Along For The Ride

I have been delinquent about updating the blog because I have been feeling rather apathetic - apathetic about Budapest, Europe, and life in general. I should have known this was coming since upon my arrival in Hungary seasoned ex-pats warned me about the cycle of emotions caused by moving to a new country.

1. Honeymoon period (June through August)

Everything was so NEW and INTERESTING! I began Hungarian lessons to embrace the culture and attended weekly couch-surfing dinners to meet “real” Hungarians. Being badly treated by a waiter wasn’t annoying; it was an authentic Hungarian experience! Oh those Hungarians, and their complex, pessimistic attitudes shaped by trying years under communist rule. Spurred by Hungarian suspicions of Americans and people in general (a recent survey found that 2/3 of Hungarians view others as “untrustworthy” while the majority view themselves as honest), I was determined to prove I was an empathetic, humble, socially-conscious American.

2. Annoyance (September through October)

It is no longer quaint that dry cleaners are not open on weekends or dairy goes bad after three days due to lack of preservatives. Hungarian is very difficult to learn and, frankly, an ugly and dying language – so why bother? It is not funny and deserving of a blog post when the gym randomly decides to open at 10 AM on a Tuesday, and I arrive at the office at 6:45 AM sans shower and in my gym clothes. And I do not always appreciate my coworker’s Hungarian honesty, which includes remarks such as “you look terrible” or “you look glum.” I do look glum – I just received a notification that my electricity will be shut off unless I pay my bill – the same bill I paid three times both online and at the post office.

3. Homesickness / Apathy (November)

So, things take three times as long to get done here – whatever. The best advice a fellow ex-pat ever gave me was to be patient; the advice has been spot-on but difficult to follow given my type-A personality and fondness of checking items off of to-do lists. I knew I was homesick when in London last week I got ridiculously excited by the familiarity of the Starbucks red snowflake holiday cups and Christmas lights in the department stores. Unsuccessfully having tried to lengthen my time home over the holidays, I am counting down the days until Christmas.

4. Zen (Here’s hoping)

Not exactly zen-like by nature, I am hoping the emotional rollercoaster will culminate in acceptance and enjoyment of a new culture and increased appreciation for the US. Or at least that is what my b-school essays said. I mean, if I cannot enjoy a culture in which people peace out of work at 5:30 PM to concentrate on their personal lives, I have issues.