And so began the War on Mentality.

I was supposed to get to the airport with a little help, along with a “Goede reis”, but the promise behind that broke like a thin tulip against the wind.
Pinky-swears are still a thing.

When I got to the gates, a legénybúcsú¹ crew was on the lose, men dressed like Vikings came to conquer, but their only weapons were folk music and fake beards – They were crushing through the mass as if tomorrow didn’t exist.
The vibe was great, the guards just couldn’t feel it.

Here and there, the traits of Hungarians fellows were spotted easily.
Faces were troubled and grumpy, wrinkles were many.
Words were mostly “Fuck this, fuck that” – swearing all the way.
After escaping all this for more than half a year, it felt a little threatening.

I could sense the dark clouds coming towards me.

My bag was caught during scanning – an old fear manifested itself into reality; let’s skip the talk on self-fulfilling prophecies.

“Hmm, let’s see; laptop, clothes… B…Books(?)… How many, exactly?“
– Six, two in the small, four in the big.
“If you’re stealing from the library, I won’t tell anybody” – He winks
My lips curve towards my ears.
“Alright, there you have it, have a nice trip“
– Dankjewel meneer²

This Guy seemed so chill he could literally survive the next Ice-age.

Just to make sure things go smoothly, I got there ~90 minutes early.
You already know what’s coming.
My flight was the only one delayed, first with 30, then an hour of bonus sitting in a noisy place.
More time to read! – my conscious saves the day.
Someone’s gotta do something with that portable library anyway.

One of them was a masterpiece, it explained the inner works of our body language. Before it dives into the mechanics, the author suggests to go and visit an airport hall for practice.
“What a treat!” – The engines start running
The amount of gold nuggets to be picked were many and time was plenty.
By the end of it, silent farts were no longer a thing.

When the gate was announced, the hunger games began in a blink. People rushed to secure a good place, you know; in the queue that won’t move an inch for another 20 minutes. After all, if you get to be the first and manage to occupy your seat, the plane will still take off at the exact same time as if you were the last one to board it.
Is it worth to push over those kids and their grannies?
Certainly.

Airport Culture – The young and the frail
1:0

When I got to my seat, a Lady was sitting there, already pissed.
Hungarian? You guessed it.
Even before I moved away, I had a strategy:
Pretend to be a foreigner and everything will be okay. Since most people have a hard time speaking English in Hungary, they’ll just smile and let you do whatever you need. Half my Life I introduced myself as Erik, the Canadian dude who studies here.
It seemed wiser not to reveal my nationality, unless I was forced to admit it.

After the plane started to slice clouds in twee³, I had the opportunity to educate myself and immerse into the Dutch market and economy. Since there was no google translate, the book seemed to be the perfect tool to hone those language skills and gain some knowledge along the way. While I was swimming in the tales of wealth and well-being, I recorded a voice message to an OG friend, $tevie – to thank him for sharing this book, when a friendly stewardess asked me to put my stuff away, in Hungarian. And I did.
That’s how you do a perfect job at blowing your cover and revealing your true place of origin.
From then on, speaking Dutch to confuse the ones who approach me wasn’t a possibility.

Fuck me. – I whispered into my armpit.

Luckily we landed safely, the bag was quickly served on the moving trails and even my parents arrived at the exact same time as I walked out of the lobby.

My Dad literally jumped on me. I felt his joy sparkling out of his body.
His son, after 7 months of living alone (responsively!) came to visit him. Pride and tears took over them, completely. When my Mom finally approached me, I wrapped them in my arms and gave them a huge kiss.

Spread some Love to those who made it possible for you to exist.

On the way home, I already felt the difference in the social dynamics.
“Distance”, if you will.
The quality of the communication is extremely poor here. In the NL, people spoil you with attention, interest and good will.
If any of those things existed in Hungary, maybe I would’ve stayed.
On the other hand, the food was something I missed badly.

A smell hit my nose in the door immediately, and the source was non other but the Godly Goulash, the best soup a Hungarian could ever make. I didn’t even put my luggage in, I just left it in the hallway.
After putting a mouthful in, “One day” I said, “I’ll be worthy to make this bowl of heavenly meal.”
At this point, my lunch was always Vegan Tacos. Every day. For half a year.

When the time came, I surprised my brother and parents with a few national beauties: Stroopwafel bergs⁴, chocolates and a few vegan ingredients my Mom can experiment with.
As soon as I packed out, it was time to rush to my best friend and scare him. Since his Dad gave me a key, getting in was easy.
To be honest, sneaking through their garden to avoid being seen made me feel like a 6 years old.

Adulthood? Doesn’t ring a bell.

The firm grip on the keys allowed no jiggling – the second I got in the house, my heart went crazy. It felt like a robbery, even though I was literally allowed to take anything I need.
But all I needed was a smile on their face.
So jump in the kitchen I did, about to release a wild scream at 11 in the evening, but to my greatest surprise, it was completely empty.

Alright, I guess I’ll just fuck myself then – my eyebrows creased my forehead so hard it looked like a row of speed bumps on a highway.
But then, the sound of machine guns shooting kicks in.
I walk a little closer, drop my bag.

– De Boy is thuis⁵! – I leap in

“Éééhéhééé” – came the surprised scream to greet me.
He threw his headset away, jumped in my arms and sat down to talk with me.*
(*online games still can’t be paused, he just went AFK)

What a warm welcome – I have to admit, I actually forgot how good it feels to be here. The rest of the night went by speaking about the struggles and happenings, especially about the workings & mechanics of Dutch Women inside their natural habitat and territory.

After all, I couldn’t say a bad word about anything. Of course, things weren’t always smooth, but are they ever really?
There were some tough spots here and there, surely – but it didn’t change the fact that it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

When we noticed that it ceased to be Today, and that in 15 hours we have a huge birthday party to celebrate, it was time to go to sleep.
I wished them a wonderful evening and went home on the moonlit streets of suburban Hungary, where I spent more than 2 decades growing.
To top the cake, Sweet Lovin’ from Sigala was playing, which made me shake that booty all the way to our front door, no step missed.
(And believe me – I can count on one hand how many people have seen me dancing.)

The person who came back was certainly different than the one who went away. Everyone felt it, regardless of how well they knew me.
“Fundamental changes” – they called it.
The best part is, everybody can do it.

Just because you’re shy, quiet or anxious today, it doesn’t mean that it’ll stay like that for all eternity.
Deep down you know you could do it, we all do, but it’s somewhat easier to go with the flow and just let things be as they will.
Trust me, the second you step on the path of self-developing, you won’t spend another day worrying about “why are things like this?“, but ask yourself constantly:
What can I do today, to make my Life a little better than it was yesterday?

Take care,
Erik

16.08.2019 – Day 207

[Hungarian Dictionary]
Legénybúcsú ¹ – Bachelor party

[Dutch Dictionary]
Dankjewel Meneer ² – Thank you Sir
Twee ³ – Two
Bergs ⁴ – Mountains
Thuis ⁵ – At home