Observations from Budapest

Hungarians are salt of the earth people. Straight forward. They feel honest, but reserved. Who knows if this is just how they are, or how they treat outsiders.

I wonder how much of the company culture I encountered is connected to Eastern European, Soviet-style thinking. Understand the rules, and then figure out all sorts of bureaucratic loop holes in order to get what you want actually done. (Are we really so different?)

Eye contact is intense. Hungarians are unapologetic about eye contact, with no breaks, no asides to think. This is deeply challenging for me, on a sort of primal level. This is one of those tics that developed during the headache years that I haven’t been able to kick.

Clothing, Practical: I need more underwear and some better travel clothes. And dividers for my backpack (or just a better travel pack).

Clothing, Business: I need to get my shirts tailored better to my current body, and I need either a new blazer or an alternation to my blazer. I need to dress to the part.

I must be looking in the wrong places or traveling during the wrong seasons, but Budapest during the weeknights feels dead. I looked specifically for any theatre or music events and found very little unless I wanted to go clubbing. I wonder if I’d have more hits if I used Hungarian terms?

I need to be more proactive with getting some jiu jitsu training in. It doesn’t matter if it’s across the city, I should go and have fun. This will also help with the touch starvation.

My favorite thing about European cities is the interspersed parks. Everywhere you go in Budapest, there is a local park. Some are well maintained, some are a bit wild, but green space, communal social space. It makes me feel like we live in poverty in comparison.

Does every culture have a liquor or something they are uniquely good at? I had and brought back a fruit liquor called Pálinka. Very alcoholic, mildly fruity and rich. Very unusual!