Budapest Chapter Three

After plenty of adventure across this new city, the next few days are a little calmer. I take this free time to start applying for jobs. I really want to stay in Europe for at least a year, if not more. I want to gain some international work experience, travel more and find a kind, yet beautiful European princess that always dreamed of marrying an American.

On Thursday I decide to navigate the city by my self for the first time. I go get a cell phone (pay-as-you-go) and then wander the city a bit. The city is large and a little more confusing than others because it is completely flat on that Pest site. Hard to tell where you are. Luckily, the trams, buses and metro make it extremely easy to navigate.

I have to meet Matt outside his work at 5pm across the river. While I am on my way there I realize that I never wrote down the address and I have no clue how addresses work here anyway. I know the general area, but I also don't know the name of his company. Great job, Tom, 0/2. I just decide to wing it, head the direction I think is correct and sure enough I find some buildings that look like the match of what I saw when I looked at his work building in a Google Map overview for 5 seconds. Sure enough 5pm roles around and out walks Matt. Boom, nailed it.

The reason I am meeting Matt, is that we are getting an apartment together here in Budapest for the next three months. This will be somewhere for me to store my stuff and recharge between trips. Our new apartment is just across the street and we need to go meet the landlord to do paperwork. Now, I don't have to do any paper work, I am just staying there unofficially, but I wanted to go anyway. Our apartment is right across from Matt's work, on the Buda side (the more expensive side) and about 1/2 block from the river and guess the cost of our rent. If you guessed $225/month you are correct. I love Budapest. Rent is cheap! This is for a nice place in a nice building too, we didn't go for the cheap.

On Friday I spend the day cranking out some job applications and planning/booking my next two trips. 3 days in Vienna (27-29) and Sweden on Oct. 1st. That night Bobbi has invited Matt and I to go to a pub downtown where one of his friends is having a going away party. The friend is studying in Germany for the next 6 months or so. This was a great time. There was about 20 people there, all around my age +/- 2 years and the best part is, almost all of them are working on their masters in history. (Now if you go to college in Hungary you almost always get your masters, its closer to an undergraduate degree in the states because so many people have bachelor degrees in Hungary. A fault of free education).

I get into a great conversation with two of Bobbi's friends about the difference of perspective in learning American history. They also explain how the political system works in Hungary, what is going on with the current parties, etc. This is just right up my alley. Both of these guys also like to focus on WW2 history, so the conversations are just endless.

Finally, one of them asks me if I would be willing to present my senior history thesis to a group of them. I was confused at first because I haven't mentioned that in this conversation. They go onto to explain that Bobbi talked to them about what I wrote my thesis on (why Japan lost the naval war in the Pacific during WW2 even though they were the bigger power). Kind of thrown back, I ask more about the group I would be presenting to, the format, etc. So they have a formal organization at their University of history students that get together and bring in speakers to present different topics of history. They expect the presentation will be to about 30-40 master students.

While I accept the offer to present I am thinking (where is my thesis...what computer did I save it on.....what were my main points.....crap). Luckily after jogging my brain for a minute it all started coming back. So yes, I came to Budapest and somehow ended up being asked to present my senior thesis to 30-40 history students. Awesome, just awesome. I love this adventure. But I need to refresh myself on my research and put it into a power point presentation.

After reaching a comfortable point drinking beers I decide it is time to catch one of the last trains back to my area and call it a night. I have research to do!