Of all the farewell events, the hardest involved leaving my departmental "family." A wonderful dinner at a colleague's house overlooking the Bükk Mountains was the formal goodbye event-- visits to the office, lunches, and exchanges of appreciation and gifts went on all the last week.
Most of what I gained in Eger can't be held--but I did come back to Valdosta with some wonderful tangible reminders of the people and places in Hungary. The engraved Parádsasvár crystal piece was not that easy to pack, and I worried about it breaking all the way home--but it arrived safely and is in a place on honor in our living room. The Hollókö ceramic pitcher, Transylvanian palinka cups (thanks, Lehel), and the Zsolnay porcelain tea set (thanks, Zoltan) survived as well. The bronze rose (thanks, Gabi), and Hungarian music (thanks, Laszlo and Bert) are a part of our lives now. Sorry to say, the Tokaji wine (thanks, Csaba) is not still with us, but it sure tasted good with the goose liver pate. And, of course, our Eszterházy Károly gifts will be worn and used as fond reminders.
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