There are 10 million people in Hungary...
...and then there's me!
This is my story of My Miracle on Samsoni Street in Debrecen, Northern Hungary on Tuesday, 6th October, 2015.
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| It still tickles my fancy, climbing on board from the rails virtually! |
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| Inside is OK, clean and comfy... |
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| Another litle village on the 90 min trip to Debrecen from Tiszaigar. |
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| Autumn is just starting now... |
The info girl in the station in Debrecen told me where the street was I needed, she said (amongst other things in retrospect) it was a 15 min walk, then the Sampsoni Street I needed was to the right...
(The bit I forgot was to take a bus 19 at the end of the 15 min walk!)
So off I headed with plenty of time to spare.
It was just on 1pm when I arrived in Debrecen and the visa office for 3rd party aliens, like me, was open 12.30pm to 2.30 pm.
I estimated a nice 30 min walk ahead and took pics as I checked out the architecture, lovely varied footpaths and bright colours of the buildings.
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| I like this pink and cream treatment...reverse would look nice too I think. |
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| Awesome colours even in the footpath bricks. |
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| Every few 100 mtrs the footpaths were a different colour, pattern or brick! |
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| So many colours in the buildings... |
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| It was an overcast, grey and at times sprinkly rainy day... |
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| It just started sprinkling...so run fast Mary! |
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| A big new shopping centre called Forum... |
Well, it wasn't that easy.
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| Actually in Sampsoni Street now...Nice fence arrangement. That yellow and brown is very traditional for houses. |
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| It seems old Drac may still be inside here...spooky! |
A few jogging sessions, a few fast walking, a few running spells and I was running out of time and was only at #97.c and it was 2.20pm already.
Then I thought I'd go into the approaching service station and ask where the Visa office was, as it certainly didn't appear to be anywhere in this weird environment.
I asked the young attendant where was the Visa...before I could finish, he said "no English" and I said..."hey, let me finish", as I knew they all understood one of the 3 words, either - Visa, passport or immigration -, so I rattled them all out and the guy at the other till, serving a customer, nodded to the gentleman customer and then the customer said to me. "Visa Office?...I.am".
I asked was he going that way, he indicated yes and proceeded to walk to his very nice car. It didn't look like a personal car, too tidy inside!
No toys or stuff anywhere, so my quick assumption was it was his work car, he looked a nice guy, a professional and I felt safe.
In we got and off we drove.
He seemed to speak a bit of Englisk OK, so I trusted the guidance from above.
About a klm or so later he mentioned the time, (meaning I was already late) then turned into a long lane full of university type buildings (Debrecen is a Uni city with 30,000 students) and I was thankful he was showing me where to go, as I'd have had no idea otherwise, with buildings everywhere and no signs anywhere it seemed.
He stopped outside of a gated area and I was about to get out...when he said..."No" then a gate began to slide open and in we went. He wound his windows down and people standing around outside spoke to him.
I asked did he work here? He said YES!
...I burst out laughing, thanking him with amazement and he proceeded to usher me inside through a tunnel of doors.
He introduced me to the admitting officer in a room full of students and then I was ushered to seat #4 where another very nice young man proceeded to get all the extra info I needed. He checked all the info I'd brought and I only needed to glue a pic of me to the application form, get my health insurance sorted out, locate a verified copy of the stamp duty/title deeds to the property and bring them back and pay 18,000 ft ($90 Ausd) in special stamps...and that was it!
You can be sure I grabbed one of the many waiting cabs for the return trip to the station!
It was my Miracle on Sampsoni Street for sure.
To you it may not mean anything, but to me this was a very important day in my life.
It was time to face the music and go through the paperwork processes necessary when applying for a staying permit in a foreign country.
I intensely dislike paperwork at the best of times and was now finally determined, although feeling a bit intrepid, that I would do whatever it took to get that permit...one bit at a time until I had it.
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| A real waiting room at the train station where you can sit and eat or fill in paperwork, as I did! Great idea. |
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| The train on the way back. |
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| A rather large turkey leg I bought on the way back to the train stn...Looks like a leg of lamb! 600 ft...about $3 Ausd. |
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| Peter McLean will remember this area on the great plains, old army tanks, horses and wigwams! |
I have a residence permit card to register, plus 3 pieces of paper to fill in, basically about my address and health.
Am amazed and pleased beyond measure!
So ends my life changing day...a day that was helped along from above, I have no doubts at all.
This Miracle was to confirm to me my decision to go ahead and that all would be fine.
Feeling very blessed indeed.
Thankyou.
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