CouchSurfing in Budapest, Hungary not only made my stay feel more like I was a Hungarian, but I learned more about the culture and history as well as made budget travel far more possible. Although my trust barrier was taken down a notch for the site, I still have a personal filter on who I chose to have me as a guest. As for Budapest, I was welcomed into the home of a proud, older Hungarian gentlemen. Fortunately for me, this man was not only my guide but he was a very intelligent individual when it came to history, my favorite subject, having an answer to every question I had about much of Europe and Hungary. Taking in consideration of his age, probably in his 50’s, he lived through much of the socialist times back when Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain. This was a perfect personable experience to get a real account of history from someone who lived through these “different” times.
I can’t really make a general assumption about Hungarians or if this is based solely on elder Hungarians, but since the curtain fell along with the Soviet Union, my host educated me on the upsides and downsides of life after these times. He stated that back in the socialist times, you would never see beggars in the streets. That there was a law in effect that you MUST find work in a certain time period of unemployment. That there was never room for poverty and that socialism kept people on their feet, always. This is something he explained to me after spotting some beggars in the streets along castle hill and other parts of Budapest.
Another thing that was interesting for me was his strong political dislike for the United States. I’ve heard everything from war promoting, to American Football, to even the amount of water that sits in North American toilets. At least once in every informative conversation, was a strong opinion against the U.S.. Like how America promotes war by intervention like in Iraq and the Ukraine, selling of weapons, and even the minor involvement in Hungary itself. While in Budapest, I got the chance to watch live demonstrations on TV regarding the Prime Minister, corruption, and pro-Russia…ism. During this event, he stated that the U.S. is putting it’s hand in a cookie jar that is not theirs making comments about the government and leader. Sure enough, weeks later I read an article about American politicians involving themselves in Hungarian politics and pro-Russia…ism. He mentioned that the U.S. spies on it’s own people and nations around the world, which is something I can’t disagree on. He even made a compare yet more contrast of Football vs. American Football stating that American Football is “too much go and stop”, players have “too much armor”, and “players are too aggressive” comparing it to American people, “too”macho”, “aggresive”, and lastly, “snobbish” going about life with a tough-guy minded attitude. I love it đ
I am proud of where I come from and where I was born, but I am not too proud to the point where I’m a single minded asshole with an argument all of the time. I appreciated these opinions and perspectives because it was anything other than the “Murican” one. It’s like constructive criticism. Like me doing something at work but a colleague saying otherwise about my work. I could take offense or take it as a resource. It’s obvious to state that my country is not the most admired nor has the best reputation, but whether these opinions were/are true or not, some of them were in a way, learning experiences in a foreign perspective. After all, open mindedness is part of being a traveler, it’s part of the journey.
