Well, I never got that nap I talked about. Right after I turned everything off, I noticed what a mess my room was and remembered that Jack was picking up his friend Diana and they'd be home soon. It's spotless now, and I got 12 hours of sleep last night. It's incredible how different I felt this morning.

Unfortunately, it's 2am now. Saturday night in Budapest. The rest of this post will be short.

Jack and Diana went to the Széchenyi Baths this morning and said it was great. I practiced for 4 hours. It was also great. The mass I tried in the evening turned out completely different than I had expected. I was hoping for a high ceiling, good acoustics, maybe and organ and incense (to cover the constant smell of cigarettes). What I found instead was disappointingly modern. There was excellent lighting, clean bright colors everywhere, electronic sound equipment, flowers, the whole works.

It also wasn't a mass but a recital for the kids of the church, all of whom play violin. The youngest was 8, and played with a presence I don't see in most college students. The older ones were also fantastic, most with great ears. I think I was trying to get away from concerts tonight, but this wasn't bad.

A few things there aggravated me, though. Some people gleamed that I spoke no Hungarian, and so a young girl who spoke English 'conveniently' sat next to me and proceeded to translate... everything. I admire her kindness, and understand that she probably does this for any English speakers visiting the city, but I didn't want this at all. It struck me in the same way a tourist attraction would - as repackaged to fit my needs. If a translator is needed to convey the message that we share something essential as human beings, I don't think the message is strong enough to warrant hearing. I don't mind speaking English most times, but I needed a cultural experience tonight, something that challenged me. Instead I got the tasteless white bread version.

There was also this pudgy little kid sitting in front of me who kept turning around and smirking at me. I wanted to smack him. I'm sorry, but it's true.

Oh, and the workers didn't come. I don't know why.

Jó es.