Viszlát!

I leave Hungary tomorrow morning at 8:25 am, Friday the 13th, for Chicago where I'll get to see my brother whom I haven't seen for two years and my parents. I'm excited to go home. For other reasons, I'm sad. But overall, I'm prepared to go back.

I'll be able to successfully communicate with strangers in my native language. I'll be able to go to my neighborhood library and pore through shelves of books for hours and then subsequently read for hours on the deck at home. I'll be able to watch TV in more than three channels. I'll be able to ride my bike. I'll be able to watch the Tour de France. I'll be able to see my friends whom I haven't seen for a year, some more. I'll be able to go to the dentist and get my teeth cleaned!! (I never thought I'd be happy about that). And I'll be far enough away from Hungary to start processing a vast reflection of my time here.

Life here has become a little bit of a routine now. Things are natural and familiar, but now it's about to change. Loss and gain. I guess that order makes me an optimist. There are so many things that I'll miss, but I'm ready to miss most of those things.

This is not my last post. I'd like to end this blog on a more factual and helpful note instead of a sentimental one. So, my final writing for "Hungarian Lessons" is in the works and I promise it'll be long and hopefully informative. However, it'll be coming not from Hungary, but from the U.S. As this is my final word from Hungary, I'll leave you now with a Viszlát!