When Adventure Turns

     One of my pleasures here in Hungary has been the miles of forests I have been exploring. I know I should be worried because I am in a forest- in a foreign country. To a degree I have had "wild boar" fear and been incredibly smart as to use my gps, make sure I had cell service, let someone know when I leave, etc. Today, I bundled myself up, started my gps and music, and set off to explore my new favorite place. I took the same path I normally take. I was listening to Christmas music, which makes everything better! I reached the turn around point 4 miles in, but I just wasn't ready to stop. So, I made the worst decision yet. I kept going. Then, I saw some of the most glorious landscapes I have experienced. It was so surreal. Jogging along the river, singing "Marshmallow World" without a care in the world. I stopped only to capture pics of my surroundings in case I got lost. When the woman on my app told me I had gone 6 miles, I decided I needed to turn around. At this point it was 11 and the sun goes down at 3:30 here, and I have an irrational {not-so-irrational} fear of getting lost in the forest and having to build my own shelter, and I forgot to bring gloves...
Jogging back, I looked at my phone and realized my gps stopped tracking me. I was a little nervous, but not too much. I just needed to get back to the lookout point in the meadow, then I would be home free. My app told me I had gone 8 miles, yet I hadn't seen the large wood pile {I know- who uses a wood pile as a marker in the forest!!!} I started to get more nervous. Not enough, but just a little more than before. I took the path I thought was right, but it took me along the the side of the river. My app told me I went 10 miles...
It was at this point that the cutest furry squirrel darted in front of me. Since I have an irrational {now rational} fear of coming face to face with a wild boar, I jumped. He ran up a tree and stared me in the eyes. He was sooooo cute. I laughed and thought to myself- "Okay, I am totally lost. I know I should be afraid, and I need to stop listening to music and save my battery." I turned around and came back to the spot I believed the wood pile to be. It still wasn't there. There was, however, a path that ran along a fenced off field of sticks. It was not very worn, but at this point, why not? Well, as I walked (because 11 miles in I was EXHAUSTED) the path, I realized this was really happening and I should be very afraid and start thinking about calling Sammy. I stopped and tried his number- only to be greeted by the recording of a woman, saying something to me in Hungarian. This normally happens when our minutes expire. WORST DAY EVER! I plodded on, and found a very untravelled path. I decided it seemed like the right way. {like I even had any orienting point to go off of at this point!} I turned. I was praying that God would show me how to get out of this predicament I found myself in. That, if I wasn't supposed to go down that path, He would show me. Well, in the next minute, my biggest fear became a reality. 20 feet in front of me was the thing I dreaded seeing... an enormous wild boar! I froze as he looked into my eyes. He looked like a hippo he was so big! I screamed {loud} and he ran into the forest. I took off in the other direction and ran until I came to a pig farm {oh irony}. 14 miles... I came to terms with the fact that I would die in the forest if I didn't find a way out and determined to try to break beyond the language barrier, or just use a phone to call the college and have a hungarian speak to them and save me. No such luck. The buildings were all closed. I heard voices in the field nearby, and ran to them. As I got closer, fear began to overtake me. There in the field, a group of gypsies sat eating their lunch. they looked like convicts. I approached them, praying I would not melt down and cry. We were able to establish I was lost {thanks for the news flash}. The answer? The {scary} man mimes me to get into his van. Now, I know what you are thinking- WHAT THE HECK!?! But you have to understand- it seemed like my best option. When faced with the wild boar/ freezing temps that were eminent, this seemed like I had no choice. Yet, somewhere along the journey with Laslo the gypsy through the forest, I realized my situation and just started laughing. How did I get to a place where getting into a van with a {drunk} gypsy and driving {what seemed like} deeper into the forest seemed like a good idea? What was happening in my life?                                    

The 10 minute drive through the rugged terrain seemed like eternity. As soon as I saw the familiar 2- lane road, I almost cried. He dropped me off at the castle, and I was never so happy to be home! EVER! A couple hours later, the adrenaline wore off. As I was describing the boar to Sammy, he laughed because he doubted it was that big. We decided to look online to solve the problem. When he pulled up a video- I started to cry. Apparently I was traumatized by it. PS... they ARE huge! They are 600-700 lbs. and 69 inches long, 43-48 inches tall. {so maybe he wasn't 6 foot tall like I said}. I will now be smarter when I go into the forest. I will not use wood piles as landmarks. I will still scream {louder} when I see a wild boar. I may ask for a knife for christmas... or a rifle!