October 4th-6th (Arrival)

Wow, where to begin?

I am quite behind, unfortunately, on all the happenings in my brief sojourn here in Budapest. I will work my way down from the beginning I suppose,  from first arriving on Hungarian soil October 4^th at 5:55 p.m.

Upon arriving at the Budapest airport, I was greeted and welcomed by Jimmy, a Foreign Service specialist (IT) here at the embassy and one of my social sponsors for the duration of my stay. Jimmy is a really nice guy who has been with the service for a few years, and served in Sao Paolo before being called to Budapest. He gave me a brief introduction to the city and to the mission (that is what they call each embassy/consulate around the world) and how/what to do here in the city, from ordering food to taking advantage of the excellent public transportation system here.

Arriving at my apartment felt like something out of a James Bond movie: we began the ascent up this breathtaking hill that winded upwards like an accordion, with the spectacular view of Buda Castle above us, which every night has a combination of many different lights shining upon it to give it a glowing aura. After making it up the hill, we passed through a gated security checkpoint to enter the heart of Buda Castle. Once inside, we drove past the Castle and past St. Matthias church, a glorious church dating back centuries. When we pulled up to a building right alongside the church, I wondered if Jimmy was taking me to see the church before calling it a night and dropping me off at my apartment. However, Jimmy simply started unloading my luggage, and I wasn’t going to argue. Lo and behold, he tells me that this is the Marine compound in which I am staying, and that I was going to love my apartment, and especially the view. I thought, “How much better could the view get? St. Matthias’ square is my porch!”

I was wrong however.

 Upon entering the… mansion, for lack of a better word, Jimmy left my stuff at the entrance and proceeded to show me the compounds grassy backyard lawn. There I found two semi-connected lawns overlooking all of the Danube River with a breath-taking vista of Parliament, chain bridge, and Buda Castle, all of which are gloriously lit up at night. This is my view...

A small ancient-looking building with a moat within the compound served as a POW camp during WWII, and as a dungeon back in medieval times. The Hungarian government, apparently, is quite disgruntled and consternated at the United Sates acquisition of this real estate, and is a thorn in its side due to its national historical importance and overall grandeur of the site.  From what I have gleaned, the U.S. will be giving it back to the Hungarian government in exchange for 2 additional buildings which are adjacent to the embassy, in order for us to expand. Still marveling at the vista, Jimmy walked this star-struck intern back into the housing of the compound and showed me my apartment. I am living in an enormous apartment which I have all to myself. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchen. All very spacious and comfortable. I have a washer/dryer/dishwasher/television/entertainment system/iron/fridge/espresso machine (lol?)/microwave. So I am pretty much all set for the remainder of my stay here without want for anything, except food I suppose. Jimmy left me a carton of milk, a box of cereal, and a microwaveable pizza with which to satisfy my hunger for the time being.

Jimmy then excitedly inquired as to whether or not I was up for a little city excursion, and not wanting to disappoint, I enthusiastically said yes despite my bleary-eyed and tired demeanor. We walked down Buda hill and walked to Moscow square, from which we took the metro to downtown Pest. The metro is a very clean and dependable method of traveling around the city and I look forward to using it every day for work and for leisure. The escalators to go both up and down to this metro are simply outrageous, the descent and ascent are so very steep, with people hurriedly  jostling you every which way to get by. I was reminded from my time in Russia to keep my hand on my wallet at all times in close situations like this where pickpockets excel at their profession.

Upon exiting the metro station, we were greeting by the brilliantly-lit and looming grandeur that is the Hungarian Parliament. 

It sits on the river and has a small yet elegant park in the front, lending it a very cultured and refined appearance. We walked about half a block away to Szabadsag Ter (Independence Square) where the U.S. embassy is located. There is a large soviet army memorial at the center of the square, one of the last remaining within the city of Budapest. He showed me where the embassy was located, and what entrance to use to gain access.

The embassy is currently under construction as they are digging up around its perimeter to install a higher and better fortified fence than the one currently being used, which was apparently insufficient a few weeks ago when a madman hopped over it and rushed the embassy doors hoping to gain access. Fortunately, he was met with 12 inch think doors that are magnetically locked at all times before being tackled and swarmed by armed marine guards. Don’t think I will be trying that anytime soon…

After that we walked down a strip of downtown Pest and saw the second largest Jewish synagogue 

(behind New York) outside of Jerusalem, and soaked in the atmosphere of the busy nightlight that the city has. Jimmy then walked me to the nearest metro station, handed me two metro tickets, which he explained was enough to make it home tonight, and to get to the embassy tomorrow morning for work. We said goodbye and I departed for my apartment. After managing to make it back successfully to my metro station stop, and remembering the way back up to Buda Castle, I finally stumbled into my apartment and passed out on the couch at around 11 p.m.

So all in all, a good first night.

October 5^th – The first day of work! Although always an exciting and nerve-racking experience regardless of where you work, my first day on the job was awesome! I woke up at 5 a.m. to unpack all of clothes which I had neglected to do the previous night due to fatigue, and then proceeded to shower and get ready for the day. I set out at 7:00 a.m. hoping to get to the embassy at least 30 minutes early my first day and impress my work sponsor. The time at which I actually arrived for work that morning? 7:59 a.m. – just one minute before my work day started. Long story short, I got into a conversation with someone on the metro train, trying out my Hungarian, and I missed my stop… Since it requires a ticket each time you use it, and I was all out, I had to walk to work from about 8 blocks away with the clock ticking away, and absolutely no idea which way to go. I asked the first trustworthy-looking person I saw where Parliament was, and they pointed in the general direction of where they believed it to be. Not entirely convinced of the credibility of this good Samaritan, I begrudgingly took off in the direction hoping I had not picked the wrong person to ask. With my luck, this man was probably xenophobic and extremely averse to dealing with Americans, and was having some revenge at my expense. About 5 blocks later however, I saw my first sign indicating that parliament was indeed in this direction. I took off at full speed, and I can only assume at how comical it must have looked for a well-dressed business attired young man to be sprinting through the streets in early morning Budapest at break-neck speed with only a small idea as to the whereabouts of my destination. Upon finally arriving at the embassy I was greeted by guards and had to be cleared before being allowed inside. I checked in at the front desk (a marine-manned desk situated behind plexi-glass) and was given my temporary visitors clearance badge before I was issued my full time one. I was then directed to the Consular section, where I am to work for the next few weeks before jumping into the Management section.

I met my work sponsor for the Consular part of my internship, Kristine Marsh. Kristine is a very nice lady who previously worked at the U.S. embassy in Turkmenistan, with none other than Sylvia Curran, the charge de affaires for that embassy, and my DoS contact through an old mission buddy of mine. It is a small world within the Department of State, and a few others in the Consular section have heard of Sylvia and were delighted to have me there.  I met the section heads for Consular, and the sections FSN’s (Foreign Service Nationals), essentially Hungarian nationals whom the Department of State hires to help with the Mission here. Their services are essential, and help to foster and create a bond with the local community. By integrating FSN’s with the daily operations of the embassy, we help to create a global community of people and to help build stronger relationships with the countries in which we are representing the United States.

  

From my experiences that day, I can confidently say that the caliber and work integrity of the lucky few who make it into the Department of State, is higher than I could have possibly imagined. What a talented and remarkable group they are. Kristine Marsh has served all over the world, and speaks at least 4 languages that I know of, and has only been in Hungary a month, yet already seems quite advanced in her Hungarian. We had an Armenian family come in today, and she was able to converse in three different languages with them in order to complete a visa application that they filed. My other colleagues all come from such diverse backgrounds, and they truly attest to the high standard that the Department of State has in terms of truly talented individuals who excel at the 13 different dimensions that are essential for the service. We have an officer here who is an expert in all affairs consular, speaks an assortment of languages, and has a Spanish wife who works in the consular section with us. Everyone is extremely affable with each other, and there is a great sense of camaraderie in the office as they all work together to further the U.S. mission here in Budapest. They take pride in knowing that the work they do in this section has far-reaching consequences, and that they make a difference to the lives of those they interact with on a daily basis, and whose decisions will effect entire generations of Hungarians.

That same first day of work, after having an introductory orientation and tour of the embassy, I was invited to a brown bag lunch presentation with none other than the Ambassador herself! 

There were a few others from the embassy there to listen to a presentation by USAID’s Afghanistan PRT Officer, Alyson McFarland. Mrs. McFarland formerly worked at the embassy here, under what capacity, I am not sure, but her presentation was excellent. She is the Field Program Officer at the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Baghlan Province, Afghanistan. Both U.S. and Hungarian troops are serving in the Baghlan Province. It was truly revelatory to find out what sort of projects are being conducted in Afghanistan. All you ever hear concerning Afghanistan is war, corruption, small skirmishes, rigged elections, uprisings, bombings, etc. It was amazing to hear just how many humanitarian projects have been on-going in the region now for some time, with global cooperation and funding. The U.S. has the largest presence there, and we were briefed on how we are working from the ground up to provide a better standard of living for the inhabitants of Afghanistan. They have implemented work programs to give the Afghans more ways to provide for their families, instead of joining these terrorist factions. They have started training both men and women in textile jobs, and a variety of other skill related jobs. They even had Drivers education and behind the wheel training for the women of the province who never learned how to drive and it became a huge success and helped in fortifying relations with the people of that region. They have built schools, and hospitals, to give the people of the Baghlan province another means with which to improve their living. The work our government does there and that of the Hungarian government  is to be greatly appreciated and admired. They live in harsh and inhospitable conditions, in constant vigilance and under threat of life, to improve the lives of the Afghans in the Baghlan Province.

Mrs. McFarland closed with an experience they recently had out in the Baghlan Province. There was recently a bout of attacks from a pocket of Al Qaeda insurgents.  Mrs. McFarland then recounted how the locals didn’t just stand idly-by as the under-staffed armed service troops battled with them, they too also pitched in and helped drive back the insurgents. The Afghan’s showed us that they do not support or want this in their lives anymore. They are tired of this war and of the consequences that a handful of extremist groups has had on an entire country. It is from events like this that I marvel at how much can be accomplished, despite the circumstances, and that perhaps, just maybe, there can be hope for the future.

  

After the presentation, Kristine and I walked back down to consular where I was given a schedule with appointments I had with members of the embassy for the rest of the day. I was briefed on an assortment of different topics which I am not at liberty to divulge. It was a very cool experience because I really got to see the inner working of the embassy, and how we are accomplishing our mission’s goal and representing the United States in Hungary. Something quite comical about my first couple of days here in the embassy, Kristine introduced me to embassy employees as Rodrigo half of the time. So I am known as Rodrigo to one half of the embassy, and Rodolfo to the other. It is quite funny when I hear someone call me Rodolfo in front of someone who I was introduced to as Rodrigo, and see that look of confusion on their face as they think to themselves “Wow, where did I get a name like Rodolfo from??” - and vice versa.

When I finally got back down to consular, I was wiped out. I finally had my embassy work badge with my security clearance level printed on it, and I had a good understanding of where everything was within the embassy. I said goodbye to all of my colleagues, and I headed out into the pouring rain. (Oh yeah, it poured my first night and first full day in Budapest, yay!)

After getting off the metro at Moscow Square 

(this is the metro station I get off at to get home), I walked around and explored the city a bit. The Buda side of the river, which I live on, is more relaxed and green in comparison to the busy Pest side. I went inside to one of the large malls in Moscow square, and did my best to speak Hungarian with the locals. I love asking people “How are you? Great! I am good. My name is Rodolfo. Sorry, I must go! Goodbye!” I do this in about 10 seconds. As soon as they start talking over my head, or ask a question I don’t understand, I tell them I am sorry, and that I must go. So for a brief moment, they really believe I am fluent in Hungarian and are really impressed haha. When things start to get much more complicated I hit them with the” I must go” and it has worked out pretty well so far. I will start my language training in Hungarian this week hopefully, which I will really appreciate and take advantage of. Not speaking Hungarian is hardly a deterrence here however, you can get by with only speaking English just fine, since it seems 90% of the population here in Budapest speak it. Especially in areas around the embassy and downtown Pest which is full of foreign nationals from the U.S., Canada, and England.  It is the language of businessmen and diplomats here in Budapest, and of most international tourists. After getting my fill of exploring, I realized I had not eaten very much that day, and I couldn’t decide on where to eat. So after much pondering and deliberation, I settled on a very adventurous and exotic location: Burger King. Yes, yes, I know. You ask yourselves, “You travel halfway around the world to an exciting and exotic locale, and the first thing you eat is Burger King?” What can I say? I like being safe in my food, and I was so hungry that I didn’t want to chance it and buy something I found disgusting and lose money and sleep over it. So I had a whopper. Don’t worry, that was the first and last time. Next time I will eat somewhere more authentic…like McDonald’s!

Afterwards, I wandered the streets of Buda in search of spiritual replenishment, with the address of the Church building written down on a piece of paper. I eventually found it (2 hrs later), and met a handful of the youth and two widowed sister missionaries serving in Budapest. I had a great conversation with them about the church here in Budapest, and about the English branch. They then took me to the Branch President’s office, but he was not in. They called him up, and told him who I was and why I was here, and that I was looking for him. I then talked to him on the phone, and he informed me that he too was also with the Department of State, as a Foreign Service Specialist, and that he had just returned from Utah on leave where his wife had given birth just a few weeks ago. We made plans to meet during the day at the embassies mezzanine level in the cafeteria, and to have dinner after work with 2 married couples who were here from BYU Law on internships. After I got off the phone the sisters wanted me to stay and enjoy the youth activity they had that night (knitting hats/scarves) but I respectfully declined. I was briefly introduced to the youth and then departed. So the church is alive and well in Budapest, Hungary! 

  

After that I wondered up my hill to Buda Castle in a half-stupor, and finally stumbled back into my apartment and crashed on the couch. (Again!)

At the behest of Kristine, she told me to sleep-in and get some rest so that I could dispel this jet-lag that was clinging to me. Needless to say, it was the best night of sleep I can recall in recent memory. I felt so refreshed and rejuvenated, I felt like I could conquer the world that day! Until I looked at the clock. Then it looked like I would have to settle for conquering a quick breakfast, shower, and preparing for the day faster than I had ever done before. It was already half past nine and I was still in my pj’s.  Granted, Kristine told me to sleep-in, and to get all the rest I needed, but I felt like half the day was already up and I had a lot to do that day.

Upon arrival at the embassy, I was once again greeted cordially by everyone in the office, and I was reminded of what a great atmosphere the consular section has. I greeted Kristine and got to sit in on some interviews for immigrant visas which were really interesting. You basically get to interview these families who are trying to immigrate legally to the United States, and it is their job to convince us, the Consul, to approve of their visa and allow them to leave Hungary. They bare their souls to you, as they talk about their past, their present, their future, and their goals and dreams. They supply documentation that support all of their reasons/motivations and eligibility, and provide evidence that they have the financial backing and a U.S. sponsor who will vouch for their well-being while they are in the United States. We had a family win the visa “lottery”, which people can play in and win visas to the U.S. granted they meet all of our eligibility requirements. We had a family come in today, dressed in their very finest, absolutely ecstatic at having won the lottery. They talked about their plans for the future, and how this was such a tremendous opportunity and turning point in their lives. You could see it on their faces. I couldn’t bear watching them as they were rejected. Unfortunately, they had not fully satisfied us in one of the requirement areas, and hence, were ineligible for the lottery.  There were also some additional oddities with their passports, but regardless, they had to be turned away. Just as there are very happy endings, there are also very sad ones. A consul’s job is very critical, because we are deciding who gets the green flag, and who doesn’t. Every person granted a visa can be traced back to the officer who approved of it, and that is an added means of security to ensure that the consul does its best to make sound judgments in each case, and to be careful when admitting people to the U.S. There have been unfortunate cases where people were allowed in who ended up doing terrible things to our country, and as a consul, how terrible must it feel to know that you were the one who stamped their visa and gave them the go-ahead?

I also witnessed another case today that dealt with immigration law and a loophole that an immigrant found while in the U.S. on a student visa. The complexities and nuances of the immigration law, and consular work in general, are absolutely mind-boggling. In cases where the consul is unsure as to how to handle a case in terms of legality, we have a bureau back in D.C. that handles all law-related inquiries for consul work, and together, they form a network of talented professionals who take on complex cases concerning immigration law. It was quite eye-opening to see it in action, and to see how intricate the world of the consular affairs is.

After that Kristine and Eric, another consular officer, treated me to lunch at a nearby humus restaurant. It was my first time eating this type of food, and I had a very scrumptious plate of humus with falafel. We discussed the Foreign Service, Consular affairs, living abroad, past posts where they served, myths about the DoS, inner-workings and opinions of working for the Foreign Service, the BRIC rising powers (Brazil, Russia, India, China), the U.S.’s role in today’s global climate, and the economic recession in Europe and the United States. They also helped answer some of my more specific questions concerning the service, and it was an all-around enlightening experience that really helped me gain a better understanding of what the Department of State is like.

  

I had a couple more briefings after lunch and I observed some more consular work. I also had a chance to meet up with the Branch President, Brandon Chapman, and talk to him a little during work. We made plans to meet up in the embassy lobby at quarter to 6 after work. Before that, however, I explored the embassy a little and checked out the cafeteria. Then I went outside and walked around downtown Pest to familiarize myself with the surrounding area, and visit the parliament building. I ran into what I believe, was some sort of memorial event in the heart of downtown Pest, and I observed the proceedings for a little.

I then headed back to the embassy and met up with Brandon, and we headed out. We met up with the two married couples (sorry, I forgot their names already!) and after brief introductions we left for the Italian restaurant that Brandon recommended we visit. After about 10 minutes of walking down a very busy strip of stores and avenues, we found ourselves in the heart of the shopping strip at a place called Vapiano, where you can observe these speedy chefs preparing your made-to-order pasta and pizzas using the freshest ingredients available. 

The food and the company were excellent, as were the conversations over dinner. I learned some more concerning their internships here in Budapest. BYU Law has an exchange program with one of the large Universities here in Budapest, where students live and study here during one of their semesters. They must pay for all of their expenses, including housing and travel, but they get to live abroad and add some impressive experiences to their resume. They were very interested in my internship and in the work that I do at the embassy. It was a really great dinner.

After finishing up the plethora of delicious food that we had all ordered, we made our way down the strip once more and Brandon took us to try his favorite Hungarian dessert, Kolacs I believe it is called. It essentially translates to “chimney bread”. They take a large rolling pin and wrap dough around it in a spiral pattern, and then put it into this very hot oven, where they let it bake. Once it is done, they pull it out, and roll/dip it into whatever kind of coating you would like. Off the top of my head, there is vanilla, coconut, chocolate, cocoa, cinnamon, and a varied assortment which I no longer recall. It was heavenly! We winded down our excursion by heading back out and parting ways at the metro station, where Brandon and I took off for Moscow Square. We talked a little about both serving in Russia as missionaries, similarities and differences with the Russians and Hungarians, and then parted ways. I walked back home and called it a night. 

I feel that I have finally caught up with everything that I have done and will strive to keep this updated daily so that I can keep a record of all of my memories. Thank you and bless your heart if you sat through all of it and read it!

R

Interesting side-note:

Rodolfo was the name of a very famous Hungarian magician in the 70’s, how about that? As soon as I am introduced to Hungarians, their faces light up and they start talking about magic and how cool Rodolfo was. Apparently his catch phrase was “Keep your eyes on my hands, because I am cheating” or, at least, that’s what one of my colleagues in the consular section said it translated to. The running office joke is that if any stuff starts disappearing around the embassy, they will know who is to blame. Although I think that would probably have been the case regardless, since I am the only Mexican working here at the moment…hahaha. :P