Monday, May 15, 2006

Füzesabony: Could it get any worse?

After my last post, in which I mentioned that the nearby town of Füzesabony is almost surely on the Top 10 list of worst places in the world, I recieved some questions about what could possibly make this place so horrible. Obviously this was a question asked by readers who have never passed through the town!
For those who have passed through Füzesabony, I do not need to try very hard to convince you of the horribleness of the place, as you have felt it and seen it for yourself.
For those of you who for whom the name Füzesabony (or Fuzzy Bunny as my non-Hungarian speaking friends like to call it), means nothing, let me explain why I feel the way I do.

For about one year Rosemary and I traveled from Debrecen to Eger almost every week to disciple new Christians, pray for the city and what God's plan was for us, and I taught a home Bible study.
Well, because of a disagreement 150 yrs ago between the Catholic bishop of Eger and some government officials, Eger was punished by being left off of the main train route which runs through North-Eastern Hungary. Instead, the train would pass through (you guessed it) Füzesabony, some 20km south of Eger.
Practically, this means that whenever you travel to Eger from Budapest or Debrecen you must pass through Füzesabony. Worse, you have to change trains here to transfer to Eger and the wait could range from a mere 5 min. to up to even 1.5 hrs!
So, as Rosemary and I were travelling back and forth between Debrecen and Eger on a weekly basis, we spent a significant amount of time in Füzesabony (I cringe just writing it).

What does one do in Füzesabony for one hour, two times a week?, you might ask. Well, let me take you on a little tour.
As you step out of the train station, you are greeted by the lovely Main Square (See photo on right). Gracing the center of the sqare is a wooden memorial to something, which for as long as I can remember has been half-broken and surrounded by tall weeds.
Across the street on the other side of the square is the lovely "Vegyes bolt" (roughly translated as General Store), where you can buy a plethora of RANDOM stuff. Last time I looked in the window, the display included a plastic tray for drying dishes, a paint brush, a shoe, and some nails. You get the idea.
Walking down the street, you have your choice of 3 seedy bars, always filled with lots of smoke and kids from the local primary school. For those travelers who would like to sip a coffee as they wait for their connection, this is their only option.
As you continue on your journey down the main drag, you soon reach the pride of Füzesabony--the city water tower! Believe me, it does not look better in person.

The answer to the above question What does one do in Füzesabony for one hour, two times a week? : One does nothing in Füzesabony, for there is nothing to do.
That's not always a bad thing though. I spent a lot of my time there reading my Bible and praying. God knows what our tendencies are, and he knows that sometimes in order for us to sit down and spend time with him he has to put us in places like Füzesabony for one or two hours per week!

I hope now that you can better understand why I am thankful that God called us to Eger. We would be fine living wherever he would call us to, but we sure do enjoy it here!
Keep on praying for Eger, and while you're at it, pray for the people of Füzesabony as well. They need it.
Farewell for now.

16 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:12 PM

    Once again something interesting about nothing special. I like the pictures, It brings it all to life.

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  2. Maybe if I get really good at talking about nothing I could pursue a career in politics

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  3. Anonymous10:24 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. Anonymous10:25 PM

    Hmm I love the idea behind this website, very unique.
    »

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  5. Anonymous10:26 PM

    Hi! Just want to say what a nice site. Bye, see you soon.
    »

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  6. whoever you are, you are too kind!

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  7. Anonymous6:22 AM

    Super color scheme, I like it! Good job. Go on.
    »

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  8. Anonymous4:54 PM

    Is it a village?

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  9. See, that's exactly the thing--you would expect a village to be this horrible, but this isn't a village, it's a city of like 25,000 people.

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  10. Hey Nick,

    Don’t forget the rule is ‘i before e, except after c; of course there are exceptions (weird). No, i not using that word to describe you or your story, but perhaps i am (now that i know you better, i think you have the potential to be weird, but not as i do). Are you trying to compete with me as a writer? You are a better pastor than i could be, but i am a better writer, so put down the quill and come out with your hands up. Surrender i say! If you don’t then things will get messy and you don’t want things to get messy! We’ve got you surrounded!
    Oh, i forgot i was supposed to be writing about the town (Füzesabony) you visited twice a week. See i too have spend time there and look what has happened to me, i drifted into randomness, my mind has lost its ability to focus, i’ve become one of those people that walk around talking to self, demons or anyone that will listen to me. Even i had trouble finding something to do there, i had an hour or so to wait for my next train, so i decided to tour the town; five minutes later i found myself sitting one a bench with nothing to do, but i find it nice sometimes to have nothing to do, if only i could quiet down the voices in my head, then i would really love to spend more time in Füzesabony or any other little Hungarian town. I like those little towns for the simple fact, unlike Debrecen; they don’t pretend to be more than they are; little towns.
    ocean.

    p.s. i wish you had told me sooner about the dish drying rack; i could have used it, but now it’s too late.

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  11. ok, one thing I fully agree with--at least Füzesabony doesn't try to be more than it is! That's for sure!
    I'm not trying to compete as a writer, I just have some thoughts to share with the world. Watch out world!
    Anyways, I agree that you are a much better writer, hence the reason why I have your blog as a link on my page.
    Ciao!

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  12. Anonymous7:05 PM

    Gezeee! I really would have wanted that dish drainer! Maybe even the shoe....?
    This is it for a base of 25,000 people???
    Does Stephen King know about this location? . . . maybe a movie in the making! I'll call him today.

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  13. Anonymous5:34 PM

    Oh, so much said about so little. Be careful with your thoughts and words, you are very smug about not living in this small town, but only God knows where He will lead you tomorrow.

    Love,
    Mom

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  14. Anonymous7:16 PM

    this is hysterical! do you guys remember when my roommates came to visit me in debrecen and we went to your church for EASTER last year??? we were stuck in the awful place fro about 5 hrs! it is all they can speak of today. we laugh and laugh. hope you are doing well. i am praying to return to Hungary for long term missions soon. all in the Lord's timing. your church has really grown since last year. what a blessing!

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  15. ...out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speeks....

    (dear administrator, now you may erase my comment...)

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  16. Anonymous10:58 PM

    In fact, there are only 8000 people living in Füzesabony.

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