October 15th – October 18th

Blast! I am starting to slack in my consistency. I need to keep up with regularly updating this blog, there is just too much happening to let it pile up on me and then force me to produce a brief synopsis of everything that’s been going on, which is unfortunately, what I am going to do now.

Friday the 15^th

Let’s see, what did I do Friday?...Ah yes.

Friday was my last day in the consular section. I walked in with a heavy weight on my heart, knowing very well that this might be the last time I got to spend time with these wonderful folks. So imagine my joy when they surprised me with my very own surprise going-away party! There was confetti, and balloons, and clowns, and a myriad of people showering me with goodwill and praises….okay, so that didn’t really happen. It did in my head though, and that’s all that really counts.

The consular section had its weekly Friday meeting to discuss important items of interest, changes in consular regulations, modifications to the FAM (Foreign Affairs Manual), promotions, interesting cases from throughout the week, and bidding farewell to their intern who was now leaving them for the management section. They were hit pretty hard by the news, but I think that with time, just as in all things, their hearts will heal. I can only hope.

I think most of the people in the section thought I was the greatest short-term employee they ever had.

Okay…maybe, maybe not. But I am pretty sure I am their favorite intern that they have ever had. Okay, okay…maybe their favorite Mexican intern? At least give me that. I am pretty sure I can safely say that. That would really suck if I was following some other Mexican intern’s coattails here in Budapest, and that he was the greatest intern ever. I wouldn’t be surprised I suppose, our race is very cutthroat with each other. It’s a Mexican eat Mexican world out there…

After the conclusion of the meeting, people came up to tell me that it had been a pleasure showing me the consular ropes and that they hoped I would continue on my way to becoming Vice Consul in an embassy someday, and I appreciated their well-wishing. I was glad that I had met them all, and naturally, it came time to part. I wrapped up the day by finishing the last project I had left in consular, and headed out the door one last time. Before exiting the door, I turned around one last time and let my eyes linger on the office where I came to love consular work, in a place where I found sanctuary and most of all, balance and order, in a world so full and teeming with chaos and uncertainty. In this office I had found a certainty that is not oft found, and is a rare treasure. To find something so precious only to have to let go is Fate's cruel joke upon us all, I suppose. So with a heavy heart and a folder full of hope, I turned from the sight and left that office for good.  I find solace in knowing that whenever someone leaves a window open, even just a tiny crack, a cool, balmy breeze from the West will softly blow in and makes its way across the consular section, and it will faintly whisper my name in their ears, and for a brief moment, they will believe that I am amongst them once more. When that moment is over, however, they will think it was just a trick of their imagination, and they will go back to fondly reminiscing about the man they once knew long ago, who made them watch his hands because he was cheating.

  

Saturday the 16^th

Not much to put into this entry. :)

I spent another Saturday without leaving my bedroom, literally, but whereas the aforementioned Saturday felt wasted, this one was infinitely more enjoyable and satisfying; although I think maybe it felt like a wasted day for Victoria.  :P

I spent the day talking to Victoria on the phone, just to clarify. Before speaking to her, however, I spent my entire morning reading an amazing, mesmerizing, and spellbinding book called “Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Rarely do I find a book, especially one as recently written and modern as this, that I have no qualms placing amongst the greats like Hugo, Dumas, and Marquez. Without a doubt, the best I have read in the past few years. I was enthralled fully from start to finish, and nearly finished it in one sitting. I would have, but Victoria had finally woken up and she > literature… So yeah, I'm sorry Zafon, but you aren't *that* great.

Sunday the 17^th

  

Sabbath day, oh joyous day. Sundays always feel so much brighter to me, and happier. It's the one day of the week where I truly feel like I can do anything, that there is hope no matter how hard times may be, and how overwhelmed we may feel by the constant vice-like grip that the temporal world has us in, pushing us this way and that in an effort to separate us from our Heavenly Father. It is the day where things just kind of slow down, and Church takes precedence over everything else, the way it should be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's unfortunate that it doesn’t work that way for most of us; it requires a tremendous amount of faith and strength to maintain that. I find it hard enough to get up every morning and make sure to read my scriptures before heading to work. It seems increasingly easier and tempting each morning to just put my scripture reading off, to make an excuse or justification so as to not read before work. I think this morning it was, “You don't have to read *every* morning…it is more important that you get to work early rather than on-time, your career should be the most important thing right now.” And I realized just how wrong that statement was.

  

 The moment we begin to let ourselves prioritize things in that manner, we have lost half the battle. The only thing I consider as important as the gospel, is family. Everything else is secondary. I don't ever want to put my career, or my hobbies, or my vices, or desires, above the gospel and my family. I am not perfect though, and as sure as I know that I don't want to commit that terrible sin of selfishness, I know that I will fail at some point. I know that I will fall and see myself doing the things I said I wouldn't. However, I know that I will do my very best, and that I will be able to look our Heavenly Father in the face when the time comes, and to tell him that I did my best without any fear or doubt. And that's the best any of us can do, I suppose. From the prophet on down to the lowliest of the low, who can claim perfection ? The best we can hope for is to tell God without a doubt that each time we fell from his grace, and transgressed, just as all men do, we picked ourselves back up, and continued to walk on that straight and narrow path. That we held onto that iron rod for as long and as hard as we could, and that every time we slipped and let go, we struggled with all of our might to regain our footing, to find the rod again, and continue onward. That we were able to press forward with steadfast faith and might, despite the obstacles and temptations in our lives, and endured everything that we were capable of enduring. It is then, and only then, that we can find ourselves worthy of being in his presence, having fought that long and difficult struggle against our natural man. 

But anyways, back to my day, I really enjoyed Church again at the international branch. We had two really great speakers who spoke on priorities, and how the choices we sometimes make when having to choose between the church and our daily lives reflect who we are and what we stand for. Will we stand as witnesses of Christ when that crucial moment arrives to test our character? Or will we find ourselves jumping through hoops and hurdles to avoid the responsibilities we have as members, and more importantly, as children of our Heavenly Father?

We had a combined Priesthood and Relief society meeting after our sacrament meeting, and we read from the Gospel principles book, which I have very fond memories of because it was the first book I ever received concerning the restored gospel (before I met with missionaries and even knew about the book of Mormon.) I learned a lot from that book on my own before I began meeting with missionaries who taught me more about these eternal truths and principles that had piqued my interest and curiosity. There was a pre-existence? We knew we were bound for this world before it was even formed? We knew our heavenly Father before being born here in the flesh? It all felt so incredibly foreign and strange, yet I couldn't help finding myself confused, for the words I was reading were striking a chord somewhere deep inside of me that resonated clearly and strongly, as if I could already realize that this wasn't made up. The rest is history, as they say.

After church I decided to go home and try to sleep. The end.

Monday the 18^th

  

My first day working in the management section! I am my own man now, and get to handle my work load as I see fit. I much rather prefer this approach to work, being left to my own devices and self-motivation, I get more work done, instead of having a boss constantly watching me and breathing down my neck. There is a sweet release and sensation of freedom that comes when that leash is loosened and you are allowed to breathe freely and without any restrictions. I got more done in half a day than I could get done in another job where I was being closely monitored and kept tabs on. The Department of State has a workplace model where the head officer allows the officers under him to work things out on their own, to make their decisions, and to stand by their officer's decisions, and offer advice ex post facto to help them improve, instead of holding their hands and babysitting them through their jobs. You are basically treated as a fallible human being instead of a closely supervised robot. And I think that the caliber of the individuals who make it through the nightmare gauntlet that is the hiring process for the Department of State, is a very great indicator for the type of work ethic that the individual has, and the level of professionalism that is inherent of someone who is so qualified for this career. If you have the qualification and the background necessary to work for State, then it is safe to say that you can be left unsupervised without fear that you will turn into an indolent, apathetic, and untrustworthy malfeasant who is not worthy of trust and mutual respect.

I look forward to continuing my newly assigned projects in the management section, and I will explain in greater detail in the following posts as to the nature of said projects. For now, my primary project and focus is sleep, and getting a few hours of it before work if possible.

R

October 14^th

Started the day early with a big hearty breakfast (half a banana) and shot off to work for a full day of meetings and work. I started with visa adjudications, basically interviews with applicants to see if they meet the necessary requirements to convince us to approve or deny their petition to travel to the U.S. We had some really interesting cases, and it was interesting to see how each consular officer had their own style of interviewing their applicants to determine whether or not they were at risk of violating their visa and staying in the U.S. It is a job where you learn to not take things at face value. People will sometimes fake documents, lie, be evasive and vague in their replies, and pretty much do whatever they can, to gain entry to the United States. With some people, you can spot it a mile away. Not so much with others. You can't believe everything you hear, and you kind of become distrusting of peoples motives. Or at least suspect of them. As an applicant, you really have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you are a trustworthy person and that you won't renege on your word. Before every interview we make the applicant take an oath that everything they say is the truth, and nothing but the truth, to the best of their knowledge and ability. Unfortunately, we catch people caught in webs of lies from time to time. Deep down inside of me, every time I hear the officer give them the oath to take, I want one of the applicants to just burst out with a "You want the truth ? You want the truth?? You CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" Haha. A silly dream I suppose, and I doubt it would go over very well for them in terms of getting their request granted. A guy can dream, can't he?

I needed to leave near the end of the interviews to go meet with Mr. Gilmer, Management section lead, and the person who selected me. It went really well, and I am really looking forward to some of the tentative projects he has lined up for me. He was still in the middle of getting his bearings once again; he had been on vacation since late August I believe, so he had a lot of things to get caught up on. He mentioned that I would be attending the important weekly meeting between the Ambassador and all of the section chiefs, which I am really excited to be allowed to sit in on. I am not sure if it is exactly protocol for interns to be able to attend high profile meetings like that, but Mr. Gilmer really wants to help me get the most out of my internship, and even talked about letting me do some work in the Political and Public Diplomacy departments if I am interested. He asked me about my future goals and plans, and about school. I look forward to getting to know him better and the other people in the office. I even get to have my own desk to work from! I have made a sort of makeshift station that half-resembles a desk in the consular section which has been pretty well-suited for most of the projects I have done thus far, but a desk will be so much nicer.

After my meeting with Mr. Gilmer, I headed back down to consular and wrapped up the last of the interviews with Kristine Marsh. I then jumped back on my aforementioned project of cataloging past records, only now I filed records dating back to 2004. I went over thousands of papers today, combing through incident reports filed by American citizens traveling/living in Hungary. I would say about 85% of the incident reports were concerning consumption girl victims who were taken for anywhere from 300-3,000 U.S. dollars. Some of the incident reports were positively abhorrent, and disheartening, where American citizens had been drugged/beaten/mugged/abused. And these were all mostly travel-savvy people who were not strangers to danger. Some of the stories even made me stop reading them for a while and take a break because of the content described. It makes me sad that such things can happen to people, regardless of their nationality, and it makes me even more acutely aware of how fragile and precarious our safety is, regardless of what country we are in. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. No one is safe. It raises concern in me in regards to raising a family in a world where such senseless and horrible crimes are committed to people who are innocent and don't deserve that kind of treatment.

I spent the rest of the day working on these cases with a small reprieve for lunch where I met up again with Jimmy Wellence from IT, my social sponsor, and discussed sports and work. He has an old roommate who played/plays in an expat football league here in Budapest, and I was curious to find out more about it. I wouldn't mind letting loose for a couple of hours and playing some football. And yes, by football I am referring to “soccer”, as in, the game where you play primarily with feet, unlike American football…which I still don't understand.

Near the end of the day Mr. Gilmer came down to talk to Jeff Lodinsky, the consular section chief, and in passing engaged me in conversation. Mr. Gilmer explained to Mr. Lodinsky that I would be leaving them after tomorrow and heading on up to Management, but that they were free to borrow me for any projects they would need help on. Mr. Lodinsky then said that they would definitely take him up on it because they really enjoyed having me there and that I was a really big help, and then told me that I would always have a home there in consular, which was a really nice thing for him to say. I am going to miss working in the consular section with all of the wonderful people I met and the budding friendships that I made there. I felt proud and appreciated by my colleagues in consular; it will be a shame to not see them anymore. Well, at least not on a regular basis. Management is a couple floors above ground level where the consular section is located, so our paths do not really cross except the lobby and cafeteria.

After work ended at 5 and I finished the last of my incident reports archiving project, I walked out of the embassy and started walking home, when I realized I was missing my sunglasses. I debated whether or not to leave them, but I decided to quickly run back and grab them. On my way out once again, I was fortunate enough to run into the RSO team (Regional Security Office) as they were heading home for the day. Rick Gregory, Regional Security Officer for the U.S. embassy here, recognized me and approached me before I passed through the gate and left the embassy compound. He asked me how my internship was going and if I had gotten settled in okay. I told him that I had and that I was really enjoying my internship so far. He asked me if they were keeping me busy in consular and I told him that they had, and that I was starting my management rotation on Monday. He was glad to hear that everything was going good, and then he surprised me by telling me that he would really like to have me come up to his office sometime because he had some projects that I could help out with. I was delighted by his offer, because I didn’t think interns could work in that area of the embassy, as it is all really cool secret service related territory. 

Regional Security Officer (RSO) is the title given to Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Special Agents serving overseas as the heads of security at U.S. diplomatic facilities such as an American Embassy. Working for the U.S. Department of State as special agents, RSOs are also considered officers within the State Department acting as specialists within the Foreign Service of the United States. The RSO is the senior U.S. law enforcement and security attaché/advisor to the Ambassador at a U.S. Embassy. They handle counter-intelligence, surveillance, security for dignitaries, Marine posts, and the surveillance detection unit (SDU), with a mission of counter-surveillance.  In addition, they are responsible for security matters relating to personnel, information, physical security of Embassy buildings and residences, as well as conducting criminal investigations, particularly those involving passport and visa fraud. It is a pretty exciting office to work in, and I think any project within that office would be great to take part in.

So thus concludes my busy Thursday, with tomorrow being my bittersweet farewell to the consular section.

Viszontlátásra!

 (Farewell!)

Oh, I also forgot to post about some minor comical things that I forgot to mention:

 1. What I thought was originally shampoo when I purchased it, turned out to be…hand soap. So I have been washing my hair for the past week and a half with hand soap. Sigh. At least I can sleep soundly at night knowing that 99.9% of the bacteria in my hair is dead. Right?

2. I noticed something really funny during my first few days here in Budapest, and luckily, Brent’s wife Mallory Huntley took a picture and posted it on their blog with a funny caption that really sums it up.

"Quick question: you know how you have to confirm the amount on the touch pad when you buy something with a credit card. Well Budapest is no different, except this is what it says: 

 Every time I see it asking "helyes" (like hell yes) I start laughing. It actually mean "Correct" but I can't help but think that this is just a very enthusiastic touch pad! I love it! by the way, the total it is showing you is 3,200 forints (about $16.00 USD). "

First-rate! 

October 12-13^th

 

Tuesday marked the end of my free-spirited three day weekend (2-day if you don’t count my sleepfest on Saturday…) and I am now officially past the 1 week mark of my internship. And as in most cases, seconds have felt like minutes, and minutes like hours. As I approach the end, though, it will all feel like it happened in the blink of an eye. I am really starting to warm up to the city, the people, and my fellow colleagues at work. The end of my internship is still a ways off, but my rotation in Consular is drawing to an end, and I can tell that I am going to miss these people I have spent so much time with and learned a great deal from. That is how life works however. You go along your merry way and you come across all kinds of people. Life is made up of meetings and partings. People come into your life every day. Some stay for a few minutes, some stay for a few months, or a year, others a whole lifetime. And I am really glad of the people I have had the pleasure of meeting so far in Budapest.

Work went great on Tuesday. I got started on a handful of projects and finished my last check-in appointment with the medical office. I even got my flu shot while I was there…not that I had much of a choice. It even comes with the H1N1 vaccination now.

After my check-in with medical, I went back to work. There had been a bit of commotion at the office because a famous Hungarian model and former Victoria’s secret angel had come in for consular services, and it had settled down by the time I returned. I worked on my projects until the end of the day and headed back home. I stopped by T-Mobile at the mall to get my internet USB stick’s firmware updated for use with Windows 7. No more McDonald’s for me! Yay!

  

After I got back home I played around with Microsoft office again in preparation for my management rotation. I even managed to cook myself a decent meal from scratch (salad and grilled chicken) before calling it a night.

October 13^th

When I arrived at work, I was informed that my help was greatly needed, and that I was going to perform an essential and beneficial task for the embassy. I thought, “Yes! They need me to be fill in for the ambassador while she is away on important business! This is my moment to shine!” I could already see the many important and critical issues that would need my attention, vital foreign policy that would need my stamp of approval or disapproval. Then I was led to the paper-shredding machine. As the stars started to fade from my eyes, I realized that I have never before in my life shredded paper. I had worked in an office setting before, but I had never needed to use one. Of course, I couldn’t tell them that. So I just started hitting buttons, and eventually got it to work. Someone asked me what I was doing and I told them that I knew this cool trick I learned to make the shredder run smoother, and that seemed to appease their curiosity… I am glad I finally got to perform that task however. I always imagine interns sitting in dark corners shredding papers for hours on end, so it had to happen eventually. I also only had to shred paper for a total of around 5 minutes, so it wasn’t bad at all.

After shredding paper I got back to working on a project where I comb over hundreds of files and records from 2008-2010 and scan them into our computer database, as consular sections all around the world make the shift from the old paperwork system to a completely digital system of archiving information.

I then had lunch at the embassy cafeteria with Jimmy from IT and Veronica who is a consular associate and wife to Eric S., one of our consular officers. We discussed things to do around Budapest, embassy work, and the Chilean miner’s rescue. Apparently, there is a very big Chinese market in Budapest that sells an assortment of items at cheap prices (and cheap quality), but they said it was worth checking out due to the assortment of oddities and eccentricities there. I think I will have to pay the market a visit this weekend.

After work I met up with President Chapman for our weekly dinner outing with the Bucks and Huntleys. This week: Hungarian cuisine. I had not yet eaten any traditional Hungarian plates, and I was anxious to try some. Hungary is famous for its paprika-seasoned dishes, so I decided to try their famous Paprikáscsirke (paprika chicken). “Menza” was the name of the restaurant we ate at, and it had a pretty weird seventies theme that felt really out of place. After the initial weirdness, we received our food and were delightfully surprised at its quality. The chicken and cream sauce that it was covered with was delicious, and we had lots to laugh and talk about as we recounted our adventures since our last dinner. Afterwards, we decided to go for a walk and grab some dessert somewhere. It was a beautiful night, and it felt nice relaxing after a semi-stressful day at work on the café-lit streets of Budapest. We found a quaint little pastry shop where president Chapman and the Bucks got some sweets to take home with them. We left the bakery and President Chapman and myself took off towards Moscow Square, and said goodbye to the Bucks and Huntleys.

Tomorrow I finally meet Paul Gilmer, Embassy Management Counselor, and the person who selected me as primary candidate for the internship this fall. I am excited and looking forward to thanking him in person for selecting me for the internship, and to hear about the management projects he has in store for me.

October 10-11^th

Let’s start off with my happenings on Sunday, which thankfully, were much livelier than Saturdays.

Sunday, the day of the week we as Mormons dedicate and set aside to worship our Heavenly Father, is just as fulfilling and enriching in Hungary as it is in any other part of the world that I have been in. From the moment I first walked in and greeted the missionaries at the door, to when I walked out feeling uplifted and edified, I felt humbled and grateful for the Church’s organization and commitment to bring people to Christ and teach them the restored gospel.

 I didn’t mention this in my previous entry, but when I first stumbled into the half-empty building where the Church resides in Budapest a week ago, I was overwhelmed at the warmth, spirit, and emotions that it evoked in me. It certainly took me by surprise, since I am for the most part reserved and guarded, and keep tight rein on my emotions. But finding the church building, regardless of what language or symbols might decorate its façade, knowing that just inside those doors lay the answers to all of life’s most difficult questions, and people willing to go above and beyond to help bring you closer to Christ, brought a sense of peace, calm, and happiness, that I rarely find outside of our temples. It has proven to be the highlight of my trip thus far, and it’s kind of peculiar when you think about it. I am surrounded on all sides by what the temporal world deems “beautiful” and “majestic”, by cavernous and ancient cathedrals and castles, buildings that are adorned with gold and jewels, and riches beyond our wildest dreams. Yet it was a simple and plain, unadorned, unimposing building, with the words “The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”, that truly moved me.

I attended the international branch this Sunday, and was met by some familiar faces. I said hello to the Bucks and Huntleys (the BYU law students interning here in Budapest, whom I had dinner with last week), and President Chapman of course. I also recognized a few others from English class on Thursday, and was cordially greeted by them. We didn’t have a very large group, but it was still a very reverent and enjoyable sacrament meeting. We had Priesthood meeting afterwards, and a German member who lives in Budapest for business gave a great lesson on some of the things we learned from General Conference this year. The international branch is very diverse and has representation from a large array of countries from around the world. We had a sister from the Ukraine there, a family from Korea, a German family, and many more. It felt nice knowing that we were all united there for the single purpose of showing our devotion, and hearing them bare their testimonies from the pulpit was a great experience considering how different everyone’s backgrounds were.

Unfortunately, there are not enough people in the International branch to hold Sunday school, so church is concluded after 2 hours every week. President Chapman approached me after church to ask me if I would like to have dinner with him and some of the expats in his neighborhood (U.S. citizens who are living outside the U.S.), and since my current dinner plans were a microwaveable pizza and slightly acidic tap water from the Danube, I accepted his offer. I also wanted to get a feel for what the expat community is like for those serving in the Department of State and the Armed Forces.

President Chapman had his car so we drove out to his community where a large group of expats live, and where the multi-family dinner was being held this Sunday. He showed me around his house, and we had some time before dinner to watch half a session of General Conference, which we both missed and needed to catch up on. We talked about their experiences as a Mormon family in the service, and about how his family has coped with living overseas in a country so unlike the U.S. We talked about how schooling has worked out for their children, and if his wife tries to work or if she focuses on being a full-time stay at home mom, among another handful of important topics concerning DoS life that I wanted to discuss.

When dinner time came around, we headed out with some chips and drinks that President Chapman had to contribute for the potluck. I had a nice time meeting with the men and women who are living here, primarily serving in the armed forces. I met a man from Special Forces who survived a parachuting accident and literally “bounced” off the ground after plummeting thousands of feet in free-fall. It is a testament to the dedication that our armed forces has, and it really opened my eyes to the kind of things that our men and women do in the line of fire. Watching AFN (the armed forces network) at home, I get to learn about these courageous men and women who sacrifice so much so that we can have everything. I learned about a service member serving in Afghanistan, who while on patrol with his tank convoy, had a grenade lobbed inside. So what does he do? He grabs the grenade and pins it between himself and the vehicle, shielding his fellow servicemen and saving their lives. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and the Purple Heart. This is just one of the many stories that have sobered me and made me more aware of what these men and women are going through as they serve our country. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with our presence in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and the political machinations behind it all, I believe that it is necessary to honor and respect our armed forces that are doing their duty and protecting the U.S. flag.

After mingling with the various families there and answering questions about my internship and my hometown, President Chapman and I bid them farewell and he drove me back home. I was really grateful for the meal and for being invited over, and called it a night.

Monday October 11^th

Hooray for holidays! Hooray for Columbus!

….I guess. I was looking forward to a day off work because I was going out to where the toxic red sludge spilled happened to offer help and support, and help clear out the sludge, but the trip fell through and I didn’t end up going. Oh well.

Here and at all U.S. embassies around the world, we celebrate not only every U.S. holiday, but we also celebrate the holidays of the host country.

So instead, I was fortunate enough to visit the McDonald’s down the street and Skype with Victoria for a couple of hours. It was great to see her again. I can’t wait for my internet to actually start working so that I can maintain a better connection with the outside world.

Also, I think that the staff at McDonald’s is starting to recognize me, because before I could even order the girl said, “Big Mac, Large?” I don’t think I have seen her before, so maybe she just assumed I am the kind of man who eats a multi-layered burger full of cheesy goodness and gets large fries and drinks to go with it. Hmm. I really feel that I need to change my eating habits here in Hungary, however, because eating McDonald’s and Burger King is really starting to hurt my stomach...

So, Tuesday will be grocery day, and I am looking forward to trying my hand at cooking again. Whenever I tried cooking before, it was dangerous, because I was not only cooking for myself, but for others. On my mission it was for my companion, if I was at school it was for roommates, if I was at home it was for my family members. And after having been exposed to the horrors of my cooking, they usually begged  - politely asked, that I stop trying. So now that I am on my own, the only person who can be harmed from my concoctions will be me. Hence, there isn’t as much pressure or worries while cooking. Who knows? Maybe I will be able to make some decent Hungarian dishes after my internship to use for the future. Doubtful, but anything’s possible.

After that I headed to FHE at the church building, where I was fed a Hungarian potato salad with fried paprika-seasoned sausages on top, and delicious jam-covered homemade bread slices, all washed down with lukewarm apple juice. Yum! There wasn’t a huge turnout, and since I didn’t have an interpreter to translate what the spiritual lesson was about, I took off after an hour.

Walking home from FHE I ran into none other than President Chapman, who was on his way to play squash with his counselor Jared, and President Baughman, Mission President over the Budapest mission. President Chapman invited me to come along and play with them, so I ran up the hill, changed, and ran back down to catch up with them. President Baughman loves playing squash, and has been playing for some years now. He is amazing! He has us young guys huffing and puffing like we were lifelong chain smokers, while he just chuckled to himself and repeated “next” for the entire 2 hours that we played. It was my first time ever playing squash, and I feel that I did pretty well and learned a trick or two from playing with them. After the intense work out, we were dropped off at the church again by President Baughman, and we all headed our separate ways back home. I ended the night talking to Victoria again, and recounting my squash conquests (with minor references to my many defeats at the hands of Pres. Baughman…)

Thanks Mr. Columbus, for a terrific Monday. :)

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my last week in consular! Management rotation lies just around the corner…

Saturday October 9th

I literally did nothing.

 I went to sleep at around 7:00 a.m. …and woke up not long ago at close to 11 p.m. So I essentially slept through my entire Saturday… Although it feels like I wasted a whole day, my body really needed to catch up from this entire week’s crazy schedule and sleep deprivation. So that pretty much sums up my Saturday.

I look forward to attending church at the international branch tomorrow! That is at 2:00 p.m.

Good night! 

R 

October 7-8th & defeat of the consumption girls

Thursday I had lunch @ the embassy cafeteria (turkey pasta and chocolate crepes) and met with the GSO (General Services Officer) Christina Hernandez, and Tim Betts from the Executive Office. Timothy Betts works in the Executive office with the Ambassador. I am not sure exactly what he does in that office, but it sounds executive pretty official. After meeting briefly with Tim Betts, I took a taxi from the embassy to the GS Office, where the embassy keeps all of the furniture we own. The embassy owns every piece of furniture in the all of the housing here in Budapest. It is also where the offices for housing and leasing are, it is where the commissary is located (special store full of American goods brought in from Germany) where you can find all of the stuff you miss from home. It also has a mechanic who works on and fixes all car problems for State employees, among a myriad of other general services for the employees living here in Budapest.

Kristine called a taxi driver to come pick me up and drive me to the complex, and when he showed up I just jumped in thinking she had told him where I was going. Wrong. The taxi driver had no idea where he was going, I didn’t know where I was going, so he drops me off on some part of the street that the GSO is on, and 25 minutes later I finally wander into the embassy’s GSO base. He had dropped me off a couple of blocks away from where the actual compound was located. >.<

After meeting with CJ, the GS officer, I got a ride back to the embassy with one of the Public affairs Officers who happened to be driving back to the embassy.  Then I met back up with Kristine and wrapped up the day. We talk to Eric, one of our Consular officers, and Jeff, Consular chief, about what projects they would like me to get started on. After some discussion and deliberation, I got my first big consular project assignment! I get to work on validation studies for visas granted in the year 2009. A validation study is basically an in-depth comprehensive review of visas issued to include specific age/race/nationality demographics, the type of visa issued, whether the visa recipient respected and followed the visa’s validity period, or if they overstayed on their visa. The whole process involves the usage of several information system programs, including some really great Department of Homeland security information systems that help us keep a track of our visa recipients and their activity in the United States. We confirm return for the recipients, or an “overstay”, and if so, why did they overstay? We file any records that are too vague or require further investigation under “inconclusive.” Kristine said that this kind of project was something that I could, and I quote, “hang your hat on.” I hope that it will look impressive on my resume for next year’s fall internship application, alongside a positive evaluation of my work done here for this fall. After they explained the kind of work it involved and that knowledge of excel was necessary, they asked me to be at work the following morning around 9:50 a.m. to sit in on their weekly office meeting. After saying goodbye to all of the officers, I departed for home, slightly nervous and very excited for my first big internship project.

Before going home I decided to stop by the Buda branch to see what was going on, and was very happy to find the missionaries preparing to teach   “hold” their English conversational club. I am not sure what Hungarian restrictions are on missionaries here, but in Russia we were not allowed to say we taught English, merely, that we held a weekly conversational club for people wanting to practice English. They caused a ruckus if they found us saying we were teaching when we were not issued teacher visas, but rather, religious missionary visas. Anyways, it was a nice to see the same work we did in Russia being employed in other parts of the world, and to see the gospel being spread to people in all corners of the world. I sat in on the intermediate English class and offered some help and participated with the introductory activities for a good half hour before taking off.

A small confession: I ate at McDonald's before going home… :(

I really tried to give one of the many small restaurant shacks in Moscow Square a try, but everything looked like it would either
a.) Break the bank.
b.) Leave me unsatisfied and hungry for more. (Meager portions)
c.) Give me terrible gas.
d.) Give me violent diarrhea.
e.) All of the above. (The most likely, to be honest.)

  

So I went with something safe, familiar, relatively inexpensive – a Big Mac. Never has a Big Mac tasted so good in all my life. I never eat McDonald’s, but I thought the irony alone from my first post concerning American fast food merited a visit. *And* you get free Wi-Fi there regardless of whether you purchase something or not, and until they fix my internet at home, this will be my internet haven when I need to check emails when I am not at work.

  

After McDonald’s I spent the evening dusting off the ol’ Microsoft Office and polishing up on my Excel skills, which, were pretty much non-existent. Well, okay, maybe not that bad, but my working knowledge of it was fairly rudimentary and I wasn’t sure if it would be satisfactory would be prepared for the work I had Friday morning. After studying for a few hours I felt pretty confident that I would be prepared for the project next morning, and my brain was feeling pretty fried. So I decided to go take a walk and clear my head for a bit, and that is when it happened……….

Rodolfo: 1     Consumption Girls: 0

  

Probably the biggest ongoing tourist scam here in all of Hungary, and the one that we get the most reports/compaints about at the embassy from U.S. tourists, is the consumption girl scam. Here is a brief explanation of what the consumption girl scam is all about.

1.       A restaurant/pub/bar hires a handful of young, outgoing, very attractive Hungarian girls who speak fairly good/decent English.

2.       Said girls have one purpose and one purpose only: to lure unsuspecting tourists into their employer’s establishment under the guise of “getting drinks”. Usually 1-3 girls work the same tourist to convince him to hang out with them and buy them drinks.

3.       The tourist thinks to himself, “Wow, I love Hungary, this is first-rate.” Little does he know….The tourist then proceeds to treat his new lovely friends to some drinks, thinking he is having the night of his life, until he gets the bill…

5.       A bill of 500 Euros is not unheard of for scams like this. That’s about $693 U.S. Dollars. The establishment insists the customer pays for the expensive drinks that his lovely lady friends ordered.

6.        

      Here, a number of things can happen.

a.        The tourist can think on his feet, and realize that these girls are in on it and duped him. Threatens to call the police/embassy, and that is usually enough to let him off the hook.

b.      The tourist thinks that the establishment is crooked, that the girls are innocent and victims just like him, and he decides to come to their rescue and pay the bill, thus, in his mind, impressing them in the process for being the hero.

c.       Worst case scenario, the tourist refuses, and the establishment calls out two-three monstrous behemoth looking bouncers to scare him, and escort him to the A.T.M. to withdraw the money (plus an additional fee for belligerence).

These sad, yet very realistic scenarios, happen to these gullible travelers who are enjoying the city and happened to get lured in. Granted, kind of their fault for being so naïve, but that’s life. Here is the U.S. embassy’s establishment “blacklist” where any place with multiple reports gets placed on it as a warning for U.S. travelers.  

http://hungary.usembassy.gov/tourist_advisory.html

Anyways, back to me, two consumption girls tried cornering me on a street thinking I would fall prey to their charms, but I was evasive and uncooperative, and they eventually gave up, but not before sighing exasperatedly and muttering what I assume were Hungarian obscenities. It was pretty comical, every time they would try to run ahead and wait for me at a street corner I would pretend to see something off to the side, stop, and then turn back around and head in the other direction. In another instance, they thought they had finally found the way to get me to talk to them, so that when I turned around girl #2 was ready for me at the other end. That’s when I stopped to slowly tie my shoe, and then proceeded to cross the street just as I was about to reach the end of the street where the trap lay waiting. I don’t think they are accustomed to young men being so determined to avoid them, they looked pretty disconcerted. I am sure this won’t be my last encounter with these notorious restaurant bandits, and I can only imagine what nefarious schemes they will try to come up with to snag me in their scam. Maybe I should just give them pass-along cards inviting them to Church on Sundays whenever they try…you never know!

After my tactical maneuvers were done with, I felt it was time to go home since all of Budapest’s creeps were emerging from whatever trash can/tree/dumpster/phone booth/litter box they were crouched in. There have been some real kooks on the public transportation late at night when I ride, although the same can be said for any large  neopolitan  - metropolitan city. Although I think Hungary might take 1^st place…

The following morning I arrived at the embassy with some time to spare before the weekly office meeting, and I brushed up on my consular affairs terminology/jargon in the FAM (Foreign Affairs Manual). Anything you need to know about working in the embassy, in any section or capacity, be it a big or small question, you can find in it in the FAM. It is simply amazing how comprehensive and massive this manual is, and not only that, it is fairly enjoyable and interesting to read unlike most other manuals. I would say it ranks somewhere between reading a Harry Potter book and a How-to book in terms of content. :P

After the meeting we were briefed on the current National Disaster that took place in a province in Hungary – the toxic red sludge spill. One of our consular section leads went to a press briefing with the Hungarian Minister and came back to brief us on the proceedings and developments concerning the disaster, including the scientific/political/economic/international ramifications and results from this disaster. I am actually joining a group on Monday morning to drive out to the affected regions to help with the clean-up and relocation of the people there, and helping provide any other necessary services. The spill has had a tremendous effect on the country, including here in Budapest, where the spill has raised the PH level of the Danube River (our drinking water) to 9, which is still safe in moderation for a short amount of time. Prolonged exposure to drinking water at this pH, which is 20 times more acidic than a pH level of 7 which is neutral , can be adverse to our health and cause problems further down the line. The biggest fear is that if the clean-up isn’t fast enough, this toxic sludge will dry, and the thousands of tons that were spilled will gather in huge clouds and cause toxic contamination, and possibly blow across not only Hungary, but other parts of Europe as well. It is similar to the Chernobyl meltdown scare, but on a smaller scale, and not quite as lethal. Certain parts of the most affected region will be uninhabitable for a very, very, long time, since the concentration of toxic material was so strong, the soil has become inhospitable to any farming, not to mention the toxicity and lethality of any crops grown in that soil. The government will need to clear the top soil off for a large portion of the region before allowing people to move back and resume their farming.

As the consular section, we handle all American Citizen Services, which means we are in charge of taking care of our citizens here abroad. This is a perfect example of the embassy in action. We looked at registered U.S. citizens here in our database to determine if any Americans were living in or around the affected region, and trying to contact them to make sure that they are okay. In case of an emergency, where a citizen cannot be reached or is in need of help, the embassy would send immediate help to them and help them get to safety. We also handled a large number of calls from concerned family members back in the U.S. who were concerned for their loved ones safety here in Hungary. Colin Powell, former secretary of state, stated that “A U.S. embassy’s first, and primary function, is simply, to take care of its citizens abroad in another country.”

Following the briefing, I finally got started on my project, and I am happy to say, it was a success! I managed to finish all of the studies before the end of the day and submitted the file/paperwork I had printed and worked. I was tasked with studying all Iranian and Chinese visa applicants whom the embassy granted travel visas to in the year 2009, and finding out how they used their visas, if they overstayed, or if they chose to simply not travel. Then, within that category was a sub-category of F1 (student visas), B1 (Business/Pleasure), H1B (Work visas). Within that, was an age sub-category, and so on and so forth, and it was my job to put a report together to see if there was any repeating trends in the visa applicants data from 2009, any similarities or differences in how/why the visa was used/abused/unused. 

That took up most of my day, and following that I just wrapped up some last minute paperwork before leaving the office for the weekend.

I left for home, and thats where I crashed on the bed (finally made it all the way to the far end of the apartment where the master bedroom is). 

A great first week of work!

I look forward to wrapping up the last of my consular rotation before jumping into Management for the remainder of my stay.

R

I am the Hungarian wizard...pelase watch my hands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodolfo_(magician)

Awesome. A Hungarian magician who after intense training mastered the art of Mexicanity. LoL