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.

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!

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.

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!