It's FREEZING....But I'm Excited About My New Adventure!!

I had planned to post something about my current adventure BEFORE I left, but it just never seemed to come together because I was feeling excited - but ambivalent - about this Adventure! So here I am in Hungary (a couple hours outside of Budapest) - it's 5:00 am and I can't go back to sleep - and I guess now's the time! I'll be in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia - and then warming up in Spain!! - for the next few months, and it's all unfolding nicely!

It's been almost a week since I left the U.S., and it's been a bit "discomboobling" to fly 18 hours (with no sleep) - get DEATHLY ill with the flu (or maybe food poisoning)...ugh!!! - spending 48 hours in my AirBnb wondering "what in the world was I thinking coming here?!?!...and I wanna go home!!!" - then meeting up with the other English-speaking volunteers for a City Tour of Budapest in the FREEZING cold weather and remembering why I enjoy traveling (it's ALL about the people), and now back to 5:00 am when I can't go back to sleep so I decided to share my Journey with all of those I love at home!

I've been excited for all I'm planning to do on this trip, but it's definitely more of a "tourist itinerary" than I've done before, so I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the moving parts! When I went to France in 2015 (my first foray into house-sitting internationally), it was 3 months in one place with a few day-trips thrown in for adventure. When I went to Italy, Croatia and Bosnia in 2017, it was 4 months in just a few places, and I was living with families so it felt more "grounded" somehow. But this trip will take me on about 15-20 buses/trains/planes - staying in at least as many hotels, AirBnbs and homes over the next few months - and it was all beginning to feel a bit overwhelming before I caught my flight to Budapest!!

The funny thing is that once I got on the plane and settled into my "traveling mode" (which pushes me to trust that "it is what it is - and I can't control what happens"), I've felt more excited and comfortable with whatever is about to unfold over the next few months! Travel (like Life) is weird that way...when I spend too much time thinking about it and planning all the details so it "turns out perfectly," I find that all I end up with is anxiety and fear! But when I remember to "just breathe" and be in the Present Moment with the experience, traveling (and Life) feels fun and less scary because it will all turn out the way it is meant to, and I get to either enjoy it or be frustrated by it - it's my choice!!

Prior to my departure, I spent a LOT of time being anxious and trying to plan every minute of my trip so I knew what to expect - only to be upended when I arrived by that horrible "digestive illness" that kept me in bed longingly looking out onto the busy streets of Budapest (only venturing far enough onto those streets to get 7-up, tea, crackers and chicken soup - then back to bed...ugh)!! But it gave me time to think, get grounded into my "traveling mode" - and laugh at myself for always thinking I can control every situation and not feel any pain or discomfort if I just plan enough!! Life keeps me on my toes with unexpected challenges and delights - and I think travel is such a great reminder to just trust the process and experience every aspect of the Journey of being human (with all its ups and downs)!!

(Sorry if I'm getting a bit philosophical - it IS 5:00 am and I haven't had my coffee yet, so I'm still in my right brain "waxing poetic" about Life)!!

It seems that every trip I take, there are "breadcrumbs" I leave behind that bring me to my next trip! When I was in France in 2015, I heard all about Croatia and wanted to go then, but I went for the "comfortable option" and went to the UK instead (and we all remember how THAT turned out)!! I've always wondered what might have happened if I had taken the risk and gone to Croatia that year? Would things have turned out differently? Would I have been unceremoniously shipped home anyway? Or was I meant to go to Croatia and instead chose the "safe bet" of going to the UK instead (and getting denied entry was just God's/The Universe's way of moving me in the direction I was meant to go)?!?! These are all things I ponder when I think about my traveling experiences (especially when I'm half-asleep at 5:00 am)!!

Last year when I was finishing my time in Bosnia and Croatia and trying to decide what to do next, I heard about these programs where I could volunteer as a native English speaker and just chat with people all day in exchange for full room and board! Chatting with people over coffee?!?! Learning more about people, their culture, their history, etc. firsthand?!?! That sounded right up my alley! But at that point, I was a bit tired from traveling and living with people and just wasn't sure I was up for all that traveling and chatting after 4 months "on the road" - so I ended up coming home (and leaving another "breadcrumb" in my mind about participating in one of these English immersion programs)!

So that's how I ended up just outside Budapest at a beautiful Country Inn - chatting with Hungarian people over coffee and having a FABULOUS time learning more about a culture I've been interested in exploring for awhile! I know next-to-nothing about these countries that lived for so long "behind the iron curtain" - and I'm enjoying hearing the many perspectives (based on the participants' age, of course), about life in Hungary now versus pre-1989 when things changed dramatically!

There is so much pre-World War(s) history about Central Europe that I'm learning too! (I was originally thinking of this as my "Eastern European" trip, but I read somewhere that some find it offensive to be referred to as Eastern Europeans because they are really in Central Europe - and Russia is more Eastern Europe....interesting!! I never would've thought of that!!) I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface in understanding all the history and nuances of the Country and the culture (but you can bet I'm going to try and find out what I can to get more pieces to the puzzle in adding to my understanding of this part of Europe - and how it corrollates to my experiences with the people I learned about last year in Croatia and Bosnia)!

After I finish my week here with the Hungarians, my next stop will be Wrocław (pronounced "Vrotswaaf") for a similar week with Polish participants! I think it will be interesting to find out some of the differences in perspectives​ between the two countries - and the similarities! Following that experience will be a week of traveling to see some of the beautiful cities and Christmas Markets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia - ending up back in Budapest to house/dog-sit over Christmas, then onto Spain)!! As usual, I'll do my best to keep you all updated with stories and pictures when possible....starting with a few from our City Tour of Budapest! It was 30 degrees, overcast, windy and a bit MISERABLE, but they did a great job of continually warming us up with mulled wine (or tea for me since I didn't want to "stir things up".... Yikes!!)

I guess I've been at this long enough to see the sun rise over the fields of horses - which hopefully means that after a quick shower I can go find some coffee and maybe some morning people to chat with over coffee before everyone arrives for breakfast at 8:30!! I'm usually not that morning person who is there before breakfast (usually crawling out of bed at the last minute possible and avoiding eye contact until my first sip of coffee!!), but I guess my body has a mind of its own as I navigate the challenges of sleep in this very different time zone...ugh!! Much love to all of you!!