III.III.II – Hedonia
III.III.II
HEDONIA
On the same exchange program were about twenty other students from all over the world. I wasn’t too keen on making new friends at the beginning. My time in Hungary was supposed to be my me time. Little did I assume that by that very first night, they’d already be family.
I still remember us sitting down on the floor outside our dorm drinking wine, playing cards and revealing all our deepest and darkest secrets – on our very first night! Amazing how so many different people could click in such a way. Our chemistry was serendipitous to say the least. Add to that the fact that every single day was jam-packed with activities and you can imagine what kind of bond we had created by the end of the month.
It was the perfect location with the perfect company. From tours around the city to weekend trips around Hungary and neighbouring countries; it felt like we had been there for years. ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’ they say. I’m not sure that’s the case for me – looking back on my days in Hungary, it doesn’t feel that way. I feel like I have years’ worth of memories; in just one month.
I remember every single detail. All the times I went for a stroll around the city. The walk to the city centre. Rolling on the grass at the cultural centre. All the cups of coffee we’d down at Cafe Frei. The hikes in Tettye Park. That one time we went up the TV Tower. That visit to Siklós Castle. Buying twenty-four cups of ice-coffee at one go from Penny Supermarket to stock our fridge at the dorm. Eating to our hearts’ content during the National Food & Drink Party.
And the trips… Budapest, Orfű, Balatonlelle, and most importantly, Villány; a wine region that I’d also get to call heaven. If there’s one thing you ought to do in your life, it’s to taste this red Portugueser wine. I’m not exactly sure if I recall this correctly, but I’m pretty sure we were told they produce it from Portuguese grapes using a Hungarian process. The one thing I can remember for sure is the very second that wine touched my tongue. By now it must be evident that I’m a pretty hyperbolic person. That said, believe me when I say that I’m not exaggerating by saying that this wine was so good I literally shed a tear the second the first sip touched my tongue. I can also safely say that it ruined sex for me. It was that good. I don’t remember much from that wine tour; that night in general really, but that I do remember. I bought two bottles to bring back home with me. They didn’t last the night.
Another highlight was the Sziget festival in the capital of Budapest. Sziget festival, dubbed Europe’s Burning Man, is a huge music and cultural festival that takes place in Budapest every year, usually on a different island each and every time. This time round, it would be on Óbuda Island in the north of the city on the Danube. It lasts a full week, boasting of hundreds of live performances going on at the same time on different stages, 24/7 of non-stop partying and loads of activities from yoga classes to beach parties and art exhibitions. And I’d be going there!
Man was I hyped. I’d be on my own for the most part, with other exchange students joining me for some bits here and there. I still remember walking through the bridge that leads to the island. A surreal experience; with hundreds of people, all clad in other-worldly, sparkling and glittering clothes, pushing and shoving each other to see who’d get in there first. And once you get there it’s crazier still. An entire island transformed into this ethereal land that’s all about fun and pleasure. After pitching my tent in the camping area, I made my way round the island, trying to see how to make the best of my time. Which, trust me, is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’m not joking. There’s no room for boredom on that island. It’s one thing crazier than the other.
I gotta admit that trampolines, living statues and mirror mazes all took second place to the incredible line-up that always and unfailingly, manages to bring thousands of tourists all the way to Hungary. I was mostly excited for The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons, Cigarettes After Sex, Bastille, Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa and Shawn Mendes. Others, like Aurora and Parov Stelar I had never even heard of, but have since become a fan of. It was an honour getting to listen to live performances by such great artists, and, I gotta say it was an experience I’ve been wanting to relive since. Simply incredible!
Another word I got to learn was ‘Egészségedre!”. Cheers, salud, proost, salute, skål, kampai. From getting drunk atop the Liberty Bridge to getting drunk at the Sziget music festival and getting drunk in any place imaginable, I discovered how good it feels to be drunk most of the time. I could have aced the CAGE questionnaire back then.
But hey, it would only be just for that month and the second I’d go back to Malta I’d get to be the sober, composed Marius once again. Plus, these would be the good old days in a few years’ time. “I spend my life studying, would it be so bad for me to let my wild side loose just this once?” And so, I allowed the hedonist within me to take over. By the end I was drinking a bottle of wine or two and smoking an entire packet of cigarettes every single day. Nothing too wild or illegal you know, but that’s the kinda behaviour that would make a soccer mom call an exorcist on your ass. Well, my soccer mom was back at home doing soccer mom things. I let my wild side loose for the very first time in my life. I was having fun.
But… I was miserable, dead inside, empty. I had hit rock bottom. I knew something had to change. It would only be just a month but I couldn’t live another day like that. I was drinking way too much, my smoking was excessive by any chain smoker’s standards, and I was having way too much sex with way too many people. I went from medicine nerd to raving lunatic in a heartbeat and that’s when I knew I had to pull myself together. It was on this one particular night that I knew I had to stop. Drunk and miserable, I called Momma Bear, sobbing, telling her I had had enough