October Update

Well, I have a lot to tell you all! So far, October has been very busy for me. The month started off with a hiking trip to Slovakia with my Rotary Club. While Hungary is fairly flat, Slovakia has a few small mountains (small compared to the Rockies!) and, for whatever reason, people sometimes like to climb these moutains. Not wanting to be a party-pooper, I decided that I would go hiking with my Rotary Club. I figured that, since I am the youngest member of my Rotary Club I would be able to handle anything they decided to climb. As you can imagine, I was highly shocked and somewhat grumpy when I found out that we were going to be climbing for 12 hours straight and that we would be starting our hike at 5:30 in the morning. The hike that we went on was nothing like anything I have ever experienced. We basically followed the path of a stream all the way up the mountian--I spent half of my time on my hands and knees because the incline was so steep. While there were certainly moments that I wanted to throw myself over the side of the mountain because my legs were so tired, the higher we climbed the more beautiful the landscape became. Our 9 hours of climbing effort certainly paid off when we were rewarded with a beautiful 360 degree panorama from the peak.

On Sunday the 14th I celebrated my 18th birthday. My host mom Erika suprised me with a birthday lunch and then my friend Dóri and I, as well as my host mom and dad drove to a near-by city called Tokaj. Tokaj is an old and very beautiful city famous for the wine it produces. I explored the city, took lots of pictures, drank some wine, and then travelled home. I then spent the evening with my friends playing pool and drinking beer just like an 18 year old should. The next day I went to a Rotary meeting and was once again suprised with a birthday cake. I was worried that I might be homesick on my birthday because I wouldn't be able to celebrate with my friends and family, but the people here made me feel very special and I was really grateful that they made my birthday so much fun.

On Friday I am travelling to Venice with my all of the other exchange students in Hungary and I am VERY excited! I will give you all the details of my trip when I get back.

Lots of love!
Emily