- Goal 1: to stay calm in a new place
- Goal 2: to slow down and count my small successes
- Goal 3: to be patient and ask for help and kindness from strangers :)
I had a rather dreary plane change in Zurich airport. I found the dark, industrial modern architecture rather unattractive and the subway tile in the WC did not impress. There was no one willing to change a small amount of money for a bloody coffee. They sniffed at changing a five or ten dollar bill even to get a bottle of water. I finally gave up and left with my thirst unslaked, happy to be flying on to Budapest.
My arrival via Swiss Air seemed familiar some twenty-two years after my last departure from the old Ferihegy airport. The baggage claim area looked familiar, although this time I found my luggage quickly (Long ago, my luggage did NOT come out off the carousel. It was raining and the baggage handlers did not want to go back out to the tarmac and pick up the remaining luggage until it stopped. I had to point out my luggage my crawling through the rubber flaps and gesturing in frustration. I was surprised they didn't arrest e then. Naja, it was Hungary in 1990!) However, once again I could not obtain a luggage trolley without a Euro and accepted one from a kindly Hungarian woman who would not accept my dollars in return.
Quick trip to the clearly marked WC and I was through customs with no problem and followed the directions on the signs and floor. The sign warned of the notoriously aggressive 'cowboy' taxicabs who try to grab your luggage and then rip off unsuspecting foreigners. On the floor was a path CLEARLY MARKED (please pay attention, all other airports with such problems) to the shuttle minibus. Next to the shuttle was a Kasse to change money and I immediately did so, asking for small bills. I got a ticket for the shuttle and the young lady warned me that it might take 45 minutes for the next shuttle to arrive. So meanwhile I asked an older Hungarian to help me use the pay phone and insert the correct forint (Kindness of strangers!). Karoly answered the telephone quickly and I told him I was at the airport, waiting for the shuttle. The call was cut short, or he hung up, not sure which, and I hoped he had gotten the point. I then looked up and saw that my shuttle ticket was boarding -- it had arrived early! I could only hope that he understood that I was on my way.
The shuttle drivers must be talented, because they deliver each person to their front door. Most were going to hotels in Pest. To my delight, the Swiss psychologist who had sat next to me on Swiss Air got on my shuttle and we continued out conversation. She told me about her presentations at the Congress on Autism that she attends annually. I told her stories about my favorite autistic students (including Asberger's, recently labelled autism spectrum) and as we rode through Pest, my memories slowly came back and I pointed out the Applied Arts Museum as my absolute favorite time in Hungary!
As it turned out, she and I were the last passengers on the shuttle, since we were going to Pest. After she left, I felt nervous and adrift. The driver had only a minor problem with my address, since it was on a diagonal. But I saw a kindly woman my age waiting. It was Karoly's wife, Erzsi. She was overwhelmed with my luggage, but the Hungarian word for books came to me and I explained apologetically as we struggled into my lovely flat uphill from Budagyonge (I will put the umlauts in later!). I insisted that we practice opening and locking the many gates and locks to get in and out of my flat (reminded me of New York City apartments!) and found that she had kindly left me some salami, brotchen, butter and mineral water. Most important, instant coffee!!!!
After drinking some water and rehydrating, I had the energy to walk down to her flat. A good idea, since the road continued downhill but the names changed slightly. I simply reminded my jetlagged self, follow the tram and rail lines downhill. She proceeded to introduce me to delicious homemade wine and I was delighted to find out her husband, like me, was a retired second (or third) careerer and worked at my favoritate museum! Iparmuveszeti Muzeum!
I tried their delicious homemade wine as Karoly, her husband, arrived. I foolishly drank a lot of wine, it was soooo delicious. We chatted and he walked me down to my tram stop at Budagyonge that I would take to Szell Kalman Ter each day. I discovered a small abc/cba grocery there (the one he pointed out to me I still haven't found, due to my intoxication!) and a McDonalds. The days of the one McD's at Nyugati are over!
Karoly is a kind man, warm and friendly and loved my interest in his museum. They were surprised that I knew a bit about Hungary from long ago. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry for three decades and now is trying to survive on his small investments and pension (sounds familiar!) and is now working in the field he loves -- photography! His photos are shown in galleries in Hungary, Finland and elsewhere.
The flat they have rented to me is their son's. Like many young Hungarians, there is more work to be found outside the country than in. He seeks a life in Finland with his girlfriend. Hungarian and Finnish are related languages and I remember they often have cultural exchanges. The flat is lovely, in a beautiful neighborhood (although as usual the streets have a bit of garbage, empties, and dozing alcoholics.
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