck, and beef).

The portions were very generous, and especially after meal after meal of heavy meat dishes, it was really too much food for my stomach to handle. But in spite of the generous entree portions, this place (and all other places in Prague, I think, and also all places in Budapest) has disproportionately small servings of drinks. I really don't understand. Here is what I mean. I paid 45 CZK (Czech korunas), which is the equivalent of 2.50 USD, for this dinky 0.2-liter serving of iced tea:

The thumb is there for comparison.

Ridiculous, right? They refuse to serve you tap water, but everything else is super expensive. Unless you like beer. In which case you could get a massive 1-liter mug for 40 CZK. It's so unfortunate for non-drinkers like myself. I really don't understand. I mean, you can get all sorts of things for less than half the price of its US counterpart, but when it comes to non-alcoholic drinks, you're guaranteed to spend over 4 times as much. Insanity.

But back to talking about Prague... It was a lot of fun, and it was great getting to know people. In the excitement of learning math, it's easy to forget that there are other things in the world that matter. Like people and friends and seeing the world. I'm not sure how, but I feel like it gives you perspective. You see things. You experience things. You appreciate things. You see the world, and then if you're like me, you look outside the window at the rising sun as the bus returns you to Budapest, and you feel like jumping out into the world and throwing your arms out and shouting, "HELLO WORLD! I AM CHARLOTTE CHAN, LOVER OF MATH AND NEWFOUND WORLD TRAVELER!"