Although I'm not back Stateside until Saturday, tomorrow I'm hopping on a train for an eight-hour jaunt to Transylvania, home of Dracula and my buddy Christian (until January). This means that today is my last full day in Hungary. As such, every single errand that I want run before mid-January, when I return, must be done TODAY. Understandably, I'm feeling a little crazy.
I've had to pick up books, drop off books, read books, reschedule classes, grade a final exam, see all my private students one last time, invoice for both my language schools (in person), buy tickets for the train (in person), buy food for the train, buy tickets for the metro, buy Christmas presents for my friends and family, visit the doctor, pick up medicine, drop off a blender I borrowed, drop off an SAT book, register for Deutschkurs, pay for Deutschkurs (in person, duh), get a new stamp for my student ID (should have done this a month ago), not to mention get drinks with everyone one last time. Ahhhh!
Also, my tummy feels funny and I look pudgy.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I am enjoying squash more than I thought it would be possible for any one person to do so. My house is filled with blue smoke, but at least if we asphyxiate it will be to the smell of olive oil and delicious squash.
I have also been f*cked by the Hungarian VAT. I tried to order contacts online and send them to my parents' house. However, you need either an American doctor (if you want to mail something to an American address) OR you need to 1. order by phone and 2. fax your prescription. Well, finding a fax is a pain in the derrier and I have a tough time calling 1-800 numbers for whatever reason, so I decided to just bite the bullet and send everything to Hungary. Mistake! While ordering contacts online was significantly cheaper, I now have to pay more than 12,000 forint (or about $75) to pick them up. Fuck me.
On a different note, I've been thinking a lot about language in context.
Until last Wednesday I taught a class of five advanced students. I don't know what it was exactly that brought it up -- probably the bitchy one snickering when I asked them how they were doing -- but I realized that they were completely ignorant of any general conception of cross-cultural differences. I asked, "Do you have foreign friends?" They did not. I asked, "Do you use English ever?" They do not. So, they are grinding away at a language in order to pass an exam to get, what? A better job? Academic credentials? A gold start on their CVs?
Despite how uncomfortable my daily "How are you?" made them, I continued, because I saw my role as that not only of an English teacher, but of a conduit to living English-language culture. I'm an American; likely, I always will be; and where I come from we ask how you're doing. It doesn't mean you have to answer honestly (people rarely do), but you should ask.
A living language is more than a merely collection of grammar rules and vocabulary. The difficulty I see in almost all my students is that they have little or no feeling for this other spoken life. And that begs the question, how well can you really learn a language if you're not interested, to at least some minimal degree, in its cultural trappings? I meet students who are quite fluent but who have never read a poem, or a short story, or a play. I get the impression that in schools here, whether out of bureaucracy or sloth, teachers churn through language book after language book. Students continually discuss such inane topics as "hobbies" or "holidays."
I agree that this is as good a place as any to start. My only points of reference are my study of French in high school and my current study of Hungarian (the sun and the moon). In French we moved through a textbook for perhaps the first two (or even three) years, although this was heavily supplemented with Madame's own worksheets. By the second year, though, she had us reading poetry, and then a detective novel, The Little Prince, and eventually the Stranger. We watched movies, too. I think she let us read subtitles once and then forced us to listen on our own.
Now, this was an extremely different situation for any number of reasons. Being at an international school meant we were largely unhindered by state or national requirements. Madame also had us for four years, instead of a couple of months, like I have my students. She made us suffer and if we couldn't handle the suffering, it was suggested that we discontinue French. Clearly, I can't do this to students who are volunteering their time to take a language class. Finally, Madame was a truly exceptional woman and teacher with few equals.
But it seems slightly hypocritical of me to accuse my students of being disconnected from English when I learned French in Tokyo. To be fair, many of them watch English movies, and sometimes even in the original language. It's just... I feel like there is so much more out there for them, if only they would take an interest.
Perhaps this is the burden/wish/regret of those who speak a lingua franca as a native language; for most people, it's merely about functionality.
I have also been f*cked by the Hungarian VAT. I tried to order contacts online and send them to my parents' house. However, you need either an American doctor (if you want to mail something to an American address) OR you need to 1. order by phone and 2. fax your prescription. Well, finding a fax is a pain in the derrier and I have a tough time calling 1-800 numbers for whatever reason, so I decided to just bite the bullet and send everything to Hungary. Mistake! While ordering contacts online was significantly cheaper, I now have to pay more than 12,000 forint (or about $75) to pick them up. Fuck me.
On a different note, I've been thinking a lot about language in context.
Until last Wednesday I taught a class of five advanced students. I don't know what it was exactly that brought it up -- probably the bitchy one snickering when I asked them how they were doing -- but I realized that they were completely ignorant of any general conception of cross-cultural differences. I asked, "Do you have foreign friends?" They did not. I asked, "Do you use English ever?" They do not. So, they are grinding away at a language in order to pass an exam to get, what? A better job? Academic credentials? A gold start on their CVs?
Despite how uncomfortable my daily "How are you?" made them, I continued, because I saw my role as that not only of an English teacher, but of a conduit to living English-language culture. I'm an American; likely, I always will be; and where I come from we ask how you're doing. It doesn't mean you have to answer honestly (people rarely do), but you should ask.
A living language is more than a merely collection of grammar rules and vocabulary. The difficulty I see in almost all my students is that they have little or no feeling for this other spoken life. And that begs the question, how well can you really learn a language if you're not interested, to at least some minimal degree, in its cultural trappings? I meet students who are quite fluent but who have never read a poem, or a short story, or a play. I get the impression that in schools here, whether out of bureaucracy or sloth, teachers churn through language book after language book. Students continually discuss such inane topics as "hobbies" or "holidays."
I agree that this is as good a place as any to start. My only points of reference are my study of French in high school and my current study of Hungarian (the sun and the moon). In French we moved through a textbook for perhaps the first two (or even three) years, although this was heavily supplemented with Madame's own worksheets. By the second year, though, she had us reading poetry, and then a detective novel, The Little Prince, and eventually the Stranger. We watched movies, too. I think she let us read subtitles once and then forced us to listen on our own.
Now, this was an extremely different situation for any number of reasons. Being at an international school meant we were largely unhindered by state or national requirements. Madame also had us for four years, instead of a couple of months, like I have my students. She made us suffer and if we couldn't handle the suffering, it was suggested that we discontinue French. Clearly, I can't do this to students who are volunteering their time to take a language class. Finally, Madame was a truly exceptional woman and teacher with few equals.
But it seems slightly hypocritical of me to accuse my students of being disconnected from English when I learned French in Tokyo. To be fair, many of them watch English movies, and sometimes even in the original language. It's just... I feel like there is so much more out there for them, if only they would take an interest.
Perhaps this is the burden/wish/regret of those who speak a lingua franca as a native language; for most people, it's merely about functionality.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Feeling more full of life than usual, I climbed Gellert Hegy in time to see the sun set over Budapest. On the way up, I passed a dog park full of people just home from work or airing their dogs after a long day of retirement. I was able to witness a very small part of the universal Human Condition: a dog owner pleading with her disinterested pet to fetch. I think this experience brings us more together as a species.
At the top of the hill is perhaps the statue that is the unofficial emblem of Budapest. I forget her name, but she stands tall with flapping dress and raised olive branch, keeping watch over the city. Her resilience throughout time is much like that of the Hungarian people themselves -- she was a symbol of fascism, then communism, and while they both passed on, she has remained.
She is flanked by two, much smaller, "soc-réál"* statues. The first, I supposed, is intended to be a man sprinting forward with the torch of progress or some such. A flapping cloth was thoughtfully sculpted around his front so as to conceal his genitalia. However, he looks more like a blossoming youth from an ancient Greek wet dream, sprinting around the locker room trying to slap one of his burly comrades with a wet washcloth. Mischievous passers-by have plugged the crack between his buttocks with chewing gum.
The other statue is a burly man beating the shit out of a three-headed dragon.
On my way back down I noticed that our lampposts had been dressed as Christmas trees. Lacking Thanksgiving, Hungarians have no natural limit on how early one can decorate for Christmas. But I am cheery; it reminds me of good things yet to come.
*socialist-realist
At the top of the hill is perhaps the statue that is the unofficial emblem of Budapest. I forget her name, but she stands tall with flapping dress and raised olive branch, keeping watch over the city. Her resilience throughout time is much like that of the Hungarian people themselves -- she was a symbol of fascism, then communism, and while they both passed on, she has remained.
She is flanked by two, much smaller, "soc-réál"* statues. The first, I supposed, is intended to be a man sprinting forward with the torch of progress or some such. A flapping cloth was thoughtfully sculpted around his front so as to conceal his genitalia. However, he looks more like a blossoming youth from an ancient Greek wet dream, sprinting around the locker room trying to slap one of his burly comrades with a wet washcloth. Mischievous passers-by have plugged the crack between his buttocks with chewing gum.
The other statue is a burly man beating the shit out of a three-headed dragon.
On my way back down I noticed that our lampposts had been dressed as Christmas trees. Lacking Thanksgiving, Hungarians have no natural limit on how early one can decorate for Christmas. But I am cheery; it reminds me of good things yet to come.
*socialist-realist
I just wrote a semi-formal email in Hungarian... Man, I hope whoever reads it laughs.
Things in Budapest have gone from bad to much better (knock on wood). Yesterday, today and apparently tomorrow, the bad weather let up; currently the colors of the city are singing as only I have seen them do here. The plan for this afternoon was (and still remains) buckling down and programming some Java, but I think first I'll profit from the fresh air and write on Gellert Hill.
(en profiter de qq chose is much more French than English, I think)
Speaking of programming, I was speculating with Baldur yesterday that since at least two of my students are software engineers, they must know something about Java. A topic in one of our classes might have to be "de-bugging Natalie's code."
I taught a student of mine "might have to" today. In Hungarian it's... kellene lett? I should have written it down when she said it.
On a mostly unrelated note, learning Hungarian (and Deutsch) now makes me think a lot about what learning French was like all those years ago. Fortunately, I have forgotten much of the suffering that was involved (and there was quite a bit)... I do think it strange, though, that so many of the things I have to concentrate on when studying Magyar seem completely different then those that threw me for a loop in French. Really, though, I think this is partly true, and partly because English and French are vastly more similar than English and Hungarian, but partly also I have forgotten how much time Madame spent hammering us about correct use of prepositions or how many diagrams she drew illustrating when to use the continuous past and when to use the past simple... There was a lot of work involved.
Things in Budapest have gone from bad to much better (knock on wood). Yesterday, today and apparently tomorrow, the bad weather let up; currently the colors of the city are singing as only I have seen them do here. The plan for this afternoon was (and still remains) buckling down and programming some Java, but I think first I'll profit from the fresh air and write on Gellert Hill.
(en profiter de qq chose is much more French than English, I think)
Speaking of programming, I was speculating with Baldur yesterday that since at least two of my students are software engineers, they must know something about Java. A topic in one of our classes might have to be "de-bugging Natalie's code."
I taught a student of mine "might have to" today. In Hungarian it's... kellene lett? I should have written it down when she said it.
On a mostly unrelated note, learning Hungarian (and Deutsch) now makes me think a lot about what learning French was like all those years ago. Fortunately, I have forgotten much of the suffering that was involved (and there was quite a bit)... I do think it strange, though, that so many of the things I have to concentrate on when studying Magyar seem completely different then those that threw me for a loop in French. Really, though, I think this is partly true, and partly because English and French are vastly more similar than English and Hungarian, but partly also I have forgotten how much time Madame spent hammering us about correct use of prepositions or how many diagrams she drew illustrating when to use the continuous past and when to use the past simple... There was a lot of work involved.
Monday, November 9, 2009
I've finally succumbed to the perhaps inevitable fall cold. My roommate has been under the weather for several days, and I didn't exactly treat my body well this past weekend, so it's no shocker. I'm hoping that sleep + rooibos will fix me up in a day or two, but one of those two is substantially harder than the other.
Teaching is a drag! I can't say how much I'm looking forward to being home for almost a month, but it is quite a bit. Things that have happened in class recently:
- A girl (who always does this, btw) was saying something in Hungarian while I was writing on the board... When I said, "Speak English!" she stopped talking altogether. I turned and asked her to repeat what she said, and she replied, "I'm sorry, I've already forgotten."
- I cut my hair last week. In class I was doing reported speech*, so I asked one of my students to say something... He got flustered for a minute and then came out with "I like short-haired women." That is not appropriate! The next class he started asking about my dietary concerns and then followed that with the whopper, "How do you maintain your figure?" I could give him the benefit of the doubt, saying that he might not realize quite how offensive it is, but to be honest I'm not at all inclined to.
- Speaking of the same class, the students hate/don't understand the material but I'm not sure I'm allowed to teach them something other than business English. It's also a shitty long commute.
Time for bed. Goodnight, twenty-two!
* e.g., "John said that he would gladly pay any price you might demand for these delicious bananas."
Teaching is a drag! I can't say how much I'm looking forward to being home for almost a month, but it is quite a bit. Things that have happened in class recently:
- A girl (who always does this, btw) was saying something in Hungarian while I was writing on the board... When I said, "Speak English!" she stopped talking altogether. I turned and asked her to repeat what she said, and she replied, "I'm sorry, I've already forgotten."
- I cut my hair last week. In class I was doing reported speech*, so I asked one of my students to say something... He got flustered for a minute and then came out with "I like short-haired women." That is not appropriate! The next class he started asking about my dietary concerns and then followed that with the whopper, "How do you maintain your figure?" I could give him the benefit of the doubt, saying that he might not realize quite how offensive it is, but to be honest I'm not at all inclined to.
- Speaking of the same class, the students hate/don't understand the material but I'm not sure I'm allowed to teach them something other than business English. It's also a shitty long commute.
Time for bed. Goodnight, twenty-two!
* e.g., "John said that he would gladly pay any price you might demand for these delicious bananas."
Monday, November 2, 2009
I ran errands this morning, which involved filling out paperwork and rustling up cash (returning books, selling books,etc.) I now have miraculously increased my pocket money tenfold!
The paperwork is ridiculous -- my language schools aren't so bad, but one class I teach is actually contracted from another school (this state of affairs in and of itself no doubt is the result of some condition outside the understanding of any human in my immediate contact circle). The paperwork would be enough to ballast an ocean liner. Almost all of it is filled out in duplicate or triplicate (yes, there was a form they needed *three* official copies of!), which in my mind is useful only insofar as it provides an opportunity to teach the phrase "in triplicate." Finally, for whatever reason, the material I actually teach is different from the official material, so to fill out what I "teach" every month, I copy it off an official syllabus. I taught Oscar Wilde the entire month of October.
Oh, paperwork!
[would that be the ablative case in Latin?]
The paperwork is ridiculous -- my language schools aren't so bad, but one class I teach is actually contracted from another school (this state of affairs in and of itself no doubt is the result of some condition outside the understanding of any human in my immediate contact circle). The paperwork would be enough to ballast an ocean liner. Almost all of it is filled out in duplicate or triplicate (yes, there was a form they needed *three* official copies of!), which in my mind is useful only insofar as it provides an opportunity to teach the phrase "in triplicate." Finally, for whatever reason, the material I actually teach is different from the official material, so to fill out what I "teach" every month, I copy it off an official syllabus. I taught Oscar Wilde the entire month of October.
Oh, paperwork!
[would that be the ablative case in Latin?]
Friday, October 23, 2009
Happy October 23rd! Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the Hungarian anti-Soviet uprising and the 20th anniversary of the transition to capitalism or "the Changes," as they are called here. Fortunately, the streets seemed mercifully free of protests, although who knows what it will be like later in the evening. In years passed, the streets have been flooded with rioters, riot police, dogs, tear gas, rubber bullets, and even the stray Soviet tank...
In June I bought a bike. Although I perhaps could have better chosen the bike itself, I have yet to regret the purchase on principle. Biking is so liberating! I love flying through the streets, biking down tram lines, and selecting which laws to follow (am I a car? Or a pedestrian?). It is as close as I will ever come to having my own steed.
The one problem is that my bike is incredibly hard to pedal. I was reluctant to blame my own out-of-shapeness (for once, I'm exercising regularly and not feeling bad about my body), so instead I assumed it was some problem with the gears. This is not imagined: owing to a wiring problem, I can only make use of one of the three back gears. So, that's certainly a contributing factor. Today, however, I noticed something more relevant: my tires were incredibly flat. Pedaling with them was like trying to bike with sandbags.
I tried to pump them up at a near-by gas station, but had one of my typically paralyzing moments of indecision. I took off the cap and tried to put the nozzle on, but I couldn't figure out how to work it, so instead I changed my mind and decided to go home and do it later. But when I was trying to put the cap back on I inadvertently let out most of the air in my front tire. Thus I went from having a challenging but serviceable vehicle to a waste of space that is also difficult to carry around. Hopefully my roommates have a pump.
In June I bought a bike. Although I perhaps could have better chosen the bike itself, I have yet to regret the purchase on principle. Biking is so liberating! I love flying through the streets, biking down tram lines, and selecting which laws to follow (am I a car? Or a pedestrian?). It is as close as I will ever come to having my own steed.
The one problem is that my bike is incredibly hard to pedal. I was reluctant to blame my own out-of-shapeness (for once, I'm exercising regularly and not feeling bad about my body), so instead I assumed it was some problem with the gears. This is not imagined: owing to a wiring problem, I can only make use of one of the three back gears. So, that's certainly a contributing factor. Today, however, I noticed something more relevant: my tires were incredibly flat. Pedaling with them was like trying to bike with sandbags.
I tried to pump them up at a near-by gas station, but had one of my typically paralyzing moments of indecision. I took off the cap and tried to put the nozzle on, but I couldn't figure out how to work it, so instead I changed my mind and decided to go home and do it later. But when I was trying to put the cap back on I inadvertently let out most of the air in my front tire. Thus I went from having a challenging but serviceable vehicle to a waste of space that is also difficult to carry around. Hopefully my roommates have a pump.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Seen in Budapest
1. The gay pride parade.
2. New on Kiraly utca.
3. "We aren't extinct"
Today I was sitting on Margarit Island, reading a book next to my (closed) watercolor pad. A Hungarian guy rode up and asked what I was painting. It was awful, so I didn't let him see it, but he still came by and sat down beside me, chatting away in mostly incomprehensible Hungarian. He had me take my shoes up and offered a foot massage. I declined. He mentioned several times how long my feet are. We tried to talk about some other things. He asked again if I wanted a foot massage. I declined adamantly in English. "Dirty?" he asked. "Yes, dirty." Then he said goodbye and left.
Thinking about it later, I worried whether my refusal of an anonymous foot massage somehow represented the depths to which humanity has fallen, our mutual mistrust of well-meaning strangers and random acts of kindness. Then again, I'm PMSing today and I didn't want my feet touched.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I am running around like a crazy person!
One reason is that Monday marked the start of my first German class. It was so funny to me how predictably I was overtaken by the familiar feelings of dread associated with starting schools. I became withdrawn; I read my book in a cafe instead of hanging around Goethe, to avoid running into students. I read until the very start of class to calm my nerves. I was nervous about the other students; I wondered if they would like me or not, or if they would be interesting.
They are! I think it will be good, although my brain felt like it had been pureed afterwards.
One reason is that Monday marked the start of my first German class. It was so funny to me how predictably I was overtaken by the familiar feelings of dread associated with starting schools. I became withdrawn; I read my book in a cafe instead of hanging around Goethe, to avoid running into students. I read until the very start of class to calm my nerves. I was nervous about the other students; I wondered if they would like me or not, or if they would be interesting.
They are! I think it will be good, although my brain felt like it had been pureed afterwards.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Hey!
Sorry I've been so remiss about writing -- I can't believe there's been nothing but radio silence since I moved in. Thus, I present MY SUMMER in bullet points:
- Took two out of seven math exams. Goodbye, masters!
- Found a new apartment
- Was homeless for a month
- Made $75 a week while looking for jobs
- Got rejected from some jobs
- Got some new private students
- Painted and drew
- Watched Star Trek: Voyager Season 1
- Read many books
- Visited Lake Balaton and Krakow
- Saw a really good friend from ASIJ(!!!)
- Hung out in Slovakia with my mom
- Saw BC '08 (!!!)
I despaired somewhat when it was 100 degrees and I could seem to find a job and I hadn't seen people other than my roommates and my students for almost a week, but now that September has rolled around, things are really picking up. I finally got a job with some language schools; I bit the bullet and went to a Polyglot Club meeting, where I met a guy who's now employing me part-time; I became part of a drawing club; we're going to start a philosophy circle; and I'm going to start learning German next week! For the first time in a while I feel like I'm going somewhere, rather than circling in a holding pattern.
More soon!
Sorry I've been so remiss about writing -- I can't believe there's been nothing but radio silence since I moved in. Thus, I present MY SUMMER in bullet points:
- Took two out of seven math exams. Goodbye, masters!
- Found a new apartment
- Was homeless for a month
- Made $75 a week while looking for jobs
- Got rejected from some jobs
- Got some new private students
- Painted and drew
- Watched Star Trek: Voyager Season 1
- Read many books
- Visited Lake Balaton and Krakow
- Saw a really good friend from ASIJ(!!!)
- Hung out in Slovakia with my mom
- Saw BC '08 (!!!)
I despaired somewhat when it was 100 degrees and I could seem to find a job and I hadn't seen people other than my roommates and my students for almost a week, but now that September has rolled around, things are really picking up. I finally got a job with some language schools; I bit the bullet and went to a Polyglot Club meeting, where I met a guy who's now employing me part-time; I became part of a drawing club; we're going to start a philosophy circle; and I'm going to start learning German next week! For the first time in a while I feel like I'm going somewhere, rather than circling in a holding pattern.
More soon!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
I managed to find batteries, and to cough up for them, so now I have some photos of my new apartment. This is my room, complete with inherited printer and desk lamp. Thanks, Sarah!
This is the view from my window. I have spent more time than I should trying to draw this building.
This is my herb garden! Since I have no pets and no children, all my maternal instincts are necessarily channeled into these five plants. Look at the new growth at the top! You can't tell, but the mint is putting out new shoots as well. Unlike most people in Budapest, they love the hundred degree weather (not an exaggeration, by the way).
Finally, Szabadság hid and the Duna, as seen from my window. "Szabadság" translates to "Freedom." For all that Americans talk about how much we love freedom, the Hungarians really go all out and name everything after it. Budapest has a Freedom bridge and a Freedom Square (where, appropriately, one can find the US Embassy). Considering that Hungary was more or less ruled continuously by a foreign power for four hundred years, one has to ask oneself who this "freedom" is from. But then again, nonspecific freedom is a cause everyone can get behind. Wooo!
Friday, July 31, 2009
An oft-neglected aspect of living overseas is that the logic of what can be purchased where changes. Not necessarily drastically; it is the subtlety that makes it disorienting. I'm sure I've mentioned my struggles with Hungarian pharmacists -- anything relating to personal upkeep can be purchased in the pharmacy. This includes what one might assume, such as medicine, things that you get in CVS, like vitamin supplements (and anti-bacterial cream :( ), and things like earplugs.
I am at a loss to explain what logic permits the drug store, which sells shampoo, conditioner, makeup, and so forth, to also sell a wide selection of bio and health food products but to not sell batteries.
Where do I buy batteries?!?
I am at a loss to explain what logic permits the drug store, which sells shampoo, conditioner, makeup, and so forth, to also sell a wide selection of bio and health food products but to not sell batteries.
Where do I buy batteries?!?
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Scenes from Budapest:
As I was walking from yoga to the tram this morning, I saw a small shih tzu-ish dog, whose lease his owners had dropped, mozeying along and looking bemused. His owners, four overweight, overly-tanned, over-made-up sixty-something woman in bright pastels, were all four of them bent over and shouting "Come here! Come here!"
Actually, maybe it was only funny if you saw how slowly the whole thing was moving.
Good news: I'm officially a legal resident of Hungary again! Nevermind that it took me a month and six visits to the Immigration Office. I even have "Immigration" stored in my cell phone now.
As I was walking from yoga to the tram this morning, I saw a small shih tzu-ish dog, whose lease his owners had dropped, mozeying along and looking bemused. His owners, four overweight, overly-tanned, over-made-up sixty-something woman in bright pastels, were all four of them bent over and shouting "Come here! Come here!"
Actually, maybe it was only funny if you saw how slowly the whole thing was moving.
Good news: I'm officially a legal resident of Hungary again! Nevermind that it took me a month and six visits to the Immigration Office. I even have "Immigration" stored in my cell phone now.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I'm still alive!
Last week I went to Krakow for a couple of days -- it was refreshing to get out of the city and do something different, as well as to be someplace just enough cooler than Budapest so as to be pleasantly bearable. [Did that sentence make sense? I worry that my English isn't as good as it used to be.]
My legal status is, as always, a mess. Thanks to a paper mix-up at the Immigration office, I *still* need to provide a bank statement before I can get a visa. I didn't find that out until two Fridays ago, thirty hours before leaving the city. Before I can get a bank statement, I need to give myself some money, which I'm sure will make my parents jump all over me.
I got an angry call from the office about two hours ago... See, this is the problem with going above the board. If I were living here illegally on a tourist visa, no one would know what my address or my phone number was, so in order to catch me I would have to be randomly detained and ask for my papers... Unfortunately they know where I live now and can call me whenever they like, so I have to get my act together or I might actually get kicked out. That would be lameo.
I'm still unemployed, although I'm resolved to change that (yet still madly procrastinating... Why???) I sent in one application and they got back to me right away, which my Dad said was a good sign. Unfortunately the recruitment lady is now on vacation... Everyone in Hungary goes on vacation all bloody summer. I think they need more Protestant work ethic.
So that's the news for now.
Last week I went to Krakow for a couple of days -- it was refreshing to get out of the city and do something different, as well as to be someplace just enough cooler than Budapest so as to be pleasantly bearable. [Did that sentence make sense? I worry that my English isn't as good as it used to be.]
My legal status is, as always, a mess. Thanks to a paper mix-up at the Immigration office, I *still* need to provide a bank statement before I can get a visa. I didn't find that out until two Fridays ago, thirty hours before leaving the city. Before I can get a bank statement, I need to give myself some money, which I'm sure will make my parents jump all over me.
I got an angry call from the office about two hours ago... See, this is the problem with going above the board. If I were living here illegally on a tourist visa, no one would know what my address or my phone number was, so in order to catch me I would have to be randomly detained and ask for my papers... Unfortunately they know where I live now and can call me whenever they like, so I have to get my act together or I might actually get kicked out. That would be lameo.
I'm still unemployed, although I'm resolved to change that (yet still madly procrastinating... Why???) I sent in one application and they got back to me right away, which my Dad said was a good sign. Unfortunately the recruitment lady is now on vacation... Everyone in Hungary goes on vacation all bloody summer. I think they need more Protestant work ethic.
So that's the news for now.
Monday, June 29, 2009
I got Rick Roll'd in the Mall today?! I thought that was against the rules.
Suitable for Europe, it was a techno remix.
I was pretty happy with myself today: I set a goal (buy a new phone, since the old one has been officially disfunctional since Friday) and followed through. Accomplishing things is satisfying; I should do it more often.
Other than that I am: applying for jobs, buying a bike tomorrow, moving on Wednesday... Busy busy busy!
Suitable for Europe, it was a techno remix.
I was pretty happy with myself today: I set a goal (buy a new phone, since the old one has been officially disfunctional since Friday) and followed through. Accomplishing things is satisfying; I should do it more often.
Other than that I am: applying for jobs, buying a bike tomorrow, moving on Wednesday... Busy busy busy!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
I bought new shoes a couple of weeks ago! Sometimes I have difficulty reconciling this with my joblessness, but most of the time I managed to rationalize it... I worry that the money I've saved over the semester has been mentally budgeted for too many things (deposit AND three months rent AND health care, etc. etc.)
The point of the story, though, is that these shoes are eating my feet alive. Breaking them in is a slow process; until I do, however, I have to contend with numerous moderately-infected sores covering my feet.
One strange thing for me about Hungary, coming as I do from the States, is that if you want anything moderately related to medicine/vitamin supplements/personal upkeep you have to go to the gyógyszertár (pharmacist's) and ask a nice lady to give it to you. I went in for some hydrocortizone cream, only to hear that I needed a prescription! I felt like my civil liberties were being infringed on! My right to self-medication. (I suppose this is right alongside Americans' right to name their children Adolf Hitler, another one you're denied in Europe.)
Baldur suggested a different cream I might try, so I went back to the same pharmacy for Take Two. The women didn't know what I was talking about. I explained that I had a "little infection" and pointed to a cut on my finger. They brought bandaides; I insisted I wanted cream. I pointed to a cut on my finger, hoping this would clear things up. Rather, the women insisted that cream was unnecessary.
I sighed; I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. Apologizing, I reached down, untied my shoe, removed my sock, and lifted up my somewhat infected foot for the benefit of the women. "Little infection!" I insisted.
They agreed, and I got my cream. I'm still really sorry.
The point of the story, though, is that these shoes are eating my feet alive. Breaking them in is a slow process; until I do, however, I have to contend with numerous moderately-infected sores covering my feet.
One strange thing for me about Hungary, coming as I do from the States, is that if you want anything moderately related to medicine/vitamin supplements/personal upkeep you have to go to the gyógyszertár (pharmacist's) and ask a nice lady to give it to you. I went in for some hydrocortizone cream, only to hear that I needed a prescription! I felt like my civil liberties were being infringed on! My right to self-medication. (I suppose this is right alongside Americans' right to name their children Adolf Hitler, another one you're denied in Europe.)
Baldur suggested a different cream I might try, so I went back to the same pharmacy for Take Two. The women didn't know what I was talking about. I explained that I had a "little infection" and pointed to a cut on my finger. They brought bandaides; I insisted I wanted cream. I pointed to a cut on my finger, hoping this would clear things up. Rather, the women insisted that cream was unnecessary.
I sighed; I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. Apologizing, I reached down, untied my shoe, removed my sock, and lifted up my somewhat infected foot for the benefit of the women. "Little infection!" I insisted.
They agreed, and I got my cream. I'm still really sorry.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The other day I saw a guy nailing up a sign for an "Italian breew store." I hope they didn't pay too much for it.
I opened a bank account today! I feel like such a grownup. I also get to put a picture on my bank card. Ideas thrown around included:
- T-Rex
- Greater Hungary
- Barack Obama riding a unicorn
- A Thanksgiving Day hand turkey
I opened a bank account today! I feel like such a grownup. I also get to put a picture on my bank card. Ideas thrown around included:
- T-Rex
- Greater Hungary
- Barack Obama riding a unicorn
- A Thanksgiving Day hand turkey
Friday, June 12, 2009
Warden Message for American citizens in Hungary
June 12, 2009
The 64 Counties Youth Movement will hold a march to commemorate the 89th anniversary of the 1920 Treaty of Trianon. The march will begin at the 1956 Square (next to Heroes Square) and proceed to the Serbian, Slovak, and Romanian embassies. The group organizing the march advocates for Hungary to regain territories lost to these countries after WWI.
DATE: Saturday, June 13, 2009
TIME: 4:30 PM
PLACE: The march will begin at the 1956 Square (next to Heroes Square) and proceed to the Serbian, Slovak, and Romanian embassies.
Separately, the Civil Alliance Forum will march from Heroes Square to Parliament to voice their support for early government elections in Hungary and call for the resignation of the current government
DATE: Sunday, June 14, 2009
TIME: 2:00 PM
Police will secure the march routes and demonstration sites. Traffic in these areas will most likely be affected.
June 12, 2009
The 64 Counties Youth Movement will hold a march to commemorate the 89th anniversary of the 1920 Treaty of Trianon. The march will begin at the 1956 Square (next to Heroes Square) and proceed to the Serbian, Slovak, and Romanian embassies. The group organizing the march advocates for Hungary to regain territories lost to these countries after WWI.
DATE: Saturday, June 13, 2009
TIME: 4:30 PM
PLACE: The march will begin at the 1956 Square (next to Heroes Square) and proceed to the Serbian, Slovak, and Romanian embassies.
Separately, the Civil Alliance Forum will march from Heroes Square to Parliament to voice their support for early government elections in Hungary and call for the resignation of the current government
DATE: Sunday, June 14, 2009
TIME: 2:00 PM
Police will secure the march routes and demonstration sites. Traffic in these areas will most likely be affected.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Further adventures in Bureaucracy
Monday was round eight with the immigration office... I went in two weeks later than I should have, knowing full well that I would receive nothing more than a slap on the wrist. I was correct! This is the third time I have been grudgingly handed a blank piece of printer paper and asked to write down why I didn't follow the rules.
"Dear Sir or Madame: I am really, really sorry I didn't come into the immigration office on time/turn in my documents on time/ask for a more noticeable stamp in my passport! I was busy with exams. Yours truly, N."
Afterwards they give you a document listing all the papers you have yet to turn in and ten days in which to procure them. It's like a scavenger hunt, except instead of a fun prize in the end you just get to stay in the country.
Worse than my late appearance was the fact that they noticed my health insurance card doesn't have an expiration date. Somehow it slipped under the radar in November. I got some normal insurance; now all I need is something in case of emergencies. Next on the list: two big paperclips.
"Dear Sir or Madame: I am really, really sorry I didn't come into the immigration office on time/turn in my documents on time/ask for a more noticeable stamp in my passport! I was busy with exams. Yours truly, N."
Afterwards they give you a document listing all the papers you have yet to turn in and ten days in which to procure them. It's like a scavenger hunt, except instead of a fun prize in the end you just get to stay in the country.
Worse than my late appearance was the fact that they noticed my health insurance card doesn't have an expiration date. Somehow it slipped under the radar in November. I got some normal insurance; now all I need is something in case of emergencies. Next on the list: two big paperclips.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
My Fulbright officially ended last Sunday. A friend and I said goodbye to it most appropriately at Szimpla, beloved-loathed-beloved bar of expats and locals alike.
Now is a strange transition time. I have a few problems to do for a few classes, but they are more or less optional. I have approximately my last month of stipend to live off of until future notice. It's unclear how to go about getting a health insurance number, much less how much time it will take to shuffle the paperwork around... I was thinking a month on the outside, but a Hungarian I talked to the other night mentioned a (Hungarian) couple needing *six months* to get a number for their (Hungarian) child, so I might be out of work for a while. I'm trying to re-adjust my mindset and prepare for the long haul.
I'm also in an in-between place apartment-wise. I have a place, but it will be another month before I can move in. I don't have to live on the street, thankfully. I have a suitcase and a couple of apartments to drift between.
I think I'll buy a bike as soon as I get my act together. Budapest is definitely not the most bike-friendly city, but it's too beautiful to restrict myself to public transportation any longer. I also figure that, oblivious though I might be, I did manage to survive biking in Tokyo, if only just.
Now is a strange transition time. I have a few problems to do for a few classes, but they are more or less optional. I have approximately my last month of stipend to live off of until future notice. It's unclear how to go about getting a health insurance number, much less how much time it will take to shuffle the paperwork around... I was thinking a month on the outside, but a Hungarian I talked to the other night mentioned a (Hungarian) couple needing *six months* to get a number for their (Hungarian) child, so I might be out of work for a while. I'm trying to re-adjust my mindset and prepare for the long haul.
I'm also in an in-between place apartment-wise. I have a place, but it will be another month before I can move in. I don't have to live on the street, thankfully. I have a suitcase and a couple of apartments to drift between.
I think I'll buy a bike as soon as I get my act together. Budapest is definitely not the most bike-friendly city, but it's too beautiful to restrict myself to public transportation any longer. I also figure that, oblivious though I might be, I did manage to survive biking in Tokyo, if only just.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
I really apologize for the prolongued silence! It was not my intention.
The Fulbright officially ends on Sunday, although a week ago was our Hungarian going-away party. Ours was an odd community -- despite the fact that we were transient by definition, we globbed together once a month in a hearty show of American-style camraderie. I'm sad to see them go, although for the most part I probably won't notice. That sounds calloused.
My attempts to work in Hungary careen daily between hilarity and desperation. My current task is to obtain a social security number. We spent two hours at the Fulbright discovering that this amounts to a textbook Catch-22: to get one, my employer needs to send a paper in requesting a second paper with which to apply for the number on my behalf. This also requires me sending in my work permit and my work visa. However, my employer doesn't want to sponsor me for a visa until I work for them, and I can't work for them without a social security number...
Budapest is so lovely these days that I've *almost* forgotten how miserable it was during the winter... Folliage so green it can hardly contain itself spills out from every corner, and every trip to the market the produce is larger and more sumptuous than the last. Citizens have shed their black and now opt instead for several varieties of revealing clothing. My favorite was the girl in the tube top, pink thong and 95% transparent white peasant skirt.
Outdoor bars are popping up left and right as well -- it's a bit unfortunately timing with exams and the termination of my fellowship and all, but fortunately my scholarly burden is light and my pockets are not yet empty.
There is so much to look forward to! On the solstace, several city museums are open "all night" (until two a.m.); I've found a half-dozen lindy hop exchanges around Europe; I'm going to be homeless for a month. I'm desperately trying to be less up-tight.
The Fulbright officially ends on Sunday, although a week ago was our Hungarian going-away party. Ours was an odd community -- despite the fact that we were transient by definition, we globbed together once a month in a hearty show of American-style camraderie. I'm sad to see them go, although for the most part I probably won't notice. That sounds calloused.
My attempts to work in Hungary careen daily between hilarity and desperation. My current task is to obtain a social security number. We spent two hours at the Fulbright discovering that this amounts to a textbook Catch-22: to get one, my employer needs to send a paper in requesting a second paper with which to apply for the number on my behalf. This also requires me sending in my work permit and my work visa. However, my employer doesn't want to sponsor me for a visa until I work for them, and I can't work for them without a social security number...
Budapest is so lovely these days that I've *almost* forgotten how miserable it was during the winter... Folliage so green it can hardly contain itself spills out from every corner, and every trip to the market the produce is larger and more sumptuous than the last. Citizens have shed their black and now opt instead for several varieties of revealing clothing. My favorite was the girl in the tube top, pink thong and 95% transparent white peasant skirt.
Outdoor bars are popping up left and right as well -- it's a bit unfortunately timing with exams and the termination of my fellowship and all, but fortunately my scholarly burden is light and my pockets are not yet empty.
There is so much to look forward to! On the solstace, several city museums are open "all night" (until two a.m.); I've found a half-dozen lindy hop exchanges around Europe; I'm going to be homeless for a month. I'm desperately trying to be less up-tight.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Cool Women
Obviously there are more; I just wanted to put these two in a list before I forgot.
1. Jane Digby: "An English aristocrat who lived a scandalous life of romantic adventure." According to another source, she tried to buy a supposedly unbreakable horse from a sheik. After she broke the horse, he told her he wouldn't accept cash; she replied that she would marry him, but only on the condition that he leave all his other wives. They would remain married for three years, and then renew the agreement should it prove agreeable.
2. Emmy Noether: She was such a brillian mathematician that Gauss himself personally requested that she study with him...
1. Jane Digby: "An English aristocrat who lived a scandalous life of romantic adventure." According to another source, she tried to buy a supposedly unbreakable horse from a sheik. After she broke the horse, he told her he wouldn't accept cash; she replied that she would marry him, but only on the condition that he leave all his other wives. They would remain married for three years, and then renew the agreement should it prove agreeable.
2. Emmy Noether: She was such a brillian mathematician that Gauss himself personally requested that she study with him...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Man, it is really hard to motivate myself to do anything right now!
The last two days, I've been enjoying what some might call the quintessential Hungarian (and East German) holiday on Lake Balaton. With Fulbright we visited the Herend porcelain factory (anyone who can explain the history of porcelain to me gets 100 points), ate Balaton fish (pike-perch? Is that a single fish?) at their restaurant (on Herend china, no less!), and then checked out the abbey at Tihany. Andras I, one of the first four or five Christian kings of Hungary, is buried there, and the last Hapsburg Emperor was there for a week before he had to flee the country (empire?).
After that, a couple of us stayed behind to enjoy a day filled with ice cream, healthy sour water from Balatonfured's natural springs, and of course, some beach. I wouldn't say I got quite as tan as I would have liked, but after swimming and being in the sun all day I definitely slept like a brick.
As sad as I will be to see this come to a close, I have to say that I will be relieved when I am not in school anymore. I hope to some day find a job that will make me want to get out of bed in the morning. I don't know if that will be next year or what, but I'm pretty sure it's not theoretical math.
The last two days, I've been enjoying what some might call the quintessential Hungarian (and East German) holiday on Lake Balaton. With Fulbright we visited the Herend porcelain factory (anyone who can explain the history of porcelain to me gets 100 points), ate Balaton fish (pike-perch? Is that a single fish?) at their restaurant (on Herend china, no less!), and then checked out the abbey at Tihany. Andras I, one of the first four or five Christian kings of Hungary, is buried there, and the last Hapsburg Emperor was there for a week before he had to flee the country (empire?).
After that, a couple of us stayed behind to enjoy a day filled with ice cream, healthy sour water from Balatonfured's natural springs, and of course, some beach. I wouldn't say I got quite as tan as I would have liked, but after swimming and being in the sun all day I definitely slept like a brick.
As sad as I will be to see this come to a close, I have to say that I will be relieved when I am not in school anymore. I hope to some day find a job that will make me want to get out of bed in the morning. I don't know if that will be next year or what, but I'm pretty sure it's not theoretical math.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Bureaucracy, take 100
After a brief hiatus, I am back to fighting Hungarian bureaucracy. I have a job for the summer, and it's not even teaching English! Instead, I will be teaching myself C++ and then programming like a madwoman. Theoretically, the C++ shouldn't be difficult after learning Java... However, the nice way of putting it is that my Java is rusty; for all intents and purposes, I am currently re-teaching myself. So why waste time doing that when I could teach myself another language instead?
Plans for this month (of which there are many):
1. Get a tax number.
To work, I need a tax number. I spent two weeks trying to figure out how to get one. It turns out I just need to bring my passport and my bad self to an office which, in typical fashion, is only open twice a week. It is also likely that they don't speak English.
2. Get a new flat.
Although I have a lease on my current one until the end of June, it will be too expensive once I am no longer in Uncle Sam's warm, fiscal embrace. It's also a bit big and the space is used funny, so I pay the same my friends do for studios, but instead I get a twin bed and an 8m2 room. Furthermore, I need to have a flat to extend my visa, and I might as well move before I do this. So I'm looking at two places this evening and another two (hopefully) on Monday. Side benefits: hopefully I can get a place with a bigger bed, better ventillation (--> painting in the room) and cool Hungarian roommmates.
3. Extend my visa
"Extending" my visa is a misnomer -- for all intents and purposes I am just applying for a new one. Sans Fulbright, I will probably have to pay a couple thousand forint. I also need to have some money in my bank account... Unclear how much, but presumably enough to assure the government that I won't be a leach on the rump of the wellfare state. This probably will involve borrowing money from my parents or myself. Also I need an apartment: see 2.
4. Health Insurance Number
Apparently I get this after I get my tax number? It's good because I will get Hungarian health insurance (although the Hungarian health care system seems unsustainable, I am happy to reap its benefits).This is GOOD, because if I pay 40% tax on my income I won't be able to afford any other health insurance.
That's about it for now... I guess it's not quite as bad as I initially thought. Wish me luck, though!
Plans for this month (of which there are many):
1. Get a tax number.
To work, I need a tax number. I spent two weeks trying to figure out how to get one. It turns out I just need to bring my passport and my bad self to an office which, in typical fashion, is only open twice a week. It is also likely that they don't speak English.
2. Get a new flat.
Although I have a lease on my current one until the end of June, it will be too expensive once I am no longer in Uncle Sam's warm, fiscal embrace. It's also a bit big and the space is used funny, so I pay the same my friends do for studios, but instead I get a twin bed and an 8m2 room. Furthermore, I need to have a flat to extend my visa, and I might as well move before I do this. So I'm looking at two places this evening and another two (hopefully) on Monday. Side benefits: hopefully I can get a place with a bigger bed, better ventillation (--> painting in the room) and cool Hungarian roommmates.
3. Extend my visa
"Extending" my visa is a misnomer -- for all intents and purposes I am just applying for a new one. Sans Fulbright, I will probably have to pay a couple thousand forint. I also need to have some money in my bank account... Unclear how much, but presumably enough to assure the government that I won't be a leach on the rump of the wellfare state. This probably will involve borrowing money from my parents or myself. Also I need an apartment: see 2.
4. Health Insurance Number
Apparently I get this after I get my tax number? It's good because I will get Hungarian health insurance (although the Hungarian health care system seems unsustainable, I am happy to reap its benefits).This is GOOD, because if I pay 40% tax on my income I won't be able to afford any other health insurance.
That's about it for now... I guess it's not quite as bad as I initially thought. Wish me luck, though!
Friday, April 24, 2009
American Baseball Metaphors
It is widely acknowledged that American English is lousy with baseball metaphors, from Meatloafs heartrending account of his fight from first base to home, to dark horse candidates coming "out of left field," but as a Third-Culture Kid and self-styled permanent expatriot, I tend to think of myself as above the fray, at least in that respect.
Not so! Two weeks ago, I was a click away from thanking someone for "going to bat for me," and just now I wished someone luck with "the home stretch."
Interested in playing the field tonight? No thanks -- I'll take a rain check.
Oi vey!
Not so! Two weeks ago, I was a click away from thanking someone for "going to bat for me," and just now I wished someone luck with "the home stretch."
Interested in playing the field tonight? No thanks -- I'll take a rain check.
Oi vey!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Now this isn't strictly relevant to the Fulbright, or to Hungary in the 21st century, or to my future plans or anything like that, but I think, as this is my blog, I am entitled to barrage you with any e-junk I feel like hurling into the internet, and so I want to take then minutes to tell you about...
... My visit to the zoo!
Saturday was starting in a disappointment-induced haze, when I realized the "pancake" recipe I was using was NOT for delicious American breakfast pancakes, and the quality of everything in my kitchen is too low to support the cooking of the thinner, European variety. Combined with what could only be fatigue and PMS, things were looking pretty grim. I was going to force Baldur to go with me to Ikea, in order to buy a proper crepe pan but also just to get out of the house, when we hit on going to the zoo instead.
It was great! The weather was perfect, the zoo is walking distance from my house, and there was a student discount, but the best part was all the baby animals! I should have thought about this, going to a zoo in April, but I guess I've been a student for so long I've forgotten about the Circle of Life and the True Meaning of Spring.
It would be really hard to choose a favorite. We saw a mother duck with twelve baby ducklings -- the nest was unwisely chosen insofar as it was on the brink of a small wall. One of the babies actually fell off while we watched, although he seemed okay, and someone's dad stepped in to pick him up and put him back with his siblings. There was also a family of wild dogs (well, Dholes, really); the pups were probably the most energetic animals I have seen in any zoo, ever. There were lambs so young they still had yucky bits of dried umbilical cord attached to their stomachs; two baby camels whose humps hadn't filled out yet; and a baby rhino that, while a year or two old, was still only the size of a small pony.
Maybe my favorite, though, were the goats the size of house cats in the children's petting zoo. Much nicer than their pushy parents, who were butting each other left and right to get at a few pellets of zoo chow, the baby goats were hopping on and off benches and, like rabbits, leaping up and spazzing out mid-air just because. I managed to feed one guy so tiny he could barely get a pellet in his mouth. Awwww!
All baby animals aside, the zoo was hardly as grubby as I expected it to be. And, just in case you forget you're in Hungary when you go, the obligatory omnipresent food stands served palacsinta, langos and beer. Finally, for my inner (but not-so-hidden) history geek: I had to do a double-take by the sign for the brown bears. The map showing the bears' habitat in Central Eastern Europe looked funny, and then I realized that it still had Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
... My visit to the zoo!
Saturday was starting in a disappointment-induced haze, when I realized the "pancake" recipe I was using was NOT for delicious American breakfast pancakes, and the quality of everything in my kitchen is too low to support the cooking of the thinner, European variety. Combined with what could only be fatigue and PMS, things were looking pretty grim. I was going to force Baldur to go with me to Ikea, in order to buy a proper crepe pan but also just to get out of the house, when we hit on going to the zoo instead.
It was great! The weather was perfect, the zoo is walking distance from my house, and there was a student discount, but the best part was all the baby animals! I should have thought about this, going to a zoo in April, but I guess I've been a student for so long I've forgotten about the Circle of Life and the True Meaning of Spring.
It would be really hard to choose a favorite. We saw a mother duck with twelve baby ducklings -- the nest was unwisely chosen insofar as it was on the brink of a small wall. One of the babies actually fell off while we watched, although he seemed okay, and someone's dad stepped in to pick him up and put him back with his siblings. There was also a family of wild dogs (well, Dholes, really); the pups were probably the most energetic animals I have seen in any zoo, ever. There were lambs so young they still had yucky bits of dried umbilical cord attached to their stomachs; two baby camels whose humps hadn't filled out yet; and a baby rhino that, while a year or two old, was still only the size of a small pony.
Maybe my favorite, though, were the goats the size of house cats in the children's petting zoo. Much nicer than their pushy parents, who were butting each other left and right to get at a few pellets of zoo chow, the baby goats were hopping on and off benches and, like rabbits, leaping up and spazzing out mid-air just because. I managed to feed one guy so tiny he could barely get a pellet in his mouth. Awwww!
All baby animals aside, the zoo was hardly as grubby as I expected it to be. And, just in case you forget you're in Hungary when you go, the obligatory omnipresent food stands served palacsinta, langos and beer. Finally, for my inner (but not-so-hidden) history geek: I had to do a double-take by the sign for the brown bears. The map showing the bears' habitat in Central Eastern Europe looked funny, and then I realized that it still had Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Overdose, the famous Hungarian horse
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/europe/20hungary.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
I think this article does capture many important aspects of modern Hungarian life.
I think this article does capture many important aspects of modern Hungarian life.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
I wanted to blog about this months ago, but I couldn't find the link. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFxoVJL5gxE&feature=related
It is the first stupid youtube video I've seen in Hungarian! The title is "Cuki Vagyok," which means "I'm cute." I don't know enough Hungarian to explain the other lyrics, but I think they are unnecessary in terms of comprehending the "plot," if you can call it that. More than anything else, I was struck by the universality of the stupid youtube video.
It is the first stupid youtube video I've seen in Hungarian! The title is "Cuki Vagyok," which means "I'm cute." I don't know enough Hungarian to explain the other lyrics, but I think they are unnecessary in terms of comprehending the "plot," if you can call it that. More than anything else, I was struck by the universality of the stupid youtube video.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The weather in Budapest is impossibly beautiful! I remember finally why I wanted to come back (it's been a couple of months).
Not much is new, except that the end of the Fulbright stares me in the face every day. I'm working on coming up with things for next year. Some days it seems pretty hopeful and some days not, although the increase in sunshine should tip the balance in favor of the former.
I might be able to teach English; I might be able to get paid for researching (this sounds good!); I might sell out and work for the Man. The benefits of doing this include probably someone sponsoring me for an actual work visa and maybe even getting paid in US dollars. It is unlikely that I would have too much trouble sleeping at night, as long as I was also drawing and painting. Important five-year plan: building a decent portfolio!
Not much is new, except that the end of the Fulbright stares me in the face every day. I'm working on coming up with things for next year. Some days it seems pretty hopeful and some days not, although the increase in sunshine should tip the balance in favor of the former.
I might be able to teach English; I might be able to get paid for researching (this sounds good!); I might sell out and work for the Man. The benefits of doing this include probably someone sponsoring me for an actual work visa and maybe even getting paid in US dollars. It is unlikely that I would have too much trouble sleeping at night, as long as I was also drawing and painting. Important five-year plan: building a decent portfolio!
Monday, March 30, 2009
This weekend featured the most overly-complicated visit to Tokaj ever.
Baldur and I were scheduled to take a train which would arrive in Tokaj at 6:10 in the evening, after which time we would meet Sarah, who was already there. At 6:08 the train stopped very briefly. We were indecisive about whether or not it was actually a train stop. Just before we could make up our minds to stand up and check it out, the train started moving.
I began acting clearly distressed, to the point where the man across from me asked where we wanted to get off, to which I responded, "Tokaj," to which he responded, "That's what I thought" (all in Hungarian!). He mentioned that, had he known, he could have helped us... My Hungarian was not sufficent to provide a response other than "Thanks."
We got off at the next stop, twenty minutes later. There was another train headed back in the direction we wanted to go in scheduled to leave in ten minutes. Being two square to hop on the train and wing it, we ran to the ticket counter, looked agitated for a couple of minutes, decided to get on the train sans tickets after all, ran back to the train, only to arrive at the platform exactly when it was pulling away... Fortunately for us, another train was leaving in an hour, so we got two tickets (each for less than you'd pay to take the metro once in NYC) and drank some train station beers (cheaper than the tickets!).
At 8:45 our local train chugged into Tokaj. This time I was smart enough to ask the friendly conductor which stop was ours (the fifth). We met up with Sarah, ate bean gulash soup (yum!) and drank some delicious Tokaj white wine. That part was good.
Sunday morning we woke up and enjoyed a leisurly breakfast in the Bacchus etterem, the only one in town that was open and that we hadn't visited yet. Before drinking more wine, we decided to scope out town... This took forty-five minutes, or approximately half the time it took to eat breakfast. When I pictured Tokaj, I imagined verdant vinyards stretching far as the eye can see, and rows of wine cellars, and dozens of restaurants serving hearty Hungarian cuisine. It is very cute, but really nothing like that at all. The three notable things about Tokaj are: 1. The cute houses, 2. A 500 meter high hill, 3. The site where the Bodrog (a small green river) flows into the Tisza (a larger, brown river). There are also some nice churches and a museum, but, it being Christian Europe and all, everything was closed.
We drink more wine! This was also a good part.
Around five or six, we think that maybe we should head back to Budapest... However, living in a city and being spoiled as a result, no one had thought to check any of the train times. So, we showed up only to find out that the last train had left twenty minutes before. Oops! This was more or less not a problem except for the fact that Baldur was supposed to be in class at 8:15 the next day... The only train that would sort of get us there on time left at 4:18 and involved one change of trains. Horry!
We had to find a new place to stay -- because late March is not tourist season, the one where we had stayed the night before had been more or less unheated. Certain members of our party were too cold; hence, plan B. From what we could tell, the first hotel had no space but their neighbors did. It was unclear whether we should call the neighbors or just show up, so we called another hotel instead. This place had space and wasn't too expensive, so we agreed to stay and started walking over.
On our way back to town, a car pulled up on the side of the road. The man inside (who spoke no English) said he had come from the hostel to pick us up. Seeing that we were skeptical and unwilling to hop in a car with a complete stranger in a small Hungarian town at night, he phoned up a woman who spoke some English... She and I negotiated; we were still skeptical; she also mentioned that the hostel was quite a ways out of town. We said no thanks and set out to find someplace else.
Eventually we passed one in town with the lights on, and things worked out well. It was a bit more expensive, but they had heating, comfortable beds, towels, internet access, and even breakfast in the morning (although this was moot for those of us waking up at quarter past three). We go to bed and sleep well.
There were two guys in the train station at four in the morning. One of them was just snoring a lot, but the other came over and tried to strike up a conversation... He might have asked where we came from, but I was understandable unwilling to talk to the kind of guy who wears grungy camouflage and sleeps in a train station before dawn, much less talk about being American. He didn't bother us anymore; the train came; we arrived in Budapest before eight. I slept from nine to eleven and have been on another planet ever since.
The end!
Baldur and I were scheduled to take a train which would arrive in Tokaj at 6:10 in the evening, after which time we would meet Sarah, who was already there. At 6:08 the train stopped very briefly. We were indecisive about whether or not it was actually a train stop. Just before we could make up our minds to stand up and check it out, the train started moving.
I began acting clearly distressed, to the point where the man across from me asked where we wanted to get off, to which I responded, "Tokaj," to which he responded, "That's what I thought" (all in Hungarian!). He mentioned that, had he known, he could have helped us... My Hungarian was not sufficent to provide a response other than "Thanks."
We got off at the next stop, twenty minutes later. There was another train headed back in the direction we wanted to go in scheduled to leave in ten minutes. Being two square to hop on the train and wing it, we ran to the ticket counter, looked agitated for a couple of minutes, decided to get on the train sans tickets after all, ran back to the train, only to arrive at the platform exactly when it was pulling away... Fortunately for us, another train was leaving in an hour, so we got two tickets (each for less than you'd pay to take the metro once in NYC) and drank some train station beers (cheaper than the tickets!).
At 8:45 our local train chugged into Tokaj. This time I was smart enough to ask the friendly conductor which stop was ours (the fifth). We met up with Sarah, ate bean gulash soup (yum!) and drank some delicious Tokaj white wine. That part was good.
Sunday morning we woke up and enjoyed a leisurly breakfast in the Bacchus etterem, the only one in town that was open and that we hadn't visited yet. Before drinking more wine, we decided to scope out town... This took forty-five minutes, or approximately half the time it took to eat breakfast. When I pictured Tokaj, I imagined verdant vinyards stretching far as the eye can see, and rows of wine cellars, and dozens of restaurants serving hearty Hungarian cuisine. It is very cute, but really nothing like that at all. The three notable things about Tokaj are: 1. The cute houses, 2. A 500 meter high hill, 3. The site where the Bodrog (a small green river) flows into the Tisza (a larger, brown river). There are also some nice churches and a museum, but, it being Christian Europe and all, everything was closed.
We drink more wine! This was also a good part.
Around five or six, we think that maybe we should head back to Budapest... However, living in a city and being spoiled as a result, no one had thought to check any of the train times. So, we showed up only to find out that the last train had left twenty minutes before. Oops! This was more or less not a problem except for the fact that Baldur was supposed to be in class at 8:15 the next day... The only train that would sort of get us there on time left at 4:18 and involved one change of trains. Horry!
We had to find a new place to stay -- because late March is not tourist season, the one where we had stayed the night before had been more or less unheated. Certain members of our party were too cold; hence, plan B. From what we could tell, the first hotel had no space but their neighbors did. It was unclear whether we should call the neighbors or just show up, so we called another hotel instead. This place had space and wasn't too expensive, so we agreed to stay and started walking over.
On our way back to town, a car pulled up on the side of the road. The man inside (who spoke no English) said he had come from the hostel to pick us up. Seeing that we were skeptical and unwilling to hop in a car with a complete stranger in a small Hungarian town at night, he phoned up a woman who spoke some English... She and I negotiated; we were still skeptical; she also mentioned that the hostel was quite a ways out of town. We said no thanks and set out to find someplace else.
Eventually we passed one in town with the lights on, and things worked out well. It was a bit more expensive, but they had heating, comfortable beds, towels, internet access, and even breakfast in the morning (although this was moot for those of us waking up at quarter past three). We go to bed and sleep well.
There were two guys in the train station at four in the morning. One of them was just snoring a lot, but the other came over and tried to strike up a conversation... He might have asked where we came from, but I was understandable unwilling to talk to the kind of guy who wears grungy camouflage and sleeps in a train station before dawn, much less talk about being American. He didn't bother us anymore; the train came; we arrived in Budapest before eight. I slept from nine to eleven and have been on another planet ever since.
The end!
Monday, March 23, 2009
So -- I got back from the Fulbright's Berlin Conference Thursday afternoon, and subsequently enjoyed the shortest week ever. The Conference was really great, although admittedly moslty thanks to the people and the location. A lot of the panels were extremely German-centric, which I suppose makes sense in light of the fact that over four hudred of the five hundred plus participants were from Germany. There was one grab-bag panel with the touchy-feely title "European Dimensions" which seemed to be for everyone else. One of our Hungarians spoke, as well as a guy from Slovakia, someone in Spain, a woman from Sardinia (who is an archeologist! How cool is that?), someone from Norway, and (dull and out of place), a man doing research at the LSE. The topics discussed were wide-ranging; my favorite, and one we should have spent more time on, was the issue of language, and how important it might be to speak the language of your host country. I think another audience member put it best when she pointed out that professionally, she was doing a disservice if she did not speak English. Socially, however, you lose a lot by not speaking Hungarian (or, fill in the language of your host country here).
A topic which we also spent a great deal of time on (much too much, in my opinion) was the racism/descrimination/immigration aspect of the host countries. I don't mean at all to imply that it's not important -- quite the contrary. Discrimination is a *huge* problem accross Europe, albeit one that varries substantially from place to place. However, the nicest way I could describe forty-five Americans talking to each other about descrimination abroad is "worthless and futile." I get immensely cynical when I think about how many Fulbrighters get money each year to come to this or that country and study the Roma problem, or the Turkish problem, or pick-your-favorite-immigrant-group-in-your-favorite-country problem, and how little actually changes. I'm sure a lot of people start nice academic careers for themselves, and maybe some of them end up working for non-profits or what have you, but at the end of the day no number of do-gooder Yankies can increase anybody's tolerance, or further anyone's integration into society: the impetus has to come from within the communities themselves.
Another problem I see with Americans, based purely on my own limited experience, is the failure to recoginze that while race in America does have many superficial similarities to race problems in other countries, the substantial differences are what set them apart. Discrimination is bad; everyone should have equal access to quality education; hating people based on their racial or ethnic backround is not okay. Etc. etc. However, Americans coming in and screening videos about Martin Luther King Jr. or preaching about the Civil Rights Movement are worthless because Hungarians see no parallels whatsoever in this regard between the United States and Hungary. None.
Sorry about the rant! I'm sure I offended somebody.
In other news, my great plans to have a delicious sandwich for lunch went terribly awry when I made it last night and put the tomatoes in. It was really, really soggy.
A topic which we also spent a great deal of time on (much too much, in my opinion) was the racism/descrimination/immigration aspect of the host countries. I don't mean at all to imply that it's not important -- quite the contrary. Discrimination is a *huge* problem accross Europe, albeit one that varries substantially from place to place. However, the nicest way I could describe forty-five Americans talking to each other about descrimination abroad is "worthless and futile." I get immensely cynical when I think about how many Fulbrighters get money each year to come to this or that country and study the Roma problem, or the Turkish problem, or pick-your-favorite-immigrant-group-in-your-favorite-country problem, and how little actually changes. I'm sure a lot of people start nice academic careers for themselves, and maybe some of them end up working for non-profits or what have you, but at the end of the day no number of do-gooder Yankies can increase anybody's tolerance, or further anyone's integration into society: the impetus has to come from within the communities themselves.
Another problem I see with Americans, based purely on my own limited experience, is the failure to recoginze that while race in America does have many superficial similarities to race problems in other countries, the substantial differences are what set them apart. Discrimination is bad; everyone should have equal access to quality education; hating people based on their racial or ethnic backround is not okay. Etc. etc. However, Americans coming in and screening videos about Martin Luther King Jr. or preaching about the Civil Rights Movement are worthless because Hungarians see no parallels whatsoever in this regard between the United States and Hungary. None.
Sorry about the rant! I'm sure I offended somebody.
In other news, my great plans to have a delicious sandwich for lunch went terribly awry when I made it last night and put the tomatoes in. It was really, really soggy.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Things are grey in Hungary!
We went to Kecskemét on Friday with Fulbright -- it's a small town (okay, there are maybe 120,000 people there, so it's more of a small city) with a ceramics studio and the Renowned Kodály School of Music. Apparently the Kodály method is very influential and unusual, although I have to admit that from the presentation we attended I couldn't totally gather what the method entailed... I think the belief that everyone should have access to music, and more singing in classrooms? I would support that. My early music education was more or less mediocre (although I did learn a number of patriotic American songs, which I remember to this day).
I leave for Berlin this Saturday. There is a Europe-wide Fulbright conference, although the participants are predominantly from Germany (there are SO MANY German Fulbrighters!) I think it will be good for me to travel. I am lazy and not good at organizing such things myself.
What else? I'm more or less set on staying in Hungary next year, although I have yet to line up a job... My friends here seem nonchalant about it, but talking to my parents stresses me out. I don't know how I will pay for health insurance, or where I will live, or how I will afford a ticket back to the States, or when... Oi vey.
Now I have to go try and talk to the registrar... Again... I have been trying for three weeks... The office is open two hours a day, four days a week, and the last time I went the woman I needed to see had taken an hour and a half coffee break. I don't get it.
We went to Kecskemét on Friday with Fulbright -- it's a small town (okay, there are maybe 120,000 people there, so it's more of a small city) with a ceramics studio and the Renowned Kodály School of Music. Apparently the Kodály method is very influential and unusual, although I have to admit that from the presentation we attended I couldn't totally gather what the method entailed... I think the belief that everyone should have access to music, and more singing in classrooms? I would support that. My early music education was more or less mediocre (although I did learn a number of patriotic American songs, which I remember to this day).
I leave for Berlin this Saturday. There is a Europe-wide Fulbright conference, although the participants are predominantly from Germany (there are SO MANY German Fulbrighters!) I think it will be good for me to travel. I am lazy and not good at organizing such things myself.
What else? I'm more or less set on staying in Hungary next year, although I have yet to line up a job... My friends here seem nonchalant about it, but talking to my parents stresses me out. I don't know how I will pay for health insurance, or where I will live, or how I will afford a ticket back to the States, or when... Oi vey.
Now I have to go try and talk to the registrar... Again... I have been trying for three weeks... The office is open two hours a day, four days a week, and the last time I went the woman I needed to see had taken an hour and a half coffee break. I don't get it.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Strange things about learning a new language: punctuation!
It wigs me out that not everyone uses the same punctuation I do. For example, Hungarians use the semicolon sparingly, if at all; however, they are extremly profliage with their exclamation points. For example, you use an exclamation point to begin a letter, even a formal one. You would also use it at the end of a statement like, "Prove this is true!" It makes my homework sound really exciting!
On the other hand, without the semicolon, we couldn't have English-language academia; how would people write their pretentious titles?
[Did I use that correctly? I thought it might be a stretch.]
It wigs me out that not everyone uses the same punctuation I do. For example, Hungarians use the semicolon sparingly, if at all; however, they are extremly profliage with their exclamation points. For example, you use an exclamation point to begin a letter, even a formal one. You would also use it at the end of a statement like, "Prove this is true!" It makes my homework sound really exciting!
On the other hand, without the semicolon, we couldn't have English-language academia; how would people write their pretentious titles?
[Did I use that correctly? I thought it might be a stretch.]
Monday, February 23, 2009
I've been back in Budapest for three weeks now. It's been snowing on and off for most of that time, so things are pretty beautiful (and also rather cold). I walked home last week around two and things were perfect: big globules of snow everywhere, clinging to cars and buildings and blocking out the sound. I woke up the next day hoping to take pictures, but it was gone...
First thing's first! Here are degu:
I am getting one, pronto.
Classes this semester look like they'll be more or less good -- the ones that aren't shouldn't be complained about online. It's nice that I'm getting to a point where most of the material I'm covering overlaps; I feel almost competent.
Bullet points:
- I'm helping a friend with English. Teaching is hard!
- She is helping me with Hungarian. That's hard, too. I'm really going to put a lot of effort in this semester, though. I'm talking flashcards, workbooks -- the whole nine yards. I am going to be fluent in this language some day.
- I'm also going to take lessons once a week with some people from the Pecs summer program. Woot!
- I am working on making Hungarian friends. I went to a concert last Tuesday. It was great! Also a guy from class invited me to watch a seven-hour Hungarian art film at some point in the indeterminate future...
- February is getting a little slumpy, similar to November... I need new, fun things to do! Suggestions are welcome.
- Last but not least, we went to a pork festival:
First thing's first! Here are degu:
I am getting one, pronto.
Classes this semester look like they'll be more or less good -- the ones that aren't shouldn't be complained about online. It's nice that I'm getting to a point where most of the material I'm covering overlaps; I feel almost competent.
Bullet points:
- I'm helping a friend with English. Teaching is hard!
- She is helping me with Hungarian. That's hard, too. I'm really going to put a lot of effort in this semester, though. I'm talking flashcards, workbooks -- the whole nine yards. I am going to be fluent in this language some day.
- I'm also going to take lessons once a week with some people from the Pecs summer program. Woot!
- I am working on making Hungarian friends. I went to a concert last Tuesday. It was great! Also a guy from class invited me to watch a seven-hour Hungarian art film at some point in the indeterminate future...
- February is getting a little slumpy, similar to November... I need new, fun things to do! Suggestions are welcome.
- Last but not least, we went to a pork festival:
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Three days of Pechsi language school left to go... I can't say I'll be sad to stop waking up at six every morning, or throwing myself futilely against the Hungarian language, but I will be sorry to leave Pecs. I actually made a friend! Or, another friend, and one who is neither American nor a math student. I'm also learning a lot more Hungarian than I will next semester.
Apparently the director of our program gave my name to someone who works for the University newspaper -- she wants to interview me about the Winter Language School. In Hungarian. We'll see how it goes? If she asks me where I'm from, what my family does or what kind of beer is my favorite, I'm in the clear.
My other project for today is eating ostrich in a vaguely Western-themed restaurant with straw on the floor and two degu (a rabbit-sized rodent indigenous to Chile; it looks like an oversized gerbil) on display.
Apparently the director of our program gave my name to someone who works for the University newspaper -- she wants to interview me about the Winter Language School. In Hungarian. We'll see how it goes? If she asks me where I'm from, what my family does or what kind of beer is my favorite, I'm in the clear.
My other project for today is eating ostrich in a vaguely Western-themed restaurant with straw on the floor and two degu (a rabbit-sized rodent indigenous to Chile; it looks like an oversized gerbil) on display.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Still in Pecs at the moment. I was wrong about McCafe being the only place with internet cafe -- it turns out that cafes don't advertise internet around these parts is that all cafes have internet broadcast from the main square. Silly us!
Language courses are going well. The teachers even refuse to speak English to us (more or less), which is a treat. It does mean I'm pretty exhausted after six or seven hours of class. The main downside is perhaps that I eat breakfast around six and we don't eat lunch until two, but if that's the worst that's happened I'm doing pretty well.
We're also getting to know one or two (actually two) of the students -- I wish both of them lived in Budapest, rather than just one of them.
Today was a BAD Hungarian day. I went to the post office to pay for the language course (you pay bills at the post office) and tried to use a credit card, but they wanted a pin code... I had forgotten that American credit cards don't have pin codes but European ones do, so I just got flustered and confused and ended up paying with a different card I hadn't wanted to use.
I then went to another woman. I wanted to 1. buy stamps for two letters and 2. see if she had any tape I could close one of my letters with. I don't know the word for tape, or glue, or stamp, so I mimed some stuff unsucessfully. At least I understood when the woman got an attitude and said, "I don't know what she wants" to the man behind me in line. It's a post office, woman, and I'm waving letters around! What do you think I want! I did manage to get stamps but I only had enough change to pay for one letter... Hopefully it gets sent.
Over and out!
Language courses are going well. The teachers even refuse to speak English to us (more or less), which is a treat. It does mean I'm pretty exhausted after six or seven hours of class. The main downside is perhaps that I eat breakfast around six and we don't eat lunch until two, but if that's the worst that's happened I'm doing pretty well.
We're also getting to know one or two (actually two) of the students -- I wish both of them lived in Budapest, rather than just one of them.
Today was a BAD Hungarian day. I went to the post office to pay for the language course (you pay bills at the post office) and tried to use a credit card, but they wanted a pin code... I had forgotten that American credit cards don't have pin codes but European ones do, so I just got flustered and confused and ended up paying with a different card I hadn't wanted to use.
I then went to another woman. I wanted to 1. buy stamps for two letters and 2. see if she had any tape I could close one of my letters with. I don't know the word for tape, or glue, or stamp, so I mimed some stuff unsucessfully. At least I understood when the woman got an attitude and said, "I don't know what she wants" to the man behind me in line. It's a post office, woman, and I'm waving letters around! What do you think I want! I did manage to get stamps but I only had enough change to pay for one letter... Hopefully it gets sent.
Over and out!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Subtleties of the English language, part I
The difference between:
-It was important for you
-It was important to you
-It is important to you
-It is important for you
Or,
Did you see...? Versus, Have you seen...?
I tried to explain why you use "did" rather than "have" for talking about riots.
-It was important for you
-It was important to you
-It is important to you
-It is important for you
Or,
Did you see...? Versus, Have you seen...?
I tried to explain why you use "did" rather than "have" for talking about riots.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sziasztok mindenki! I am currently updating from McCafe, Pecs. Surprisingly it seems like this is one of two cafes with WiFi-- the other being the other McDonald's.
Almost done with exams, I'm vacationing (if you will) in the South, taking a three-week intensive language course before my intensive math courses start up again in February.
Not too much else to say at the moment; I'm here with my friend Sarah, another Fulbrighter, who looks a bit bored at the moment. Just wanted to break my radio silence.
Happy New Year!
Almost done with exams, I'm vacationing (if you will) in the South, taking a three-week intensive language course before my intensive math courses start up again in February.
Not too much else to say at the moment; I'm here with my friend Sarah, another Fulbrighter, who looks a bit bored at the moment. Just wanted to break my radio silence.
Happy New Year!
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