Carleigh McFarlane

2010-11 Outbound to Hungary

Hometown: Coral Springs, Florida

School: Pompano Beach High School

Sponsor: Coral Springs-Parkland Rotary Club, District 6990, Florida

Host: Budapest-Sasad Rotary Club, District 1911, Hungary

Carleigh's Bio

Jó napot!

I’m Carleigh, a typical 15-year-old sophomore, who happens to be heading to Hungary for a year. That’s right HUNGARY! Of all the countries available, I knew that I wanted a challenge, and to learn a language that not many people knew of. After all, my main goal is to inform people about the world, our mind-boggling world. That includes the places (aka - Hungary) that aren’t as commercialized, or “popular” as others.

I would describe myself as a spunky, bubbly, 10th grader looking for an adventure. I’m determined, responsible, and I have big dreams. I know that if I put my mind to it, I can accomplish anything.

Right now, I attend Pompano Beach High School. I’m a member of the Key Club, Interact Club, Sophomore Class (Student Government) and Debate club. I’m the secretary of both the Culinary Arts club, and Drama club. In the time that’s left, I’m a varsity cheerleader. Along with the massive amount of homework I’m given, it’s safe to say I’m a busy girl. To be completely honest, when I first heard of the exchange, I saw it as a vacation, an excuse to get out of my hectic study schedule, and have some fun. Through my research, and already strenuous efforts, I’ve realized it’s not a vacation, but an opportunity that has been presented to me, better than any escape. The more I learned about the Rotary program, the country I’ll be going to, and the language I’ll be speaking, the more excited I get. I realize that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I plan to experience it, to its greatest extent.

As I said before I’m 15, and will be 16 at the end of July. I live in Coral Springs, FL with my mom, dad, brother and sister. We’re a pretty athletic family, and my siblings and I love jump on our trampoline, and go in the pool together. My brother and sister are 12 year-old twins. Most of the time, they’re the average annoying kids, either stealing my clothes or making revolting noises in public. Despite the fact, I don’t know how I’m going to live without them. My family and I are really close, so homesickness is one of the most scary parts of this exchange for me. I guess that’s just another thing to conquer while on my exchange.

I’ve lived in Coral Springs practically my whole life. Don’t get me wrong, I love this place, but I’m always looking for a new adventure. As a matter of fact, I wear a bracelet everyday that has the word ADVENTURE inscribed in it. I’m always up to trying something new, and I know this exchange has a lot of that in store for me.

I haven’t attended orientation yet, and I’ve never been outside of the US. I don’t know what to expect, and the idea of leaving for a year, makes my heart beat faster in both a thrilled and intimidating way. Through all my doubts, I know hat I’m determined, and ready for whatever is thrown at me. I’m beyond eager for this trip, and I’m starting to grasp the concept, and see the reasons to how it will change me forever.

As my journey begins, I want to start by saying thank-you. My friends and family are the greatest support system, and as I said before, I don’t know what I’m going to do with out them. Also, I’d like to thank Rotary for this trip of a lifetime, and opportunity like no other.

August 24

Szia from Hungary!

So I’ve only been here for 3 days and I’ve already done so much! I figured if there was any time to write my first journal, it would be now.

I left from Ft. Lauderdale airport Saturday morning, and headed to JFK in New York. My layover wasn’t long, and my first flight came in early so I was in good shape. I then took the Air-tram, (little did I know, that would only be the very beginning of my public transport adventure) and made my way to the International terminal. I have to say, I was utterly amazed. It was the first time that I truly felt like an exchange student. All around me people stood waiting in the security line speaking everything for French to Chinese, and checking into their flights with Korean Air and Japan Airways. It was one of the most memorable and exciting parts of my exchange so far.  I made it to my gate and quickly boarded my first ever, overnight flight to Frankfurt. I luckily got a window seat, and a neighbor that spoke both English and German. The flight attendants couldn’t understand me very well, but she was able to help translate everything. When I arrived in Frankfurt is was 1:00 am for me, but I still wasn’t tired, plus it was sunny outside which must have confused my body into thinking it was morning. The flight from Frankfurt to Budapest was very short, and I learned a lot from the elderly woman who sat beside me. She gave me a lot of confidence, and told me exactly what I had to say to my family when I met them, in order to be polite and proper.

As soon as I landed in Budapest, I went directly to baggage claim. By that point, I was beyond excited, and couldn’t wait to meet my family. One of my suitcases got lost so I had to fill out papers, and then go through customs. As soon at I stepped into the waiting area, I saw a beautifully colorful sign that had my name on it, being held by three people. My host mom ran up and gave me a huge hug, and then my younger host sister did the same. My host dad gave me a kiss on each cheek, before my older host sister, Lilla, who was on exchange last year in Florida, came running out of nowhere and gave me the largest hug of all.

We all got into the car, and headed home. The airport is pretty close to our house so it only took 15 minutes. As we pulled into the drive way, I looked up at the home in awe. It looked like a miniature version of a European castle to me, possibly because it was surrounded by a tall stone wall and a gate with dazzling purple flowers. Once we got inside my host sisters gave me a tour of the house which is beautiful! My room is yellow, and I even have a skylight! Like most Hungarian homes, there is only one full bathroom… and it’s enormous! It even has its own sauna, which I’m told comes in handy in the winter.

Here, lunch is the family’s big meal, similar to dinner in America. For my arrival, my host mom made bableves (bob-lay-vash), or bean soup, then a delicious noodle casserole. After we finished with that, they surprised me with a yogurt cake, which may sound gross, but it was awesome! It almost tasted like cheese cake from home. The food here is plentiful and very good. Needless to say, my first word learned here was “Finom”, or “yummy.” Now my host mom makes fun of me for saying it so much, haha.

After lunch, we got on our bathing suits to go in the pool. I felt the water with my hand, and realized just how warm my pool at home truly was. My biological clock was starting to catch up with me, so I decided to just put my feet in, and then head upstairs for a nap. About 4 hours later, I woke up, and was invited to go to the barn to watch my younger host sister, Viràg, go horseback riding. We biked there, which was beautiful, physically tiring and insanely bumpy all at the same time. Never the less, we made it on time without fail. When we arrived, I was asked if I would like to have a lesson. Of course I said “IGEN!” Everyone at the barn knew different words in English and they all worked together to help me understand what the instructor was telling me. After my lesson Virag gave me a tour of the barn. They have chickens, roosters, turkeys, rabbits, sheep, a goat, a pony, and a cute little dog named Cici. All of which Viràg helps to take care of every afternoon.

We went home, and I got to Skype with my parents. I already missed them so much, and had to tell them all about my day. Without a doubt, homesickness hit me dead on after I hung up with my mom, and it took me awhile to fall to asleep.

The next day I woke up late due to jetlag, and my host family completely understood.  Lilla and I decided to go into the city to buy a converter for me, and some postcards as well. We walked down to the bus stop and got on, luckily seats were available and we were able to sit. The ride took about 20 minutes, but it felt like 20 seconds, while I was admiring all of the little shops on our way. When we arrived in the city, we got off and went strait into the mall, which it HUGE! We bought my converter, and then stopped to have gelato… FINOM!

From the mall, we took the metro to the center of Budapest, where I would be able to find postcards. When we arrived, I didn’t know what to expect, but it exceeded all of the thoughts, pictures and a dreams I had had of the city. The architecture was just picturesque, and all the people were so kind and happy. Other then some nasty blisters, from my shoes our walk around that part of Budapest was one of the happiest times of my life. My host sister surprised me by taking me to see the Danube, which cuts Budapest in half (into Buda and Pest.) We saw the first bridge of Hungary, the Parliament building, and the Buda castle, all of which were remarkable!

The day had flown by so fast, that we didn’t realize that it was late, and we should head home. When we got home Virag had already left for the barn again, so I started to write some postcards, and study a bit of Hungarian.

Lilla and I had left-over soup for dinner and we Skyped with a few of the other inbounds to Florida that we both knew from last year.

Homesickness seems to hit me at night when I don’t get to say “good night” to my parents and my brother and sister, but I know that that awful feeling should soon pass, or I’m hoping at least.

This morning Lilla and I awoke early to go into our school, to set up my schedule. Everyone was very nice, and I learned just how important the formal way of speaking is, when Hungarians attend school.

Well, we’re home now and are going to have lunch soon. Yes, there have been some downs, but the ups of this exchange have already fulfilled me with a loads of memories, experience, and love for this remarkable country.

January 15

Some interesting things I’ve noticed while here in Hungary :

· When Hungarians eat cereal, they always put the milk in the bowl first.

· The condition of one’s finger nails is very important.

· A Floridian girl like myself would think winter was a magically fun time of year, but unfortunately it can often lose its sparkle after having to see nothing but gray clouds for over a month..

· Fanny packs are accepted as fashionable purses here.

· All of the light switches are opposite (Up = off ect…)

· The toilets have two flushers. I’m still not sure what the difference is, but I’m beginning to think it’s a #1 and #2 kind of thing, gross, right? But hey, I’m down with conserving energy and water.

· Boys, no matter what age, will hold the door for a lady ( I really like this one, and encourage the American culture to try it out).

· The majority of tourists who come to visit Budapest are from China.

· Exchange students are the best people in the entire world!

· And Budapest is definitely the most magical place I have ever been to… and I’m proud to call it my home

That’s right, I’m finally at the stage when I can call this place my home. Honestly I can’t imagine myself anywhere else, not another country, not even at home in Florida . I really feel like I belong here. Although my language skills are developing on the slower side, I feel as if the Hungarian culture and I were made for one another.

My host family has no doubt been a huge factor in immersing me into the culture and making me feel apart of it. My host parents are great. They are very interested in me, and love to incorporate our two very different cultures into one. My host siblings treat me as if I’ve been there all along. My host brother and I play, fight, and laugh together, while my host sister asks me the “girl questions” that only an older sister could answer.

As I’ve said before, Christmas is the most anticipated holiday in Hungary . Long before December even started, the streets of Budapest began to align themselves with magnificent lights and decorations. There were “Boldog Karàcsonyt!” or “Merry Christmas” signs everywhere, and friendly holiday street vendors along with them. The Christmas festivities in my family began two days before Christmas Eve. Almost all of the major companies rearrange the workers schedules to work on two Saturdays in November so that the workers can have the two days before Christmas Eve free. Thanks to the genius system, my entire host family was able to spend that special time together. We began cooking, all sorts of yummy cakes including Begli, Gyerbo, and Honey Cookies. They were delicious and I had great time preparing everything with my host mom and sister. I forgot to mention that my host Grandpa also came to stay with us for the holidays. We didn’t speak much to each other but that was only because he would often speak to me in Russian. I, not being completely fluent in Hungarian or being able to recognize different dialects yet, was utterly confused. I laughed it off, and everyone else found it highly entertaining.

Anyways, the major celebration takes place on Christmas Eve here. Around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, all of the kids were told to stay in my room for about and hour and not to come out. I set up my laptop and we ended up watching “The Grinch”, which my host siblings had never since before. At around five, the door opened and we were allowed into the living room, where the angles had brought our tree, and baby Jesus had laid our presents. I found it odd how they didn’t wrap the presents, but again I’m all for recycling.

After we got a good look at all of our gifts, mine including two new shirts, thee books, perfume, and a Rubik’s cube (which by the way, was invented in Hungary , and everyone knows how to complete… I’m determined to master it by the time I leave!) , we all sat down to eat dinner. We began with the traditional Hungarian Fish Soup. To be honest I wasn’t a big fan of it, just because I’m used to salty ocean fish, whereas this was a fresh-water fish straight for the Danube . After that, my host mom being the sweet and caring person she is, made a sort of turkey casserole as one of the main course choices. She had asked me few weeks earlier what I would normally eat for Christmas dinner, and the fact that she went through all of the trouble just to make me feel at home meant the world to me. We spent the night talking, eating, laughing, eating, playing, and eating more.

I went to asleep and full and happy girl that night. We slept late the next day, and as always I was woken up with a warm glass of “Early-morning Tea” I found it weird not falling asleep with a great amount of anticipation for the morning, but I did have quite an extraordinary program to look forward to. It’s a tradition in my host family to go to the world famous Budapest Opera house on Christmas day, and as if that wasn’t enough we got to see the “Nutcracker Ballet”. It was absolutely beautiful, and it had me in awe for the rest of the holiday.

Truthfully I didn’t get homesick at all during Christmas. Everything was just so different, that it didn’t feel like Christmas at all, and I was so comfortable with everything that I didn’t feel out of place. There were a few moments when I wish I could have hugged my dad or gave my grandma a kiss but all in all, I’ll look back on it as one of my best Christmases ever!

The next major celebration was New Years, and boy was it a celebration indeed! Weirdly enough, most of the Budapest exchangers, including myself decided to leave the capital and travel to Debrecen , the second largest town in Hungary , to welcome in the New Year. Another great group of exchangers lives their, and it would also be a lot safer and less expensive to celebrate there. Plus it would give us the chance to see a new place and meet new people. We had and amazing time dancing, setting off fireworks, and feasting on the tons of food that had been prepared. There was no ball drop, which almost made it seem unofficial, but I can’t think of any other way I would have wanted to spend New Years Eve. I mean, being with a group of people who completely understand what you are going through and love you for who you are, what else could you wish for? That’s what this is all about. No matter where you are from, no matter where you are going, your group of inbounds will be your best friends. At home everyone has their own problems, on exchange, everyone is going through the same ones, its just an environment that you will find nowhere else, at no other time in your entire life, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it.

(For you future exchangers: I used to read these blogs like they were my bible. I couldn’t wait to actually write one of my own and inspire others to embark on this journey of a life time. Let me just say that these written recollections of occurrences doesn’t even compare to experiencing them in real life. They don’t do justice to the actual amount of love, fun, and wisdom you receive from being an exchange student.)

For now, my biggest challenge is the language. Hungarian is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. It’s beautiful and smooth, yet utterly complicated making it supremely difficult to pick up. Grammatically, Hungarian is most closely related to Japanese, I’m not lying! It’s frustrating having so much love for this place and these people and not being able to openly communicate with them yet. I know once I’ve got it down, nothing and no one will make me want to leave.

Thankfully the people around me are more willing to help me learn. Hungarians are honored knowing someone from a western nation would want to come and learn about their relatively unknown history, culture and language. I must say that the history of Hungary is one of the richest chronicles of all time. Being located in the literal center of Europe they’ve been through it all. They’ve had their ups and their downs, they’ve been conquered then freed, and yet they always seem to stand right back up and continue to flight towards what they believe it. It’s truly inspiring. I could write an entire journal on my love for the Hungarian culture, but let’s just say it is the friendliest, the modest, the most magical way of living that I’ve ever encountered, never the less, been blessed to experience first hand.

Considering the language is essentially the prime aspect of this remarkable culture, learning to speak it fluently would only make this exchange that much more amazing. My host family is constantly testing me, and although I have to often remind them to speak to me in Hungarian, they always comply. My classmates are definitely the next best Hungarian tutors, although most of them don’t know it. My best friend at school is named Kata. Her English is amazing, although she doesn’t see it that way. She’s taught me so much, and is constantly pushing me to speak more Hungarian. She makes tests and grades them for me and we write notes during our English lessons in both languages.

Speaking of school, I’ve come to the ultimate conclusion that teenagers around the world are the same. I know it’s unbelievable, and until I could understand what was going on in my classmate’s conversations I saw them as a different breed entirely. That could be because I was so utterly jealous of their inborn language skills, but they really are just like my friends at home. It its startling how alike two classes can be having grown up in such different places.

Okay, so I’ve been wanting to express this for some time now, I just didn’t know how to put it in words. Up until recently, I haven’t even been able to explain it to myself.

Well here it is:

• It doesn’t take a special person to think about being an exchange student.
• It doesn’t take anyone adventurous to apply for exchange.
• It doesn’t take someone extraordinary to attend orientations and complete assignments.
• It doesn’t even take anyone brave to pack up, leave their family, and travel to a different country.
• Honestly, it doesn’t take a worldly person to learn the language of their host country, to make friends, to “survive” their exchange year (which is a term I admittedly used quite often in the beginning).

The truth is, it takes a great, adventurous, bold, worldly, respectable person to not only incorporate themselves into their host culture and country, but to see themselves as a member.

The Karacsonyt Fa or Christmas Tree that the angels brought us!	The parliament building and ice covered Duna or Danube	My host family on Christmas Eve, after opening presents	At the Budapest Opera house on Christmas day to see the "Nutcracker Ballet"
Our snow covered garden

March 5

May 9