Day Two

This was my first full day at home. Well, the home I am at right now. It was quite busy. I went shopping with Mom in the morning and I quickly realized that I am not used to driving in Hungary any more. The roads are narrower, people pop up out of nowhere all around you - by foot, by bike or by car - and a quick reaction is imperative. I doubt that anyone who never tried it can fully imagine it. On top of all this, I am also not very used to using the clutch any more. We managed to get around without the car dying down at any point but it was quite the experience. Then my Mom casually mentioned that my Hungarian driver's license actually expired and if it has been invalid for over a year, I will have to take the test again. Ha, I am drawing the line at that: I refuse to take those tests again. That's right: tests. In Hungary, we need to pass four different tests (first aid, mechanical, written and practical) in order to get the license. The book needed for the written test is thicker than War and Peace which requires a little more studying than the Nevada Driver's Handbook. :)

Our first stop was at a Media Markt in the local mall. The adapter that I brought with me decided that it had its use in the last five years and did not want to function any more. The adapter is crucial; without it I cannot charge anything. When the guy at the store asked me why I needed it and I started to list: phone, nook, laptop, portable gaming system, he stopped me halfway concluding: it is needed to keep me alive. :) Pretty much. We got the last device and then we went to buy some girlie stuff: lotion, etc. Of course my parents already have many of these things at home but I am quite specific about these things. And as my Dad likes to say: expensive too. :) It is funny how in Hungarian he can say his dear daughter and mean expensive as the two words are the same. He likes to rub that in every once in a while. 

Things are actually quite expensive here. I did not buy all the things I regularly do in the U.S. and pay probably 60 dollars for them. Here we paid 20,000 forints which is a third of the monthly minimum wage. I can see now why Dad would have rolled his eyes if he had known about it. I also learned that the unemployment rate is 12%  and most individuals with disabilities have to take either low-paying jobs or live on social security. Not a good prospect. 

We also went to the rehab facility where my Dad is treated. It seems like the IV, electronic massage and physical therapy help a lot. He does need to stay in all week and can only come home for the weekend. It was a little hard to see him. It is one thing to talk about his fragility but actually see it is quite different. He used to be so robust and energetic, and in a matter of a couple of years that is all but gone. I can see how excited he is that I am here and so I am now absolutely sure that I had to come to be with him. 

In the afternoon I had a massage. It was wonderful. I had a few knots in my lower back that the lady smoothed over. It was painful but wonderful. The evening was quiet with Mom. We watched TV and played a board game. I managed to stay up until 10pm. That was my goal. I am trying to be stricter with myself this time to make sure that the jetlag does not drag forever. 

It is so much fun to play words with friends and chat a bit with many of you. It is the greatest way to feel close and know what is going on with you. And I am sure it is a lot more interesting than actually working at work, right, Shawna? :)