Words

I’m a 20-year-old Mama’s boy from New Hampshire and this is my blog about studying abroad in Budapest, and being Hungary.

It's been about eight days since my arrival here in the city and I'm finally starting to get the hang of this crazy place. This is my first European experience, it's my first urban experience, and it also happens to be the first time I've lived more than thirty minutes away from Darrylin (my lovely mother). There's been a bunch of European meanies out here yelling at me in their various assortments of strange languages, and my mom isn't here to tell them to ‘piss off’, so it's been a little startling to say the least.

Even though I've made quite a few central Europeans angry and have consistently been scared and embarrassed and everything in between, these eight or so days have been the most interesting of my life. It seems as though there's a little more to the world than I thought. It's even safe to say my former worldview may have been a little narrow and even somewhat small-minded. 

I had always heard rumors that many Europeans aren’t quite as fond of Americans as we may be of ourselves. However, it has been shocking to me to experience this sentiment firsthand. As a white male living in the northeastern part of the United States who has spent most of his adolescent years playing football, going to college, and partying with hotties (well, let’s make pretend on that last one) life has been fairly easy. I’ve been able to resist the idea of a world outside of my own upper-middle class suburban one for quite some time now. Being in Budapest has opened my eyes to the concept of being a little lower on the proverbial totem pole than what I’m used to.

As soon as I stepped foot off of the plane in Germany to catch my connecting flight to Budapest I was greeted by a few Lufthansa employees that were less than impressed by my Wailers shirt and American accent. Upon reaching Budapest the local Magyars weren’t the fastest to smile or lend a hand with directions to put it delicately. At first I reacted with internal horror at the general attitude of Europeans towards my presence (that of an over coddled and privileged young American cry baby). But as my time in Budapest has gone on and my experience has grown deeper I’m beginning to see things a little differently.

Hungarians haven’t exactly had it as easy as I have, and they haven’t quite experience the same spoiling as someone that grew up in the states. They also haven’t been protected inside the same easygoing and lighthearted bubble that I’ve had the great fortune to grow up within. Magyars have seen hard times. It was only about twenty years ago that the last of the Soviet ‘terrorists’ (as a young Hungarian girl referred to them as) left the city of Budapest. Most of the adults and elderly that I interact with on a daily basis have had the misfortune of living under the control of both Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin within their lifetime. It’s quite easy to see why not all Europeans are willing to go out of their way to help someone like me (someone who, unlike most Europeans, can only speak one language, at times even speaks that one poorly, and has never had to face any real adversity or misfortune).

I met an tremendously intelligent young man who was working in a store in Budapest the other day. He spoke impeccable English and couldn’t have been any older than 25. He had spent a year living in Colorado and said that he could make more money working for one year in the US than he could working twice as many hours for four years in Budapest. He felt as though there was no room to improve ones quality of life in Hungary, while in America with a little effort and wit the sky was the limit. He has been trying to get a visa ever since he left to go back to the US for good.

Young Europeans have been some of the nicest and smartest people that I’ve ever met. They have an incredible passion for learning. They love to discuss travel, culture, language and world politics, while most of my American conversations have regarded sports, girls, and general illegal or close to illegal shenanigans. One culture is not better than the other. But there are differences over here in Europe. People divide themselves and fight over things that aren’t as simple as baseball teams or home states. There is a history that is much, much older, and at times has been very cruel and hard to believe. But it’s important that as Americans we understand what our strengths are and express them to the world around us, rather than constantly exposing our weaknesses. Perhaps the best way for us to do this is to take more of an interest in the world around us, rather than ignoring it altogether. My week here has truly opened my eyes to many things. Hopefully I can express some of these things through this blog, but it is probably best for you (whoever you are) to come and experience them for yourself. The world is massive, multifaceted and is made up of lots of different kinds of people with many different stories to tell (so many so that my head is literally spinning after a week of being here).

Even a dummy like myself who has been stuck inside of a comfortable microcosm for years can come here and win some people over. All it takes is a week of struggling and a few awful attempts at Hungarian “hello”, “please” and “thank you”.

As a group we (Team JSBP UNH- lets lock it up) visited the US embassy and had a talk with one of our political consulates here in Hungary, Jay Truesdale. Jay’s main point seemed to be that as Americans we are telling our story the wrong way to Europe. We are a truly good and empathetic nation made up of kind people (not just dummy’s that only speak English). We need to take a step towards winning back the hearts and minds of our world neighbors. It’s time for us to move towards reclaiming our image as ambassadors of freedom and open mindedness. Much of that can come simply by taking an interest in the world around us. There are countries outside of the US, and they’re made up of some pretty interesting people. We can even learn a thing or two from them. Some of these people have seen some real stuff and deserve to be listened to - I’m just starting to figure that out for the first time.

Keep it keepin in the States and I’ll keep messing up Abroad.

Love,

Mama’s Boy