We met up with Zita again today. It was her last free day before packing and flying on the 19th for Montclair. She picked us up at 10am and took us to the Liszt Ferenc Academy, our school of choice for the semester. It is only in the next district, and walkable, but Jack and I hadn't made it over there until today.

Walking into that building, I felt myself shrink before the age and history of the halls. It is a maze of floors and corridors, some lined with statues, portraits or photographs of a over century's worth of professors and alumni. Some notable ones include, of course, Bela Bartok, Zoltan Kodaly and Franz Liszt. Later in the evening when we returned to practice, Jack said his classroom has portraits of Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt - all staring at the piano in the room. There was even a bust of Beethoven looking right at him the whole time. The main concert hall is amazing. Kasser theater may be more modern, but this place is stunning. Zita led us onto the stage that some of the most talented and accomplished musicians in the world have performed on. I have no words for the feeling of smallness and inspiration I felt.

After we met one of Zita's best friends and explored the building, it was time for her to practice. Jack and I duplicated our keys at the West End mall and hurried back to Zoltán utca. My friend Gerge (from French Woods) stopped by to say hello shortly after we got back. It was very good to see him again. We had tea and chatted about odds and ends, and it came up that Larry and Ron (camp directors) are coming up in February and March for recruiting! It will be interesting to see them here... :-)

The prices of most things here are comparable to prices in the US, with some exceptions we have noticed. Cell phones are a little more expensive, and they work mostly on a pay-as-you-go plan. Expensive things like electronics are much more expensive - a $250 iPod in the states can cost almost twice as much here. Jack noticed the wristwatches in the mall today are much more, as well. Food and meals are much cheaper. We had a hefty shopping day with Tamás last night, and spent about 5.000 Ft (remember, the periods and commas are interchanged in European numerology) - about $25. Today we had supper at an étterem named *can't remember! will insert later* near the Academy, had a very filling meal and drinks and paid 2.000 Ft for the both of us - $10. Beers are cheaper by about half, too.

Alcoholism seems to be a bigger problem here. Booze is easy to get and available all the time. I'm pretty sure Lonely Planet puts the percentage of dedicated drinkers at 40-50%, but I can't find the figure right now. It's common to see beer cans or wine bottles set on the sidewalk. Yesterday I saw a homeless-looking man walking the other way pick up a bottle on the ground, take a swig, set it down and keep walking. There's also no law against public consumption. A group of women were passing a bottle of wine at a tram stop that night with no concern.

After Gerge left (ironically, he brought a bottle of local wine, a customary gift when invited to someone's home), Jack and I headed over to the Academy again to find practice rooms. The building is 4 or 5 stories tall, and has a bunch of rooms, but they're not easy to find. The place reminds me of Hogwarts. Procedure for getting a room involves four signatures, time in and time out, and a key. School isn't even in session, and there weren't many rooms available. Zita tells us when things get going there is often a line. Good motivation to practice hard, I guess. If there's someone breathing down your neck to get in a room, you use time well (I hope). I got in a good two hours this evening, and met a few percussionists who were practicing. Contrary to what I've heard, most people seem to speak a little English.

Everyone must leave the rooms at 21:00 (the time is in 24 hours, by the way). I got lost a bunch of times on the way out, and almost stumbled into a concert. That was fun.

Things are going well with the apartment situation. We've decided to keep this one, as the location can't be beat. I'd like to get a bed soon, even though the cushions I'm sleeping on are comfortable. We haven't seen the landlords again, but plan to call them after an orientation meeting with Domenica (Global Ed director at Montclair, here to cement the study abroad program we hope to continue) and Barbola Hars, an administrator at the Academy.

Very quickly, internet works like this. We have one T-mobile USB satellite card which works easily, but not quickly. When America wakes up at about 15:00 our time, things grind to a 2kbps halt, so photos are difficult. I plan to try uploading a few in the morning.

I love reading your e-mails and comments, everyone. Thanks so much.