Reflections on my fall break

Train travel is an intense way to get to know people quickly. A collective group stink is better than stinking by yourself. Bulgarian (Cyrillic alphabet) is a ridiculously difficult language to understand.  Keep a close eye on your camera.  Hostel traveling is fun, but not for every trip I take.  If you put yourself out there, you can meet some really interesting (or crazy) people.  Try the hookah, but not too much hookah, because you’ll have to do a superman jump off the top bunk to get to the toilet to barf.  Turkish men are aggressive and I kind of liked it.  Always bring mayonnaise with you on a long road trip, you never know what you’ll need it for.  Vlad the impaler is not all that he’s cracked up to be.  Bulgaria is beautiful – no question.  Don’t buy a shirt that says “Transylvania, Romania” and wear it to school- there will be angry Hungarians as a result of it.  I will find Nikolai some day and maybe marry him – provided he gets rid of his wife.  Romanians dislike Hungarians as much as Hungarians dislike Romanians.  Peeing on yourself, whether on a train or while using an Eastern toilet, makes for a good story.  If you don’t have teeth, steer clear of me because I might barf.  Be careful of carpet salesmen named Sinbad.  Chocolate cures any woes.  I am glad I did this trip with others, I think that traveling solo can be a bit boring, and not as safe.  Make sure your job pays you before you go so you’re not stuck in Turkey with no money.  Don’t stamp souvenir stamps in your passport, border control guards don’t really like it when you do that. French people really do smell.  Bring body soap and a washcloth – the water doesn’t really wash away the patina of travel on its own.  Always change your Forint to Euros – the Forint isn’t worth crap in other countries.  Always travel with someone who is tall – it helps.  Why buy only one pashmina when you can buy four?  Wherever you travel, always try the baths – it will make for a good story.  Train travel does provide a great way to see the countryside – provided it’s light out and you are awake with a view out the window.  If you’re ever in danger, throw out the Meercat face, and watch them tremble. Get your hair cut in foreign countries – you never know what you’ll end up with.  Smiling in a mosque is perhaps acceptable?  Snack Attack is my savior.  Washing your hair in a train bathroom does not give you typhoid.  Iraqi men are interested in Western women, and insist that northern Iraq (where they live) is safe.  Hmm… perhaps a Christmas trip?  Never drink beer out of a 2 liter bottle (I have yet to do this, but it just seems gross to me – too much beer that will get too warm before you could possibly finish it)  Bucharest is awful, but Transylvania makes up for my initial dislike of Romania (however, my students would claim that that is because Transylvania was originally Hungarian territory).  Clean and clear face wipes don’t exactly make your face clean and clear.  Never pee while a train is stopped, the people at the station don’t care to watch your excrement come out of the toilet hole.  Hungarians really feel like my people now… I was glad to be home.