Fulbright Farewell

This seems like a strange title to write because going back to the States still seems so far away; however, we had our last Fulbright meeting May 23rd and the US is only a short 7 weeks away. This meeting was different from the others because this time we went on a river cruise down the Danube, which was amazing. Fulbright invited all the current American grantees, as well as the future Hungarian grantees going to the USA and several other people including government representatives and representatives for organizations sharing grantees. It was really great to talk to the new grantees who were going to the USA. Two of them are heading to Ann Arbor next year (to go to that other school for research) and it was nice to get a chance to talk with them about Michigan. It seems weird that a year ago I was in their position, wondering about where to live and what to do and what life was going to be like. Sometimes this year feels like the blink of an eye and other times, when I think about how much I have learned and grown, it seems so much longer.

It was strange to say good-bye to the people who have been such huge parts of my life these last 10 months. While I know I have made some life-long friendships, I also know I will never see some of my fellow Fulbrighters again. It seems strange to me that we all go through this enormous, life-changing event together, and then just go our separate ways. I guess that is the way of things however, and I wish them nothing but the best and future happiness with wherever their path takes them. 

 Abby, me, and Brittany. This year was made infinitely better by these two amazing women

 Abby and I 

 Cruising by Parliament 

Amy and I 

 Parliament

 Inside of the boat

Erzsebet Bridge or Elizabeth Bridge 

Chain Bridge and Buda Castle 

All of the American grantees had to to "exit interviews" about their time in Hungary which prompted some reflection of my time here. One of the questions I was asked was "what are some of the advantages of living in a small town?" This is something I have thought about since last March when I found out I was placed in a small town. Originally, I hoped to be in a bigger city, ideally Budapest (because let's face it, it was about the only city in Hungary I knew about 15 months ago!), but I would have been satisfied with a different, larger city. I wanted the excitement, the difference, and the ease of transportation haha.  When I found out I would be in Bekes, I had mixed emotions. I knew what the advantages of small town could be, but I also knew there could be some big disadvantages. 

Throughout the year here, people often asked me "do you like living in such a small town?" and it turns out my answer was and will always be "yes." While living in a big city would have been exciting and new, small towns are what I know. Stevensville is not a bustling metropolis, so coming here felt a little bit like coming home. Another reason I have enjoyed my time here is because it is such a small community, (only about 18,000 people) I very quickly became a part of it. At first people knew me because I was "The American," but soon I became their teacher, their child's teacher, their coworker, their customer, and their friend. I genuinely like seeing my students, their parents,and my coworkers out and about in town (even if I can't really speak to the parents, or some of my coworkers, because of the language barrier). I will never forget the first time a student saw me across the street and waved and shouted hello. It took a couple months for them to feel comfortable enough to do that, but as soon as that happened, I knew I had made a place for myself. Now, even students who are not in my class wave and say hello and I love it. 

This year, and living in a small town, would have also been very different if not for the wonderful people I met. I am sure I would have met wonderful people in a city, but I couldn't imagine my year without these specific people in Bekes. My mentor teacher, Nora, and her family have truly been amazing. They instantly made me a part of their lives and mine has been forever enriched by the experiences I have had with them. From the big moments, like my birthday and Christmas, to the everyday moments of having dinner at their house or watching movies, to them going out of their way to drive me back and forth a million times to the train station, they have been responsible for some of my best memories. I also am so thankful to have met the other teachers at the school. They have gone above and beyond to help me professionally and have included me in their personal lives. From dinner invitations, to shopping trips, to invitations to traditional Hungarian Folk Dancing recitals, they included me in everything. I met adults, who started as private students wanting to improve their English, and turned into friends, and my neighbor who shares my love of Game of Thrones and we now have a standing Monday night GoT viewing and dinner.

So, yes, I have enjoyed living in a small town. While I am sure I would have enjoyed a larger city, I can't imagine this year without the complete cultural immersion I had. I pursued Fulbright because I wanted to experience living and teaching in and learning about a different culture and, while I always think there is more to learn about anything, I feel that living in small town really allowed me to do that. 

Hungarian Holidays

Holidays are important. Not only because people usually get time off work (haha) but also because they tell you a lot about a culture and what it values. Hungary is no exception. I realized the other day that I hadn't ever gotten around to sharing some of Hungary's most important holidays. I'm going to rectify that mistake now. I am going to put the holidays in the order I experienced them so I will not be starting in January.

August 20th - Szent Istvan's Day or St. Stephen's Day. This holiday remembers the first king of Hungary - King Stephen and also the foundation of Hungary as a nation. We can compare it to the 4th of July. I was actually not in Hungary for this holiday because I was in Croatia, but it is celebrated with festivals and fireworks and no work. 

October 23rd - This is one of the most important holidays in Hungary. It commemorates the revolution of 1956, when Hungary revolted against Communism and the Soviet Union. This revolution was ultimately brutally defeated by the Soviet's, but the Hungarians are proud of their efforts to thwart Communist rule. People celebrate the holiday by giving speeches and holding political rallies, placing candles, wreaths and flowers at symbolic places (monuments, memorials, and the Terror House), and showing their Hungarian Pride by wearing the national colors of red, white, and green as well as carrying Hungarian flags. 

 Andrássy út in Budapest looking toward Hero's Square. The street is closed to traffic and by the afternoon was filled with people

 Hero's Square - the Prime Minister gave a speech during the afternoon

 Military band at Hero's Square

 One of the memorials to 1956. The symbolism of this is that as we come together we get stronger and better. 

People lighting candles to loved ones or simply as a sign of respect outside the Terror House

November 1st - All Saints Day. This is a day of remembrance for the dead. People decorate graves of their loved ones with candles, wreaths, and flowers. 

December 6th - Szent Mikulas Day or St. Nicholas Day. This is when Hungarian children usually receive gifts from St. Nicholas. The tradition is to place their shoes on a windowsill in their home and during the night St. Nicholas will fill it with treats. Children usually receive small gifts and chocolate.

December 25th and 26th - Christmas. In Hungary Christmas is two days. People don't traditionally receive gifts since children got them on the 6th, but the American version of Christmas is creeping in more and more, so now many children receive gifts on Christmas as well as on the 6th. Christmas here is a time to spend with family and loved ones and eat LOTS of food! Traditional foods are fish soup, stuffed cabbage, and beigli (crushed poppy seeds or walnuts rolled up in a pastry), szaloncukor (traditional Hungarian chocolate candy), mezeskalacs (pretty much gingerbread), and forralt bor (hot mulled wine). One of my favorite things about Christmas was the Christmas Markets. I really enjoyed wandering through the brightly lit markets, with a cup of forralt bor, looking at all the traditional goods that were on sale.

 Andrássy út in Budapest with Christmas lights

 Bekes with Christmas lights 

 Bekes with Christmas lights 

 Food at the Christmas Market

 Katie and I drinking forralt bor at the Christmas Market in front of St. Stephen's Basilica 

Christmas Dinner

January 1st - New Year's Day. This is celebrated much the same way we celebrate in the US. There are fireworks and celebrations on New Year's Eve (although the complete party holiday that NYE is in the US hasn't quite made its way here yet), and New Year's Day is spent with family again eating LOTS of food. 

March 15th - National Day. This holiday memorializes the 1848 Revolution for independence from the Austrian Empire. This revolution ultimately failed, but the people still remember it.

Memorial to March 15th in Guyla, Hunary 

Easter - Some aspects of Easter are similar to the US. Obviously the Christian importance of the holiday is the same and Hungarians still have the Easter Rabbit who brings treats and chocolates to children, although there are no Easter Egg Hunts for kids like we have in the US. Some of the other Easter traditions are hold overs from pagan times such as boys sprinkling girls with perfume or water. On Easter, the boys go from house to house sprinkling their grandmothers, aunts, sisters, mothers, girlfriends, cousins, etc. Now days, the boys sprinkle the girls with water or spray them with perfume, but it used to be tradition to dump entire buckets of water on the girls or even dunk them in a nearby stream or lake. Once the girls are sprinkled, they give the boys some candy, and/or an Easter Egg (the boys also used to get a shot of liquor, but my students didn't tell me if this happened to them or not!). The Easter Eggs are usually painted red, which symbolizes fertility. If you are reading some "reproductive" undertones here, with boys sprinkling girls and girls handing out fertility eggs, you would not be amiss! Again, there are great Easter Markets around the holiday. Because I was traveling during Easter, I got to see Easter Markets in Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. There really wasn't much difference between the three city's markets, except in Vienna and Prague vendors were selling sticks decorated with colored ribbons. When we asked what those were for, we were told they were used by boys to hit the girls with. Apparently, getting spanked by the stick ensures beauty and health for the following year.

 Budapest Easter Market

 Budapest Easter Market

 Chelsea and I at the Budapest Easter Market 

Kürtőskalács a kind of delicious bread cooked over coals then covered with a variety of things: cinnamon, sugar, nuts, chocolate....SO GOOD!

 Prague Easter Market in Wenceslas Square

  Prague Easter Market in Old Town Square

 Prague Easter Market in Old Town Square

Gyula

I have come to the realization that my time in Hungary is limited and there is so much more I want to do and see. One would think that almost a year would be plenty of time to do and see everything, but it just doesn't work that way. It seems like one day I was thinking "oh, I still have plenty of time for that" and the next was "oh my gosh! I am not going to be able to do everything!" One of the things I wanted to do, but kept putting off was visit Gyula, a small town about 15-20 minutes from Bekes. It is pretty well known for its bath; lots of German tourists come to take advantage of the baths and spas. It also boasts the most well-preserved brick castle in Hungary which dates from 1445.  Last Wednesday, Gabor drove Nora and I to the town after work so we could explore for a little while. The following pictures are what we saw.

 We started off the trip with a visit to the 100 Eves Cukraszda or 100 Year Old Cafe for some ice cream. These are pictures of the interior

Statue to Ferenc Erkel, the composer of the Hungarian National Anthem, who was born in Gyula

Me in the town center

Town Center 

 Gyula Castle - I didn't get to go inside, because by the time we got there after work it was closed. We'll see if we end up having time to go back! 

This stage, right by the Castle (you can see parts of it in the above pictures) is where the Gyula Shakespeare Festival takes place every summer. Play companies put on Shakespeare productions on the stage while the audience also sits on platforms above the water. Unfortunately, I will be travelling during the festival this year so I won't be able to attend or I absolutely would! It sounds awesome!

School Tour Video

I have been meaning to upload this video for a while, but I keep forgetting. This winter, I had my students create an introductory video of their school to show the American students at Lakeshore. As part of the assignment, the students had to figure out what parts of the school they wanted to highlight and what information should be included. Each pair of students wrote their own script and then as a group we edited it for correct grammar. The students then had to speak on camera about their designated area. All of these students are from my 11.B class.

I was responsible for putting all the clips together into one movie, so all the mistakes in that department are of my own making. Good thing I didn't decide to pursue a career in film making!

Hope you enjoy it!

Quick Trip To Pécs

Monday through Wednesday this week the graduating seniors took their exams. I am unable to help with those exams because I can't speak Hungarian, so I had those three days free. At first I had big plans to go back to Croatia and visit Plitvice National Park (which is still on my Bucket List!!) or fly somewhere for a couple of days, but then I reconsidered. I decided what I really wanted to do was spend some more time getting to know Hungary. Pécs is a city I have wanted to visit for months and a place I have heard only really great things about. Everyone talks about how beautiful it is and it was one of the European Cultural Capitols in 2010 so I knew it had to be nice. Once I looked up some things to see and do there I was even more sure I made the right decision to stay in Hungary for this trip.

The ancient Roman city of Sopianae was the predecessor of modern day Pécs. Sopianae dates back to the 4th Century and two of the historical sites that remain from that time are the Cella Septichora and Early Christian Necropolis. Both of these sites are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but when they were in operation they were used by wealthy families to bury their dead. The collision and intersection of different times and religions is always very interesting to me and so the combination of Christian and pagan traditions evident here was intriguing. For example, before Christianity, it was traditional to bury the dead in underground crypts. Christians however, place the memorial above ground. In the Early Christian Necropolis, there are both things. The dead were buried in underground crypts that were lavishly decorated with Christian artwork (remember they were rich people!) and there was also an above-ground mausoleum built. Of course, nothing really remains of the mausoleum's that were above ground, but the underground crypts were still "intact." The Cella Septichora is also thought to be a mausoleum for a wealthy family, although it was never really finished. This building had 7 "lobes" (hence sept). If you imagine a rectangle with 3 protrusions on each long side and 1 at one end, this is what the building looked like.

Above ground mausoleum

Below ground burial chamber. There were two sarcophagi. Note the Christian imagery - Adam and Eve are on the left

Another below ground burial chamber with room for 2 people.

The ceiling of one of the below ground burial chambers. This has a Christogram above the hole and paintings of the people who were buried here on the ceiling

 The Turks also had a strong historical influence on Pécs and there are several mosques in the city which date back to the 1500's. They are no longer operating as mosques, but the Turkish architecture is interesting to see. I have seen this intersection and overlap of religions many times this year. It is really impossible not to when you look at the history of Europe, especially the southern part which was controlled by Muslims for a long period of time. I am always pleased when people of a different faith did not just simply destroy what the previous people built, but re-purposed it. This was especially striking in the Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba in Spain, which went back and forth between Christian and Muslim during the Crusades. Each time, the "new" religion simply added on without destroying and now we have a wonderful example of beauty and harmony even though it came from a particularly turbulent time in history. Each time I see an example of one religion not destroying something from another, I think about modern day and how too often it seems like people are bent on destroying those who do not believe the same things they do (I'm not just talking religion here!) instead of finding ways to harmonize. I can't help but think that if people 100's and 1000's of years ago could get past their differences and preserve what is beautiful we should be able to do the same.

In addition, Pécs is home to one of the most well-known companies in Hungary: the Zsolnay Porcelain Manufacturing Company. The Zsolnay Factory came up with the glaze that made porcelain frost-proof, thus enabling it to be used outside for decoration. There are many buildings in Hungary, specifically in Budapest, with Zsolnay tiles on their roofs. In Pécs, there is the Zsolnay Museum, which houses a smaller number of porcelain decorations and statues, and the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter, the old site of the factory, where visitors can see several exhibits of Zolnay porcelain throughout the years as well as current workers at the factory decorating the porcelain. Unfortunately, I went to the Zsolnay Factory on a Monday so most of the exhibits were closed, but I did get to see the Pink Exhibit and watch some woman create some pieces.

Zsolnay Fountain in the main square

Close up of Zsolnay Fountain

Around the grounds of the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter

 Two vases from the Zsolnay Pink Exhibit that I thought were beautiful

 More from the Pink Exhibit. There were LOTS of wine jars (left) but also plenty of home goods (right)

Examples of Zsolnay roof tiles

Examples of roof and decorative tiles and artwork

Zsolnay Mausoleum - I couldn't enter because it was closed on Monday

 I think my favorite part of Pécs however was the main square. It was very picturesque and relaxing, even in the afternoon when it was really busy! On Monday, after I was finished with everything I wanted to do, I took my Kindle out to the square, sat in the sunshine, and read and people watched for a while. I know sometimes when I am visiting a new place I have so many things I want to see and do that I forget to actually just soak in the place where I am. Being able to just hang out in the main square of a city that has been around for roughly 1500 years was a good reminder to slow down sometimes and just enjoy the moment. 

Main Square on Monday morning

Main square on Monday morning. The building with the blue/green roof is the Mosque of Pasha Qasim, although it is now a Roman Catholic Church. It was closed for renovations so I couldn't get inside

Looking down the main square

Pécs Theater

Király Street

City Hall - also in the main square