Success!

Success!! After 20 years of not having to take an exam, I took a Hungarian history and constitution exam which is required for my application for Hungarian citizenship. Three weeks of stress! Essentially, it dawned upon me that I'd forgotten how to study! My old technique of writing everything out repeatedly failed me as I only started to write in Hungarian when I undertook to take this exam...I realised that I was concentrating so hard on getting the letters in the right order, that there was no brain power left to concentrate on what was going through it! Now I have millions of sheets of paper filled with incorrect Hungarian to destroy! I have to say though, that although there were crests and troughs along the way, my wife never faltered in her belief that I could do it and, as a result, I wasn't allowed to give up/postpone the exam (this just might be one of the essential differences between the sexes, then again, it might just be me and her!). Not only was it well worth it ( of the four taking the exam, 3 passed), but the sight of my wife being affected as much by my result (tears in her eyes), was as touching a sight as I've seen. On a more prosaic note, we celebrated with champagne last night in Osteria Numero Undici, a beautiful restaurant with great staff (especially István), which all visitors to Budapest should visit! Tonight, the celebrations continue, but perhaps the most poignant comment regarding my success in the exam came from an old friend who simply wrote on Facebook : "Welcome home, Gav".