We are now spies...

Hello for the last time from room 753 (Abigail, Missy, Lauren, and Ella)

Today started off on a melancholy note as we headed to our last math class in Budapest. 😢 Since it was our last class, Bruce decided to mix things up a bit and teach us about cryptography. Who knew coding was so cool! Missy even won a Balaton bar for her efficiency in breaking codes!

We started with some basic codes, but then spiced things up using our knowledge of congruence. Since we are coding experts now, we thought we would put in our own code using the Caeser Cipher:  FRQJUDWXODWLRQV! Let us know in the comments if you figure it out. 

After our last worksheet of the class😢, we took a short break for lunch at various places then reconvened for a short walk to Emese's daughter's school. Since we arrived a bit early, we learned about the structure of schools (students stay at the same school for grades k-8 and call teachers Uncle or Aunt). We also had fun figuring out the games on the playground. 

Walking inside, we were amazed at the beauty of the school compared to our own elementary and middle schools. While the classrooms may be small, the building was gorgeous and even included a stained glass ceiling. We were also fascinated by expanding chalk boards. 

After viewing the classroom it was time to meet the students! We discussed where we were from, testing our own geographical knowledge of the United States, our favorite subjects, and why we were in Budapest. We finished up our time with them by teaching them the St. Olaf fight song (unfortunately the video won't upload to the blog, so you'll have to trust us 😀).

We then went on our next adventure: street art! Since we had viewed street art last week, we decided to make our own. We started by cutting out stencils, then went wild with spray paint. While concentration was necessary for cutting, the actual painting was very fun and we were incredibly impressed by every single design. 

After street art, we headed off to dinner at our favorite Bistro where we had fantastic food and hot chocolate. Following which, we hit the books to continue studying for our final exam on Wednesday!

Our time in Budapest has been amazing! We've been so fortunate to have all these life changing experiences. As we finish this last blog, we sadden at the thought of soon leaving this beautiful city.

Sziasztok! 

Abigail, Ella, Missy, and Lauren