LOST in Budapest

I actually didn't get to bed until 5:30 AM last night. I tried to sleep for like two hours, and I just couldn't. I think it was more due to sleeping until 3:30 PM yesterday than jet lag, however. I got up and read for a while and then finally got tired.

Woke up today relatively early at 12:30 PM. Went out. By the way, this is the street I live on.

I went to a nearby subway station to buy my monthly pass. I had a prewritten Post-It note that I showed the lady, which said the necessary instructions in Hungarian. This was right next to the mall that I've been talking about all this time. After that, went to the Mall to do a little shopping to buy some necessary household stuff, and things to make a sandwich. They had lots of fancy cheeses and salamis, and I'll have to try lots of them here. I bought this strange kind of milk which doesn't need refrigeration until after its opened. I hope its not too weird. I also bought those kind of Asian chips that one makes while one is deep frying shrimp tempura. Those were tasty, but a bit too salty. Anyway, this is the store.

So, I went back, made a sandwich which I had with my chips (my first real meal at home!), and then I decided to explore the city a bit more. My plans were to hope on the train and go down to Bethlen Gabor, where College International is located, then hop on the subway, and visit a Tesco's megastore, and then come down on the same red line, a go to an Office Depot, buying supplies for school.

That didn't work out too well. I guess subconsciously I knew Lost would be on in the States tonight, so maybe I wanted to experience that for real. Not just on walking this time- on trolley buses and subways too! Apparently I got on the wrong trolley, and was still sitting there at the last stop, when the bus driver yelled at me, Finish!, it a rather strange way. This was right near the subway line I needed to take, so I took the Blue Line north to Ujpest-Varoskapu, and tried to find the Tesco's. It was nowhere to be found! This was sortof far away from the city, so at least I got a good taste of a different area. Instead of the exciting Wal-Mart like store, I found another Match which satisfied me for now, where I get some more household stuff, and clementines and apples. The grocery check out people always speak to me in Hungarian- sometimes they are saying things and I have NO idea whats going on, and just usually say Hi, Szia or Jo Napot, depending on what they say to me, nod and smile some more, see how much money I owe on the screen, pay, and say thanks (Koszonom) if I'm feeling rather bold.

Then I returned to the subway station, deciding to call it a day, since the sun was already beginning to set, even though it was pretty early. I decided to try and switch to Metro 1, or the Yellow Line, at Deak ter, the one point where the subways meet, but this was not a very spart idea. I got completely confused in the station (partially because I only knew the lines by their color, not by there name- M1, M2, or M3, and I finally went north on M2 until I returned relatively close to home. I didn't feel like walking, so I went on a bus. (That's the great thing about an unlimited pass! You can just get on, get off, get on, etc. as much as you want. Although you're wasting time, you're not wasting money!) This wasn't a bad choice because it saved me 5 or so minutes of walking. Finally I came home.

I 'made' my first dinner here. That consisted of pouring noodles into boiling water. It was very tasty, though. They were some sort of egg noodles with cream. I also had my first Hungarian desert- purchased at Match. There are so many choices there- including lots of different Tira Misus, but I chose the Friss Samloi Galuska, some kind of cherry flavored cake with whipped cream. It was good! With dinner I watched another episode of the Sarah Connor Chronicles- what an awesome show! I think I shall clean today. Today I really think (and hope) I shall be tired not too late. I have to go to the school tomorrow for a welcome meeting at 2 PM, and a party (meeting a few of the professors, and all classmates) at 4PM.

I think I shall clean now, and then I will relax some more.

Good night! Enjoy the flash-forwards, and don't get confused.... and don't tell me what happens!