A rewarding experience
We are currently half way across the globe with our entire family in tow. It was an idea that our dear friends from Hungary brought up five years ago when they came to visit us in Manila for three whole weeks. Akos Zala was Anthony’s college friend and colleague from AIESEC International where Anthony once held office in Brussels, Belgium as AIESEC International president. Akos brought his entire family to the Philippines and our children bonded beautifully that we agreed to come visit them at a future time.
It was a desire we have had that should have been accomplished much earlier but took five years, as we had to attend to several priorities (and expenses) before we could invest in this one. We had started building our home and then welcomed our youngest child, Solana. Anthony also invested in further studies, a global Executive MBA. Our hands were full. Well, we are still as busy, but this time, the opportunity presented itself again and it fell right into everybody’s schedule. Our children’s summer schedule permitted for us to accompany Anthony in his next EMBA module to be held in Fontainebleau, France. we knew it was time to “take the plunge†and head off to our friends in Budapest before Anthony’s next round of classes next week. So, here we are, taking the Zala’s invitation to be hosted by them in their own home (and country, as we are being “taken for a ride†everywhere!).
In truth, this trip is also the fruit of good financial stewardship so that we actually have resources to be enjoyed and invested in the experiences of our family. Of course the little time we have to prepare for this one will mean that Anthony and I will mostly reconcile our finances on the road. But, knowing that we’ve set aside some for this and knowing that we travel with our bank in our pockets make it a lot easier to take this ‘plunge’. We did buy some dollars but since too much cash is neither allowed nor safe, our credit cards will have to tide us over the rest of the journey.
We have been away for only four days and, so far, we have witnessed the blossoming of the Zalas’ cherry tree so we enjoyed feasting on cherries at just about every opportunity we can get. Kati, Akos’ wife insisted we picked the cherries before they turn black so Akos organized cherry picking activity, which paved the way for a unique bonding activity between both families. There was just an abundance of fruits that we gave up after a while. Thank God for neighbors who came over to continue harvesting the cherries. They also helped clean up the patio before they left. There is still much left in the tree! So, we have eaten it straight from the tree, as cherry pie and even as cherry soup and it is such a delight! What a harvest indeed!
It is turning out that the highlight of our visit to Budapest is enjoying living and engaging with the Zalas, one of the most gracious people on earth, with their time, resources and their hearts. We are currently occupying their master’s bedroom! We try as best as we can to help out with chores as much as possible and every now and then we are given the chance to also treat the Zalas. Even with Hungary’s entry into the European Union, it still has the Forints as local currency. The challenge is to compute for the local currency value of the Euro we exchanged given the dollars we initially bought with whatever peso we had left! Hahaha! Thank God for international credit cards, we were able to cover for this one dinner we decided to bless our hosts with.
Family boding: The Pangilinans — Anthony, Maricel and their kids enjoy their stay at the home of Akos Zala in Budapest, Hungary. Akos insists to see more of what their beautiful city is about. We have so far seen the majestic parliament building and then we tried the Lukacs Bath’s several super relaxing pools (an indoor/outdoor thermal bath spa heated naturally by hot springs built as early as the 12th century). Budapest is actually known for its spas so it is a must that everyone tries their baths.
Even though we are on holiday, it does not excuse us from training for our triathlons so the Zalas brought us for an enriching run into the forest of Lizt Ferenc airport where hand gliders are flown, and to their local pool at Komjádi where we could train for our swim. This trip is so action-packed that a bike ride to the highest peak of the city in Normafa was arranged for the boys. There, they met up with friends for a toast! Our children have gone to discover castle ruins and bob sledding at Visegråd as well as visit a historic Hungarian village for ice cream and hotdogs. Szentendre was actually where the Zalas were married 19 years ago.
We had a small reunion last night with Anthony’s long-time friend, Gabor Zarlos, who was formerly with AIESEC as well. He is one of the most respected professionals in Hungary, a social communications expert who is now taking his doctorate studies on the “social conversations around nuclear energy.’ (Sounded “doctoral†to me!) He actually brought, guess what, freshly picked cherries from his own tree! This time though we sampled “sour cherries,†a different “breed,†but they are cherries nonetheless and we love, love, cherries! It was great to have Gabor and it was such an honor to be visited by him when his family is currently grieving at the grave illness of their 15 year old Transylvannian Pointer! I suppose he found comfort in the presence of intimate friends. We capped the evening with songs and performances from our children and Akos rendered his Cat Stevens medley.
It is past midnight here and almost everyone is asleep except for me (Maricel) who is typing this article as my baby is fast asleep. Tomorrow will be a full day for sure as Akos plans to have us to try all their public transport options aside from a visit and perhaps a swim at the Balaton Lake so I am trying my best to get my work done while there is peace and silence. That swim tomorrow is crucial; the Ironman competition in Cebu is a month away (a week upon our return!). So while we enjoy this cultural experience, we still need to prompt each other to keep the discipline of investing the time and effort (summer isn’t as “hot†as we thought it would be so the cool water can be frightening!) so Cebu wont hurt as much. Not to mention finalizing logistics for our flights and all, thank God for online booking, payments and banking!
All together now: The Akos and Pangilinans We still have yet to discover France and then Amsterdam before heading home to Manila. We realize the importance of travel as a worthy investment that will reap a rich reward for our children’s future. Though it is quite time and energy consuming to have a toddler along, 3 teenagers and a tweener, we will not have it any other way as we know these times are precious for both their character building and ours as well. We are so happy we were able to grab this opportunity with the help of our credit card especially in bridging our finances while we’re here.
A major lesson reinforced in this trip, and one we hope we will practice for the rest of our lives: focus on sowing on a few core values and key people in your life, invest heavily on them and with them, then reap inexpressible joy and “eternal†rewards over time. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait for eternity to enjoy all rewards. With the right use of our financial tools (including online banking and credit cards), we earn some immediately and look forward to using them soon... perhaps to claim against another trip after a period of intense work and studies? Or a simple family dinner over which we recall this journey’s fond memories?
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