It is fixed

To continue the story, I ran quickly down to my neighbor's door. The last time I have seen them is when I saw the eyes of my fifth grade student light up when asking for a wine opener. Marko comes to the door, and I state problem, visz, and point up stairs. Gabi comes up stairs with me to see my new indoor pool and runs back down to retrieve her husband Janos. To make it short he shut the water off in the building. Everyone came to my flat to see the american and her blown up bathroom. I even got a visit from the village mayor. It was an adventure, we had to soak up all the water with my towels, and then clean it while we waited for a man from the city to come and fix it. It is fixed just in time to pick up Kat, and then the cookie making continued. Making cookies was great and we had tons left over. We all had time to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail too. And that concludes the before Christmas activities except my singing at school, which I did crappily wonderful.

Cookies and Jello

So it was suggested that we get together and make some traditional American Christmas Cookies by myself in hopes of hanging out with Kyle whom I enjoy, but never see. She ends up eating a nem jo brat and remains in Eger nursing her stomach back to health.
Mariah calls and states that she is annoyed with the ticket woman and may not come, I am a bit sad because I told my co-teachers that I could not do something due to the fact that a friend was coming. Kat couldn't make until Saturaday so I was about to be made a liar. Emily texts me saying she is on the way and will be here at nine tonight. I quick call Mariah back and convince her that she should brave the ticket problems and come anyway. It works and she is on the way. I owe her something big because not only did she come but she trudged through a winter storm wearing only black on the highway. We have time to stop at my ABC store and buy our first batch of liquior and venture home to make some Jello that my parents included in a wonderful care package. We did not have a single problem the whole trip through the ice and snow, and confidently I step firmly into the step of my building...and Biff!!! I go down, but in the words of Kat's hot brittish man Simon Webb, No Worries I saved the beer and only had to sacrifice my elbow and a little pride.
Once safely inside we get down to buisness and make the jello. Satisfied with the results we break out the beer and wine and sit down to an intellectual game of chess. Mind you at this point we have only had a beer a piece. We have finished only two moves each then pour ourself a glass of wine. I am showing her my new travel opporation game given in another package from my parents. As everyone has seen in the game when the medal tweezer hits the side a buzz goes off that can be somewhat alarming. I do this and the poor injured man lurches. I am suddenly wet and there seems to be an interesting color all over my game. I look up and Mariah looks like she is going to die. She obviously thought that this was the funniest thing she has ever seen and unlucky for me she happened to be tasting the wine as I missed the shin bone. The wine was sprayed over me, the game, the chess board, and anything else that was in its path. It was very nice.
We clean up and head out to retrieve Emily. We take the wine with us because it is cold and we thought it would keep us warm. My train station is quite the hike and not thinking we do not bring our phones. We get all the way to the highway and there is no sign of Emily. We venture back and are a little worried that maybe she took the wrong way. We are not so worried however that we would pass up the opportunity to buy a beer to go at the bar. We get back to find that Emily got a ride to my house. Let the consumption begin!!

The evening was wonderful my favorite part was making a new friend in Jonah, we are tight perhaps we will marry in the future. I stumble out of my room to find my house covered in red jello. I called various individuals throughout the night including my new above mentioned friend. I also took a carpet ride and still had the time to write down some needed cleaning supplies. Boy am I hungover.
Lying in my living room trying to make it stop spinning I hear and unusual noise coming from my bathroom, one I have never heard before and was continually made fun of for making the same noise when a dog tried to eat me. Mariah screamed!! A little annoyed for having been aroused from my hung over state, I go to see what she is screaming about. The scream was the perfect action considering that a pipe in my bathroom blew up and water was flowing everywhere converting my bathroom into an indoor pool. The follies of this adventure will soon be exposed because at this time it is my duty to cook the rice for our awesome chicken dinner.

Getting sick and going home!

As we left off we were all boarding the train to travel home, well I am going to Nyrigyhaza so I don't have to brave the cold as you probably remember. Things are going okay at this point, we buy tickets and actually we buy an extra ticket which sucks but I use it later so no worries. The ticket lady told us to ride in the dinning car so that we could all sit together, as we do so some train conductor tells us not to, but as soon as he is out of sight, we go there anyway. I have always been a rule follower, but just this once I decide it is okay to break a little rule. The train starts up and we begin on our quest. We had a rough night and soon Jenna is passed out while the rest of us enjoy food and refreshments. The train stops and we say goodbye to Emily, and continue on our way. The train stops several more times, and finally the train conductor comes and asks where we are trying to go we tell her, and she tells us we missed our stop, but it is all good because we are in Kisvarda and that is where Mariah lives so we can crash at her place. We do so and I get to witness the wonderful wake up of a super happy morining person scrambleing to make coffee while grumbling the morning goddess for waking her. Jenna and I board the train and find that the train goes north, back through Kisvarda, and then onto Nyrigyhaza, that means I missed my only connection that would get me to my town on time to teach. I feel really sick at this point and can barely talk because my throat hurts and I feel like I may have a fever. To make things worse my phone has decided to re code itself, so I can not call my school to tell them I will not make it to class. We have a master plan to go to Jenna's and call Hanji to call school for me and I really can not talk so she tells me to stay in bed. That night I go to the train station to try again, the train does not show up so once again I will spend the night at Jenna's. I finally get a train the next morning walk home and get picked up half way and told to stay in bed and that I was not allowed in school that day or the next day. So I stayed in bed and acted Hungarian, because my co teacher told me that this is not america and when you are sick you stay in bed. I slept and regained energy for the next weekends adventures. All I have to say for that is J-E-L-L-O!

We make it to Roz's and move to phase three.

The weekend proves to be a very American weekend starting out with ordering Pizza Hut, and women drinking beer....from a can!! Dinner is finished and I can feel the beat of music running through my veins, and that means... Let's Dance. We venture to the clubs. Once again the dancing shoes are on my feet and I more than cut a rug, I think we as a group must manufacture them. Also I saw a lot of action on the dance floor, some wanted and some that could have never of happened. But all and all a great night of my favorite thing dancing, which we did until about four in the morning when we decided to travel back to Roz's to regroup. We had cramped sleeping courters and a lot of wonderful cuddling happened with close friends who have become family in Hungary. This so ends phase two but we will continure right onto phase three.

Trying to get home in Hungary can sometimes prove harder than it is worth. So after a wonderful night sweating the alcohol out of our systems, we send Janika to gather some provisions to get the greese to counteract the small hangover many of us were suffering from. The wonderful man takes charge and brings home an american favorite...BurgerKing. We enjoy our gressy meal while talking of our dance moves to out new favorite song, Who the F#*@ is Alice. Where is Jacek when you need him. Later we continue the american genre by lunching at subway. As much as one would like to denounce the american food industry taking over the world, sometimes it is damn nice to order something and know what it is going to actually be. Jenna, Emily, Mariah, and I decide the weekend has been great now lets go home. The beauty of this is that all of us will be traveling on the same train.

My train station is a short hike along a dangerous highway that I would rather not brave in the dark, so it is decided that I will spend the night at Jenna and Yerik's and travel to my place in the morning in the safety of the sunlight. The plan is set and put into action. To enjoy the follies of this trip try back tomarrow.

We still have not made it to Roz's!!!!

Jenna, Emily and I gradually roll out of bed to make coffee and of course switch on MTV. We are enjoying a relaxing morning waiting for Chadwick to call so we might travel to Budapest. We were a little happy that it is getting late and he has not called because we all had hopes that he was getting something only the married people get while living in Hungary. Noon rolls around and we are starving do we saunter outdoors to buy gyros and hot wine. I call Chadwick. The phone picks up, "Hey are you awake yet"? I calmly ask. "I am in a cab in Budapest", was his jack ass response. Although we are well over it now, we were a little pissed because we had been sitting aeound for three hours waiting.
No big deal we well used these three hours to come up with a brilliant plan, Let's mix drinks for the train! Yeah!! To say the very least the train ride was awesome, three women discussing the last night's events and three bottles of rum, vodka(apple flavored), and something clear that was wonderful tasting. One was to be a bitrthday gift, but it made it about half way before we consumed that too. The train arrives and we venture the streets of Budapest to find Roz's house.
We walk out of the tunel and have no clue where to go. The only thing we know is that we are looking for Arpad Bridge. I decide to go and ask someone for help. I scan the area for a safe looking older couple. I approach then and say, "Bocsanat". The reply with we have no money go away in Hungarian. I say "Nem, nem, hol van Arpad Hid"? There faced immediately change and smiles crossed their faces. "Oh yes it is right over there dear".
As I walked away, I took a look at myself and decided that I was dressed pretty good and did not look like a bum, so there was no need for them to treat me like a beggar. At this moment of thought another crossed my mind, I need to break the seal. I am not the only one and we discuss that it can not be much further to Roz's palace so we should hold it. That lasted about a half an hour when we became desperate. Just when I think that I might have to change my pants when we arrive a light shines on a sigen reading WC. We run to find that it is locked. Whatever we drop trou, and only one of us does not make it. I will not release the name of who that was, but I lived in the woods for a year and am a pro outdoor pee'er, just ask the marathon that ran past as we did so. We are almost to the birthday party. To find out who got free drinks, a little action, and what we danced to check in tomarrow. This so ends the reading of today's gospel of Laurnia. PS Baby Jesus takes the Hungarian part of Santas job to help out and he brought me two puppets. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good holiday adventure.

Just before phase two.

The Christmas Party was wonderful. I wore my beautiful elf shirt and helped in a little american christmas presentation. It was also fin because at the end of the presentation we each, and by we I mean the four americans Jenna, Em, Chadwick and myself had conversations with hungarian families who were trying to learn english. It was quite the conversation I had. I was speaking in Hunglish, and only felt confident after the happy litlle family bought me some alcohol. After my conversation with the family I met up with Em and some of here older students who were around our age so it was a more interesting conversation. They taught me some colorful Hungarian workds such as mige and lofasz, this is a PG sight so translations will not be provided.
I as usual danced a lot and ended the evening on a wonderful note, plans to meet Chadwick in the morning when he calls so we can begin phase two of the weekend...the trip to Budapest.

Aside from my wonderful weekend I just wanted to throw a little Boldog Karacsony es boldog uj evet to all. I hope all those who I can not share the holidays with find themselves safe and happy. And get good presents tooo. I love you mommy and daddy!!!!

Thank you James for the facts.

Getting around in Hungary can be challenging at times. Just as you think you have the system down they go and change it without asking the permission of the americans. The group of CETPers decided to gather in Budapest in honor of Harpswell, Kat, and Mariah's birthdays. I decided that I would first go to Szolnok to attend a Christmas party with Emily and her Oxford shcool. This is where I met a wonderful man named Yatzee or something who was a great fan of the Star Wars and thought up until me that girls knew nothing of the subject, James would be proud that I battled with the best and had the correct facts. After class on friday I was in a rush to the train station and pretty much ran to catch the train. I buy my ticket to find the ticket lady in a tizzy about who knows what. I was proud because I understood some of what was said and found out that the schedule was changed, but then she lost me which is not uncommon when she started writting stuff on my ticket. Just as I thought all was lost Janna calls and plans to meet me and I then regain my travel confidence and decide the train lady has no clue what she is talking or writting about. As usual I had no minutes to call anyone so her call was music to my ears, we met in the wonderful city of Nyiregyhaza and traveled onto the christmas party. To find out what happened at the party tune in tomarrow. Viszontlatasra.