Orchid Story 51-52 - A whole new world…

January-February 2008

My Dear Orchid Story Reader,

The new year has started with new adventures which I will tell you about to make us live those again together, even if virtually now. For selected pictures, you can check this out. And remember: until I am here, feel free to make the virtual real ;-)!

1. Home, sweet home… the heartwarming festive Christmas
2. Scandinavian adventures: Stockholm, Bergen and Copenhagen
3. A whole new world… (literally) through new eyes
4. Chinese New Year in Vietnam
5. A yet naïve traveler, in Thailand
6. New home: I moved to the neighbourhood!

1. Home, sweet home… the heartwarming festive Christmas

Every year I excitedly await the end of the calendar because it means I can soon spend the festive holidays with my family, this time for two whole weeks. During my three days in Budapest I managed to meet a lot of friends (you see? being organized does indeed have its benefits ;-)) and I got the chance to visit a couple of my favourite spots, too. Then I went to my little town, Bekes where together with my family we rested, played board games and cards and we ate and ate and ate :-)! Our one-day-trip to Grandma’s gave us the chance to catch up with them, beyond just the usual letters. To my greatest surprise, just before Christmas, my Kyrgyz friend, Aibek finally came over from Prague to spend the absolutely relaxing days over Christmas with us and to let me show him a bit of my world there. Needless to say, it was fun to experience my family’s first international Christmas while speaking a max of English, Hungarian, Russian and body language. In the meanwhile I got one year smarter and wiser, too, which celebration is always the best ever in a loving company :-)!

2. Scandinavian adventures: Stockholm, Bergen and Copenhagen

On the way from Asia I always have to transit somewhere and I decided this time I wanted to go through Sweden.
- I spent a weekend with my friend, Judit in Stockholm. Despite the length of my visit, we managed to explore a bit of the “Venice of the North”: the skanzen, the old town, the ice-skating field (!!!), the Viking museum… and again and again we realized that despite of not living nearby to each other ever since our days in Budapest and New Zealand, we have heaps of parallel things in our lives :-)!
- I spent another three days in Bergen, Norway so that I can sneak into the life of my dear cousin, Marcsi and her fiancé, Sindre there. The town with its fjords, greenery, colourful “paper houses” made me have sweet nostalgic memories with Wellington, NZ. I really liked it (story here)!
- As Scandinavian Airlines changed my itinerary suddenly, I “had” to spend 24 hours in Copenhagen :-)! My Danish friend, Morten and I walked around the city, despite the freezing winter, I managed to touch the legendary, yet tiny Mermaid sculpture, we roamed around in the snow covered streets surrounded with beautiful historical buildings, and even spent some time with my friends, Andris and Szilvi there. Somehow 24 hours can really be an enchanting miracle…!

3. A whole new world… (literally) through new eyes

For years I have been playing around the thought of a lasik eye surgery but somehow my paranoia always overruled. During the holidays I realized it was “just about my fear” and I decided I would surprise myself with a clear eye sight for my birthday :-). The fear remained but I was already there, shaking, right on that cold theatre bed, in the big darkness, under the machines, and after a few hours when I opened my eyes… unbelieeeeeeeeeeeeeeevable! My left eye had to be convinced with a second surgery that seeing is awesome and voila :-)! This is really a whole new world to me :-)!

4. Chinese New Year in Vietnam

My Indian friend, Amit and I took our four-day-long weekend to explore Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon. Vietnamese people celebrate “Tet” therefore the time was spent pretty slowly: small exploring, resting, massage and fabulous meals! Oh, and the Saturday night street festival was beautiful (story here)!

5. A yet naïve traveler, in Thailand

The farewell trip with my friend, Shweta, due to the many thousand kms was spent alone, yet it was quite unique! After a long time I traveled on my own and there were plenty of things there: an immigration officer committed to spend time off with me during the weekend, a red rose, doing nothing by the beach, reading, massage. It was somehow very different!

6. New home: I moved to the neighbourhood!

For four beautiful years Astoria Park was my home and I loved it! But sometimes in one’s life the time comes to change and to find new and fun flat mates to share life with! So if you wish to message me, do not hesitate to write to email me for the postal address.

After this unusually long update, let me sign off for now… :-)!

Hugs,
Gitti/ Margit/ Hugi