Home > Mission to Amsterdam > Archives > 2008 > July > 08 > Entry
Unexpected Friends
“Kelsey, anyone can say they’re whatever on the Internet and then they turn out to be a creepy old man.” This was my mom’s response when I told her I was looking for someone to stay with through couchsurfing.com.
Nevertheless, I assured her I would be cautious and only stay with people who had good references from others who had stayed with them. That is how I met Teodora and Hunor in Budapest. I was a little broke from staying in hostels the whole time, and was homesick, so I decided to ask if I could stay with this young Hungarian couple who lived in a church. I wasn’t actually being very brave. Teodora got back to me the day after I got to Hungary, and her hospitality was evident even in her e-mail. I stayed with them my last night in Hungary and received a true taste of local culture.
Hunor worked as a pastor at the church they lived in. They were having a picnic in a park nearby when I arrived. Teodora invited me to join and we talked like old friends as we stood in line to pick from the stews the ladies of the church had prepared.
I was pretty impressed with my first taste of Hungarian stew. Teodora and I talked about church and missions in the grass as we ate.I felt I had found a kindred spirit immediately. Hunor had to stay and work at the picnic, and Teodora had exams to study for, so I left after the picnic to see some museums. Teodora loaned me her swimsuit so I could go to one of the famous Hungarian thermal baths. That night, I had a good conversation with Hunor about church. The next day, I met Teodora at the beautiful Parliament building where she gives tours. She took me on one of the tours and I learned so much about the history of Hungary. So much of Eastern Europe used to be Hungary and you can see this just by the building materials used to make the Parliament.
Teodora had recommended a specific museum to me called the Terror Haza, or the Terror House. She said it was not the happiest museum, but the best for learning about the history of Hungary. After my tour of the Parliament, I headed to this museum and she was correct. The first scene that one sees upon entering is a tank. The museum goes in depth on the occupation of Hungary first by the Nazi’s and then by the Communists.
As I emerged from the museum that afternoon, I had to sit for a while to process everything I had seen. New respect for the Hungarian people filled me. They had been through so much. The people my age had seen the curtain fall.
That evening, Hunor gave me his opinions of the Soviet dictatorship and of their government today. He said the same people are still in power as were in power during the Communist era, many things are still the same as they were during Soviet rule. I now understood why so many homeless people were on the streets. There were no jobs for them. Budapest is a beautiful city, and I would never discourage someone from visiting it, but, no city is devoid of its problems.
Where do I fit? What is the church to do in this time? Why are there beautiful churches when the people are digging in the trashcans and sleeping in the streets? These are questions I am too small to answer.
Comments
By a New Braunfels' friend
July 21, 2008 11:12 AM | Link to this
I’m proud of you Kels! I can’t help but think of how much you’re being stretched and how much you’re learning about the world! God’s expanding your horizons eh? Love you!