Reisverslag

Tim Hartendorp, 25 juni 2010
Nederland , Berkel en Rodenrijs 23°

Gift of Gab

Wednesday

My second last day in Hungary. The day started with the last editing of my article. After I was completely happy with it I send it to the university and to our communication manager. Se will put it in the newsletter so it will go out to the 1800 subscribers we have at the moment. I am already happy with this but I also send my article to the head director of National Geographic magazine and a guy from one of the major wilderness blogs. I can only hope that they will publish it. Later in the day I went to the Tesco which is one of the biggest supermarkets in Hungary. I bought some different kinds of palinka and some Hungarian sausage which I promised to my stepmother to take back to the Netherlands. I also checked my car, tires pressure, oil, light etc. and I had to buy the two autobahn vignettes for Hungary and Austria. In the evening I played some table fuss ball with the girls and we talked about the time we spend together. It was a memorable night .

Thursday

My last full day in Hungary. It was a really strange day full of mixed emotions. Looking forward returning home but also feeling sad leaving Hungary behind. While I pack my bags I realise how much I experienced in Hungary. It is always amazing to see how much stuff you accumulate over 4,5 months. Now I look at my empty room with only a bed and two suitcases in the corner.

Today I also got the final pictures from the photo shoot from Péter. We first had dinner together in a small restaurant in the shopping centre and after that had a final talk and a beer. After I saw the girls and gave them some of the prints which Péter made as a memento. I can only hope that I will see them again somewhere in my lifetime.

I know I will be sad tomorrow. But I also know that I am sad because I had a great time here in Hungary.

Friday

After getting up early and having breakfast I packed the car with my stuff and Edina's stuff. It is good I do not have to be alone again during the long drive. Around half past 8 we left after saying a last goodbye to everyone. We had some rain during the trip but nothing special. I already saw a lot of Dutch plates in Austria and even more in Germany. I guess some people already have vacation. I also helped a Belgium who was lost around Linz and did not know he needed a autobahn vignette. So I hope the wont give him a fine since he bought one at the gas station where we both stopped.

Around half past four it was enough for me. I asked for a room at one of the gas stations and they send me to a hotel near Nurnberg in Hessdorf. They said it was good and not too expensive and they were not lying. I pay them same as when I drove to Hungary only this time we are with two persons, we get internet access, a good TV and a bigger room. We wanted to eat something in the restaurant but they closed it because they had some problems with the staff or something. It was not completely clear to me. But they send us to an Asian restaurant which you can see from the hotel. It was great! The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere but it was packed. But after you tasted their dishes and saw the prices you know why.
We were back in the room around seven. I arranged some beers at the restaurant and just relaxed for the rest of the night.

Saturday

The second day of driving was good. Nothing special happened in Germany, I only had a minor traffic jam and some places where they were working on the road. Around 14:00 I was in the Netherlands. This was a good timing since this was in the middle of the game between the Netherlands and Japan in the world cup which means the roads where deserted. I first dropped off Edina in Schiedam. It is actually very close to where I live. Her father was already waiting for her there but I decided not to go and check the room but just go home since I was already pretty tired from the driving.
At half past four I arrived home. I first said hello to everyone and was happy they still recognised me. After dinner and a few beers I slept around 23:00.

Sunday

I slept a long time, for 9 hours or something. After breakfast it was time to welcome our first guest since it was my little brother birthday today! It was a typical birthday with family and friends but it was good to see everybody again. I also shared some off my illegal ware I smuggled into the Netherlands. I had a cake made with poppy seeds and some bottles of palinka.

Monday

Today I slept. It was a pretty relax day only doing some work on my presentation and checking the emails I got. Around three I went to the university with my brother to turn in all my documents hard copy. Of course the printers were not working but in the end the service desk printed my document for free .

Tuesday

I was at school early because Marlies asked me to be there for her presentation which started at 9:00. She was pretty nervous but in the end it was for nothing because she scored a monster score of 85 for her presentation. After this I followed two more presentation including the one from Nina who also got a good grade of 73. I only have to follow two more now to complete my attendance list. I have to follow ten in total. In the afternoon I had a conversation with Ben, my supervisor from the university. It was nice to share my experiences and just have an informal talk.

At night I spend some more time on my presentation which I will complete tomorrow.

Wednesday

Today I spend almost the complete day on my presentation. I made the PowerPoint complete and also made hand-outs and some cards which I will use during my presentation. At 13:00 I had to be at the university to follow one more presentation which I was assigned to because I also had to evaluate this presentation. I was home around half past two. At night I watched the soccer game and practiced my presentation one last time.

Thursday

I woke up really early. Around 6 AM. After breakfast I rechecked and double checked my presentation and drove to school around half past 7. In the room where I had my presentation there was already someone before me. So I had to wait to prepare. I decided to do it at the roof terrace since it was already a shiny day . Around ten to 9 I could enter the room to prepare. I was afraid it would not be enough but in the end it was more than enough time to prepare everything. The presentation went pretty well. Of course I was not completely satisfied which no one is after his/her own presentation. But in the end the worrying was for nothing because I got a 8,2 for my presentation and a 8,0 for my total research. This also completed my goal to get 8,0 or more .

So I guess this will be my last story since the journey has ended with the goal. I want to thank everybody who read this blog and hope this kept them up to date while I was in Hungary. If I ever go abroad again for a longer period of time I will keep a travel journal again for sure .

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