Time for analyze

I realized that I've been here for 4 weeks now, wow. I think it's time to do some analyze about everything here in Hungary. Everything has been going so fast and i never really had time to go trough everything! At first, i really like Budapest. I like it for the reasons i chose it - it is such a big place and always something going on. Which is also hard for me, cause i like to be there where happens so being home even for one night is frustrating. What am i missing!?

Because it's still a winter here I don't feel I've experienced the beauty of the city. Yeah it is beautiful on it's own way but i would rather call it bare. But i also think that after few weeks when the spring comes,  there will be also another colors besides grey! Yes, it is winter here, which means +2 degreases and that seems crazy for a Finn girl. So when I look the thermometer and see plus degreeses it means that i don't need my quilted jacket anymore, i leave it home and damn i'm freezing out there. +2 degreeses in this city feels like -12 in Finland. Danube river makes the city attractive. It parts the city to Buda and to Pest and it seems to be really important for people which side of the river you live in. One of my mentors gave me this "polite" simile: Buda is like Sweden and Pest is like Finland - so Buda is better! Even if i might secretly believe in that, i'm living in Pest side. After all, Pest is where everything happens that is what that matters to me.

Of course living in a different culture makes you question some things. Here is a list of mine. Why a person working in a most touristic shopping mall doesn't speak english?  Where do people here buy normal stuff like hangers and glue? (I so love Finland's Citymarkets where in one huge store you find everything you need!) People here don't rent movies? (I've asked for 2 hungarian for a movie renting place the other one had no idea and the other one gave me address where there is nothing, again haha) Like mentioned before - where are all the gyms? Why is there so much pee and boob on the streets and are they dog's or human's? Why can't you buy a phone without being a citizen of Hungary? Does everyone hungarian have this whoopedoo attitude? There are a lot of fast food stands in every corner of this city, why people are not fat? For what do I need to give my mom's maiden name to the papers? The self-service cashes make me smile. The language sounds so funny, that it makes me smile. And the great people I've met here, make me smile <3

Special week

Paul's and Mathias' birthday - (where's Mathias....)

Monday was a crazy night. Paul and Mathias had birthdays. 40 people in the appartment. We got drunk.  Went to Morrison's. Ella's night ended a bit early. She puked on her room floor, little bit to the bed too. Tuesday was terrible. Didn't go to school. On wednesday karma revenge me. I got a stomach flu. Slept the whole day in the toilet floor. Finally Thursday.

Simon came on Thursday but I was too tired of doing anything really. But good that on Friday I was feeling better and we went out to see the city a bit. In the evening I took him to the spanish bar I've been talking about before and had some spanish beers and ate patatas bravas. Because at 12 o'clock I kinda got one year older decided we to continue somewhere and went to London Soho where happened to be karaoke. After being sick and still smoking cigarettes my voice was terrible and I regret what I did. The cranberrieses Zobie must have sounded terrible :O

Saturday was my real birthday so I orgaized a little party at my place. I was a bit tired because of yesterday but it was a nice evening. Everybody were so sweet that they agreed my suggestion and everybody sang me a birthday song with their own language! And they even went standing in the middle of the room in front of me, sweet people :) The evening continued in a club called Ötker. A new experience for me, good one!

The rest of the week with Simon was all about seeing the city, eating good, going to the castle and the compulsory Morrison's Monday (this time on Opera, which rocks). Finally I saw where the Hungary had got it's nickname "The country of Spa's" and went to Széchenyi, to one of the oldest spas in Budapest. It was amazing! As soon as you get inside you see a steaming pool outside and it looks so romantic. Inside you could enjoy the thermal baths which include some kind of minerals with heeling effects. I also got to Sauna! It couldn't be compared to finnish sauna but god i felt good after that! Now i definitely know where everybody has to go when they come to Budapest.

But the week is gone now and i can not steal anyone's blanket or argue about what food to eat anymore :(

Sina having a drinking competence as always

Las gentes esta muy loca

Monday in Morrison's

Above you may see how the new week started! The party was good as always on Mondays. And the week ended the same way it stared. On Friday we had pre-drinking with a small group and headed to Corvinteto (it was OK) and then to Doboz (again). Doboz is a club i like but today there was a creepy guy who got me a bit scared - he came yelling to me 5 times during the night for some reason :/ I had never met him and i didn't even talk to him so me and Ella drew a conclusion that he was mentally ill.

Saturday evening a new friend of mine from Sevilla invited me to watch flamenco. Really close to my place there is a spanish restaurant where there is something going on every evening - everything from flamenco to live music. Watching flamenco and experiencing the spanish atmosphere made me super happy. I so miss that country! The spanish theme continued also on Sunday when the same boy had a goodbye party. The party ended up to be so crazy. We were drinking the water from vases* and dancing our bests. The owner decided to luck to doors of the bar in the point went the Sevillan boy took his shirt of and started a little striptease show. Maybe i was part in that dance sitting on the chair in the middle of the room while he was dancing, maybe...

*spanish saying for drinking too much

Yllä olevasta kuvasta voi nähdä miten meidän viikko alkoi. Bileet Morrisonissa oli hyvät kuten aina maanantaisin. Ja viikko loppui samalla tavalla kuin se alkoikin - perjantaina aloiteltiin pienessä poruassa ja suunnattiin Corvintetoon (se oli ok) ja sieltä Dobozeen (taas). Dobozesta tykkään, mutta tänään siellä oli ihan outo tyyppi joka oli vähän pelottava - hän tuli 5 kertaa huutamaan mulle jostain syystä vaikken koskaan oltu nähtykään eikä juteltu sen illan aikana. Tultiin siis Ellan kanssa siihen tulokseen, että se oli joku mielisairas.

Lauantai-iltana uusi kaverini Sevillasta kutsui meidän katsomaan flamecoa. Ihan meidän asunnon liepeillä on espanjalainen baari, jossa tapahtuu jotain joka ilta - kaikkea flamencosta livemusiikkiin. Flamencon katsominen ja se ihana espanjalainen tunnelma...olin niin onnellinen. Ikävöin niin sitä maata! Espanjalainen teema jatkui sunnuntaina, kun tällä samaisella pojalla oli jäähyväisbileet ja ne bileet loppui aika hurjasti. Juotiin vedet maljakoistakin* ja tansittiin parhaamme. Omistaja päätti laittaa ovet lukkoon siinä vaiheessa, kun tältä espanjalaiselta lähti paita päältä ja alkoi stippishow. Ehkä olin mukana tanssissa ja istuin tuolilla huoneen keskellä samalla kun hän tanssi, ehkä...

*espanjalainen hassu sanonta sille, että juo liikaa

Weekend, hiking, TICKET

On saturday despite the hangover we went to do a little hiking with other erasmus people. It was snowing, it was terrible cold and i had to buy new sneaker for that but it was great. I don't know if hiking is a good word for walking asphalt road up to a hill but it felt a like that! Ok well, we did some shortcuts because of the curvy road. We went all the way up to see the great Statue of Freedom.

Lauantaina krapulasta huolimatta lähdettin patikoimaan eramus -porukan kanssa. Satoi lunta, oli jäätävän kylmä ja koko hommaa varten piti käydä ostamassa uudet tennarit. En ole varma, onko patikoiminen oikea sana kävelemisellä asfalttitietä pitkin ylös kukkulalle, mutta siltä se tuntui! Tain o okei, kyllä me vähän oikaistiin sitä kiemurtelevaa tietä.Mentiin aivan huipulle saakka katsomaan mahtavaa vapauden patsasta.

hiking group

the views from the hill

A shortcut

On the way to the hiking place happened something that made me pissed off. I had left all the unnecessary stuff at home (obviously i didn't want to loose more stuff) and was carrying only some money and the metro ticket with me. But when i was getting out of the metro, were the mean inspectors waiting for me. They wanted to see my ticket. Yeah, i had it with me, but i didn't have the student card. Student ticket without student card is the same thing as no ticket at all and i had to pay 8000 forints ticket :(

Ennen kun olin päässyt patikoimispaikalle, tapahtui jotain mikä ärsytti suunnattomasti. Olin tietenkin fikuna tyttönä (enhän halunnut hukata taas jotakin) jättänyt kaikki tarpeettomat tavarat kotiin ja mukana oli vain vähän rahaa ja metrolippu. Kun olin nousemassa pois metrosta, oli ilkeät tarkastajat odottamassa minua. Ne halusi nähdä lippuni. Olihan minulla lippu, mutta ei sitten opiskelijakorttia. Opiskelijalippu ilman opiskelijakorttia on sama asia kuin ei lippua ollenkaan ja jouduin maksaan 8000 forintin sakon :(

On Sunday snow had surprised Budapest. I didn't really like it cause was hoping the spring to come already but actually it made the gray city look more beautiful. We did some walking in the fresh snow and went to vegetarian restaurant to eat hummus. Not sore what i ate though... While we were having the walking tour, tried we find the gym i had read about online but in that address there was nothing looking like gym. Where are all the gyms here?!

Sunnuntaina lumi oli yllättäny Budapestin. En oikeastaan tykännyt siitä, koska olin odottanut kevään saapuvan, mutta oikeastaan lumi teki kauniin tästä harmaasta kaupungista. Tehtiin kävelyreissu kaupungilla tuoreessa lumessa ja mentiin kasvisravintolaan syömään hummusta. En ole kylläkään varma mitä söin... Kävelyretken lomassa yritin käydä paikantamassa kuntosalia, josta olin lukenut internetistä, mutta kyseisessä osoitteessa ei ollut mitään saliin viittaavaa. Missä kaikki salit on?!

We also made finnish Shrove buns with jam and whipped cream, yam :)

Basic Friday

We had a good plan for the day:
wake up early, clean the house, go shopping, eat something and meet the others at Hero's Square at 15.30.

This is how it went:
We woke up pretty early, had breakfast and started the cleaning. Unfortunately our vacuum cleaner was not in a good shape and it didn't really clean the floors and in the end it stopped working at all. We decided to give up on cleaning and put it back to the closet. When we were about to go shopping and were closing the windows, one of the windows didn't close anymore. I asked my neighbor to come and help with it but either he couldn't close it. So finally I had to call my land lord to come to help with the window. We agreed that he will come to our place between 14.30 and 15. So i had enough time for little shopping! Just when i was going to a fitting room with a pile of clothes, he called that he's now on my door and it was only 14 o'clock. I had no other choice than to leave all the clothes there and run to my place. The window got fixed and actually the vacuum cleaner too! But now it was already 15 o'clock and i was suppose to meet the people in half an hour... I decided to skip the meeting, went to Bershka and bought the clothes, had a healthy meal at Burger King and saw the others in a cafeteria 2 hours later :)

And the evening:
We were hanging first in our polish friend's place and then the night in a club. It felt good to go out after 5 days inside, but during the night i started to feel ill again. The club we chose, is called Trafiq. Trafiq is a popular bar in Budapest and you always have to line to get it - girls for free. I don't know if there was a special night this Friday but the club seemed to be for people + 40... So we didn't really fit in and actually someone came to ask from us if we are in the club looking for money, cause that's why young girls go there.

Meillä oli hyvä suunnitelma päiväksi:
herää aikaisin, siivoa asunto, shoppaile, syö jotain ja tapaa muut Sankareiden Aukiolla 15.30

Näin se meni:
Herättiin melko aikaisin, syötiin aamupala ja aloitettiin siivoaminen. Valitettavasti meidän imuri ei ollut enää parhaimmillaan eikä juurikaan imenyt mitään lattialta, joten loppujen loppuksi lakkasi se toimimasta ollenkaan. Luovuttettiin siivoaminen ja laitettiin imuri pois. Ennen shoppailmeaan lähtemistä alettiin sitten sulkea ikkunoita asunnosta ja huomattiin että yhden makkarin ikkuna ei mennyt kiinni. Pyysin naapuriakin auttamaan, mutta ei. Oli siis pakko soittaa vuokranantajalle. Sovittiin, että hän tulee asunnolle puoli kahden ja kolme välillä eli minulle jäi sopivasti aikaa pikku ostosreissulle. Mutta juuri kun olin menossa sovituskoppiin vaatekasan kanssa, hän soittaa, että on ovellani. Ja kello oli vasta 2. Minun ei auttanut muuta kun jättäää vaatteet ja juosta kotiin. Ikkuna korjattiin ja itseasiassa imurikin! Mutta nyt kello olikin 3 ja muut piti nähdä jo puolen tunnin kuluttua... Päätin skipata tapaamisen, menin Bershkaan ja ostin vaatteet, söin terveellisesti Burger Kingissä ja näin muut kahvilassa kaksi tuntia myöhemmin :)

Ja loppuilta:
Aluksi hengailtiin puolalaisen kaverin asunnolla ja loppuilta oltiin clubilla. Oli ihanaa lähteä ulos viiden päivän sisällä olemisen jälkeen, mutta illan aikana olo alkoi tulla taas kipeäksi. Clubiksi valittiin Trafiq. Se on suosittu baari Budapestissä ja sisään saa yleensä aina jonottaa - tytöille ilmainen sisäänpääsy. En tiedä oliko eilen joku erikoisilta tai jotain, mutta clubi tuntui olevan täynnä ihmisiä + 40 vuotta... Joten ei oikeastaan sovittu joukkoon ja itseasiassa joku tuli kysymään meiltä, oltiinko tultu clubille rahan perässä, koska sen takia nuoret tytöt sinne tulevat. 

Garlic in the sucks

I have been sick for the last 4 days and it's killing me! I have been like inside the whole week and i really miss seeing people and doing s o m e t h i n g. I have tried everything to kill this flu: i've been drinking orange juice, eating raw garlic nails, putting ginger in a hot water with honey and taking a lot of bills. But still, nothing has helped so last night i decided to use an old way and put 2 garlic nails in my sucks for the night. Have to admit that my nose have been a bit better today... Next i will go and buy a bottle of rum!

At least i had time for Valentine's day

Täällä ollaan oltu kipeänä viimeiset neljä päivää enkä kestä enää! Olen siis ollut sisällä koko tämän viikon ja todella kaipaan nähdä ihmisiä ja sitä että tekisin j o t a k i n. Olen yrittänyt kaikenlaista tappaakseni nuhapöpön: juonut appelsiinimehua, syönyt raakoja valkosipulinkynsiä, laittanut inkivääriä kuumaan veteen hunajan kera sekä napsinut paljon lääkkeitä. Mutta silti tuntuu ettei mikään auta. Joten viime yönä päätin testata vanhanaikaista keinoa ja laitoin pari valkosipulinkynttä sukkiini yön ajaksi. Täytyy myöntää että nenä on voinut pikkuisen paremmin tänään...Seuraavaksi menen ostamaan rommipullon!

Weekend and new bars

On Friday we started our evening in Szféra. We went there to pee and already people wanted to change the place. Weird :)

After peeing we went to a bar at 7th district and it had the same style as every bar in Budapest seem to have. First you go inside, then there is a courtyard and then inside different kind of rooms. But this bar i really liked!

Perjantaina ilta alkoi Szferasta. Mentiin sinne loppujen lopuksi vain pissalle ja ihmiset halusi vaihtaa paikkaa. Kumma :) Pissareissun jälkeen mentiin baariin 7 alueelle ja se oli saman tyylinen kun kaikki baarit Budapestissä tuntuu olevat. Eli ensin tullaan sisään, sitten tullaan sisäpihalle, josta jatketaan sisälle eri huoneisiin. Mutta tästä baarista kyllä tykkäsin!

The doors were un-closable

Courtyard in Doboz

Saturday we went to one of the largest night clubs in Budapest. This was quite a place and like it too! But then again, i don't know if it was a place where students go and it was a bit too far from my cozy Pest -home.

Launtaina mentiin yhteen Budapestin isoimpaan clubiin. Se olikin melkoinen paikka ja pidin siitäkin! Mutta, se ei taida olla opiskelijapaikka ja oli vähän turhan kaukana kotoisasta Pest -kodistani.

Sunday, and i'm looking for pizza deliveryman

Finding food from the stores is still a bit difficult...

Metro tour

We heard that Fridays are always free from school so this Friday was sacred for a little metro ride. We were suppose to take all the metros and all the trams and just travel around but it didn't really go as planned. But we went to a great Market Hall and to see the beautiful Budacastle where we joined the others.  No I have finally time for one hour just to sit on the couch and write something! Before i head to a bar to meet some people... :)

Let the pictures speak:

Saatiin kuulla ettei perjantaisin ole koulua joten pyhitettiin tämä päivä pikku metroajelulle. Tarkoitus oli siis ajella kaikilla metrolinjoilla ja ratikoille alkupisteestä loppupisteeseen mutta eihän se ihan niin mennyt. Mutta käytiin sentään suuressa kauppahallissa ja katsomassa kaunista Budan linnaa, jossa liityttiin muiden vaihtareiden seuraan. Nyt on vihdoinkin aikaa istua sohvalle hetkeksi ja kirjoittaa! Ennen kuin suuntaan baariin tapaamaan ihmisiä... :)

Kuvat kertokoon kaiken:

What I've learned in Budapest

I had to post this one also on Facebook but here is the longer version about it

1. Do not loose your metro ticket
2. Do not forget your wallet at the bar desk
3. Take a look which direction you take a metro so you don't get lost
4. Leave the bus at the right stop so you don't get lost
5. Do not loose your keys so you get home in the evening
6. Find the keys next morning in a cafeteria!
7. Find out what is Hooters before you go eat in Hooters.
8. Take your student card with you from Finland. No use to have it if it's in Finland.
9. Would be nice if your glasses weren't also in Finland

Couldn't believe i was eating in Hooters