Isten, áldd meg a Magyart

There are some pictures that always make me smile. Or that make nostalgia rush through my veins. Sometimes I get both of those reactions in one picture. This is an old shot of the Hungarian Statue of Liberty- Szabadság Szobor. It sits at the top of Gellert Hill and overlooks all of Budapest.

Since it's a little hard to see, it says:

Mindazok emlékére, akik életüket áldozták Magyarország függetlenségéért, szabadságáért és boldogulásáért.

I'll even be nice and translate for those of you who don't happen to speak Hungarian (which is silly, and you should probably considering picking it up, it's quite the handy language!).

"To the memory of all of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and success of Hungary."

There's quite the history behind it, as with most things in Hungary. I only made it up to the top of Gellert's Hill once, with a group of people my age from all over Eastern/Central Europe, as part of a church conference my last week there in the country.

Even after almost two and a half years back in the States, I think about Hungary on a daily basis, and look forward to the day I can go back. Maybe I'll find a way to work it into my post-graduation plans, along with grad school and living in a monastery in Nepal.

For somewhat more recent news... I got an email yesterday saying I will have money from the school to cover most of my tuition for winter semester, which was quite the relief, as I've spent a bit of time stressing about money and school and such lately. That was a handy reminder that my hard work does pay off- my grades are good enough and I've apparently made a pleasant enough impression on my professors to receive a department scholarship. On top of that bit of good news, I got two different papers back with As and was provided another opportunity to look at for while I am still here at school that will help prepare me for grad school and allow me to do research on a topic I choose, along with maybe getting published or sent to an international conference. There's still a lot of work to be done if that's going to happen, but I'm excited at the prospect.

I'm reminded every day of how good life is and how incredibly blessed I am.