Old Faces in New Places - Budapest (1)

A few weeks ago I went to Budapest (Hungary) to visit some dear friends that I studied with in Japan Cy and Jayson. Cy and Jayson are both from the Philippines and studied with me at International Christian University in Tokyo.

I remember my impression of both of them were "these are some kick-butt, smart, and interesting people", and when I left Tokyo in July 2005 I always thought, damn I wish I had spent more time with them! Both of them have a background in activism and know the importance of working on issues like women's rights, environmental issues, and human rights in their country (and beyond). As such, I also left Japan thinking I had more to learn from both of them.

Thanks in part to Facebook we have been able to keep in touch. When they finished in Tokyo 2008 Cy had gotten an Erasmus Mundus scholarship in Gender Studies starting off in Budapest. So fortune brought us to the same continent!

This sign probably said 36 or 37 degrees (thats 97-98 degrees farenheit) on the first day of my trip! Budapest was in a short heat wave.













While in Budapest with them I also got to know Cy and Jayson's 1 year old daughter Iraya, also known to me as "Iraya-one-of-the-cutest-babies-of-all-time"! Here is a pic of all of us with the Budapest cityscape in the background.













I got a little overzealous with pictures of Iraya, I wish I was even remotely as photogenic as her! Here is a nice pic of her and Jayson.


















Lastly, here is the Iraya-look. At times I think all one has to do to resolve the conflict in the Middle East is set the negotiators down with Iraya in the middle. As soon as she gives them this look, they will come to an agreement. I mean, really, who could resist this look? :-)