Saying goodbye to Vienna

I had a great last week in Vienna but it was hard to say goodbye. We finished up our art and architecture class with modernism which was great. I was able to practice the organ a few more times at the church and we even celebrated wildlife Wednesday. A group of us went to a concert at the Musikverein which has some of the best acoustics I've ever heard! The concert itself was really interesting with bands and orchestras from all over the world. We ended the week by finishing up our classes and taking finals. By taking finals, what I mean, is that we did a scavenger hunt around Vienna to different art and architectural landmarks and raced to the finish. It was the best final! The night before we left we all went to a BBQ at one of the host's family which was really fun. It was great to play with the kids at their house one last time as well, they're a ton of fun. The next morning we got on a train to Dorfgastein...stay tuned for more on that later. 

When in Rome

This post is overdue but a few weeks ago a group of 5 of us from the program went to Rome for a weekend! On Thursday we hopped on a Plane and sat in the airport for a while waiting for our delayed flight. When we got into Rome it was late so we walked to the apartment that we rented for the weekend. On Friday we went to the Colosseum which was so cool! It is largest amphitheater ever built and considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering. We also we to the Roman Forum which is a plaza where the ruins of several important ancient government buildings once stood. It was the center of life in Rome for centuries. We saw the Arch of Constantine, walked through town and then had some pizza. That evening we went to Vatican City which is beautiful. It was cool to have been in 3 countries within 24 hours. 

On Thursday we woke up at the crack of dawn to catch a train to Naples. From there, we went to Pompeii which was amazing. It was so so hot which made it feel like the place was still on fire but definitely a day well spent. We had fun making a music video to the song Pompeii while we were inside the ruins. We had fun making dinner when we got back to the apartment.

On Sunday, we went had an interesting start to our day. Two people from the group went out that morning to get some fruit for breakfast and when they came to get back into the apartment the key broke in half as they were turning to lock. Half of the key was stuck inside so there was no way to even get inside the building. Finally someone let them in from the inside and they came up to our apartment and put the key down on the table in two pieces and we had to call the owners. Luckily they were able to get the key out and laughed about it. The people in Italy were all so friendly and helpful. We were able to go to the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and had a nice day relaxing and just walking around. We left on Monday morning to go back to Vienna, trying to find ways in the airport to amuse ourselves while we waited for another delayed flight. We had a blast in Rome though and are so glad to have been able to go!

Budapest, Hungary

So we went to Hungary this weekend I had the best time in Budapest. Seriously, I love it. The whole weekend was sooooo hot and humid but I didn't even care, I loved every second. We walked around the city on Friday which was really fun and it was awesome to see the city and walk along the Danube river. I just kept looking around me and feeling so grateful that I get to come back in a few months. On Friday I stopped by the mission home and luckily ran into a set of sister missionaries that I was able to talk to. Thank goodness I did though because they were able to call the mission president who invited me over for lunch the next day. We had some Hungarian food while we were there but we also had Cafe Rio! That's right! It's not called cafe rio, it's called gringos amigos but it was started here by a member of the church. The menu even had the same font as Cafe Rio and the food was pretty much the same so that was fun. That night we got fish pedicures, yup you read that right. They have them all over the city and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet and it feels so weird, it was way fun though. On Saturday morning we went to the Parliament building which is huge and looks so beautiful from the outside. We also went to a really cool market where they had a bunch of Hungarian items. I had lunch with the mission president and his family at his house and it was such a neat experience. It was fun to get to know their family and I felt comfortable talking to them. His only advice for me was to be obedient. Simple, but it is really important. We talked about how there's a difference between obedience just to get by, and exact obedience which can bring miracles. That night we went out as a group and had Hungarian food at a nice resturant. On Sunday I went to Levente's ward!! He's a friend from BYU and he's from Hungary. We are both organ performance majors and lived in the same apartment complex. We also worked together to organize the music and choir for our ward. Anyways, I met his family at church in the Kispest ward and it was so special. They recieved me with open arms as I walked into the the building and it was nice nice to meet them. Renny also came to that ward and it was awesome to sit next to her and see all the people happy to see her back in Hungary since she's been in Vienna for a while. During sacrament meeting I was actually getting kind of anxious and frustrated just because I couldn't understand hardly anything and I was just feeling really intimidated by the language thinking about how I will ever learn it. I was wondering why I felt like that because I was at church and I should've been feeling the sprit, not sitting there feeling inadequate. It gets better though. So Levente has a cute little brother named Álmos. He was kind of cranky and you could tell he was tired and ready for the meeting to be over. But Álmos started looking around the room and I caught his eye and pulled out my phone and showed him a picture from across the aisle that I had of Levente and Álmos. Álmos's eyes immediately lit up and he ran over to me and started hugging me even though he has never even met me before. In the middle of sacrament meeting. He was whispering to me in Hungarian and  just kept holding my hand as we looked through pictures that had Levente in them and I all the sudden felt the spirit so strongly and started crying a little. It was so awesome. I still couldn't understand very much, but I was overwhelmed with a feeling of knowing I was where I needed to be and I realized how much of a love I already have for the Hungarians. "It was as if someone were telling me I was home. That these people were good and that I needed to be with them. That God was there and that He knew my name and that He loved me" (The Hope of God's Love). Thank goodness for little kids. After sacrament meeting we had Renny translate and also facetimed Levente as I talked to his parents, who are the sweetest. His mom brought us a yummy treat and I cannot wait to see them again. After church we had a tour of the Jewish Quarter which was really interesting and then got on a train back to Vienna. About 3 months until I'm in the MTC and 5 months until I will be back in Hungary. Anyways I'm back in Vienna for a few more days and am going to Rome for the weekend with some friends from the group.