Budapest: September 22, 2017
Day 003 of “Something You Protect”
Arriving in Budapest was something of a landmark. Knowing this place as the home for the Hungarian language, I’ve also seen this place as inaccessible. The language is difficult and complex.
But today I arrived. I grabbed my metro tickets and headed downtown. I stood in the bus in front of a pair of friends talking. One had clearly just arrived, still having her suitcase with her, and the other was apparently her host, judging by what she talked about. She mentioned places to see and what life was like here. And she did it all in great English.
On that bus, I understood a little more fully just how far my privilege goes as a native English speaker; I will almost never have to worry. There is nearly no reason for fear, and I will almost never be out of touch. And this is partly why English speakers don’t know a second language. The world is truly moving this way, and English speakers have no deep motivation (apart from curiosity) to learn a new language. There is no situation to escape, no world to leave; we are already where we need to be. For that reason, it is almost ethical that native English speakers learn a second language. I want badly to pass my language exams.
I got off the metro at Keleti Pályaudvar. I stared and spun around. This city was grand and out of my frame of reference.
I’m so far from home.
Before I left home, I reached out to a host on Couchsurfing for help. We talked about the city, and she told me she had to leave because there is so much sadness here. Budapest is a monument. The walls were caked with the memory of neglect and a certain sadness lingers there. The promise of possibility is missing; it means nothing will change.
My new host took me around some of the downtown and to get rose shaped gelato. She’s from Germany and has lived in Southern California. She knows about LA and Claremont. I was surprised by this, and I was grateful for someone who knew my home.
We climbed the hill to the Citadella. We saw the city united around the Danube river, the Ferris Wheel, the lights of the city and the basilica we just visited.
More soon,
Trevor