!Yo Diggity!

Well I’ll have to say that I have NOT been good about updating my site - but this is only because I have been traveling so much. I have one more trip to the US and back… then I am done for a wee bit. I am going to be workin’ on getting my updates out so you can see what in the world I’ve been doing!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Lisbon, Portugal. All I have to say there is WOW. What a place. Alberto and his wife, Lucia were SO gracious to host me. Alberto is one lucky man - Lucia is really an AWESOME cook and their family took me in as if I was one of their own! It was truly a great vacation and I did get to do a lot of relaxing.

I really plan on going back there too as Lisbon is a GREAT old city with a LOT of history. So beautiful with all the tile on the buildings and in the streets. There is also everything you can ask for in landscape: hills, valleys, beaches, palm trees, warm weather… ahhh.

Lisbon it’s self was great. Here are a couple (and not even the best) views of the city:

One day we went (not far) to a castle on a hill. This castle was built in 1132. 1132!!! Can you believe it?!

This is what a wall in a castle that was built in 1132 looks like. This is the construction that is still standing. Wow. Funny, huh?

Here are a couple of the views from up in the castle:

And of course, where there is a castle, there is a church. “Thanks God!”

And here is some of that beautiful title that was everywhere. This is inside of the church:

Here is me and a BEATUIFUL view from a lookout point on the way up to the castle.

And what have we all been waiting for… THE BEACH! Love the beach!

So now I can say that I’ve been on the ‘other’ side of the Atlantic!

Here’s a close-up of the sand on the beach… the color is accidental. Okay, so I’m no expert photographer.

On the way back, I got to stop in Zurich, Switzerland. I’ve never seen a nicer airport. Really. Here we are, chilln’ like the villians that we are:

heehee

When I was on the way to the airport in Houston as I was getting ready to come back to Budapest, someone asked me, “so are you glad to go home? Do you feel like Budapest is home?” I said that I kinda feel homeless. And I do. However, that is not a bad thing - not at all. And maybe what I should have said was not that I feel home-less, but that I have many homes! Of course I would foremost say that Indiana is home. That is where my family is and that is where I am ‘from’. For sure. And Budapest is where my stuff is. Err… most of my stuff (what I have left). That’s where I work and have made some incrediblly awesome friends that feel a lot like family. But then there is Houston. Houston holds so many great memories and great, great friends. It was so good to see everyone there… almost like I never left!

These two beauties for instance:

haha - just kiddin’. They’re actually MUCH cuter than that:

But sure are hard workers!

That’s one of the beauties of being ‘home’ is that your not treated like a ‘guest’… they really do put you to work! haha But all in good fun. Was just good to be in a real comfortable place. So comfy in fact… you can still be goofy as ever!!

And I got to be there in Houston at the right time of the year. You know what this little guy is??

A crawfish!! Isn’t he CUTE?! Sure tasted good too! Yum!

Then, I started to see signs of animosity:

:) It was time to go. Return to Budapest!! Wasn’t too sad as I knew I’d be back soon. And I did feel like I was returning ‘home’. I’m not really sure how to define home… it’s where your family is? … where you stuff is? … where your friends are? I’m sure not home-less, I’m home-FULL!!

Last night Tahran and I went to a coffee shop nearby where we sat in the window and just watched the passers by. You know, it just does NOT seem like Budapest is that big of a city. I mean, it’s the capital of Hungary, the biggest city, but it just does not have that hustling-bustling feel of a big city. I like it. It’s a slow paced, relaxed, easy city.

It’s good to be here for a little while. I’m excited to go back to the States this weekend for sure. Going to be good to get home to Indiana and Shilpa’s wedding… well I can just hardly even wait. But in the meantime, it’s good to be here, just hangin’ out.

I’m really enjoying Tahran. We’ve missed each other quite often for the last couple of months… if I’m here, she’s not and vice versa. So it was good to chill with her last night.

Some of us were workin’ hard… some of us hardly workin’… heehee

I’m sure glad she’s here - we really are quite a bit a like, have the same sense of humor I think. She’s def. cool.

In addition to my functional work responsibilities at work, I have become somewhat of a subject matter expert. The subject being the English language. Here is an excerpt from an IM session I had this morning:

Zoltan/Eur… Hi Jessie! May I have a question?
Jessie/E… Good morning! Certainly you may!
Jessie/E… Shoot.
Zoltan/Eur… OK. Question is: what is the good expression to use for a cat that no longer poops in the room but knows the place to go for “flushing buffers”?
Jessie/E… The cat is potty trained.
Jessie/E… Or…
Jessie/E… I think you can say that the cat is house trained.
Jessie/E… It’s ok to use potty-trained though.
Zoltan/Eur… OK. and it ain’t no slang, is it? I need to give this translation to Fiona, so I am not supposed to use the language that we often use, you know… ;->
Jessie/E… :)
Jessie/E… Yes. This is not slang.
Jessie/E… My cat is potty-trained.
Jessie/E… Or… I am late today because I am potty-training the cat and she had an accident this morning.
Zoltan/Eur… hehe. that’s cool!!! ))
Zoltan/Eur… okay. thanks a lot. see ya l8r.
Jessie/E… No problem. Anytime.
Jessie/E… byee

haha I know, I know. It’s a tough job to train these guys up on the important stuff. But I am up for the challenge. haha

Each month, we have a ‘team event’ for work. This means that each team in our organization has the opportunity to plan, schedule and execute a party. This month was my team’s turn. We decided to plan a boat trip on the Danube. Something I had never done before. I was excited…

It was a lovely event full of wine tasting, a nice dinner and a ExxonMobil related quiz game. All things good. Here’s a few photos from the event:

The dinner spread:

Groups during the quiz:

Me and Zsolt:

The Budapest BSC, SAP BW team. Yep, we’re the coolest.

View of the castle:

All in all was fun. Now I’m on my way back to the US. To Houston for Shilpa’s wedding and up to Indiana to see the fam. Should be a good couple of weeks. Bye bye, Budapest!! I’ll be ‘home’ soon!!