I am now an alumnus of Budapest Semesters in Mathematics. I can't believe I made it! Today was the farewell party. It was a lot of fun, and it was really nice to have a chance to thank my teachers. We took a group picture, which appears above/over/under the text (I'm not really sure how it's going to be formatted). It's most of the students and some of the teachers. Tonight we're going out to dinner with one of our favorite teachers and one of the most charismatic people I have ever met. We received our transcripts, and I am very happy with the results. I worked hard, and there are lots of very smart kids with whom to compete. While I didn't take the hardest classes, or the most classes, I took what worked for me and it paid off hugely.

We are revisiting all of our favorite things and trying to relive the honeymoon period of the language school. It's really fun, but also bittersweet because so many people are leaving, one by one. I don't leave until early morning on the 29th, but it's hard to watch the people with whom I became so close so fast, disappear. Tomorrow I am going to revisit the baths for one last relaxing afternoon, and then my roommates and I are going to go to the first restaurant we ever visited in Budapest. It's only fitting that our first dining experience together should be our last since we bonded so much during that first hour.

In the past week I have been very cultured. I went to the Opera House to see The Marriage of Figaro. I paid a bit extra for better seats, so while I wasn't lucky enough to get a box seat this time, I did get a front row seat in the middle of the balcony, so I could lean forward on my elbows. This was merciful as the opera was almost four hours long. It was absolutely gorgeous, but it was entirely in Italian with Hungarian subtitles being broadcasted above the stage. Neither language is a strong point in my repertoir of skills. However, I was mostly able to figure out what was going on... like when a lady came out in a wedding dress, I perceived that perhaps someone must have gotten married. It was definitley too long, but very good. I'm astounded that humans can make such beautiful noises with their throats. Two days ago I revisted the Opera House for a Budapest Philharmonic Symphony Concert. It was very near to heaven for me, because they played three pieces: Scheherezade, Night on Bald Mountain, and the Firebird Suite. The accoustics are brilliant in the Opera House... a person could stand on stage and whisper, and it would be heard in the balconies. While I'm not too familier and fond of Scheherezade, it was stunning listening to Firebird and Night on Bald Mountain. When I was in orchestra, I played this latter piece, so I really enjoyed hearing it by a professional orchestra. The Firebird is probably my favorite classical piece of all time. As a former French Horn player, it only makes sense that I should like that orchestration, even if I never particularly enjoyed or excelled at instrument. The gentleman playing the solos, however, was just fantastic. The conducter, who was a tiny Asian man conducting without any music in front of him and leaping around when he got really into it, was given flowers at the conclusion of the concert. He plucked one out and gave it to the first violinist who played the really phenomenal solos in Scheherezade. The rest of the bouquet he hurled to the French Horn player. It was really quite sweet. But I tell you, there is nothing like hearing the finale of The Firebird live.

If any readers need anything from Budapest, let me know and I'll be happy to bring it home. Sziastok! (Hungarian was of saying a bit of a casual goodbye)