Tuesday, Sept. 25
Hello Everyone,
We have arrived safe and sound.........in Hungary, not Romania! This past week seems like a month with all that
has happened.
We initially traveled to Romania, only to be greeted by police at the gate and kept in confinement for two days and
a night in the airport. When our agent and us were promised that the passport issue had been taken care of, it
wasn't true. And as time went on - while we were waiting for someone to explain what was going on - the guards
became more and more agitated. At night we were sent to a lounge where we had to pay to sleep...$60 apiece for
10 hours of sleeping time. We barely slept, and the little chairs they gave us to sleep on didn't help, so we ended
up getting about 4 hours of sleep in three days. They finally set a deadline for us and told us that if I, Kellie, wasn't
gone by 6 pm, they were going to split us up and send me back to the U.S. by way of Amsterdam. Our agent in
Chicago was up almost all night, as were several other people including friends in Romania, talking to the 'top of
the top', including the mayor of Otopeni, trying to get us into the country. Our agent finally got tickets for us OUT of
Romania - after the internet shut down in the airport and after a printer broke, and after they mistakenly printed off
the wrong tickets - only a few minutes before our plane took off for Frankfurt (we were the last ones on the plane
and barely made it); we then flew from Germany to Budapest, Hungary where someone was waiting for us at the
airport.
Eric has now tried out for a Division A Hungarian team in Kecskemet, which is a town of about 110,000 located
about an hour southeast of Budapest. We have been treated very, very well, we are in an apartment in Kecskemet
(pronounced Kesh'-keh-met) that is "luxurious" compared to last years apartment, and the people are warm and
friendly. The coach recently told Eric, "I knew you would be a perfect fit for the team after watching you play for
only 20 minutes" - and that was only 8 hours after we arrived in Budapest. God is good! He is scheduled to sign his
contract today or tomorrow, after he passes his physical in Budapest. Eric likes his team and there are several
good players. There is one other American, Larry, a guy from Brazil named Jeff, and another guy from Iceland,
Jacob. Most everyone knows English - at least a little bit -including the coach who is actually quite fluent. Eric is still
very tired, and I am sick, so I imagine we won't feel 'normal' for another week or so, but so far we're adjusting very
well. We've taken a few walks around the neighborhood and have already found a very modern mall, a McDonalds,
and a coffee shop that reminds us of Starbucks (with the same high prices).
Our 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment - with a refrigerator!!! - (ok, it isn't working, but it's going to be fixed
tomorrow...really) is on the top of a four story building. We have a lot of skylights, so the apartment is bright and
cheery. You have to open three locks to get to our front door! First, there is a gate, then the door to the building,
and then our front door. The neighborhood is colorful and pretty.
As we explore more of the town and as Eric begins playing games for this team, we'll send updates ....probably
once a month or so. This year, however, we're going to direct you to a website so you don't have to download any
pictures onto your computer. Everything will be posted on my brother's website; our Hungarian adventures in
pictures can be found at:
http://bjtphotography.com/BJTPHOTOGRAPHY_HOME.html. Click on "Eric and Kellie Overseas" and then go from
there.
Thanks for your prayers. Write us when you can! We'd love to hear from you!
Viszontlátásra!
Eric and Kellie
EKFiegi@aol.com