Ariana Stark

2010-11 Outbound to Hungary

Hometown: St. Augustine, Florida

School: St. Augustine High School

Sponsor: St. Augustine Sunrise Rotary Club, District 6970, Florida

Host: Szolnok Rotary Club, District 1911, Hungary

Bio

Ariana's Bio

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“Let me fall, let me climb. There's a moment when fear and dreams must collide.
Someone I am is waiting for courage. The one I want, the one I will become will catch me
So let me fall, if I must fall. I won't heed your warnings. I won't hear them.”
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Szervusz!

My name is Ariana Stark. I am a senior at Saint Augustine High School (SAHS), and a student in St. John’s County Center for the Arts (SJCCA). I live in Saint Augustine, Florida, the Oldest City in the United States. I have a younger brother, 2 caring and supportive parents, and two cats. Currently, my family is hosting a Rotary Exchange student from Italy. And, most importantly, I will be spending my next school year in Hungary!

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“All I ask, all I need. Let me open whichever door I might open.
Let me fall, if I fall. Though the phoenix may or may not rise”
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I am an artist at heart. I draw, write, sing, compose and play both the flute and piano. I sing with the Chamber Singers and Concert Chorus as well as playing the flute in the Wind Ensemble and other musical groups. I have been studying the flute for eight years, and am planning to pursue music professionally. To me, art and music provide a way to communicate without words. I enjoy all types of music, everything and anything. From little known bands, to jazz, to Liszt’s Consolation No.3, to the Beatles, I listen to it all. I chose Hungary because of its rich history and look forward to a great experience for me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I will dance so freely, holding on to no one. You can hold me only
if you too will fall away from all these useless fears and chains”
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I love to travel. So far, I have been to England, Japan, South Korea, and Spain. I have also had the opportunity to host several exchange students, from South Korea, Spain, France, Ecuador, Brazil, Japan, and Italy. I am hoping to travel to many more places throughout the world.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Someone I am is waiting for my courage.
The one I want, the one I will become will catch me
So let me fall, if I must fall. I won't heed your warning. I won't hear.”
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I am open-minded and eager for change and new experiences. I long to step out of my comfort zone and enter to realm of the unknown. I want to soar on the wings of change, facing obstacles and overcoming them. I believe my adventure is not waiting to begin . . .

. . . It has already begun . . .                                                              . . . Ez birtokol már megkezdett . . .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Let me fall, if I fall. There's no reason to miss this one chance.
This perfect moment. Just let me fall.”
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Lyrics from Cirque du Soleil’s “Let Me Fall” from the show Quidam

August 17

Little train to the heart

Little light in the dark

Little hope that you just might find your way up out of here

Cause you've been hiding for days

Wasted and wasting away

But I've got a little hope today you'll face your fears

Yeah I know it's not easy, I know that it's hard

Follow the lights to this city

It's only a couple of days until I step on a plane and leave for the greatest year of my life. Emotionally speaking, I would say that I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I wouldn't really say that I'm scared. True, it's definitely slightly nerve-wracking. It might be safe to say that my parents are more worried than I am.

Get up and go, Take a chance and be strong

Or you could spend your whole life holding on

Don't look back just go Take a breath move along

Or you could spend tour whole life holding on

On the plus side, I have heard from my first host family in Szolnok. My host parents’ names are László and Anikó Kispál. László is a businessman and Anikó is a kindergarten teacher. I will have two host siblings. Ansci likes to dance and ride horses (and there is a horse ranch right on their street). Laci, her brother, plays the guitar and tennis. They have two turtles, three cats, and a dog. I cannot wait to meet them on August 22!!

Believe the tunnel can end.

Believe your body can mend.

Yeah I know you can make it though cause I believe in you

So let's go put up a fight

Let's go make everything alright

Go on and take a shot go give it all you got

Yeah I know it's not easy I know that it's hard

And it's not always pretty

Packing is definitely one of the hardest parts that people seem to leave out of their journal. The sight of one empty suitcase sitting in the middle of the room is one of the most concrete signs that I'm leaving. Yes, I can only have one free suitcase, which makes things so much harder. I never realized how little space a suitcases can hold until I began packing for this journey.

Get up and go, Take a chance and be strong

Or you could spend your whole life holding on

Don't look back just go, Take a breath move along

Or you could spend tour whole life holding on 

When I step on that plane on August 21, I will be letting go of everything I have known in my 17 short years of life. I don't want to look back and regret not doing something. I want to cherish every possible moment of this experience because I know there is nothing like it. My goal this year is to take each moment and live it as though tomorrow may not come. I know this sounds like a cliché, but I know the time will fly by so fast and before I know it, I'll be coming back home with a whole new set of experiences and language that has become a part of me. I don't want to be trapped by a routine that I have known forever. I can't wait to experience something new and different from what I have known.

Don't wanna wake up to the telephone ring

Are you sitting down I need to tell you something

Enough is enough you can stop waiting to breathe

And don't wait up for me

Still, it's all so strange to think I will be leaving so soon. It seems like just the other day I was going through the interview process and the first outbound orientation. It's hard to believe that this day is finally here. If everything that I have done so far has gone by so fast, this year will seem over way to soon.

Get up and go, Take a chance and be strong

Or you could spend your whole life holding on

Don't look back just go Take a breath move along

Or you could spend your whole life holding on

I am a getting ready to leave for the most memorable year of my life. When I return, I want to be a citizen of the world, not of one country. I look forward to being someone who is sure of themselves in any situation. I want to be flexible and adaptive for whatever life decides to throw my way. I believe that Rotary has done all they could to prepare me for everything (roughly) and will be there if I need anything whether it be advice or help with something in my school. I can't thank Rotary enough for allowing me to depart on this experience to Hungary. They have worked so hard for all us “outbounds”. I for one am not going to let them down.

Get up and go, Take a chance and be strong

Or you could spend your whole life holding on

Don't look back just go Take a breath move along

Or you could spend your whole life holding on

Don't spend your whole life holding on

-->Lyrics from "Go" by Boys Like Girls album 'Heart Heart Heartbreak'<--

A new world calls across the ocean
A new world calls across the sky
A new world whispers in the shadows
Time to fly, time to fly

My flight over went as smoothly as possible, and I didn’t end up trying to fly to Bucharest instead of Budapest (as my host family was worried about). Jet lag didn’t catch up with me for a few days. As it turns out, my host family lives in a “suburb” of Szolnok. However, they have a huge backyard, with apple, pear, and plum trees. Everyone here has dogs, so they are barking all night, and some actually howl at the moon. Also, whoever said that roosters crow at the break of dawn lied. They crow any time they want to, even if it’s one in the morning.

Possibly one of the most memorable events within my first few weeks in Hungary would be my eighteenth birthday. With it being the day after I arrived, I didn’t expect my family to make a big deal out of it. Yet, that morning, all of them crowded in the room I share with Ancsi, to wake me up by singing “Happy Birthday” in Hungarian. It turns out that they had woken up early that morning to bake a cake for me. I feel like part of the family already. My host mother takes pictures of everything. They call her “Papperazzi Kispál” for a reason.

It's about one moment, the moment before it all becomes clear
And in that one moment, you start to believe there's nothing to fear
It's about one second, and just when you're on the verge of success
The sky starts to change, and the wind starts to blow
And you're suddenly a stranger. There's no explaining where you stand
And you didn't know that you sometimes have to go
‘Round an unexpected bend and the road will end
In a new world

Starting school was interesting to say the least. Before the start of every school year, there is a ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of the previous year and the hope for a good year. It was a great opportunity for me to meet some of the students in my class. They are all really nice, and always want to help me. In every class, students want me to sit by them (especially in the English class). The best part is that they are always helpful when I get that confused look on my face, because I have little to no idea on what is going on. Because of my age, I am in the 12th class, or one of the graduating classes. Every year, at the school ball in December, the graduating class does a special dance routine. So, every day, there is some form of discussion about the dance that our class will do. One day, it’s the colors of the dresses and the guys’ shirts. The next, it’s who wants to dance the Vienesse waltz (a traditional part of the dance). Another day it’s what music we are dancing to.

A new world calls for me to follow
A new world waits for my reply
A new world holds me to a promise
Standing by, standing by

Food, glorious food, magical food, wonderful food. (To quote Oliver). They eat so much here. Also, they don’t just cover everything with paprika. In my experience of food here, they also collectively love salt, garlic and ketchup. Every day we tend to eat five meals: breakfast, “elevenses” (a sort of brunch), lunch, late lunch (around 4) and then dinner. Also every meal, has at least two courses, one soup, and then a sort of meat dish. Between these, everyone drinks coffee. There is even a snack area in the school that sells coffee, and other drinks and snacks between classes.

School lunch is actually pretty good here, much better then school lunch back in Florida. My school is right by the Tisza Hotel, so the food is better than I would have ever thought. Each day, we have a sort of soup, followed by the main dish. Even at school, there is so much food. Students eat so much every day. Between each class, most of them pull out another sandwich to eat or go to buy a snack at the school canteen.

It's about one moment, that moment you think you know where you stand
And in that one moment, the things that you're sure of slip from your hand
And you've got one second, to try to be clear, to try to stand tall
But nothing's the same, tnd the wind starts to blow
And you're suddenly a stranger in some completely different land
And you thought you knew but you didn't have a clue
That the surface sometimes cracks to reveal the tracks
To a new world

There are three other exchange students at my school. The first one I met was Tiago, a student from Brazil. His host brother, Martszi (I think that’s how it’s spelled), is in the same class as me. At the school’s ceremony, I met Alonzo, a student from Mexico. He wants to be a singer, and is a social butterfly. The third student is a girl from Italy, Lavinia, who is here with the AFS exchange program.

Homesickness, what seems to be the bane of exchange students, hasn’t struck yet. I’m grateful for that, but I am expecting it to arrive any day now. Culture shock didn’t really seem to be as much of an issue as I expected either. True, there are definite differences, like standing up when a teacher enters the room, or eating pizza by cutting it up with a knife and fork. I’ve learned to observe what others around me are doing and quickly follow suit when necessary.

You have a house in the hills
You have a job on the coast
You find a lover you're sure you believe in
You've got a pool in the back
You get to the part of your life
You hold the ring in your hand
But then the earthquake hits
And the bank closes in
Then you realize you didn't know anything
Nobody told you the best way to steer
When the wind starts to blow

Public transportation is something worth getting used to. Because my schedule for school is different from the other student’s schedules in my class, I take the bus to school and home from school almost every day. School here starts at 7:30, but because I live in Szandaszólós (which is farther away) my host siblings and I have to get up at 6 in the morning.

My first time taking the bus home by myself could possibly be considered comedic. I off at the right stop, which was what I was worried about. I didn’t think that I should have asked for directions on how to get home from the bus stop. After all, I should be able to remember it when I went with Ancsi once, right? Um…not really. I ended up wandering around the neighborhood for about two hours. On the Brightside, I had two bottles of tea in my backpack, and enough food to feed an army (because my mother thinks I eat so much). Eventually, I had the smart idea to go look at the map at the bus stop, and still made it home before everyone else, but not by much.

And you're suddenly a stranger all of a sudden
You life is different than you planned
And you'll have to stay ‘til you somehow find a way
To be sure of what will be
Then you might be free

In the card for my birthday, Ancsi wrote a quote from Ben Stein “The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” I’ve decided that I want to make this year extraordinary. So far, I’ve worked to embrace what may seem strange, solve possible communication problems, and have begun making those connections that make this very large world seem so much smaller. I’ve stepped outside of my comfort zone, into the realm of the unknown. The first step is always the hardest, but it’s the one that’s most worth the taking.

One of the questions I’ve been asked the most by others is “Why I chose to come to Hungary?” Every day I spend here, I find myself discovering the answer to this in a small town in Hungary’s great plain and its residents with large hearts. My first two weeks here have been bizarre, confusing, and curious, yet I love every minute of it.

A new world crashes down like thunder
A new world charging through the air
A new world just beyond the mountain
Waiting there, waiting there
A new world shattering the silence
There's a new world I'm afraid to see
A new world louder every moment
Come to me, come to me

Song Lyrics from “Opening of a New World” from Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World

September 29

She's a good girl, loves her mama
Loves Jesus and America too
She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis
Loves horses and her boyfriend too

It’s been a month, and it still hasn’t really sunk in yet that I am actually here. Every day I’m like ‘I’m really in Hungary. This is really happening.’ It feels like I’m living in a dream. Maybe it’s because I sleep so much here. Now, I was never really a nap person, but some days when I come home from school, all I want to do is sleep. I don’t know if it’s just me, but are all exchange students always this tired? Also, homesickness hasn’t really paid a visit yet. I keep expecting it though, waiting for it to strike when I least expect it.

On another note, all the Rotary students on exchange in Hungary had our orientation on September 10 and 11. There are 35 brave souls who are in Hungary this year. Of course, there are a lot from Brazil and the USA, so it can get pretty loud when we are all together.  You know you’re an exchange student when you can make friends with other exchange students in less than 24 hours and (semi) peacefully debate religious and political issues with them.

It's a long day living in Reseda

There's a freeway runnin' through the yard

And I'm a bad boy ‘cause I don't even miss her

I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart

So, being in the 12th class means that I am taking part in the dance that we do at the Szalagavató (the school dance in December.) I have practice two days a week for this. Now, the practice is entirely in Hungarian, although the teacher speaks fluent English. I think he enjoys watching me try to figure out what’s going on. Most of the other students find it completely hilarious, and I spend plenty of time laughing at myself. One of our moves involves two groups of people rotating in an X formation. Well, as a band geek, the actual dancing part while staying in a line is easy. As we are practicing this, my inner band geek wants to start saying things along the lines of “Dress the form! Check the diag! Stay on step!” (If you don’t know marching terminology, I’m sorry that you won’t find this really funny). Yet, I realize if I say any of this, everyone will look at me like ‘Huh?’

The first actual assignment I had to do for school was for my English class. I had to do a presentation on a “typical” American high school and afterschool activities. Most of the students were surprised that marching band isn’t considered a sport after I showed them a video of our show from last year. They kept asking me questions about football, cheerleaders, schedules, and surfing. They seemed surprised when I told them that my high school isn’t like the ones pictured in American movies and TV with the mean football players and such.

And I'm free, free fallin'

Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

Last time, I kind of glossed over the language. Well, not many people think of learning Hungarian, maybe because it only has 35 different noun cases, and isn’t close to any other language (well, other than Finnish, but even then).  Myself and the other exchange students in Szolnok have one language lesson a week, which is not enough. It doesn’t really help that our Hungarian teacher starts teaching is past tense conjugation, when we barely know the present tense conjugation. Yet, I’m learning more and more each day, mostly a lot of words. My host parents don’t speak any English, so they enjoy pointing at things and saying the Hungarian word for it until I repeat it after them perfectly. So, my pronunciation has become pretty good. Still, the 14 different vowels are really confusing.

All the vampires walkin' through the valley

Move west down Ventura Boulevard

And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows

All the good girls are home with broken hearts  

Whenever everyone else isn’t around, Apa (my host father) loves to try to feed me large amounts of food, especially for breakfast. Now, I’ve never really been much of a breakfast person, so this is way different than what I’m used to. His normal breakfast is about a third of loaf of bread with some sort of cream cheese spread with sliced sausage (at least I think its sausage). And the loaves of bread here are huge. I could get a loaf of bread and it would feed me for about a week. That’s how big they are, or I just don’t eat a lot.

Apa also makes this amazing spread that Ancsi, Láci and I eat almost every day. When watching him make it, I was a little unsure, but it is indescribably good. To make it takes a bag of feta cheese, half a container of sour cream, cumin, onion, and paprika (no real surprise there). It may sound nasty, but it’s so tasty.

I have been asked if a lot of people in America are overweight. Yes, in other countries, they really think that Americans eat fast food all the time. What I haven’t figured out is how Hungarians eat so much (and everything is fried) yet still stay so skinny? Then again, it might be because they actually exercise in their gym class. No one comes out of that class without sweating about two pounds of their body weight.

And I'm free, free fallin'

Yeah I'm free, free fallin'
Free fallin', now I'm a, free fallin',

now I'm a Free fallin', now I'm a, free fallin',

Each day here is slightly different, as I start school at a different time each day. On the plus side, I can successfully navigate the city bus system, and I’m getting really good at drawing maps. But I haven’t gotten lost again, well yet.  This coming weekend, the other exchange students in Szolnok and I get to discover how to work the train system in Hungary. That will be very entertaining. Much calamity will ensue.

I know I left this out last time, but I am taking flute lessons while in Hungary. I’m taking from the Bartok Béla Zeneiskola, or for those who don’t know Hungarian, Béla Bartok Music School. Now this isn’t the university in Budapest, but it’s pretty good. I have two lessons a week, and my teacher does expect me to practice (with a metronome).

I wanna glide down over Mulholland

I wanna write her name in the sky

Gonna free fall out into nothin'

Gonna leave this world for a while

Something different that I have noticed is the maps that are used here. It’s something that I hadn’t ever noticed before, but maps in the United States always depict North America in the center of the map. Here, Europe is normally in the center of the map. It’s the little things that really catch my attention. Things like differences in something as simple as a world map that make me think how big the world really is. I keep learning more and more about the world around me. The more I learn, the more I want to know. Looking back on the past four weeks, it seems that time has already gone by so fast. I just want to take every moment and live in it for all it’s worth.

And I'm free, free fallin'

Yeah I'm free, free fallin'

Lyrics from “Free Fallin’” as covered by The Almost, originally by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

November 19

Well, there's a time for feelin' as good as we can
The time is now and there's no stoppin' us
There's a time for livin' as high as we can
Behind us you will only see our dust
So we just keep smilin', move onward every day
Try to keep our thoughts away from home
We're trav'lin' all around, no time to settle down
And satisfy our wanderlust to roam

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost three months since I arrived here. It feels like time has flown by. With the leaves changing colors, it almost seems that the world has come alive with colors. Yes I’ve seen trees with leaves that change colors in the fall, but it seems more vibrant, and more full of life here.

I cannot say how much I love my host family. I feel like such a part of my family. It’s almost impossible to explain how much I fit in here. Every week my host mother and I watch Megasztar and X-Faktor, which are kind of like American Idol, only much better. Even though she doesn’t speak any English, and I am still only speaking very basic level Hungarian, we manage to understand each other (it normally involves charades and pictures). My host father is currently having very much fun teaching me how to play ping-pong.  We play almost every week. Slowly, I’m getting better at aiming the ball, so it doesn’t go into the plants, but personally I’m convinced that the ball likes landing in the plants. It’s just my darn left-handedness, and terrible hand-eye coordination.

You know we're havin' good days
And we hope they're gonna last
Our future still looks brighter than our past
We feel no need to worry, no reason to be sad
Our mem'ries remind us
Maybe road life's not so bad
 

A few weekends ago, my host family and I went to Lake Balaton. When we got to their house, we proceeded to take a boat ride over to the other side of the very large lake. There, we walked to a fish festival where we ate, well, fish. It was kind of like a cultural festival. There were all of these people selling handmade goods out of booths. Possibly the coolest thing there was a display of traditional archery and sword fighting. How often is there an actual archery competition in a festival like that? It was completely amazing.

Well, it’s getting very cold here. I’m expecting it to snow soon. My host family says it’s going to be the coldest winter that they’ve had in a few years. My classmates are always surprised that I’m already cold and it’s only November.  Some mornings, I look out of the window of the room I share with Ancsi and see the frost over their backyard. I can’t help but think that my 15 walk to the bus stop won’t be fun in December and January.

Well, from sea to shining sea and a hundred points between
Still we go on digging every show
The cities in the land all extend a welcome hand
Till the morning when it's time for us to go

The other day, my host brother asked a question in Hungarian, and was completely surprised when I answered him. The funny thing was, I didn’t even have to think about what he asked, his question just made sense. It wasn’t like he was speaking another language at all. There are times where I’ll forget something about English that should seem natural. I’m getting so used to hearing something other than English. Still, my pronunciation and actual speaking can be downright terrible at times. I am completely incapable of rolling my r’s, and differentiating because the pronunciation of vowels (because they have 14 here). I just have to remind myself that the secret of accomplishing anything is baby steps. There are very few things that have accomplished overnight.
 

Well, you know we're having good days
And we hope they're going to last
Our future still looks brighter than our past
Feel no need to worry, no reason to be sad
Our mem'ries remind us
Maybe road life's not so bad

To the students who are waiting for a response from Rotary, my one piece of advice is that Rotary knows what they are doing. For those of you that are accepted, prepare for the next three years of your life to be one long adventure. Expect the work and don’t wait until the last minute to do anything. If Rotary says to do something, just do it. It will help. And for those of you who don’t get what you believe is your ‘dream’ country, keep your mind open. Honestly, when I first learned that I would be going to Hungary, I was happy, but apprehensive. Yet, after learning more about the country, and especially after being here, I have fallen in love with this country, with the people, and with the language. I feel like there’s not really another place that I would rather be, than right here, in Szolnok Hungary. True it’s a little town, with no more than 70,000 people, but for me, it’s truly become home. Köszönöm szepen Rotary!

Oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Maybe road life's not so bad
Road life's not so bad, oh yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

 

Lyrics from “Making Memories” by Rush

December 29

February 8

March 7

From today all the days are only half as long

Nothing left to love about

Yesterday’s one million years ago

The day before already went down

Time’s been replaced by a countdown

The sun is shining in the night

So here are the words, just think twice

Wake me up cause time is running out

It’s running out

On this side of the new year, everything seems to move much faster. Having had to decide the date for the return flight finally made me realize that the end is coming. I never realized how much I consider this place home. I can’t even think of driving again now that I’ve gotten used to taking busses everywhere. I can’t really imagine how I can go back to living in Florida without comparing to something here. It’s the little things that never cease to amaze me, like the fact that it’s almost March and it’s still snowing. Still, I find that I miss the constant sunshine of Florida.  

Live every Second

Here and now

Don’t let go

Live every second

Here and now

Don’t let go

Before it’s too late

On the 4^th we had a presentation in front of the new outbounds from Hungary in Budapest. Like typical exchange students, we waited until the last minute to prepare anything. Still, it somehow managed to all come together in time. Us Americans were up in front of the new outbounds talking in Hungarian with our faces painted, and then dancing the Cha-Cha Slide with them. Well, they watched us dance the Cha-Cha Slide.  

Ancsi will be an exchange student in Ecuador next year. It’s so different seeing another going through the process now that I’ve been through it myself. I feel I’ve grown so much through this experience. I feel so much older and mature. I feel like I’ve become more confident of myself and my abilities.

From today your life is just a TV show

You can even get a planet for free

The whole galaxy is chilling out

And time is all you can see

Don’t thank us now is all that counts

Remember that before you forget

So here are the words, just think twice

Wake me up because time is running out

It’s running out

In the last week of February, Ancsi and I went to the Táncház at the cultural center in our part of the city. This is a whole night of traditional Hungarian dancing and music. It’s a celebration that lasts well into the morning. Ancsi spent years learning Hungarian folk dance, so she is really good. She taught me some of the easier steps. The thing about folk dance in Hungary is that the music starts out at a reasonable pace, and then gradually speeds up until it becomes impossible to dance. It was still so much fun for everyone.

At the end of the winter is a celebration called Farsang, where everyone dresses up in costumes to celebrate the end of the winter. My Rotary club had a Farsang party in Szolnok for its members and the exchange students. It was great seeing everyone again after not being able to see each other for over two months. The one thing about exchange students is that no matter how long it is before we see each other again, it only seems like it’s been a few days. Ancsi and I went to the party in traditional Hungarian clothing, which is completely different from anything I am used to.

Live every Second

Here and now

Don’t let go

Live every second

Here and now
Don’t let go

Wake up, wake up, wake up

It’s over now

Wake up

There are highs and lows in any experience, and that’s to be expected. Yet nothing can ever really prepare for when the hard times come, not even everything Rotary tells us. No, I’m still not homesick, but I’ve helped the other students in Szolnok through their homesickness periods. Nonetheless, after six months, things have started to fall into a routine here.

Because of this routine, I want to challenge myself and the other outbounds to change things up. Go out of your way to do something you normally wouldn’t do. This could be as simple as sitting in a different spot at lunch, talking to someone new, or going home a different way.

As for the new outbounds, I suggest that you start learning your languages now. Yes, I know, I procrastinated, just as you are likely doing now. Yet the best part of the exchange comes only when you’ve gained some degree of fluency in the language. I still have some trouble speaking, but am able to understand pretty much anything that is said. The other day I actually had a dream in Hungarian and was able to remember what happened. Time is short. I only have four months left in this amazing country called Hungary. I’ve learned so much in such a short time, and don’t want this adventure to end. So far, this has been the best seven months of my life. Thank you Rotary!

Live every second

Here and now

Don’t let go

Live every second

Here and now

Don’t let go

Before it’s too late

Before it’s too late

Stop it now

Lyrics from “Live Every Second” by Tokio Hotel

April 30

May 30