The train.
There were two things that stuck out to me on the way to Gyor. One was the trees. They have been planted in rows so that the Soviets could see more easily if someone was escaping. If my camara had a faster flash you would have been able to see the rows more clearly.
Another interesting thing I noticed was the "Housing Estates". The Americans call them the "Ten Story" apartments. They were built by the Soviets in about 1970 for their solders and their families. Can you see them in the background? Generally they are 10 stories high and built on the outskirts of town. This particular community is in the city of Veszprem. It was a big deal when they were built because they used cranes. In about 1975 the Hungarian solders moved into them also. The government gave the Hungarian solders a cheap rate to live there. About 1990 the Soviets left Hungary. The Russians lived in Hungary after WWII until about 1990. Students had to learn Russian in the schools. I hope I have this story correct. It was told to me by a friend in broken English.
This picture is of a "Ten Story" but it only has five stories. The apartments inside are extremely small about the size of a typical home in Asia. They are still used today and are very economical places to live.
Gyor also has a government house where a person can go to get their residency card. This is a picture of the building and the front door. I will be going to a Hivatala in a couple of weeks while I am in Budapest, Hungary.
Sister Scherrer and I went to the mall in Gyor. Yup, it looks just like any mall in America. The price of clothes and shoes is terrific. I like the style of shoes. I just might make a purchase next time we are in Gyor. :-)
On my first Sunday at Church in the Papa Branch, I made a bit of a fool of myself. I was certain I would be asked to either bear my testimony or say the prayer so I prepared my speech in the MTC. I had my cheat flash cards. So The Branch President asked me to introduce myself. I decided not to use the cards but rather just talk from the heart (or from memory). I made quite an impression with "3 children and families in Utah, 2 children and families in Texas and one child and family in China". You could hear them catch their breath. But then I started to bear my testimony. In stead of saying "I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer and Joseph Smith is a Latter-Day.Prophet". I said, "I know Joseph Smith is my Redeemer". Maybe those of you reading this blog have made a mistake like that at sometime in your life. Actually one of the Elder Missionaries told me I made the mistake. I didn't even realize it myself.
I hate making mistakes, I usually turn quickly to a self hate session. Joshua taught me he calls it Self Hate. Which is the perfect title. I feel stupid and usually voe to never let myself get into that situation again. Which is the wrong thing to do. Because as a parent I have learned making mistakes is how we learn. Mistakes always have emotions involved and that combination is the perfect recipe to remembrance.
ReplyDeleteAnd know this that the fact that the Elder told you what you did wrong is proof that he thinks high of you. He thinks you are a strong and smart women and would like to know how to do it right! Or that you would have fun laughing at what you had said, because you are a strong and smart women. Which you are!