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So, how did my pre-teen son and I end up in the breathtaking heart of Vienna? Well, that’s a long story, which began about ten years ago at a Krav Maga training session and has been unfolding ever since, woven through years of winding paths. And although the roads we humans walk sometimes become bumpy, sometimes fork, sometimes slope steeply only to turn abruptly vertical, and sometimes loop back on themselves in strange ways, this peculiar labyrinth eventually led us to this city built from gummy candies, cobblestones, pulsating life, history, a river flowing with dignity, and familiar-yet-strange flavors—where we saw a bit of the new and a bit of…

I know the feeling of living out of boxes for months after a move, but since I was fortunate enough to be in a job-seeking phase while building this new life, I had time to unpack. Special thanks to my three cellar rooms, which gladly took in every box containing things not immediately needed. I tried to avoid the usual mistake I always make: “I know this isn’t in the right place, but I’ll deal with it when I have time,” only to dodge it for years as if I had concreted its guard post forever. Well, I tried, but it didn’t always work out. Nevertheless, with just one week…

Someone put on your dress. Walked into my life wearing it and pretended to be you. They smiled at me, encouraged me, protected me, sometimes hurt me—but I believed it was you. So I thought, “Well, this is just how it goes sometimes,” and I spent a lot of time wondering why I’m not always good enough. And then summers came, candlelit holidays, new summers, birthdays, tears, Christmases, emptiness—and I kept thinking and thinking. But eventually, it stopped feeling good because I started to not love myself, and then it occurred to me that you surely wouldn’t want me to feel this way. Something wasn’t right. But it wasn’t the…

So here I am, sitting in my little nook overlooking the backyard (exceptionally without a book in my lap), giving myself a few minutes to reflect on how I ended up here. And the story is mind-blowing. Maybe this isn’t the place to detail it all, but I know it took everything I’ve always wanted to believe I am: willpower—the stubborn, constant, persistent, and unwavering will that focuses on those opportunities in the world essential to my goals. It took the family who, despite this decision placing me geographically farther away (but closer to others), have been my steadfast support in building every (perhaps strange to them) desire of mine.…

Oh my, being here again feels like I just took the last blank page yesterday to write down what’s happening inside me. Since then, over a thousand and one events have unfolded that deserved to be put on paper, but what’s happening now definitely deserves its place here 🙂 Life and my decisions have brought me to a moment ripe for a major overhaul. One so big that it calls for a new job, a new city, new people—and when I reflect on this resolve, it becomes clear that I couldn’t take a bigger step toward a more livable future. A future rich with possibilities, fresh and buildable. Ru certainly…

You know how it is with Vác and me… somehow we never manage to stay apart for long, and no matter how much life strains my plans, we always find our way back to each other. Sometimes it means a peaceful island of calm for me, sometimes I’m amazed by its uniqueness, sometimes I wander its streets with excitement, and sometimes it’s just a girly chat that draws me here. I’ve arranged meetings here with friends living abroad and introduced them to spicy fish with sweet potatoes on the promenade. I’ve visited temporary exhibitions, listened to concerts, and sat through countless theater performances. I’ve stared at the water for hours…

When you feel change within yourself, you also crave something new around you. On Friday, I was eagerly awaiting the end of May, hoping that summer would bring something new I’ve been longing for a while. Without any complaints, I can say that the past year has taken its toll on everyone, and there isn’t a single person in my work environment who hasn’t been affected by recent events. Personally, I was deeply yearning for new steps in my private life, because work is hard to leave at the doorstep, and it has undeniably left its mark on my life. Although I’m still uncertain about the future (how long has…