If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be giving a tour around a European city...I would have laughed in your face. And then I would have been like, "What no way!" Well, today me and Ben did just that--we gave a tour around Debrecen.
A few days ago we were contacted by a new couple, Kit and Chip that had just arrived in Debrecen. They are semi-retired, and have been traveling around teaching in different countries for the last 5 years. They have traveled all around the world--from China, Japan, Mexico to South America and now Hungary. Chip will be teaching at the University. They invited us to dinner at their apartment--which we gladly accepted. They had many questions about Hungary and Debrecen. It was neat to be able to share what we have learned so far from being here with them. We offered to take them around on a tour of Debrecen to help them learn their way around the city.
Today we took them on a tour of Debrecen. We hit all the highlights--the Mediterranean center, different shops for groceries, the Forum (mall), our favorite coffee and pastry shops, random buildings of interest, the main square and even Tesco. Chip and Kit are close to our parents age--so it was fun yet weird to be the ones in charge taking them around the city.
But what I really realized today was just how far me and Ben have come since we first arrived in Hungary--especially Debrecen. When we arrived in Debrecen we had little--to no idea of how to get around. We couldn't even find the biggest landmark in the city--the Big Calvin Church! Our first day in the city was so strange. We had no food, no car, no bus tickets, no map, and we knew even less hungarian than we do now (hard to believe right?). But we made it through and now almost 6 months later we are helping the newest arrivals to the city get acclimated. I'm not going to lie, I'm proud of what we have accomplished and more importantly what we have survived.
Hopefully we made their transition to living in Debrecen a little easier. We hope they enjoyed the tour...and who knows maybe we could become professional tour guides one day if this teaching thing ever falls through. Ha, ha. :)
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