"Weekends" were the only motivating factor that kept us from jumping ship, since the bosses became progressively more annoying with each passing week. My students were cool, and I actually did look forward to seeing them each day, my main class was silly and made everything fun. The class I had for just one hour was a bit more serious, but they were all so sweet, I loved teaching them. However, by Friday were ready for the weekend! While we were still in Szeged I was doing something on the computer and Mylo came in and said, " hey the Rolling Stones are going to be in Budapest in a few weeks, so you want to go with me? I stupidly asked the a good question, but the wrong way. The way I should have asked the follow-up question would have been "who else is going", but I was too assumptive, and said "is Ashlee going?" He said no, she did not want to go. Again, key follow up, I should have asked "why", but I didn't. He said to me, he really wants to go, and I should come too, because it will be fun if we both go. He even offers to buy half my ticket. I really should have been more suspicious at this point. I say it's ok, you don't have to do that, I'll go, it does sound like fun. Later on I find out the catch…Norma's going too, Mylo, me, and the non-stop chatterbox- super! After consulting with Ashlee and Janie about the hell I was suspecting might insue with only one other person to shoulder the Norma nonsense, I recruited them to come with us to Budapest. We concocted some scheme where we tell Norma we are taking the last train back to Cegled, but we make sure that we get separated after the concert. So that she doesn't look or wait for us, we call her and say don't worry we will take the morning train or some bullshit, when in fact Ashlee, Janie, Mylo and I booked a hotel near the stadium where the concert was. On the way out of town, all five of is take the train to Budapest, it insanely hot, and the train arrives early, so we have to hall ass, and run across track to jump on the train. The train only stops in Cegled for like 3 minutes total. We find our way to our crappy plastic bench seat in the steerage section, after being asked to leave first class…déjà vu for Ashlee and I . We are all squeezed into a wooden box with a window that hardly opens…it's only an hour- right? Hahahah, nope! The train breaks down on the outskirts of Budapest. I was so ready to just walk the last 20 miles! Most people couldn't take it and got off the train and just stood next to it smoking or got a cab. The sun was setting, it was only about two and a half hours until the concert, it was frustrating for everyone, apparently except for me. I was really tired from the long week. The four of them were standing in the galley of the carriage where the door was open to get some air, and maybe some information on the state of affairs, but me, I was passed out, sawing some serious logs in our hot box. It was a monumentally fantastic nap, I sleep until I left the train start moving again, it might have been an hour, I don't really know because I was out cold. It was only a short distance to Nugatti station from there, then a quick subway ride and a quick taxi to our hotel, not sure how we managed to ditch Norma, but somehow we did, Mylo and I ran in dropped off our stuff, while we kept the meter running on the cab, the we rushed off to meet Norma again and go to the show.
The show really was fantastic, and memorable! It had finally cooled off a little that night, there were fireworks at the end of the show, even Norma was actually pretty fun to hang out with, mostly because she was so into the music that she shut up for once. Mylo and I drank a healthy amount of beer, which probably helped as well. Norma ended up leaving before the encore in order to not miss her train, Mylo and I actually felt bad that she wasn't able to stay to the end as she was having such a good time, we;d never seen her so happy. After the show, the crowds were mad, no chance we would get a taxi, the street cars were packed, we weren't even really sure which one to take, but we did know approximately where the hotel was, so we just started walking, and walking, and oh my god walking! I'd been standing at a concert all night, now I was walking 40 blocks home, I think I had bad shoe on too, so most of the walk I did in bare feet! It took over an hour, and one stop for snacks at a gas station, but we made it, and I had another phenomenal night's sleep in an air conditioned hotel!
Friday, December 26, 2008
The Magyar Memoir- Part 10 (Waterpark!)
This is how I described Cegléd. Perhaps because it was summer, perhaps for a variety of other reasons, many of the stores were shut during the day as well as the evening. Many with grafettied rolling shutters, it just saddened me a bit. This is also kind of insulting, I referred to Cegléd as the IE of HU, meaning the Inland Empire* of Hungary. Retrospectively, this is not an accurate description, as I have much disdain for the IE, where I lived either in or on the cusp of for much of my life. The comparison had more to do with the the fact that Cegléd was an hour from everything, much like the IE.
Although there wasn't a whole lot to do after work without a whole lot of effort and travel outside the city, I was in no hurry to expedite my time there. I hadn't really figured out what I would do next, and by this point I knew the job, and just wanted to enjoy the moment as best I could despite the extreme heat.
Most of us realized that our time in Hungary was fleeting, so we decided to make the most of our weekends. In order to do this we needed to unify in NOT being available on weekend for the dic's meetings and other whims. Starting Friday afternoons we wouldn't be tourists, not employees. We started with a trip to the Waterpark/ Turkish bath, located just outside the city, deep within the corn fielded suburbs. This is were I embarked on one of the scariest- yet most exhilarating moments of the trip.
At the water park they had the highest half pike I have ever seen, fiberglass lined, with a constant flow of water for lubrication. The idea is you sit on a tube and go down and up and down a few time, and eventually slide down into a pool at one end. Seems innocent enough- right? Perhaps this works if you're a child; but a fully grown adult that had regularly been indulging in goulash and fatty cholesterol ridden sausages hasn't the same effect. I was fired up to experience this ride, so I hit the sloop with full force in my tiny child size tube (it was nothing like a cloud of watery air goodness, as I had expected). It was like jumping butt first into a empty swimming pool, while covered in Vaseline. I was totally out of control- on my first trip up, I caught major air, I could see people below pointing in horror in slow motion, as I was a few inched higher than the guard rail! As I feel back into the earth's atmosphere I hit the ramp with as much force as a 50 mile per hours car crash, I'm sure I had at least minor whiplash at this point, but the ride continued a few more times up and down each time more painful and disorientating as the last. What fun ;~()
After that adventure, I tried a few tamer waterslides, which were still bit much for my fatigued body, so I retired to the lazy river, which was a good pace for me for a while, but it wasn't long before I made my home in the Turkish bath watching the pre-melinomic half dead seniors play chess, yup, that was where it was at. I liked that it was possible to get a beer, which could be taken in the bath, although the thought seemed insane based on the fact that we were outside in the sun, on a 100 degree day, in a 110 degree salt bath.
The adventure didn't really end there. When we left the park at closing, we watched as the last bus into the city pull away in a puff of smoke. We had no choice, we had to call the dictators for a ride, as we couldn't manage to get a taxi to come all the way out there. Not the best end to the day, but thankfully, they came and rescued us. I slept very well that night.
* The IE: It's not that this is a bad area, well some parts are very ghetto, but for the most part, it is simply a suburb located 30-60 miles east of Los Angeles. Some of it's notable features include some of the worst air quality in the United States, uncontrollable residential spral, culturally mixed populous, but in no real integration. There have been attempts made in the last ten years to create some high end shopping areas, to serve the nevou rich that were, up until the recent economic downturn, buying up the plethora of new mcmansions being built (on a naturally flood plane and directly in the path of a wind tunnel). Overall, the area is mostly a working class and middle class conglomeration. My theory is people don't choose to live hear, they just get trapped here, by way of job, lack of job, loved ones in need, or being knocked up by someone here. Talented, interesting people generally leave as soon as they are eighteen if they were raised here, or if they are outsiders, a job brings them here, and then they can't leave.*Victoria is an exception. *I am sort of an exception; but I think I could classify myself as being part of the financially trapped. The way it works when you live in the IE is first, complacently sets in, and eventually people just resign to the fact that this is what life is suppose to be like: void on conciseness, culture, and community.
Although there wasn't a whole lot to do after work without a whole lot of effort and travel outside the city, I was in no hurry to expedite my time there. I hadn't really figured out what I would do next, and by this point I knew the job, and just wanted to enjoy the moment as best I could despite the extreme heat.
Most of us realized that our time in Hungary was fleeting, so we decided to make the most of our weekends. In order to do this we needed to unify in NOT being available on weekend for the dic's meetings and other whims. Starting Friday afternoons we wouldn't be tourists, not employees. We started with a trip to the Waterpark/ Turkish bath, located just outside the city, deep within the corn fielded suburbs. This is were I embarked on one of the scariest- yet most exhilarating moments of the trip.
At the water park they had the highest half pike I have ever seen, fiberglass lined, with a constant flow of water for lubrication. The idea is you sit on a tube and go down and up and down a few time, and eventually slide down into a pool at one end. Seems innocent enough- right? Perhaps this works if you're a child; but a fully grown adult that had regularly been indulging in goulash and fatty cholesterol ridden sausages hasn't the same effect. I was fired up to experience this ride, so I hit the sloop with full force in my tiny child size tube (it was nothing like a cloud of watery air goodness, as I had expected). It was like jumping butt first into a empty swimming pool, while covered in Vaseline. I was totally out of control- on my first trip up, I caught major air, I could see people below pointing in horror in slow motion, as I was a few inched higher than the guard rail! As I feel back into the earth's atmosphere I hit the ramp with as much force as a 50 mile per hours car crash, I'm sure I had at least minor whiplash at this point, but the ride continued a few more times up and down each time more painful and disorientating as the last. What fun ;~()
After that adventure, I tried a few tamer waterslides, which were still bit much for my fatigued body, so I retired to the lazy river, which was a good pace for me for a while, but it wasn't long before I made my home in the Turkish bath watching the pre-melinomic half dead seniors play chess, yup, that was where it was at. I liked that it was possible to get a beer, which could be taken in the bath, although the thought seemed insane based on the fact that we were outside in the sun, on a 100 degree day, in a 110 degree salt bath.
The adventure didn't really end there. When we left the park at closing, we watched as the last bus into the city pull away in a puff of smoke. We had no choice, we had to call the dictators for a ride, as we couldn't manage to get a taxi to come all the way out there. Not the best end to the day, but thankfully, they came and rescued us. I slept very well that night.
* The IE: It's not that this is a bad area, well some parts are very ghetto, but for the most part, it is simply a suburb located 30-60 miles east of Los Angeles. Some of it's notable features include some of the worst air quality in the United States, uncontrollable residential spral, culturally mixed populous, but in no real integration. There have been attempts made in the last ten years to create some high end shopping areas, to serve the nevou rich that were, up until the recent economic downturn, buying up the plethora of new mcmansions being built (on a naturally flood plane and directly in the path of a wind tunnel). Overall, the area is mostly a working class and middle class conglomeration. My theory is people don't choose to live hear, they just get trapped here, by way of job, lack of job, loved ones in need, or being knocked up by someone here. Talented, interesting people generally leave as soon as they are eighteen if they were raised here, or if they are outsiders, a job brings them here, and then they can't leave.*Victoria is an exception. *I am sort of an exception; but I think I could classify myself as being part of the financially trapped. The way it works when you live in the IE is first, complacently sets in, and eventually people just resign to the fact that this is what life is suppose to be like: void on conciseness, culture, and community.
The Magyar Memoir- Part 9 (the gate of the Great Plain)
Or as I liked calling it, “exactly an hour from anything and everything”…you find the quaint little town of Cegléd: population approx 39,000, but it feels like about 150 in the summertime. Cegléd boosts the biggest Calvinist church in Central Europe, it also has a long history; the town dates back to 1290, it seemingly didn’t survive the Mongol invasion structurally, but in the latter 1300s did come back into its own, and has been growing ever since. It later became important ‘safe town’ as it was sympathetic to the peasant uprising of 1514. The Turks and the Hapsburg empire both got their hands on it but and later lost their grip of little Cegléd. Then there was the whole Soviet business, but we won’t talk about that. Apparently, the Golden age of the town occurred during the turn of the last century when the bulk of the town was constructed, including Kossuth Secondary School…where I taught. 100 plus years later, I don’t think much as changed. It’s a sleepy little town, although it does have a Tesco, Vodafone shop, exactly two internet cafes, a movie theater, less than five restaurants, a few really nice bakeries, and no pubs. For all other modern conveniences, you must head Budapest or Szeged. It does host a Turkish bath and water park (all-in-one) on the outskirts of town as well as a very expensive and somewhat green public pool, both of which were lifesavers during the month- long heat wave, which had befallen us.
The hour train ride to Cegléd from Szeged was interesting nonetheless, an hour without any possible interruption from the dictators; we reveled in our air-conditioned quiet comfort, part and parcel of our first class tickets. Each of us ipod in ear, book in hand, by this time we had gone pro when it came to ignoring Norma’s annoying banter; and relaxed for what felt like the first time in three weeks. I took this time to do a little journaling, and reflecting, hoping the train might take it easy by which extending my time on the air-conditioned train. Every time I looked at Lana and Fedelio I burst into uncontrollable laughter, as packing was a problem for Lana. Therefore she just wore all the clothes that didn’t fit in her suitcase- jeans, a dress over, a t-shirt over that, etc. Then Fedelio decided to defend her by teasing me about my ultra-sporty American attire (which I deserved, I was looking especially white socked and sandled) He put on my baseball cap, tucked in his shirt, rolled the sleeves, pulled up the socks, and gave his best all-American smile, as I snapped pictures of the tacky duo. Due north through the Carpathian valley, heading towards the hot dusty planes of Cegléd otherwise known as the gateway to the great planes.
When we arrived at the train station, the dictators were waiting, (waving in slow motion based on my memory of the day), as if we had just returned from a year-long trip round the world. Our group was divided; one car would be driven by the dictators, the other car, a local that spoke a few words of English, but not more. We clamored trying to be the first into the local guy’s car. Lana and Fidelio drew the short straw, they gave us a obvious “F-You” expression as we speed off. We were treated to a tour of the whole town, by our local ambassador- it took five minutes. The Arizonia restaurant…the other Arizonia restaurant, the ice cream shop, the cake shop, the bakery that’s only open in the morning, the church, the old church, the main square, and our finally our flat.
Compared to the Sik Sandor, this flat was fantastic, actually compared to any foreign accommodations I’ve had, this place was spectacular! Top floor (with an elevator) view of the park, and the church, walking distance to school, and the two Arizonias, the two bakeries, and Norma was not walking distance from our place, (she was given a single across town), as was Laura and Fidelio. So it was Ashlee, Mylo, and me, three bedroom, two bathrooms, a washing machine, a TV, a stereo, cute kitchen, we were pleased! Except for one thing…Janie who would be replacing the chicken pocked Craig. Where would she be sleeping, we mused? We ran in to Lana and Fidelio when we went to dinner at Arizona No# 1, so we invited them over after to have a coffee at our place. We explored all the alternatives strategically. I could sleep on the couch, Mylo could sleep on Lana and Fidelo’s couch. Lana and Fidelio could move in to our place since we already knew and liked them, and Janie could have their place, we could make Janie sleep at Norma’s, no too mean, we pondered all options, and settled on me sleeping in the living room, and giving Janie my room. When she arrived, we all crossed our fingers that she wouldn’t be another Norma, since we were so close to accommodations bliss. When the Dic’s dropped her off, and left us alone (well, went next door, so that they could listen with a glass to the door), we realized that Janie was great, a perfect addition to our household and staff.
After the weekend the dictators decided they couldn’t allow me to not have a room, and decided to find a single flat for Mylo, so that it would be just the girls in the dream flat. We all felt bad about this, as he was our buddy, and deserved to get to live in the nice flat too. They found him a crap sublet around the corner, which meant that he sleep there but the minute he woke up, came directly to our place for breakfast, and stayed until bedtime.
There were a lot of rules at the dram flat, such as we could not eat anywhere but in the kitchen, nor drink anywhere but…you guessed it in the kitchen. In fact, the getting the security deposit back in it’s entirety was such an issue, sheets were delivered and we were directed to cover everything, so our placed looked like we were about to paint at all times. It was way too embarrassing to have any one over ever, good thing we encompassed what felt like 90% of the town population.
We loved this flat, and actually really enjoyed our tradition that we fell into of all having breakfast together while watching the BBC each morning. (In case you weren’t glued to BBC World in July of 2007, what you missed was a plethora of coverage about the US presidential coverage of the YouTube debates, and the inauguration of Pratibha Patil…what, you don’t know who that is?!) (India get’s a female president, why can’t we have one!) Then I’d grab my fan (to take to my classroom) and swing by the morning bakery for a coffee, on my way to school. My students were very nice, polite, funny, and eager to learn. I found them to be much worldlier then my classes at Szegvar, but I guess that’s to be expected as this was a town not a farm village. After school, it was usually a walk over to the other Arizona, for lunch, then we took turns saturating ourselves in cold water to remedy the near heat stroke conditions. All except for Ashlee, whose crazy Irish ass, would actually go lay out, in the sun, or worse yet, go jogging!
The hour train ride to Cegléd from Szeged was interesting nonetheless, an hour without any possible interruption from the dictators; we reveled in our air-conditioned quiet comfort, part and parcel of our first class tickets. Each of us ipod in ear, book in hand, by this time we had gone pro when it came to ignoring Norma’s annoying banter; and relaxed for what felt like the first time in three weeks. I took this time to do a little journaling, and reflecting, hoping the train might take it easy by which extending my time on the air-conditioned train. Every time I looked at Lana and Fedelio I burst into uncontrollable laughter, as packing was a problem for Lana. Therefore she just wore all the clothes that didn’t fit in her suitcase- jeans, a dress over, a t-shirt over that, etc. Then Fedelio decided to defend her by teasing me about my ultra-sporty American attire (which I deserved, I was looking especially white socked and sandled) He put on my baseball cap, tucked in his shirt, rolled the sleeves, pulled up the socks, and gave his best all-American smile, as I snapped pictures of the tacky duo. Due north through the Carpathian valley, heading towards the hot dusty planes of Cegléd otherwise known as the gateway to the great planes.
When we arrived at the train station, the dictators were waiting, (waving in slow motion based on my memory of the day), as if we had just returned from a year-long trip round the world. Our group was divided; one car would be driven by the dictators, the other car, a local that spoke a few words of English, but not more. We clamored trying to be the first into the local guy’s car. Lana and Fidelio drew the short straw, they gave us a obvious “F-You” expression as we speed off. We were treated to a tour of the whole town, by our local ambassador- it took five minutes. The Arizonia restaurant…the other Arizonia restaurant, the ice cream shop, the cake shop, the bakery that’s only open in the morning, the church, the old church, the main square, and our finally our flat.
Compared to the Sik Sandor, this flat was fantastic, actually compared to any foreign accommodations I’ve had, this place was spectacular! Top floor (with an elevator) view of the park, and the church, walking distance to school, and the two Arizonias, the two bakeries, and Norma was not walking distance from our place, (she was given a single across town), as was Laura and Fidelio. So it was Ashlee, Mylo, and me, three bedroom, two bathrooms, a washing machine, a TV, a stereo, cute kitchen, we were pleased! Except for one thing…Janie who would be replacing the chicken pocked Craig. Where would she be sleeping, we mused? We ran in to Lana and Fidelio when we went to dinner at Arizona No# 1, so we invited them over after to have a coffee at our place. We explored all the alternatives strategically. I could sleep on the couch, Mylo could sleep on Lana and Fidelo’s couch. Lana and Fidelio could move in to our place since we already knew and liked them, and Janie could have their place, we could make Janie sleep at Norma’s, no too mean, we pondered all options, and settled on me sleeping in the living room, and giving Janie my room. When she arrived, we all crossed our fingers that she wouldn’t be another Norma, since we were so close to accommodations bliss. When the Dic’s dropped her off, and left us alone (well, went next door, so that they could listen with a glass to the door), we realized that Janie was great, a perfect addition to our household and staff.
After the weekend the dictators decided they couldn’t allow me to not have a room, and decided to find a single flat for Mylo, so that it would be just the girls in the dream flat. We all felt bad about this, as he was our buddy, and deserved to get to live in the nice flat too. They found him a crap sublet around the corner, which meant that he sleep there but the minute he woke up, came directly to our place for breakfast, and stayed until bedtime.
There were a lot of rules at the dram flat, such as we could not eat anywhere but in the kitchen, nor drink anywhere but…you guessed it in the kitchen. In fact, the getting the security deposit back in it’s entirety was such an issue, sheets were delivered and we were directed to cover everything, so our placed looked like we were about to paint at all times. It was way too embarrassing to have any one over ever, good thing we encompassed what felt like 90% of the town population.
We loved this flat, and actually really enjoyed our tradition that we fell into of all having breakfast together while watching the BBC each morning. (In case you weren’t glued to BBC World in July of 2007, what you missed was a plethora of coverage about the US presidential coverage of the YouTube debates, and the inauguration of Pratibha Patil…what, you don’t know who that is?!) (India get’s a female president, why can’t we have one!) Then I’d grab my fan (to take to my classroom) and swing by the morning bakery for a coffee, on my way to school. My students were very nice, polite, funny, and eager to learn. I found them to be much worldlier then my classes at Szegvar, but I guess that’s to be expected as this was a town not a farm village. After school, it was usually a walk over to the other Arizona, for lunch, then we took turns saturating ourselves in cold water to remedy the near heat stroke conditions. All except for Ashlee, whose crazy Irish ass, would actually go lay out, in the sun, or worse yet, go jogging!
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