Home sweet home.

so.. I finally decided to make the big decision to come home.
I do not regret going to hungary and appreciate all the support from everyone but for me coming home was best.

I have been home for almost 24 hours and feel very good about my decision.

I miss everyone in Hungary but being home is an amazing feeling!

It was a great two months...but i can safely say i will not be going outside of michigan for more than 3 weeks for a very very long time:)

venice

I went on a trip to venice last weekend with about 20 rotary exchange students in Hungary. The trip started off wonderfully in Budapest because when i got to the meeting spot i spotted a starbucks from 1000 ft away and started to run. Starbucks felt like home. I ordered my venti soy chai in english and finally someone really understood. Starbucks looks the same on either side of the world.

The bus ride to venice was about 9 hours. none of us minded because it was really great to be back with the other exchange students. We arrived in venice about 9 am and started touring around. We started our day at a little cafe having a typical italian breakfast and then shopped shopped shopped...looked around. Had a wonderful expensive amazing italian pizza then shopped shoppped shopped some more..I could walk around in venice for weeks. Dinner my friend madison and I went to a little restaurant  and had amazing ravioli. walked around and went back to the bus.

It was an amazing trip with some amazing people

:)

Horses? Ok!

Ok so today I am putting my fears aside and going horseback riding:) and I'm strangely excited. I finished my frog sculpture at school today and it turned out pretty cool! Tomorrow i go on a rotary trip to Venice which I think will be amazing :):):) I will post Monday about horses and Venice!!!

i am alive

I guess my puncuality has started to fail after being in hungary a month in a half...blogging two days later than i usually do...it is a crime. sorry to everyone who waits for my blog on mondays=)

Well life has been pretty uneventful school is exactly the same every week so no news there...this past weekend i went to vilanne with my familz and other rotary exchange students. it was very similar to the wine festival in pecs the weekend before.

Homesickness i have confirmed is not the big issue. Language makes up some of my frustration. and with NOTHING being similar to home makes up another large part of my homesickness. I have no european traits so everything is different for me. Dont get me wrong i am enjoying myself here..but i miss home so much. my family here is great but again polar opposite of my family in America.

I continue to say awful things in hungarian trying to say simple words like "run" i accidently yell "penis" excuse my language...or instead of saying i am hot i said i am gay...simple mistakes create humorous situations.

Last night all 5 of us in pecs attended a rotary meeting and said a few sentences in hungarian...dont let this fool you a month into it and i can barely have an introductory convo.

I am talking to home less and less...but I am still very sad here. Ali i know i promised you a happy blog but with today being a not so good day i couldnt make it happen.

When zou are used to living the busiest life possible and then go to another country and have no freinds no job no volunteering...it is a little strange.

I hope to adjust but we will see=)=) 

I miss everzone at home so so much and i think about everyone every day.

I love getting emails and mail and love to send postcards so if you want address or want to give me yours send it to my email=)

margaretsmith713@gmail.com

Maggie

Blah blah

So it's been a pretty un eventful week with not that many up and down feelings just a lot of blah. School is pretty routine now. I know where I'm going and I have an established group of acquaintances.  Thursday I had sculpture class for the first time and it was very fun I sculpted a frog. And Friday I had ceramics class which is always a good time. Friday night my friend Marianna slept over and we went to a science fair at the university where my host dad works. Of course the presentation was in hungarian but we understood one word and both of our faces lit up. Saturday we went to my sisters basketball game which she won by 90 points we made Her a go zsofi sign which I was scared she would hate but I think she liked. Sunday was a wind festival in the city center of pécs and Marianna and my family met up there along with a Canadian boy and his family. It was lots of fun and a good end to the weekend. 

Today I was still in my blah state and just was living my life no happy thoughts and no sad. On Monday's I just have Hungarian less sons and a drawing lesson later in the day I was planning to not attend drawing lesson because I had to get my visa ( it was ready) and en on my way out the door to Hungarian lessons got a text saying they were canceled. So I stayed home today and watched animal planet with thecat:):) Katie smith would be proud

Love everyone 

Maggie

Take me homeeee

Hello:)

So I am alive and well living in Hungary. My feelings about going home are still very strong but it's a day to day thing. It doesn't really matter if i had nothing going on or if I'm busy with my family. Just once I have had enough of sucking it up and trying to be happy all the time I break down and cry for a while talk to friends from home. And the night ends with a smile on my face.

Some people told me having a boyfriend while on exchange would be harder but for me it has only helped. Yes I miss him so much but he supports me being here. And when I am crying to come home somehow he convinces me staying is a better idea. It's been a positive thing for my exchange.

I'm making lots of good friends at school and loving every minute of the school day. It's a good thing I got my year supply off ADD medicine because drawing 4 hours a day I need it!!!! The people at my school are amazing and helpful in every way:)

I would love to say it's been a month and I have perfect Hungarian..... But that is not the case. It is improving for example to day I rode the bus to school with papa and he was asking me lots of questions and I really understood them. And I mix Hungarian and English and just use the vocabulary I know in the middle of an English sentence and slowly the English words will fade out.

So... In short. Life is good here...but that does not mean I wouldn't jump on a plane to go home if I got the chance.

I am determined to try and make this a wonderful experience.

Ps uncle Todd I got your card first and will send a picture of a carp caught in a lake by my town:):):)

Love and miss everyone soooooo much!

Maggie:)

Drawing drawing and more drawing....

Let me just start by saying my homesickness has not gotten any better. Everyday I still want to go home. Though I am having a wonderful time here and everything is perfect school..my family...the food...the atmosphere. It's perfect. But I miss home more than anything. So I will take it week by week and see what happens.

So.... School HA

I think I blogged on Monday after my Hungarian lesson. And before my 4 hour drawing lesson. We had to draw boxes for FOUR hours... But I surprisingly had a very good time. I really love school. The people are amazing. I can't say drawing for 4 hours is my idea of a perfect day but hey..I'm having a great time. I don't sit silently and draw..I don't really ever do anything silently but any teacher I had in America wouldn't be surprised:)(John Mauro) in my classes on Monday's I am with younger kids so They aren't to much better than me...Wednesday's and Thursdays are another story. The students have been drawing hours a day..for the last for years. I have taken many art classes but never was to into drawing but once I get better I think I will like it:)

Tuesday I had another 4 hour drawing class with more boxes and then my color theory class where we made color wheels and let me tell you I have never struggled so much with such a simple project. Luckily I could work with my friends who speak English and Hungarian so we got the instructions and attempted the color wheel. After that another class where I don't understand a word, but of course managed to have a good time:) I wanting home more than ever Tuesday I don't know what it was but that evening I desperately wanted to be on a plane home. I did Skype with my dad after school and that was very fun:) he's still just as goofy as when I left:):):) miss my daddio:(

Wednesday a class of drawing with the 5th year students who are very good and draw things way beyond my ability but I try...and the teacher accepts anything with a face and legs so I usually can do it:) HUnGARiAN lesson #2 with all the pecs exchange students which was very fun and we learned about the same stuff as on Monday but it's always fun to get together.

And then... It was time for art history. It's a boring class for the students but when I can't understand it is 100 times worse. If it wasn't 4 hours I think it would be alright. The break times are what make it fun... Chatting with all the students learning Hungarian swear words..learning random Hungarian words or just speaking English all make school worth it:)


Today we had to draw for 6 hours straight which was entirely exhausting but kind of fun. Today was the first day I really felt just like a normal student at school (except for the fact I can't speak:)) life is great here..but that doesn't seem to ever take the homesickness.

My family is so great and thy let me try to speak Hungarian with them and do their best to deal with my crazy homesickness.

It's weird what being Ina foriegn country has done to me. I used to be 100% independent and one I feel like I cant do anything. Maybe thats why I miss home so much.. I don't know I don't know. Hopefully we see a complete turn around in my brain in the next few weeks:):)

Well I still enjoy getting postcards and hearing frmeveryone even if I don't have all the time to reply. I truly enjoy hearing from everyone:):)

Maggie