Week 50 - Veszprém

"Boldog Új Évet!!! [Happy New Year!!!]"

"The New Year was this week and so of course we got some time off ... We got from 2 pm on New Years Eve and all New Years Day off :)  It was really cool! This is what we did ... 

Fresh Nővér decorating for the Branch
New Years Eve Party.

"The Branch Party: It was great! I love this branch a lot, sometimes they are crazy, but mostly I just love them! Haha! The best part for me was the dancing of course :) I really loved dancing with Virág and Krisztina, two 9 year old girls in the branch. After the dancing we played a bunch of games and let me tell you I felt like I was not even in Hungary anymore. I mean at the beginning of the night I was speaking to people feeling good about my Hungarian. Then they started playing these games and it was like everyone yelled really weird words as fast as they could so the missionaries didn't understand anything. It was so crazy, I just sat there and was like, 'Is that even Hungarian?' ... All in all, the party was good! We talked to some members and they said they stayed until 4 am, but we left at 9 pm." 

"Piros, fehér, zöld‏" ...
the colors of the Hungarian flag.

"We got to stay out until 10:30 pm on New Years Eve so after the party we just walked around with the elders for a while and tried to find some place where I could eat. ... Yes, I was hungry, so nothing has changed :) We stopped by a little concert thing in the belváros [city center] and I got an American hot dog!"

Nővér Peterson, ? Elder, Nővér Fresh , and
Swink Elder eating their "Amerikai hot dog dinner"!

"After we said good-bye to the elders I finished my last few pages of the Book of Mormon, and then Peterson and I just waited for the New Year by watching church dvds. Guess who had the best view of fireworks ever this year? ... Yea, I did! They were literally right outside of our window and so we went out on our deck for a while, but it got too cold. I ended up sitting on our stairs and just looked out of the window and watched all the fireworks explode in front of me :) It was perfect! We rang in the New Year with some noise makers and then went to bed. It was the coolest New Years Eve ever ... I will never forget it!"

This photo does not do them justice, 
but the fireworks were beautiful!

"On New years day we went to the Füred Balaton [a town on the northern edge of Lake Balaton] and it was great! It was really cold but I got to feed ducks, and i learned how to skip rocks. Well, I actually never skipped them, but hey that's okay ...  ahaha!  I also learned how to whip ... I did not succeed at that either, but it was still fun.  Füred was beautiful!"

Fresh  Nővér feeding the ducks.

Trying her had at cracking a
Hungarian whip ... 

It's harder than it looks!

"When we got home we were all so tired that we went back and took naps. We met up later to go to Gizi Nénis house and made gulyásleves with her.... SO GOOD!!! [Gulyásleves is a Hungarian soup made with beef, vegetables, ground paprika and other spices.] I'm so excited to make Hungarian food for you all someday :) Like how Mom made this soup for us when we had that family missionary night and now I know how to make it like a true Hungarian! We spent a bunch of time with Gizi, who it the cutest lady ever. I love her so much! After that we went and played games at the branch house and then went home and went to sleep. It has been such a fun event-filled few days/weeks, but now the holidays are over.  It's crazy because I am actually grateful because it really does hinder the missionary work and now I just feel really rejuvenated and ready to work hard the next year."

Celebrating at Gizi's house!

Some other things that happened this week:

"I ate pig feet and TAIL!!!! ...The tail was way better than the feet though. As I was eating one of the feet, I bit into it and then I saw a toe nail thing! I had to keep eating, but I just about died. ... We get some interesting things from the members!

A pigs tail. 

"I got the best surprise yesterday at church! I was just sitting there waiting for it to start and I looked up and who do I see..... PANNI and Kriszti!!!!! I jumped up and ran over to them and gave Panni a giant hug. It was so great to see her and talk with her in Hungarian :) She looked so cute and she gave me little presents.  I just love her so much! We didn't get to sit by each other because I was sitting by a little girl that really wanted to sit by me, but she bore her testimony. It was so great!"

Panni and Fresh Nővér ... a great surprise!

Panni, Fresh Nővér, and Kriszti.

"I have no idea what will happen at transfers, but next Tuesday we get our calls. It's crazy because we have a transfer every month until May... so for someone who hates change like me this is great, right? ... Even if at first I don't think I will like my call, I know I will end up loving it because I always have! ... I guess what I'm saying is life happens and we can either go with it and make the best of it or be miserable. I'm going to choose opinion 1 :)" 

Szeretlek titeket,

Fresh Nővér