We Made It!

2/21/12. We finally got to Budapest today, after traveling for twenty-some hours. The office couple met us at the airport and got us settled in the mission home, which used to be an apartment building. One floor is the chapel and classrooms, the next floor is the young adult center. Next is the President's beautiful home and the fourth floor is a bathroom, bedrooms and a living area for elders and couples who are transferring or coming to or leaving Hungary. Both the office couple, the Bagozzies, and president and his wife, the Baughmans, are very nice. The Bagozzi's showed us around the building and walked us to a nice restaurant for lunch. On the way, we saw the most incredible church. Then we finally got a chance to take an hour nap. After, we met with the mission president and got our assignment which is to serve in the Szekesfehervar Branch, which is part of the Budapest Stake. It is about one hour southwest from Budapest. We are the only couple missionaries working in the stake, as the rest are in mission areas. They haven't had Senior Missionaries and so we don't have any footsteps to follow in, or to live up to. Our assignment will include two other towns which are about an hour each from Szekesfehervar. After Pres. Baughman interviewed us, he said, "You should be able to start a Young Adult Center there." (Later, at dinner, he share this idea with his wife and said this about why he felt that way: "He's friendly, and she's musical!") He called the Stake President and the Stake President is eager to start a Young Adult Center in Veszprem, so it looks like we have a direction to work towards. We are on a calendar for speaking two Sundays a month in different branches and are to attend another area one week because it has just opened up for missionary work. We will probably just be meeting with the four missionaries who have just been assigned there. That place only has a one hour block: Sacrament meeting.
Our apartment is one that Elder missionaries have lived in. (They were the ones who were sent to open up the new area.) It will be up to us to see whether or not it will work for a couple. Right now it doesn't have a couch or loveseat. It just has two rooms with a double bed and twin bed in one room, and two twin beds in the other room. We are supposed to ask our landlord for the couches since the apartments are supposed to be fully furnished. The mission doesn't care if we find another apartment to stay in, which some of the couples have done. The thought of apartment shopping seems so daunting that I feel fully prepared to feel fine about the current one. (We'll see how I feel when we move in tomorrow. :)
This afternoon, Dad got to take, and pass, his driving test that Elder Bagozzi gives eveyone who gets a car. We found out there are speed limits and that you get a ticket from cameras, which are planted around the city. Brillant, no? The cameras take a picture of your car and you get the ticket in the mail. When we rode around the city with Pres. Boughman, last night, we just assumed that there weren't any speed limits- think "New York City cab drivers", but now we know there are.
Tonight, we went with the Bagozzies and Pres. Boughman to the castle, which is on a hill overlooking Budapest. I'm so glad we got to go at night, as it was all lit up and looked like a fairy land! The roof is done in mosiac tile and is so beautiful. Afterwards we went to a restaurant the president recommended and had traditional Hungarian food. I had a dish he suggested, which was Crisp Goose Leg with Cabbage and Dad had Duck Breast in a sauce. We also had some fresh baked Hungarian bread and they brought out a little bowl of paprika relish-like spread. We put it on our bread and it was delicious, but incredably hot! It was so tasty that I had to have another couple of pieces of bread with it, but Dad had to pass. (We thought of our family members who love hot food, and wished we could share.) Last night, after being up for 25 hours, we slept like the dead, but tonight I was only able to sleep until 12:30 A.M. before my body refused to stay in bed. I will be glad when jet lag is behind us!