A New Mode




Eric loves a good boat ride. He wanted to help the captain dock a few times.



Since we returned to Budapest from a summer of meeting family, planning a wedding, and renewing my teacher's license, the city has added a new mode of transportation to the BKV system: boats on the Danube. Now, Monday through Friday, the regular bus/metro/tram pass is accepted on a series of boats floating up and down the river.

The famous Chain Bridge as seen from the water.

This is not an express route. It is, however, extremely picturesque and relaxing. So, one afternoon on our way back from the US Embassy, Eric and I waited at an old, dubiously constructed dock and hopped on a BKV boat headed south. We weaved our way through the people sitting or ordering snacks on the main level and climbed up to the top deck for a shaded, breezy view of Budapest.

Not to stretch the metaphor, but this semester has found me--us-- in a new mode of life as well. I'm teaching my normal classes, grading piles of essays, mumbling in Hungarian, and enjoying the time to invest in students here. In addition to all that, Eric and I are navigating the slow waters of our engagement period (or "relationship purgatory", as it has been affectionately dubbed) until the New Year's Eve wedding. These months are not the express route. They are, however, a lovely time of preparation and celebration as well as adjustment. Everything works a little differently when it directly affects another person. Everything moves a little more slowly as compromises are struck and prayer is communal. Everything is in a bit of upheaval as we combine two well-defined lives into one. And it's a beautiful ride.

Parliament in the glorious sunshine.