Sziget Festival: Óbudai Island.

Wasting no time, I'm headed back to Budapest this morning, making my way to Óbudai Island on the Danube River for the largest music and cultural festival in Eastern Europe... the Sziget Festival! So many things are new and different, yet some things will never change. I am always up to explore the music scene, especially when it's a seven-day long party on an island in the heart of Europe!

The festival boasts more than 1,000 performers and will host almost 400,000 fans (to put it in perspective, that's five times the size of Bonnaroo)! I am rolling solo... just me, my tent, camera, and sleeping bag... though I hear that over half of the festival-goers come from outside Hungary, mostly from the Netherlands and France, so I'm sure there will be other English speakers representing...

Being a true cultural festival, music is only part of the draw... there will be theatre performances, films from around the world, classes from learning Hungarian to pole dancing to yoga, speeches and demonstrations, poetry competitions, art cooperatives and open studios, dancing tents that go all night / morning long, and much much more that I am soon to discover. I'll be sure to post my reactions when I return...

Kaposvár: A Brand New Old City.

Things are so so different here... I have never been this lost... and I really dig it! Since arriving in Hungary, I have heard three people speak English. Of course, Zsuzsa, who continues to be a great help, speaks well and is happy to get me through some tight communication gaps. Then, my server at the restaurant in Budapest spoke basic English (like in every major European city). And, third, is my new principal Kati.

Outside of the three mentioned English speakers, I have found that nobody else can speak, or at least no one admits it and is willing to attempt it. I have been to several markets, currency exchanges, pubs, cafés, train stations, etc. and all I hear is Hungarian. It's already such a crazy adventure!

Kaposvár is beautiful... it is an old city (not a big bustling contemporary urban dwelling that I am used to, but a big town feel with old architecture and many cobblestone roads / sidewalks, churches, etc.)... it feels very different from the US certainly, but also much different than even the typical European tourist spots I have visited (Athens, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Munich, London, etc.). It's interesting how Eastern Europe has a distinct feel... Hungary (as a whole, and certainly Budapest) is much like what I remember of visiting Czech Republic and Austria... and I love it!

I had a chance to visit my new school yesterday: Munkácsy Mihály Gimnázium in Kaposvár... and all of the sudden, I can't wait to start teaching again! Certainly it will be nothing like I've experienced before, but I know I love teaching art and I'm happy to give it a try in this beautiful new place. I was psyched to to see the new school and thankful that Kati made time to show me around. This is Kati's first year as principal and she has plenty to do with the transition, but still found time to make me feel welcome at the new school. These are just a few photos I took walking to school from my flat in Kaposvár... My life is teeming with photo opportunities these days, so you'll surely see many more soon...

Home = HUNGARY

After spending twenty-three hours in airports and airplanes, I am relieved (and excited) to be home at last. Home, eh? This is an interesting supposition... While I'll always have a love for Buffalo (roots), and I hope to return to the land of mountains and sun in Denver (heart), I am proud to call Kaposvár my home for the next year!

While in DC, I had the opportunity to meet with my exchange partner, Rita, and pick her brain about Hungary all week. I feel like I learned so much about the country... yet, still I know nothing. She was an incredible resource and she shared plenty, but much like anything... until I'm there and living it, my mind has a difficult time finding it tangible.

It's been a journey already and the adventure is just beginning... I arrived at Dulles International Airport early Friday morning and was delayed several times with baggage, etc. No problem. Finally, I took the 8.5-hour flight to Franfurt, Germany from DC. No problem. Then, on my connecting flight, we arrived at Budapest and hovered, though it was too cloudy and apparently a control panel went down... so the 1.5-hour flight turned into a 3-hour flight... only to end up returning to Frankfurt. No problem. We had to change planes and, once again, depart for Budapest. No problem... I made it.

When I arrived in Hungary, I was greeted by Rita's husband Feri, their son Dárius, and friend Zsuzsa. I am very grateful that they waited for my travel miscues to pan out and helped me back to Kaposvár... and Zsuzsa speaks English quite well, so that's pretty awesome...

On the way back, we stopped for lunch in Budapest. Wow! I can already tell I'll be spending a lot of time in that city. I'll post more later... when I get a chance to really experience it, but I know I dig it and look forward to getting back there soon...

However, a greater surprise was Lake Balaton! I have already heard so much about Pest and what a killer city it is... but Balaton blew me away! We went to Siófok on the southern bank of the lake and had a little walk around. It's ridiculous to think that this lake (the largest freshwater lake in Europe) is only forty minutes from my flat... and I'm going to take advantage of it for sure! Again, I'll have to post more when I have the time to spend a bit of time there, but for now... a few photos of Siófok and Lake Balaton...

The Next Adventure: Move to Hungary.

I will be moving to Hungary at the end of the week! Yes, it's true... I am relocating to Eastern Europe to take advantage of a unique opportunity to teach art, study culture, write reports on my research, travel, meet new people, and finally turn the corner from the funk I've lived in for a few years. In April, I received news that I was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational Affairs... and it's finally becoming a reality.

I just arrived in Washington DC for the orientation and I am greatly humbled by the level of professionalism and company of such distinguished scholars. I am among forty-six teachers from the United States and will be joined by dozens of other American scholars (doctors, scientists, journalists, sociologists, artists, anthropologists, environmental researchers, etc) in an effort to gain insight and promote mutual understanding through cultural exchange. Since returning from my summer travels, I have been working to get things in line (the things that I have to: visa to work in Hungary, residence permit to live in Hungary for longer than ninety days, you know - the legal and legitimate), but I am still going into this exchange with a mind-full of question marks... and truly, that's how I like it!

I will go it alone. I don't know a single person, I don't speak a single word of the language (Hungarian), I have never stepped foot in the country, and most frightening of all... I will not be moving with my best friend, my closest companion, Luna Shea. I certainly can't afford to ruminate about this anymore, as it is killing me! I went back and forth and back and forth and finally determined that it simply wouldn't be fair to bring Luna on this assignment; I would be forced to compromise too much of her lifestyle and daily satisfaction that she deserves. I will be traveling and getting lost and opening myself up to vulnerable circumstances that are best for a solo me... and Luna will be staying with Bryan and Sarah in Rochester, NY for the year. Of course, I can be confident she is in the best of hands... hanging with her homegirl Kiaya, and hiking, swimming, and such around the Finger Lakes... life will be good for her, but there won't be a day I don't miss her. Okay, that's it about Luna... before I start crying again... I'll post again once I hit home.

Rotors in the Rockies.

It's kind of crazy to think about the lives that all of our friends and family lead... it amazes me what everybody else does for a living and for fun, and often both. After all, that's the way it should be, eh? I've got friends that do some pretty entertaining things; from installing huge sound systems in mega churches to rebuilding motorcycles to building musical instruments with kindergartners in a spaceship, they have some pretty rad gigs. Well, Grant flies helicopters for a living... and that's pretty alright by me.

Today, he took me up over Boulder and along the Flatirons for a look from a few-thousand feet above Colourful Colorado. We had a picture perfect day and when I wasn't snapping pictures, he even let me take the contols. It's a pretty ridiculous feeling being the dude behind the cyclic (joystick) and every minor shift can affect the direction and pitch huge.

We got pretty close to the mountains and even spied on some rock climbers for a bit. The view over Boulder was pretty far out too... Thanks Grant!

Day Twenty-Eight: Lincoln, NE > Denver, CO

Wow! Today's the day of grand return, the day that Krissie moves to Colourful Colorado, the day that I sleep in a real bed for the second time all month! As I come to the close of another wild adventure, I am thankful that I got to see so many of my favourite people and places, and that I lasted the test of driving while staying awake for (most of) the whole trip...

Once again, as I get back home, I realize that of all the cities I've traveled this summer, there are none I would enjoy more to live in than Denver, Colorado. Luna and I are both so glad to be home (it was hilarious watching her get so excited once we rolled into our hood) and to be able to enjoy a few weeks of Colorado summer now... And, we got back on just the right night... the first Friday of July... a night to celebrate the arts and the tremendous support they receive in Denver!






So, as I compile the stats from the trip, I realize why I may be feeling a little exhausted... Here are the raw totals:

• 6,423 miles*
• 2 countries
• 18 states / provinces
• 3 national parks
• 3 MLB baseball stadiums
• 3 art museums
• 8 Phish shows
• 2 family parties
  
• 23 unique places to sleep
• 98 prints sold
  

* - of the 6,423 miles driven, I drove 6,393 of them; Campanella drove 30 miles on the way to White Plains, NY so I could go in the back of the bus and make my pops a Father's Day card...

** - trip expenses (gas money, etc): not important; I'll deal with it later...

Day Twenty-Seven: Chicago, IL > Iowa > Lincoln, NE

Travel Day. Lots to see (well, kind of... after all, we're mostly traveling through Iowa and Nebraska today)...