Things are Getting Serious!

Szia from Budapest!

Tomorrow (Friday) morning the students have their midterm exam, so Professor Hanson is giving them the day off of blogging duties so they can study.  This gives me, Professor Berliner, a chance to take a turn writing about our day.

First, you might be asking: how lucky are the students to have not just one, but TWO certified (and certifiable) St. Olaf professors with them in Budapest?  I am here for the first two weeks of the program as Professor Hanson's official "mentee," learning about the logistics of the program, meeting various important people, learning my way around, and also starting to learn Hungarian alongside the students.  This will all be worth it when I lead the program myself, likely in January 2017.

So, although the main part of the day was devoted to studying for the midterm, the day started off more "interesting" than others.  Lily wasn't feeling too well and so she and Bruce made a previously unplanned visit to the doctor's office.  No worries, though.  She is doing better (and she gave me permission to include this information in the blog).  So, class time this morning was delayed by one hour, giving the students much needed time to wake up, do some studying, and make their way to the classroom.

Since I already know a good amount of number theory, I do not attend the math classes with the students.  During today's class time, I went to the Central Market to buy some Hungarian goods since tomorrow is my last day in Budapest with the group.  Besides paprika, one of the most interesting things to buy in Hungary is the hand-made embroidery.  It is often adorned with colorful flowers or has other intricate details.  The Central Market has many different stalls that sell embroidered goods, such as table cloths, table runners, and coasters.  Due to the extensive detail and incredible amount of time some of these things take to produce, the price can frequently be quite high (at least higher than many things are in Hungary).  I came away with two very nice tablecloths for my parents.

Intricate designs and colorful flowers!

Various table runners - these go for about $100-300.

The Central Market also sells many other goods.  The first floor is dedicated to stands selling produce, meat, dairy, and baked goods.  Ah yes, baked goods, my nemeses.  It seems that not a day goes by here that I am not tempted by them.  So on my way out of the market I bought one last interesting pastry to try while in Budapest.  Thankfully, I am not the only one who seemingly enjoys pastries perhaps a bit too much, but I won't name names (cough cough Maria).

FYI: The bakery stands are just to the left.

Once reunited with the students, I helped answer number theory questions as they continued vigorously studying for their midterm.

(mostly) studying hard!

For dinner, several of us met up with Conrad and Suzy, the two St. Olaf students who just arrived in Budapest to take part in the Budapest Semester in Mathematics program.  Conrad and Suzy will be spending the entire Spring semester here in Budapest, where they will study math intensively, taking 3-4 classes.  It was great to welcome them to town, and our students plan to meet up with Conrad and Suzy again before leaving.

L to R: (back) Jack, Matt I., Suzy, Miranda (front) Conrad, Ian, Colin S.

Well, it is kind of a boring night here (for me) now, since all the students are busily studying hard and Professor Hanson is grading homework and writing an exam.  Tomorrow, all the students and I are off to Vienna for the weekend, so we are all looking forward to that.  I have had a great time here these two weeks getting to know the program and getting to know the students.  They're a good, fun, responsible group and I know they will enjoy the second half of their time here.

Egészségedre!

-Adam