Welcome! Üdvözlet!

First time in Hungary (2008)

The first time I stepped foot in Budapest was on a cool spring day almost a decade ago, to visit my good friend Dorka from high school. I arrived with zero knowledge of the country, but I soon became enamored with Hungary's beauty, gaining a deep respect for the resilience and determination of its people. At the time, I made a mental note to myself that I wanted to return someday to explore further.

That day has arrived! A few months ago, after a grueling application process that took well over a year (and took parts of my soul, too), I excitedly opened an e-mail telling me that I had received a Fulbright grant to teach English at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest for one academic year. I'll also be working at Fulbright's EducationUSA office, helping Hungarians who want to study in the U.S. make their dreams come true. I could scarcely believe my good fortune!

Now, faced with the prospect of finding an apartment, selling my car, putting my things into storage, leaving my job, and chipping away at an alarming to-do list that grows longer by the day, I, of course, have decided to focus on the important things, like setting up a blog and googling "Hungarian food"--yum!

My first blog, "From Texas to Tete: My Life in Africa" documented my life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mozambique, and was met with critical acclaim from even the most important critics (by which I mean my Oma). However, I wasn't always able to post regularly, sometimes due to lack of electricity/internet, and other times, admittedly due to laziness or lack of inspiration. Thankfully, Budapest has reliable internet, so you can expect to hear from me at least once a week this time around. Plus. three years and two Masters degrees later, hopefully my writing has improved too.

With this blog, I plan to share stories about my life and the lives of those around me, insights about Hungary and its culture, challenges and lessons in teaching, and tales of my travels and adventures. I hope that this information will help Americans (and others) learn more about Hungary, and that it will give insight and inspiration for other teachers, world travelers, or people with aspirations to apply for Fulbright grants.

It's going to be an exciting year, and I invite you to join me by following my adventure! To Budapest and beyond!