It's 6pm on Friday and I just learned while IMing a friend that today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I am devastated because this would have made today's classes not just good, not great, but some unparalleled level of awesome. Sigh.
When I posted this woeful news in my Gchat status bar I realized I wasn't the only one who was taken by surprise by this unsung holiday:
Kim: Is it really talk like a pirate day?!
Paul: Yes!
Kim: Oh shit
Paul: I know!!
Maybe that I do so much stuff like this in class is the reason why I laughed so hard when I saw this. It's funny because it's true. I've thought about how a combination of being kind of outside the culture already while occupying a teaching position as flexible as conversation practice instructor has encouraged me to be really zany with the students. I've also thought about how maybe I'm just one of those weird teachers.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Take two
After a spectacular whirlwind of a summer, I'm back in Szentes. The summer flew by so fast that I kind of feel like I was just gone for a quick vacation - I can't believe it was really a full two months. Seeing you all this summer was absolutely incredible!
The trip back to Szentes was an arduous one. After a last American meal of a delicious reuben at Sully's my parents dropped me off at Dulles at 2 in the afternoon. After a flight into London Heathrow, an entire day in London walking around, a flight from Luton to Budapest, a train ride to Szentes, and the 3o minute walk from the station dragging my luggage, I arrived here at about 9am two days later. I promptly slept for another two days, but then it was Monday and time to start school! Getting things organized for the school year has pretty much dominated the last two weeks since I arrived. This year I'm teaching 28 lessons a week instead of last years 21, plus I agreed to start an English club. It's certainly a lot of work but the silver lining is that I had great luck with the groups that I have been assigned. I will be spending a lot more time with students that I really like and a couple of my problem groups from last year aren't my problem this year.
This year is going extremely well at school thusfar and it's great to be back with the kids. I found that, while I was too happy to be home this summer to think much about Szentes, I actually did miss being in the classroom with the students. The contrast to where I am now and where I was a year ago is huge - returning and knowing everybody's names already and understanding the ropes has been a nice experience. Colleagues and students alike treat me with much more respect, like a real teacher instead of a random American who wandered into the classroom. Even the Hungarian government is more managable this year, as I already have my residence permit locked in with the government! It's all coming up roses, except of course for the evil old washing machine, which has already flooded my bathroom. Twice.
The trip back to Szentes was an arduous one. After a last American meal of a delicious reuben at Sully's my parents dropped me off at Dulles at 2 in the afternoon. After a flight into London Heathrow, an entire day in London walking around, a flight from Luton to Budapest, a train ride to Szentes, and the 3o minute walk from the station dragging my luggage, I arrived here at about 9am two days later. I promptly slept for another two days, but then it was Monday and time to start school! Getting things organized for the school year has pretty much dominated the last two weeks since I arrived. This year I'm teaching 28 lessons a week instead of last years 21, plus I agreed to start an English club. It's certainly a lot of work but the silver lining is that I had great luck with the groups that I have been assigned. I will be spending a lot more time with students that I really like and a couple of my problem groups from last year aren't my problem this year.
This year is going extremely well at school thusfar and it's great to be back with the kids. I found that, while I was too happy to be home this summer to think much about Szentes, I actually did miss being in the classroom with the students. The contrast to where I am now and where I was a year ago is huge - returning and knowing everybody's names already and understanding the ropes has been a nice experience. Colleagues and students alike treat me with much more respect, like a real teacher instead of a random American who wandered into the classroom. Even the Hungarian government is more managable this year, as I already have my residence permit locked in with the government! It's all coming up roses, except of course for the evil old washing machine, which has already flooded my bathroom. Twice.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
How time flies
Hungarian lesson: Szalad az idő "Time runs"
Late June already?! Here it is, the end of my first year of living abroad. I suppose it's only fitting that I write something here in my sorely neglected blog about my overall experience, my new perspectives, and how this year in Hungary has changed me. On the other hand, I don't really know where to begin. Suffice to say, looking back over the past 10 or so months I'd say my experience has been a lot about learning about another culture, but more about learning how to be on my own.
I've been happy here, but very much looking forward to going home for so long that now that my departure is upon me (just next Monday) I feel more disbelief than anything else. I'm beyond excited about this summer and so many of the things coming up. I can't wait to see friends and family, and to revel in so many of the little things about American life I've missed (read: Thai and Mexican food, plus a washing machine that doesn't hate me and want me dead). I've heard from friends who have returned home after acclimating themselves to living in a foreign country that reverse culture shock can be even more shocking than the real thing. We'll see. Actually, one of the things I'm most looking forward to is looking back on Hungary from an American environment. I'd like to think I'll have the time for all of that introspection, but this summer promises to be a hectic one. Life in Szentes moves quite slowly, so I'm a bit anxious about tackling this summer's formidable to-do list: get grad school applications in line (take the GRE's, write a good research sample, contact a long list of prospective programs), earn as much money as possible, attend weddings, show a visiting Hungarian friend around, and get in all of the quality time I can with those I've missed so much for so long. It's certainly exciting.
Over the last few weeks here life has been wrapping up nicely. School ended last Friday (the 13th!) with little ceremony, something that surprised me greatly after becoming so used to the Hungarian tendency to have some sort of tradition-laden program for every occasion. This place is just full of traditions and rituals signifying all manner of things. For example, I just found out that the reason the main church's bell rings for a ridiculously long time every day at noon is to commemorate a victorious (though pretty minor in the scope of things) battle nearly 500 years ago. Well, nevertheless, the only going away ceremony was a small teacher's appreciation day, which I really appreciated because it made my longest day (Wednesday) fly right by due to shortened lessons. It was a nice little presentation by students and then a small banquet, which was a good chance to talk to a lot of my colleagues. Oh, and as always, there were poetry readings as well. Other than that it was a quiet week during which I just let my students play whatever game they wanted. I am getting ridiculously good at taboo. I did get some good news from colleagues who had given an anonymous student satisfaction survey to all the 9th graders and gave my classes a some really positive feedback. Also, the English specialization group of the 9th graders took the first of their state English exams and all of them passed the spoken portion that we had been working on in my classes. All good news. Other than school, last week I tagged along with Taylor and his visiting parents as he showed them some of the cool things in the region.
This week without class before I leave is divided between three objectives. The first is to clean the apartment and get all my ducks in a row before heading back. The second is the unpleasant business of lining up all of my paperwork for next year. If all goes well I'll have all my official business taken care of before I leave for the summer but I'm just not that optimistic about it as this process inevitably involves the Hungarian bureaucracy and, well, I don't have many good things to say about that inept dinosaur. The third objective is way cooler than the first two: showing a friend around Hungary! My friend Victoria arrives in Budapest early tomorrow morning and we'll spend the last 5 days of my time in Hungary together. I can't wait to see her (first time in almost exactly a year) and catch up on what has been the first year of teaching for both of us. Victoria has spent that last year teaching third grade with Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, so I'm sure she has some great stories.
Well, that's about it for now. I'll probably post next from the States. Maybe returning home will give me more things to say about this year, so stay tuned. I absolutely can't wait to see you all!!
Late June already?! Here it is, the end of my first year of living abroad. I suppose it's only fitting that I write something here in my sorely neglected blog about my overall experience, my new perspectives, and how this year in Hungary has changed me. On the other hand, I don't really know where to begin. Suffice to say, looking back over the past 10 or so months I'd say my experience has been a lot about learning about another culture, but more about learning how to be on my own.
I've been happy here, but very much looking forward to going home for so long that now that my departure is upon me (just next Monday) I feel more disbelief than anything else. I'm beyond excited about this summer and so many of the things coming up. I can't wait to see friends and family, and to revel in so many of the little things about American life I've missed (read: Thai and Mexican food, plus a washing machine that doesn't hate me and want me dead). I've heard from friends who have returned home after acclimating themselves to living in a foreign country that reverse culture shock can be even more shocking than the real thing. We'll see. Actually, one of the things I'm most looking forward to is looking back on Hungary from an American environment. I'd like to think I'll have the time for all of that introspection, but this summer promises to be a hectic one. Life in Szentes moves quite slowly, so I'm a bit anxious about tackling this summer's formidable to-do list: get grad school applications in line (take the GRE's, write a good research sample, contact a long list of prospective programs), earn as much money as possible, attend weddings, show a visiting Hungarian friend around, and get in all of the quality time I can with those I've missed so much for so long. It's certainly exciting.
Over the last few weeks here life has been wrapping up nicely. School ended last Friday (the 13th!) with little ceremony, something that surprised me greatly after becoming so used to the Hungarian tendency to have some sort of tradition-laden program for every occasion. This place is just full of traditions and rituals signifying all manner of things. For example, I just found out that the reason the main church's bell rings for a ridiculously long time every day at noon is to commemorate a victorious (though pretty minor in the scope of things) battle nearly 500 years ago. Well, nevertheless, the only going away ceremony was a small teacher's appreciation day, which I really appreciated because it made my longest day (Wednesday) fly right by due to shortened lessons. It was a nice little presentation by students and then a small banquet, which was a good chance to talk to a lot of my colleagues. Oh, and as always, there were poetry readings as well. Other than that it was a quiet week during which I just let my students play whatever game they wanted. I am getting ridiculously good at taboo. I did get some good news from colleagues who had given an anonymous student satisfaction survey to all the 9th graders and gave my classes a some really positive feedback. Also, the English specialization group of the 9th graders took the first of their state English exams and all of them passed the spoken portion that we had been working on in my classes. All good news. Other than school, last week I tagged along with Taylor and his visiting parents as he showed them some of the cool things in the region.
This week without class before I leave is divided between three objectives. The first is to clean the apartment and get all my ducks in a row before heading back. The second is the unpleasant business of lining up all of my paperwork for next year. If all goes well I'll have all my official business taken care of before I leave for the summer but I'm just not that optimistic about it as this process inevitably involves the Hungarian bureaucracy and, well, I don't have many good things to say about that inept dinosaur. The third objective is way cooler than the first two: showing a friend around Hungary! My friend Victoria arrives in Budapest early tomorrow morning and we'll spend the last 5 days of my time in Hungary together. I can't wait to see her (first time in almost exactly a year) and catch up on what has been the first year of teaching for both of us. Victoria has spent that last year teaching third grade with Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, so I'm sure she has some great stories.
Well, that's about it for now. I'll probably post next from the States. Maybe returning home will give me more things to say about this year, so stay tuned. I absolutely can't wait to see you all!!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Blog envy
Hungarian for the day: A rest kétszer fárad. - A lazy man works twice.
Having spent all afternoon reading other people's funny and interesting blogs I reflected upon how very long it's been since my last post in my own neglected blog. What can I say, it's a quiet town I live in. Plus I'm lazy.
New developments in Szentes:
1. New fountains in the river-
2. My washing machine is evil and has been broken for nearly a month. There must be some balance between the stereotypical American attitude towards malfunctioning machines (throw it away, buy a new one) and the Hungarian attitude (fix and fix until you've spent more on surly repairmen than a new appliance costs). Am I being unreasonable thinking this thing needs to be replaced? Take a look and decide for yourself -
3. I finally got a bike! One of my colleague's lent me her bike from her adolescence and it's in need of a paint job but it's a faithful means of conveyance -
On a side note, only 19 days until I'm back in the States for the summer!
Having spent all afternoon reading other people's funny and interesting blogs I reflected upon how very long it's been since my last post in my own neglected blog. What can I say, it's a quiet town I live in. Plus I'm lazy.
New developments in Szentes:
1. New fountains in the river-
2. My washing machine is evil and has been broken for nearly a month. There must be some balance between the stereotypical American attitude towards malfunctioning machines (throw it away, buy a new one) and the Hungarian attitude (fix and fix until you've spent more on surly repairmen than a new appliance costs). Am I being unreasonable thinking this thing needs to be replaced? Take a look and decide for yourself -
3. I finally got a bike! One of my colleague's lent me her bike from her adolescence and it's in need of a paint job but it's a faithful means of conveyance -
On a side note, only 19 days until I'm back in the States for the summer!
Friday, May 9, 2008
End of the year ceremonies
Hungarian for the day: Sok sikert a jövőben. "Good luck (lit. much success) in the future"
It's that special time of the school year. As the temperature rises and the days grow longer, flowers bloom and all semblance of law and order in classrooms across the Northern Hemisphere breaks down. Yes, we are now approximately one month away from the precious last school day of the year and students and teachers alike spend most of class looking out the window onto the beautiful May weather and urging June 13th to come faster.
Hungary is a place of great formality and many traditions. As I learned last week, this tendency towards quirky ritual manifests itself in the school-leaving process. First of all, the system for finishing school here is quite different. Seniors stop taking classes over a month before the end of the year so they can concentate on taking the all-important Érettségi exams. These are similar to the A-levels in the British system I suppose - a test that culminates 4 years of education and will be the main indicator of the students proficiency in a given subject. They must choose a number of subjects to take and for each test they receive a certain number of points. To go to a university program you need a lot of points in various topics depending on the program. It's a big deal, hence their exemption from classes while they prepare for and take the exams in May and June. Last week was the last day of classes for the 12th graders and this meant a few ceremonies had to occur. The first, and my personal favorite, is Serenade. This is just what the name sounds like, the classes go around to various teachers' houses and sing to them from the street. It's a big partying event and the students imbibe greatly to get into the musical mood. Some of the teachers got together at the school to give the students a little snack before they started spreading the jolly noise of Hungarian folk songs around the town. The students thanked us with a few songs:
One of my classes serenading my colleagues and I from the street below the school
My colleagues rush around our work room decorating and waiting for the seniors to come through on their walkabout around the school.
At the end of the walk all of the students (a class of about 80 students I'd wager) gather in the gym with the teachers for a few words of goodbye.
The students leaving the gym for the big ceremony. "Wait!" you exclaim, "Those in the back don't look like 18 year olds." How very astute of you. The class that graduated 50 years ago is also invited, and they receive the same little gift bags as the graduating seniors, walk with them around the school, and elect one of their own to address the crowd at the larger ceremony.
After that is the main ceremony in the school's garden. It was, for a Hungarian, surprisingly brief clocking in at about an hour. Because the students have not yet passed their big school-leaving exams they do not receive diplomas, which is a great advantage over an American ceremony. After a few congratulatory speeches and the obligatory poetry readings (there must be some law here that no ceremony may have fewer than five of them) we were out.
A couple of my favorite colleagues, English teachers Evelin and Kati, wait for the ceremony to begin.
The senior class that I taught this year walks out of the graduation ceremony and on towards whatever they will do with their futures.
It's that special time of the school year. As the temperature rises and the days grow longer, flowers bloom and all semblance of law and order in classrooms across the Northern Hemisphere breaks down. Yes, we are now approximately one month away from the precious last school day of the year and students and teachers alike spend most of class looking out the window onto the beautiful May weather and urging June 13th to come faster.
Hungary is a place of great formality and many traditions. As I learned last week, this tendency towards quirky ritual manifests itself in the school-leaving process. First of all, the system for finishing school here is quite different. Seniors stop taking classes over a month before the end of the year so they can concentate on taking the all-important Érettségi exams. These are similar to the A-levels in the British system I suppose - a test that culminates 4 years of education and will be the main indicator of the students proficiency in a given subject. They must choose a number of subjects to take and for each test they receive a certain number of points. To go to a university program you need a lot of points in various topics depending on the program. It's a big deal, hence their exemption from classes while they prepare for and take the exams in May and June. Last week was the last day of classes for the 12th graders and this meant a few ceremonies had to occur. The first, and my personal favorite, is Serenade. This is just what the name sounds like, the classes go around to various teachers' houses and sing to them from the street. It's a big partying event and the students imbibe greatly to get into the musical mood. Some of the teachers got together at the school to give the students a little snack before they started spreading the jolly noise of Hungarian folk songs around the town. The students thanked us with a few songs:
One of my classes serenading my colleagues and I from the street below the schoolAfter Serenade on Tuesday, Saturday was Ballagás, the Hungarian graduation ceremony. This is a uniqe little affair where the students walk around the entire school in a line and go into each classroom. Each class (students are grouped into the same 30 or so student classes all four years of high school here) had a classroom which they decorate and then stand in, waiting for the seniors to come by so they can give them flowers. The teachers did the same thing with the teachers' work room. The students came in, received flowers, and gave each teacher who taught them a little card with all of their pictures on it and signatures on the back. In addition, the students also receive a small gift bag with a little Hungarian scone, some wine, and a 5 forint piece (about 2 US cents) to symbolize success.
My colleagues rush around our work room decorating and waiting for the seniors to come through on their walkabout around the school.At the end of the walk all of the students (a class of about 80 students I'd wager) gather in the gym with the teachers for a few words of goodbye.
The students leaving the gym for the big ceremony. "Wait!" you exclaim, "Those in the back don't look like 18 year olds." How very astute of you. The class that graduated 50 years ago is also invited, and they receive the same little gift bags as the graduating seniors, walk with them around the school, and elect one of their own to address the crowd at the larger ceremony.After that is the main ceremony in the school's garden. It was, for a Hungarian, surprisingly brief clocking in at about an hour. Because the students have not yet passed their big school-leaving exams they do not receive diplomas, which is a great advantage over an American ceremony. After a few congratulatory speeches and the obligatory poetry readings (there must be some law here that no ceremony may have fewer than five of them) we were out.
A couple of my favorite colleagues, English teachers Evelin and Kati, wait for the ceremony to begin.
The senior class that I taught this year walks out of the graduation ceremony and on towards whatever they will do with their futures.Saturday, April 12, 2008
Spring Brings Visitors
Hungarian for the day: Van tavasz, bossznak a madárok! "Spring is here, the birds are...." well they're having their fun.
This year the Easter Bunny brought me two visitors, which was pretty much the best Easter present I could hope for. Early the Saturday before Easter I found myself on train from Budapest to Prague where I was to meet Alina and Josh, who had just arrived that afternoon from the States. After meeting in the crowded Old Town Square we went back to our rented flat so I could drop off my stuff before setting out to get started on our sightseeing. I stayed in Prague with them from Saturday until early the next Tuesday morning and we filled our time there with the traditional Prague sightseeing type activities: walking through the historic streets, taking in the beautiful architecture, and sampling a bit of the city's high culture and more than a bit of its world-famous beer.
Josh and Alina smile for the camera with Prague's Castle Hill in the background across the Vltava River.
Easter morning we started our sightseeing with a walk around Prague's Jewish Quarter. Prague was taken early by the Nazi's and Hitler's plan was to leave only a few of the city's Jewish holy places standing. These last standing buildings would act as his "Museum of an extinct race."
Seeking some more lighthearted fun we crossed the famous Charles Bridge and hiked up to the top of Castle Hill. Here Alina pauses for a photo shoot of what is probably a much better picture than this. The thing is, it being my third time in Prague and Josh being the devoted photographer that he is (complete with high-tech camera, stick to anything tri-pod, and swanky photo editing software), I was a real slacker about tacking pictures. I'm sure Josh and Alina will be sending me their photos soon *hint*
Looking up towards the Castle from Charles Bridge. This complex of buildings has been the nerve center of Czech political live since the 9th century and has been the home to the kings of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire, and the leaders of Czechoslovokia and the modern Czech Republic. It's also a good place to get defenestrated.
St Vitus Cathedral, located at the heart of the castle complex, dates back to 1344.
Eventually we found ourselves near one of my very favorite sites in Prague, the Mucha Museum. Alphonse Mucha is perhaps the Czech nation's most famous artist. He was a pioneer of the Art Nouveau movement and used his art as a tool to bring attention to the oppression of the Czechs and other Slavs under the yoke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After the art we went to Prague's Museum of Communism, hilariously situated above a McDonald's and next to a casino. That bit of dark humor set the tone for the museum, which did a remarkable job of conveying the devastating effects of the Communist era while keeping a humorous tone. The gift shop sold faux propaganda postcards with clever slogans like "You couldn't buy detergent but you could get your brain washed!" "It was a time of happy, shiny people - the shiniest being in the uranium mines!" and "The Communist women would have burned their bras too if there had been any in the stores." I bought one with a picture of the infamous kiss between Soviet Premier Brezhnev and the leader of East Germany Honecker's famous French kiss that read "If he slipped you tongue you really knew you were going places."
Prague's famous Old Town Hall Clock, one of the world's most celebrated astronomical clocks, is said by local legend to be tied to the city's well-being. Apparently if the clock is neglected the city will suffer great misfortune.
Langos! After a night of sampling Prague's fine beers we did a bit of sleeping in before making our way to Old Town Square and purchasing what may be the universe's best hangover food. Langos is a Hungarian food that has become popular in all of Hungary's neighbors, probably because of its inherent health benefits. It's deep fried dough slathered with your choice of toppings. My favorite combination, a huge amount of garlic topped with sour cream and cheese, is the standard in Hungary. Josh's face says it all, it's seriously good.
The Old Town Square was packed with festival tents and decorations for the Easter Holiday. Easter is celebrated similarly in Eastern and Central Europe as it is in America with a few extra traditions. In Hungary boys go from house to house spraying girls' hair with perfume in exchange for money, colored eggs, and sweets. In the Czech Republic the ritual is a little less enjoyable for the ladies, they get whipped and are expected to give gifts. Apparently these traditions date back to pagan fertility rituals.
We spent all afternoon that day in the theater. We got relatively cheap and yet very good seats to see Swan Lake. Having studied in Russia I saw this play a few times, and I am happy to report that this performance was up to muster. Indeed the main ballerina was perhaps the most convincing swan lady I've ever seen. Above Al, who was also on our trip, tries to get closer to some of the pretty ladies decorating the opulent theater. Check out his blog soon as I'm sure Alina will be updating with his time here in Europe.
After our afternoon at the theater we used the rest of the day's light to cross the river and climb up a hill for the views. Here the castle overlooks the rest of the "City of 100 spires." We were also searching for Prague's museum to history's greatest Czech citizen, a fictional character with the befitting Eastern European dark humor who was said to have remarked "I'm such an atheist I'm terrified of what God will do to me." Unfortunately the museum was closed but Alina and Josh did make it after I left Prague and they reported that it was awesome.
After a very nice stay in Prague I had to get up early on Tuesday morning to temporarily part from my friends and go back to work. They spent another day in Prague before heading to Vienna to spend a few days sightseeing while I was back in Szentes teaching. On my way back to Szentes from Prague I had an afternoon-long wait between trains in Bratislava and I took the opportunity to walk around. I can't say I really know anything about the city but I did take a few pictures of the quaint little city as winter's last little bit of snow fell:
The castle overlooking Bratislava is much like Bratislava itself - cute and modest.
I grabbed a quick lunch in a little cafe and when I came out winter was attempting one final snowstorm.
A photo exhibit in Freedom Square called "100 faces of Transylvania." Transylvania, part of Romania since after the First World War, was part of Hungary for hundreds of years and is indeed in many ways the Hungarian heartland (or was). Today many ethnic Hungarians still live there and this exhibition focused on the dynamic ethnic mix and beautiful scenery of Transylvania. This just strengthened my resolve to get down there sooner than later.
Also new for me was the Museum of Ethnography, housed in a stunning building near Parliament:
One of the museums many musical instruments, this one apparently typical of the area around Szentes.
After a few days of hard sightseeing, my weary travelers took a map in resplendently beautiful springtime Margaret Island and decided to go home Monday night instead of Tuesday.
The island park is certainly one of Budapest's coolest features.
Alina works with some of my ninth grade students respond to pen pal letters from her students.
After school on Friday we caught a bus to a neighboring town to spend the day with my colleague Kata and her family. We met Kata and she treated us to a very traditional Hungarian lunch (fried meat for Josh and I as Alina, the vegetarian, once again endured vegetables from out of the freezer and fried cheese). After lunch we went to the little museum of communism in the town. This is a unique little museum, cousin of the much bigger House of Terror in Budapest, that documents how communism affected a small town and its denizens. Kata helped us enjoy it as nothing was in English, and I think we all took something away from it.
The museum included an exhibit dedicated to one of my favorite art forms: Socialist Realism!!
This year the Easter Bunny brought me two visitors, which was pretty much the best Easter present I could hope for. Early the Saturday before Easter I found myself on train from Budapest to Prague where I was to meet Alina and Josh, who had just arrived that afternoon from the States. After meeting in the crowded Old Town Square we went back to our rented flat so I could drop off my stuff before setting out to get started on our sightseeing. I stayed in Prague with them from Saturday until early the next Tuesday morning and we filled our time there with the traditional Prague sightseeing type activities: walking through the historic streets, taking in the beautiful architecture, and sampling a bit of the city's high culture and more than a bit of its world-famous beer.
Josh and Alina smile for the camera with Prague's Castle Hill in the background across the Vltava River.
Easter morning we started our sightseeing with a walk around Prague's Jewish Quarter. Prague was taken early by the Nazi's and Hitler's plan was to leave only a few of the city's Jewish holy places standing. These last standing buildings would act as his "Museum of an extinct race."
Seeking some more lighthearted fun we crossed the famous Charles Bridge and hiked up to the top of Castle Hill. Here Alina pauses for a photo shoot of what is probably a much better picture than this. The thing is, it being my third time in Prague and Josh being the devoted photographer that he is (complete with high-tech camera, stick to anything tri-pod, and swanky photo editing software), I was a real slacker about tacking pictures. I'm sure Josh and Alina will be sending me their photos soon *hint*
Looking up towards the Castle from Charles Bridge. This complex of buildings has been the nerve center of Czech political live since the 9th century and has been the home to the kings of Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire, and the leaders of Czechoslovokia and the modern Czech Republic. It's also a good place to get defenestrated.
St Vitus Cathedral, located at the heart of the castle complex, dates back to 1344.
Eventually we found ourselves near one of my very favorite sites in Prague, the Mucha Museum. Alphonse Mucha is perhaps the Czech nation's most famous artist. He was a pioneer of the Art Nouveau movement and used his art as a tool to bring attention to the oppression of the Czechs and other Slavs under the yoke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After the art we went to Prague's Museum of Communism, hilariously situated above a McDonald's and next to a casino. That bit of dark humor set the tone for the museum, which did a remarkable job of conveying the devastating effects of the Communist era while keeping a humorous tone. The gift shop sold faux propaganda postcards with clever slogans like "You couldn't buy detergent but you could get your brain washed!" "It was a time of happy, shiny people - the shiniest being in the uranium mines!" and "The Communist women would have burned their bras too if there had been any in the stores." I bought one with a picture of the infamous kiss between Soviet Premier Brezhnev and the leader of East Germany Honecker's famous French kiss that read "If he slipped you tongue you really knew you were going places."
Prague's famous Old Town Hall Clock, one of the world's most celebrated astronomical clocks, is said by local legend to be tied to the city's well-being. Apparently if the clock is neglected the city will suffer great misfortune.
Langos! After a night of sampling Prague's fine beers we did a bit of sleeping in before making our way to Old Town Square and purchasing what may be the universe's best hangover food. Langos is a Hungarian food that has become popular in all of Hungary's neighbors, probably because of its inherent health benefits. It's deep fried dough slathered with your choice of toppings. My favorite combination, a huge amount of garlic topped with sour cream and cheese, is the standard in Hungary. Josh's face says it all, it's seriously good.
The Old Town Square was packed with festival tents and decorations for the Easter Holiday. Easter is celebrated similarly in Eastern and Central Europe as it is in America with a few extra traditions. In Hungary boys go from house to house spraying girls' hair with perfume in exchange for money, colored eggs, and sweets. In the Czech Republic the ritual is a little less enjoyable for the ladies, they get whipped and are expected to give gifts. Apparently these traditions date back to pagan fertility rituals.
We spent all afternoon that day in the theater. We got relatively cheap and yet very good seats to see Swan Lake. Having studied in Russia I saw this play a few times, and I am happy to report that this performance was up to muster. Indeed the main ballerina was perhaps the most convincing swan lady I've ever seen. Above Al, who was also on our trip, tries to get closer to some of the pretty ladies decorating the opulent theater. Check out his blog soon as I'm sure Alina will be updating with his time here in Europe.
After our afternoon at the theater we used the rest of the day's light to cross the river and climb up a hill for the views. Here the castle overlooks the rest of the "City of 100 spires." We were also searching for Prague's museum to history's greatest Czech citizen, a fictional character with the befitting Eastern European dark humor who was said to have remarked "I'm such an atheist I'm terrified of what God will do to me." Unfortunately the museum was closed but Alina and Josh did make it after I left Prague and they reported that it was awesome.After a very nice stay in Prague I had to get up early on Tuesday morning to temporarily part from my friends and go back to work. They spent another day in Prague before heading to Vienna to spend a few days sightseeing while I was back in Szentes teaching. On my way back to Szentes from Prague I had an afternoon-long wait between trains in Bratislava and I took the opportunity to walk around. I can't say I really know anything about the city but I did take a few pictures of the quaint little city as winter's last little bit of snow fell:
The castle overlooking Bratislava is much like Bratislava itself - cute and modest.
I grabbed a quick lunch in a little cafe and when I came out winter was attempting one final snowstorm.After a few days apart as I taught my little angels and Alina and Josh took in Vienna, we met up again on Friday night in Budapest. It was pretty late when we arrived in Budapest so we really just found our couchsurfers and went to get some dinner. Our couchsurfers were a group of Californian students spending a year abroad studying in Budapest. It was really cool to meet them and I'm sure I'll be seeing more of them in the future. That night we grabbed food at a kebab place and then climbed the Castle Hill for Alina and Josh's first tastes of palinka and stunning views that I did not catch because I forgot to bring my camera. Refer to previous posts.
I took two of my personal days (that I didn't even know I was entitled too...) to have a long weekend in Budapest to show Josh and Alina my favorite city. We spent the days busily sightseeing and generally hung out with the Californians by night. One of the strange highlights of the trip was a huge potluck dinner that Saturday night at one of the other kids in the Californians' study abroad group. It turned out to be a huge party of mainly Americans, on top of that I ran into another SOL volunteer on the streets and invited her along with us to the party. It was the first time I'd been around more than two Americans at a time since August and now I get what people say about us: we are loud. Along with that, however, is that we are exceptionally open. It was a nice time and after so much Hungarian distance it was reassuring to meet somebody and get warm vibes instantly over and over again all night. Some other Budapest highlights include:
I took two of my personal days (that I didn't even know I was entitled too...) to have a long weekend in Budapest to show Josh and Alina my favorite city. We spent the days busily sightseeing and generally hung out with the Californians by night. One of the strange highlights of the trip was a huge potluck dinner that Saturday night at one of the other kids in the Californians' study abroad group. It turned out to be a huge party of mainly Americans, on top of that I ran into another SOL volunteer on the streets and invited her along with us to the party. It was the first time I'd been around more than two Americans at a time since August and now I get what people say about us: we are loud. Along with that, however, is that we are exceptionally open. It was a nice time and after so much Hungarian distance it was reassuring to meet somebody and get warm vibes instantly over and over again all night. Some other Budapest highlights include:
A photo exhibit in Freedom Square called "100 faces of Transylvania." Transylvania, part of Romania since after the First World War, was part of Hungary for hundreds of years and is indeed in many ways the Hungarian heartland (or was). Today many ethnic Hungarians still live there and this exhibition focused on the dynamic ethnic mix and beautiful scenery of Transylvania. This just strengthened my resolve to get down there sooner than later.Also new for me was the Museum of Ethnography, housed in a stunning building near Parliament:
One of the museums many musical instruments, this one apparently typical of the area around Szentes.After a few days of hard sightseeing, my weary travelers took a map in resplendently beautiful springtime Margaret Island and decided to go home Monday night instead of Tuesday.
The island park is certainly one of Budapest's coolest features.After covering so much ground so quickly Alina and Josh were pretty worn out, as was I. We spent all day Tuesday relaxing and taking the Arrested Development challenge. Devotees may remember that Alina and I took a Waffle House challenge during our roadtrip (stopping at every Waffle House and eating a waffle each on a day long drive through South and North Carolina...we almost died). Why we always end of doing this sort of thing I cannot understand. We did, however, manage to succeed in the Arrested Development challenge, finishing every episode of the show and even surviving an Arrested Development drinking game. Score!
Wednesday I went off to face my most difficult day of the week - 7 classes and no breaks - while the travelers relaxed a bit more. That evening we walked around for a few hours, had dinner in my favorite restaurant in Szentes, and met my friend Kalman (once English private student but now partner in English-Hungarian language exchange) to bowl. I had never been to the bowling alley in Szentes before but it was actually really nice, though small. Of course I didn't have my camera on me (theme of the post) but suffice to say it was a very done-up cosmic bowling theme in the basement of Chicago, Szentes' American-themed restaurant/bar. For the next two days I brought Alina and Josh in to school with me. It was a big success and my students really enjoyed meeting them and were surprisingly brave with the strangers. Alina and I have a penpal arrangement going on between two of our classes so some of the classes they visited were spent helping the students write responses to letters Alina brought over from her class.
Wednesday I went off to face my most difficult day of the week - 7 classes and no breaks - while the travelers relaxed a bit more. That evening we walked around for a few hours, had dinner in my favorite restaurant in Szentes, and met my friend Kalman (once English private student but now partner in English-Hungarian language exchange) to bowl. I had never been to the bowling alley in Szentes before but it was actually really nice, though small. Of course I didn't have my camera on me (theme of the post) but suffice to say it was a very done-up cosmic bowling theme in the basement of Chicago, Szentes' American-themed restaurant/bar. For the next two days I brought Alina and Josh in to school with me. It was a big success and my students really enjoyed meeting them and were surprisingly brave with the strangers. Alina and I have a penpal arrangement going on between two of our classes so some of the classes they visited were spent helping the students write responses to letters Alina brought over from her class.
Alina works with some of my ninth grade students respond to pen pal letters from her students.After school on Friday we caught a bus to a neighboring town to spend the day with my colleague Kata and her family. We met Kata and she treated us to a very traditional Hungarian lunch (fried meat for Josh and I as Alina, the vegetarian, once again endured vegetables from out of the freezer and fried cheese). After lunch we went to the little museum of communism in the town. This is a unique little museum, cousin of the much bigger House of Terror in Budapest, that documents how communism affected a small town and its denizens. Kata helped us enjoy it as nothing was in English, and I think we all took something away from it.
The museum included an exhibit dedicated to one of my favorite art forms: Socialist Realism!!After the museum we went with Kata to pick her kids up from daycare and then spent the day with them at the playground and then back at her house. They are cute kids who always call me "Bacsi" which means Uncle. It's pretty helpful for me to be around them as far as language skills go (they are roughly at my level). It's also just fun to be around creatures with so much energy.
Kata's son displays the most serious little face I've ever seen on a three year old as he expertly pilots his jeep around the yard.
Kata's son displays the most serious little face I've ever seen on a three year old as he expertly pilots his jeep around the yard.That evening we returned to Szentes and went to Taylor's for a night of hanging out. The next day we were up early for a day in Szeged before heading back up to Budapest to stay with the Californians so that Alina and Josh could get a very early ride to the airport and then back to Virginia. Their visit was great fun and indeed after their departure life in Szentes seemed a little more drab than usual. At least it's beautiful springtime with summer break approaching more and more quickly. I hope you're all enjoying the season. Sziasztok!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Life Decisions
Hungarian for the day: Kellemes Húsvétot - Happy Easter!
As Easter draws near here in Hungary an important time of the year for SOL volunteers like myself has arrived: the time to decide whether or not to commit to another year in our posts or to mosey along. I've been thinking about this decision quite obsessively, and I hope I've made the right decision because as of this week I've responded to both my school and the SOL organizers that I'll stay for another year.
I believe a list of explanations is in order:
-First of all, I like my job more than I've ever liked any job. Not to say that I don't fantasize about throwing certain students out of the school's 4th floor window, I think every teacher does that. But most of my students are pretty cool and I enjoy our classes together and I think they do as well. It's not perfect, but then again a job is a place where you show up in exchange for money so as far as that goes I think this position is pretty good. Also I like my colleagues and as long as it took me to break the ice with them I don't want to start the process over again in another position.
-Probably the main reason for staying is that I feel like I've already been through the really tough part of the experience and I want to reap the benefits of having gone through it. What I mean is this: when I moved here I spoke none of the language, knew next to nothing about the culture and context of my new home, had no high school teaching experience, and had never lived alone. More than that all of little things are what really add up. I didn't know how anything around me worked, from the bus systems to ordering rituals at the local market. It was tough and it took about 6 months but now I'm, more or less, accustomed to this Hungarian life. I think next year could be a drastically different experience because I'll come in knowing the deal at school, with a wide network of acquaintances that I hope are turning into close friendships, and with much more useful linguistic abilities, bringing me to my next point...
- I tried to learn Hungarian in a year, I really did. I have countless flashcards all around my house, I've labeled everything in my apartment, I sit through Hungarian soap operas to try and absorb the dialog, I eavesdrop on my students to pick up how the kids these days are talking, I meet people to swap English for Hungarian conversation hours, and I constantly have my nose buried in a Hungarian grammar guide or exercise book. I'm not, however, going to be anywhere near the level of Hungarian I set out to reach by the end of this year, and because I don't want all of this hard work to amount to yet another language half learned and then forgotten, it's Hungary again for me. I think that life here in general has improved primarily as a function of how well I speak Hungarian so I think that a year here with the ability to to, you know, actually talk to the people around me will be a good time.
-I partly came over here for academic experience, but making progress on exploring Hungarian and Eastern European politics has been a slower process than I'd expected. Basically this is because the adjustment took longer than I'd expected and also because doing any sort of research into the politics and society of a country requires speaking the language. I'm hoping to make some connections through some of my Szeged U. friends with some political science professors to interview them for a real kick-ass paper to get me into grad school.
-Grad school is another good reason to stay here - applying to Ph.D programs is a tortuous and soul-crushing process that takes time and effort in huge qualities. Not only will I be much more likely to actually get into a grad school if I stay because I'll speak a rare language better and be able to do some research here, quiet little Szentes will provide me with the countless hours of silence and solitude that I'll need come fall to apply to school.
So that's my decision. I hope it's the right one and I guess only time will tell. The only think I really fear is that by about halfway through next year I'll go insane because of how quiet it is here. We shall see. At any rate I've got to jet and pack. I forgot to mention probably the biggest reason I'll return - life on this hemisphere means tons of incredible travel opportunities! I'm off to meet Josh and Alina (!!!!!!) in Prague for Easter break! Szia!
As Easter draws near here in Hungary an important time of the year for SOL volunteers like myself has arrived: the time to decide whether or not to commit to another year in our posts or to mosey along. I've been thinking about this decision quite obsessively, and I hope I've made the right decision because as of this week I've responded to both my school and the SOL organizers that I'll stay for another year.
I believe a list of explanations is in order:
-First of all, I like my job more than I've ever liked any job. Not to say that I don't fantasize about throwing certain students out of the school's 4th floor window, I think every teacher does that. But most of my students are pretty cool and I enjoy our classes together and I think they do as well. It's not perfect, but then again a job is a place where you show up in exchange for money so as far as that goes I think this position is pretty good. Also I like my colleagues and as long as it took me to break the ice with them I don't want to start the process over again in another position.
-Probably the main reason for staying is that I feel like I've already been through the really tough part of the experience and I want to reap the benefits of having gone through it. What I mean is this: when I moved here I spoke none of the language, knew next to nothing about the culture and context of my new home, had no high school teaching experience, and had never lived alone. More than that all of little things are what really add up. I didn't know how anything around me worked, from the bus systems to ordering rituals at the local market. It was tough and it took about 6 months but now I'm, more or less, accustomed to this Hungarian life. I think next year could be a drastically different experience because I'll come in knowing the deal at school, with a wide network of acquaintances that I hope are turning into close friendships, and with much more useful linguistic abilities, bringing me to my next point...
- I tried to learn Hungarian in a year, I really did. I have countless flashcards all around my house, I've labeled everything in my apartment, I sit through Hungarian soap operas to try and absorb the dialog, I eavesdrop on my students to pick up how the kids these days are talking, I meet people to swap English for Hungarian conversation hours, and I constantly have my nose buried in a Hungarian grammar guide or exercise book. I'm not, however, going to be anywhere near the level of Hungarian I set out to reach by the end of this year, and because I don't want all of this hard work to amount to yet another language half learned and then forgotten, it's Hungary again for me. I think that life here in general has improved primarily as a function of how well I speak Hungarian so I think that a year here with the ability to to, you know, actually talk to the people around me will be a good time.
-I partly came over here for academic experience, but making progress on exploring Hungarian and Eastern European politics has been a slower process than I'd expected. Basically this is because the adjustment took longer than I'd expected and also because doing any sort of research into the politics and society of a country requires speaking the language. I'm hoping to make some connections through some of my Szeged U. friends with some political science professors to interview them for a real kick-ass paper to get me into grad school.
-Grad school is another good reason to stay here - applying to Ph.D programs is a tortuous and soul-crushing process that takes time and effort in huge qualities. Not only will I be much more likely to actually get into a grad school if I stay because I'll speak a rare language better and be able to do some research here, quiet little Szentes will provide me with the countless hours of silence and solitude that I'll need come fall to apply to school.
So that's my decision. I hope it's the right one and I guess only time will tell. The only think I really fear is that by about halfway through next year I'll go insane because of how quiet it is here. We shall see. At any rate I've got to jet and pack. I forgot to mention probably the biggest reason I'll return - life on this hemisphere means tons of incredible travel opportunities! I'm off to meet Josh and Alina (!!!!!!) in Prague for Easter break! Szia!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Ski Break Part 3: Holland
No Hungarian for the day this time. Instead my favorite quote from the break. The scene: eating a maoz falafel on an Amsterdam corner before entering the Rijksmuseum, discussing how beautiful the city is.
Me: It would be such a shame if this place flooded, but it's surrounded by so much water I'd imagine it floods here all the time.
Taylor: Well, their dikes are really high here.
Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time to explore Holland. We went up there on Friday but because of a late start and ridiculous traffic we didn't make it all the way to our hotel north of Amsterdam until pretty late. We did manage to go into the city however, and what an interesting place Amsterdam is on a Friday night. As we took the bus from our hotel's neighborhood into the city we read the police warnings posted prominently in the tourist guide and had a good laugh. Amsterdam's reputation precedes it and it seems that the police are used to dealing with some pretty ridiculous things. They do, however, seem to take a commendably patient approach to it: "Please do not use our streets as restrooms, there are designated free public toilets throughout the city, or just come by a police station and we will allow you to use the restroom," or "If you would like to hire one of Amsterdam's ladies, please only do so in designated areas, and remember that just because one looks like a woman doesn't necessarily mean that it is. Also, please remember that they are business women who deserve respect." We walked through the red light district when we arrived in the city and judging from the large proportion of women in windows decked out in leather and brandishing whips, they are unlikely to be disrespected without inflicting considerable injuries upon the offending party. A bit weirded out by this neighborhood where prostitutes aggressively beckoned from every window we wandered out of the area and grabbed dinner at a place called "wok and walk " (the name had me at hello) before relaxing in a hookah bar until we were too tired for any more touring and just made it back to the hotel.
The next day was Saturday and the day before Taylor and I had to return to Szentes so we were determined to see as much of the city as possible. Really our brief time in Amsterdam was not even sufficient to skim the surface and all it did was make me determined to return one day to explore it in detail. It's a remarkably interesting place and though it's reputation is mainly that of a wild place to party because of its liberal policies, it is perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. We spent most of the day on foot just trying to see as much as possible.
Amsterdam is a city where bikes probably outnumber cars and pedestrians combined. This is the first time I had ever seen a bike parking garage.
Micha and Taylor navigating
Here is Anne Frank's house. We were planning on going in and this was the first place that we made our way to. Unfortunately there was an enormous line and we had to forgo the experience because we didn't want to spend our single day in Amsterdam in line. Next time!
After a time in the bustling center we made our way to the quite and artsy Jordaan area and enjoyed the views of beautiful architecture along the canals.
Cheese! One of Holland's best known exports and one of my favorite things. Taylor, however, bought some cheese that was so stinky I couldn't handle it, marking the first cheese I've ever been overpowered by. I was feeling slightly emasculated, but Taylor smelled like a goat's ass gone sour all day so you decide who the real loser was.
The main cathedral on Dam Square
The Zuiderkerk, built in 1611, was a Protestant church and is one of the city's most famous postcard spots.
After we were finished in the Rijksmuseum it was getting dark so we caught a tram back to the train station to get a move on. I feel that the train station deserves some mention as it is by far the most ornate transportation hub I've ever seen, even including the "people's palaces" of the Soviet era metro stations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Also interesting is that it was built over three islands.
A couple quick Holland observations:
1. Micha noticed this first, but after she pointed it out to me it was remarkably ubiquitous: the Dutch do not close their window curtains. Walking down the city streets you gaze right through large street level windows into people's lives. It doesn't seem to make them at all uncomfortable, indeed I think it was weirder for us to feel intrusive than for them. It's quite a nice idea, however, this general openness.
2. Amsterdam is diverse. Indeed, it is perhaps Europes most diverse city, and more than 50% of the children in Amsteram have some sort of non-Western background. After spending so much time in Szentes where diversity is a foreign concept, it was nice to hear many languages and smell different cuisines.
3. There really are windmills all over the place.
After our day in Amsterdam we drove out to the university town of Leiden where a friendly couchsurfer had offered to put us up for the evening and where we were also to meet a friend of Taylor's studying at the university there on an Erasmus scholarship. We rounded everyone up in Micha's car and then spent the evening enjoying a big dinner of more Asian wok food before stumbling upon a charming little pub populated mainly by Dutch good-old-boys. We got to know our kind host, Judith, over a few beers and eventually the singing of old Dutch folk songs broke out around us. Late that night we'd had more good Dutch beer and patriotism than we'd bargained for so we made our way back to Judith's to catch some sleep. The next morning we woke up with only enough to time to jump into the car and head for Cologne, where Taylor and I said our sad goodbye's to Micha and caught a flight back to Hungary.
Also, click here for my online ski break picture album.
Me: It would be such a shame if this place flooded, but it's surrounded by so much water I'd imagine it floods here all the time.
Taylor: Well, their dikes are really high here.
Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time to explore Holland. We went up there on Friday but because of a late start and ridiculous traffic we didn't make it all the way to our hotel north of Amsterdam until pretty late. We did manage to go into the city however, and what an interesting place Amsterdam is on a Friday night. As we took the bus from our hotel's neighborhood into the city we read the police warnings posted prominently in the tourist guide and had a good laugh. Amsterdam's reputation precedes it and it seems that the police are used to dealing with some pretty ridiculous things. They do, however, seem to take a commendably patient approach to it: "Please do not use our streets as restrooms, there are designated free public toilets throughout the city, or just come by a police station and we will allow you to use the restroom," or "If you would like to hire one of Amsterdam's ladies, please only do so in designated areas, and remember that just because one looks like a woman doesn't necessarily mean that it is. Also, please remember that they are business women who deserve respect." We walked through the red light district when we arrived in the city and judging from the large proportion of women in windows decked out in leather and brandishing whips, they are unlikely to be disrespected without inflicting considerable injuries upon the offending party. A bit weirded out by this neighborhood where prostitutes aggressively beckoned from every window we wandered out of the area and grabbed dinner at a place called "wok and walk " (the name had me at hello) before relaxing in a hookah bar until we were too tired for any more touring and just made it back to the hotel.
The next day was Saturday and the day before Taylor and I had to return to Szentes so we were determined to see as much of the city as possible. Really our brief time in Amsterdam was not even sufficient to skim the surface and all it did was make me determined to return one day to explore it in detail. It's a remarkably interesting place and though it's reputation is mainly that of a wild place to party because of its liberal policies, it is perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. We spent most of the day on foot just trying to see as much as possible.
Amsterdam is a city where bikes probably outnumber cars and pedestrians combined. This is the first time I had ever seen a bike parking garage.
Micha and Taylor navigating
Here is Anne Frank's house. We were planning on going in and this was the first place that we made our way to. Unfortunately there was an enormous line and we had to forgo the experience because we didn't want to spend our single day in Amsterdam in line. Next time!
After a time in the bustling center we made our way to the quite and artsy Jordaan area and enjoyed the views of beautiful architecture along the canals.
Cheese! One of Holland's best known exports and one of my favorite things. Taylor, however, bought some cheese that was so stinky I couldn't handle it, marking the first cheese I've ever been overpowered by. I was feeling slightly emasculated, but Taylor smelled like a goat's ass gone sour all day so you decide who the real loser was.
The main cathedral on Dam SquareAmsterdam, for good reason, is known as the "Venice of the North" because of it's numerous canals. The center of the city is made up of over 90 little islands! The canals lend a really unique beauty to the city. I only regret that we were there before the city's numerous trees and flowers were in bloom.
The Zuiderkerk, built in 1611, was a Protestant church and is one of the city's most famous postcard spots.After walking around for many hours we decided we should visit at least one of Amsterdam's numerous world-famous museums. There were many to chose from, including the Van Gogh museum and the Rembrant House, but in the end we chose the Rijksmuseum because we figured it would be the broadest introduction to Dutch art and culture. It turned out to be a good choice, and we had a very enjoyable afternoon looking at works by the old Dutch Masters as well as taking in an exhibit about the rise and fall of Holland's empire that stretched around the world.
After we were finished in the Rijksmuseum it was getting dark so we caught a tram back to the train station to get a move on. I feel that the train station deserves some mention as it is by far the most ornate transportation hub I've ever seen, even including the "people's palaces" of the Soviet era metro stations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Also interesting is that it was built over three islands.
A couple quick Holland observations:1. Micha noticed this first, but after she pointed it out to me it was remarkably ubiquitous: the Dutch do not close their window curtains. Walking down the city streets you gaze right through large street level windows into people's lives. It doesn't seem to make them at all uncomfortable, indeed I think it was weirder for us to feel intrusive than for them. It's quite a nice idea, however, this general openness.
2. Amsterdam is diverse. Indeed, it is perhaps Europes most diverse city, and more than 50% of the children in Amsteram have some sort of non-Western background. After spending so much time in Szentes where diversity is a foreign concept, it was nice to hear many languages and smell different cuisines.
3. There really are windmills all over the place.
After our day in Amsterdam we drove out to the university town of Leiden where a friendly couchsurfer had offered to put us up for the evening and where we were also to meet a friend of Taylor's studying at the university there on an Erasmus scholarship. We rounded everyone up in Micha's car and then spent the evening enjoying a big dinner of more Asian wok food before stumbling upon a charming little pub populated mainly by Dutch good-old-boys. We got to know our kind host, Judith, over a few beers and eventually the singing of old Dutch folk songs broke out around us. Late that night we'd had more good Dutch beer and patriotism than we'd bargained for so we made our way back to Judith's to catch some sleep. The next morning we woke up with only enough to time to jump into the car and head for Cologne, where Taylor and I said our sad goodbye's to Micha and caught a flight back to Hungary.
Also, click here for my online ski break picture album.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Ski Break Part 2: Germany
After our weekend in Vienna we drove up to Micha's home in Ludwigsburg, a town just north of Southwestern Germany's main city, Stuttgart. Micha had to get up early on Monday morning and fly up to Hanover for a series of business meetings but she generously left us the use of her apartment and her car during her absence. The first day we headed into downtown Stuttgart to explore the town. We procured a tourist map and flipped through it to find some things to do. It being Monday, most of the Stuttgart's numerous museums were closed. Then I saw that Der Hegel Haus, the place where one of the world's most important philosophical thinkers grew up, was open and free. For a nerd and philosophy major like me, this was thrilling.
Inside the Hegel house. It was good practice for both Taylor and I. Everything was in German so he got a lot of practice translating, and I had to strain to remember what I learned about him while studying philosophy in college.
"I wonder how many times Hegel tripped here..."
The Collegiate Church is Stuttgart's most important Protestant church. A church of some sort has stood on this land since 1175AD.
Castle Square is the heart of downtown Stuttgart. Construction of the palace began in 1746 and the royals of Wuerttemberg moved between here and the below pictured Ludwigsburg palace multiple times. Palace choosing seems to have been a constant source of stress for the royals of Europe. Poor dears.
Speaking of the rich and powerful, after our walk around Stuttgart we made our way to the Porche complex to see the museum. It was little more than a room full of ridiculously nice cars, but that was cool to see. Stuttgart is perhaps best known today as the home to a lot of really cool cars - both Mercedes and Porche are headquartered here. Unfortunately the Benz museum was closed during our day in Stuttgart. Next time.
The world's first Volkswagon - or people's car - is in the Porche museum because Ferdinand Porche designed this vehicle in 1931. This is a particularly interesting factoid as Porche moves to become the majority shareholder in the VW corporation in the coming weeks.
Our first view of central Strasbourg as we crossed the bridge over the Rive Ill, a tributary of the nearby Rhine that forms the modern border between France and Germany. Downtown medieval Strasbourg is situated on an island in the middle of the Ill. We divided our day between sitting in cafes sampling French specialties and strolling around enjoying the scenery. Below are pictures from our walk around the entire island along the Ill:
A tour boat continues via canal.
Me with the medieval Ponts bridge behind and the cathedral in the distance. This picture was taken from atop a huge barrier bridge that spans the Ill in front of where the island of downtown Strasbourg begins. In medieval times to defend the city the barrier's gates would close to flood the area in front of the city, acting as a defense against invasion.
Strasbourg's location on the border has sometimes meant great tragedy during wars. This statue commemorates those who died in the First World War. A mother is depicted mourning for two dead sons: one who died fighting for France and one who died fighting for Germany.
Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, made Strasbourg his home for much of his adult life. Unfortunately some sort of carnival market seems to have ruined the solemnity of my shot, but you get the idea.
The Strasbourg Cathedral is one of the most important High Gothic structures in the world. Construction upon it began in the mid 12th century and it's northern tower was the tallest building in the world for over 200 years.
First view of the interior upon entering the cathedral.
Looking up the Nave to the huge Rose window. The stained glass in the cathedral was removed by the Germans during the Second World War and then sent for safe keeping to a mine in a small town near Micha's home. After the war the US military discovered the treasures and sent them back to Strasbourg.
Speaking of the US military, the cathedral has a dedication to the American soldiers who fought to free France from the Nazi occupation.
One of the world's largest astronomical clocks, just in case you were wondering not only the time but also Jupiter's location.
The main building for the European Council, headquartered in Strasbourg. This is just one of many huge shiny glass buildings in the European complex in Strasbourg. When asked why the European bureaucrats need so many huge shiny glass buildings, Micha unenthusiastically replied "for meetings."
St Michael's Church standing over the city's main square.
The town hall was built in Baroque style after the destruction of the medieval style buildings in one of the huge fires that swept through the city in the 18th Century.
Views of the city from the river at the bottom of the valley it's built around:
After spending a lot of the day strolling around Schwäbisch Hall we bought a picnic lunch in a supermarket and hit the road to visit a few other small cities in the region and find a nice view to enjoy during lunch.
Our golden chariot and a really big bridge
After a nice drive through the countryside we made it to Langenburg, another small town with a nice castle. It seemed like a pretty touristy place and it being February still it was mostly a ghost town. We ate lunch on the patio of a closed cafe on the side of the castle and enjoyed a nice view of the valley below.
Langenburg's castle, unfortunately closed for the off-season when we visited.
Rapunzel's tower
The park was closed *sad music*
The courtyard of Ludwigsburg Palace
Construction on the palace started with Ludwig (hence the name) but Frederick I elevated it to the huge structure that remains today. He was a husky fellow and stood over 2 meters tall. He gained much power and territory by allying himself with Napoleon. Just imagine little Napoleon meeting with this giant of a man.
Our tour guide was a (perhaps over)enthusiastic British woman who liked telling funny stories about the palace's history and inhabitants. My favorite story involved some Duke who was a notorious philanderer and eventually had to resort to crude tactics to see which ladies he had already been with in the royal court. Those who he had "known" were to come to balls wearing blue shoes, while the unexplored were to wear pink.
While our rotund King and womanizing Duke were living the high life, an enormous army of servants were there to attend to their every need. The palace is designed so that the outer rooms (with the nice big windows) are for the palace's regal inhabitants, while the core of the palace consists of dwelling space and passage ways for the numerous servants. Here is a dim servant gathering room behind the King's quarters.
The palace's ball room
The Ancestor's Hall, where one finds a plethora of ugly rich people on the walls of a very pretty passage way.
Micha and I in Besigheim's little main square
Always cool under pressure, Micha smiles for the camera and poses with one her company's products in the location of a very difficult distributor. "They will pay for their insolence" she warned when the cameras were off.
The Micha Media Maelstrom
Insane.
Dinner at Micha's after a long day of sightseeing and before a long drive up to Holland.
Inside the Hegel house. It was good practice for both Taylor and I. Everything was in German so he got a lot of practice translating, and I had to strain to remember what I learned about him while studying philosophy in college.
"I wonder how many times Hegel tripped here..."After spending a while working to understand the dialectic evolution of Spirit in the Hegel museum we decided to give our brains a rest with a stroll around Stuttgart. It was a beautiful, if slightly brisk, day so we had a nice walk. Then we stumbled upon something that we'd both been cruelly deprived of for 6 months while living in rural Hungary: Thai food! I had panang curry and it made me happy in ways words cannot capture.
The Collegiate Church is Stuttgart's most important Protestant church. A church of some sort has stood on this land since 1175AD.
Castle Square is the heart of downtown Stuttgart. Construction of the palace began in 1746 and the royals of Wuerttemberg moved between here and the below pictured Ludwigsburg palace multiple times. Palace choosing seems to have been a constant source of stress for the royals of Europe. Poor dears.
Speaking of the rich and powerful, after our walk around Stuttgart we made our way to the Porche complex to see the museum. It was little more than a room full of ridiculously nice cars, but that was cool to see. Stuttgart is perhaps best known today as the home to a lot of really cool cars - both Mercedes and Porche are headquartered here. Unfortunately the Benz museum was closed during our day in Stuttgart. Next time.
The world's first Volkswagon - or people's car - is in the Porche museum because Ferdinand Porche designed this vehicle in 1931. This is a particularly interesting factoid as Porche moves to become the majority shareholder in the VW corporation in the coming weeks.After a full day in Stuttgart we made our way back to Micha's apartment in Ludwigsburg. We walked around the town's center for a while and then picked up dinner supplies from a grocery store. Back at Micha's we made a dish impossible to make with the ingredients available in Hungary: fettucine alfredo with sundried tomatoes. Parmesan cheese, high-quality olive oil, and sundried tomatoes all being unavailable in Szentes, the dinner was quite a treat. We spend the rest of the evening in trying to figure out what to plan the rest of our week on vacation.
The next morning we were up early to visit Strasbourg. Taylor had heard it was really beautiful and I knew it to be roughly the home of my ancestors (though I wouldn't learn until returning back to Ludwigsburg to read an email from my mom that I could have found records of my ancestors in the city library) so I was up for it. Strasbourg is in the Alsace region that straddles the border between France and Germany. The territory and the city have been banded about between the two powers throughout it's history, though since the end of the Second World War it has been French territory. It is one of the most impressive cities I've ever visited, both in history and beauty. Historically it has been an important place since Roman times and today is a world capital as the home of the European Council and the European Commission for Human Rights. Aesthetically, I think the pictures speak for themselves:
The next morning we were up early to visit Strasbourg. Taylor had heard it was really beautiful and I knew it to be roughly the home of my ancestors (though I wouldn't learn until returning back to Ludwigsburg to read an email from my mom that I could have found records of my ancestors in the city library) so I was up for it. Strasbourg is in the Alsace region that straddles the border between France and Germany. The territory and the city have been banded about between the two powers throughout it's history, though since the end of the Second World War it has been French territory. It is one of the most impressive cities I've ever visited, both in history and beauty. Historically it has been an important place since Roman times and today is a world capital as the home of the European Council and the European Commission for Human Rights. Aesthetically, I think the pictures speak for themselves:
Our first view of central Strasbourg as we crossed the bridge over the Rive Ill, a tributary of the nearby Rhine that forms the modern border between France and Germany. Downtown medieval Strasbourg is situated on an island in the middle of the Ill. We divided our day between sitting in cafes sampling French specialties and strolling around enjoying the scenery. Below are pictures from our walk around the entire island along the Ill:
A tour boat continues via canal.
Me with the medieval Ponts bridge behind and the cathedral in the distance. This picture was taken from atop a huge barrier bridge that spans the Ill in front of where the island of downtown Strasbourg begins. In medieval times to defend the city the barrier's gates would close to flood the area in front of the city, acting as a defense against invasion.
Strasbourg's location on the border has sometimes meant great tragedy during wars. This statue commemorates those who died in the First World War. A mother is depicted mourning for two dead sons: one who died fighting for France and one who died fighting for Germany.
Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, made Strasbourg his home for much of his adult life. Unfortunately some sort of carnival market seems to have ruined the solemnity of my shot, but you get the idea.
The Strasbourg Cathedral is one of the most important High Gothic structures in the world. Construction upon it began in the mid 12th century and it's northern tower was the tallest building in the world for over 200 years.
First view of the interior upon entering the cathedral.
Looking up the Nave to the huge Rose window. The stained glass in the cathedral was removed by the Germans during the Second World War and then sent for safe keeping to a mine in a small town near Micha's home. After the war the US military discovered the treasures and sent them back to Strasbourg.
Speaking of the US military, the cathedral has a dedication to the American soldiers who fought to free France from the Nazi occupation.
One of the world's largest astronomical clocks, just in case you were wondering not only the time but also Jupiter's location.After a full day of walking around the downtime historical section of the city we decided to get out of the center to see the new European government complex.
The main building for the European Council, headquartered in Strasbourg. This is just one of many huge shiny glass buildings in the European complex in Strasbourg. When asked why the European bureaucrats need so many huge shiny glass buildings, Micha unenthusiastically replied "for meetings."
That night we arrived home just in time to meet Micha and create a big dinner consisting mostly of resurrected leftovers from the previous night. The three of us sat around for the rest of the evening discussing our trips and then catching up. The next day Micha had to make it through one more busy day of meetings and such while Taylor and I set out to explore some more of the local scenery. We made our way first to Schwäbisch Hall, one of the oldest cities in the region, founded on this location in the 5th century BC by the Celts. It was once one of the regions most important centers because of its designation as capital of Schwäbia. The town's long history has seen devastation during the Thirty Years War and blights of the bubonic plague, but now it's a charming city full of beautiful German medieval buildings and lively street scenes.
St Michael's Church standing over the city's main square.
The town hall was built in Baroque style after the destruction of the medieval style buildings in one of the huge fires that swept through the city in the 18th Century.Views of the city from the river at the bottom of the valley it's built around:
After spending a lot of the day strolling around Schwäbisch Hall we bought a picnic lunch in a supermarket and hit the road to visit a few other small cities in the region and find a nice view to enjoy during lunch.
Our golden chariot and a really big bridge
After a nice drive through the countryside we made it to Langenburg, another small town with a nice castle. It seemed like a pretty touristy place and it being February still it was mostly a ghost town. We ate lunch on the patio of a closed cafe on the side of the castle and enjoyed a nice view of the valley below.
Langenburg's castle, unfortunately closed for the off-season when we visited.After a day of driving around and seeing the little towns we retired back to Micha's to wait for her to be done with work. After she escaped from her 11 hour board meeting we geared up for a nice dinner in Stuttgart with Gert, a friend of Micha's who I also knew as he studied at William and Mary. We went to a local restaurant and had a big dinner of Maultaschen, a local specialty that is like mushroom ravioli. After that we hit a few bars and just relaxed and talked for a few hours before heading back home where Micha had been promised a day of sleeping in until whenever the hell she wanted. After our sleeping in we got up for a day seeing Ludwigsburg itself with our qualified native tour guide. Ludwigsburg is home to one of Germany's biggest Baroque Palaces. Indeed the city was pretty much built to support the monarchs who built the palace and ruled the surrounding Wuerttemberg from there. When we arrived we discovered that we had a few hours before an English tour began so we went outside to see the gardens. Outside of the palace is a really cool fairytale garden which Micha had shown me a few years ago when I'd visited and I thought it would be great to see again and relearn all of the Grimm's fairy tales. Unfortunately it was closed for the summer, so Rapunzel's tower was all we could see:
Rapunzel's tower
The park was closed *sad music*Instead of reliving our childhood fairytales we walked around the mostly muddy gardens for a while before going to a really good pizza place Micha new. By the time we finished lunch it was getting close to tour time so we made it back to the Palace.
The courtyard of Ludwigsburg Palace
Construction on the palace started with Ludwig (hence the name) but Frederick I elevated it to the huge structure that remains today. He was a husky fellow and stood over 2 meters tall. He gained much power and territory by allying himself with Napoleon. Just imagine little Napoleon meeting with this giant of a man.
Our tour guide was a (perhaps over)enthusiastic British woman who liked telling funny stories about the palace's history and inhabitants. My favorite story involved some Duke who was a notorious philanderer and eventually had to resort to crude tactics to see which ladies he had already been with in the royal court. Those who he had "known" were to come to balls wearing blue shoes, while the unexplored were to wear pink.
While our rotund King and womanizing Duke were living the high life, an enormous army of servants were there to attend to their every need. The palace is designed so that the outer rooms (with the nice big windows) are for the palace's regal inhabitants, while the core of the palace consists of dwelling space and passage ways for the numerous servants. Here is a dim servant gathering room behind the King's quarters.
The palace's ball room
The Ancestor's Hall, where one finds a plethora of ugly rich people on the walls of a very pretty passage way.After finishing our tour of the drafty palace (marble is not good insulation) we warmed up in a nearby cafe and planned our next step. We wanted to go to the Mercedes museum but we didn't have much time before it closed, so instead Micha suggested visiting another well-preserved town nearby. We hopped in the car and soon made it to Besigheim.
Micha and I in Besigheim's little main squareAs we walked around the town Micha's eyes narrowed and she began exuding signs of immense anger. She had spotted her enemy. Micha, you see, has a Big Important Job with the in the upper echelons of the gardening supply company that her father started. They produce mostly potting soil and sell it to stores, and she just had been in countless hours of tedious board meetings trying to figure out what to do about one popular German store chain that was fighting dirty and trying to seriously undercut them. And here, right in front of us, was one of their chains. We decided to stride in and check out how much they were really selling her products for:
Always cool under pressure, Micha smiles for the camera and poses with one her company's products in the location of a very difficult distributor. "They will pay for their insolence" she warned when the cameras were off.Indeed Micha's Big Important Job was really going into overdrive the week that Taylor and I visited her. She's been working with her father's company for some time now - officially for over a year and she grew up in the business. As her father steps out of the spotlight she is taking the helm. The press loves the story: pretty 23 year old assumes dominant position in the board room. That week 3 large German national papers covered her story, one calling her "Die Torf-Prinzessen" - "The peat moss princess." Hilarious (sorry Micha). Then she was one the cover of a financial magazine. Then, perhaps most insanely, on Deutsche Welle, the German CNN. (click here it's the first segment of the show).
The Micha Media MaelstromInsane.
But even with all of the glamor of being one of the Goddesses of the fertilizing world, she still has her feet on the ground. She's the kind of person to have a nice laid back dinner with and discuss anything and everything, which is precisely what we did. Micha was happy to have won 4 days off from work and life in the fast lane, so after our day around Ludwigsburg we relaxed over dinner and prepared for the next day's journey to Holland.
Dinner at Micha's after a long day of sightseeing and before a long drive up to Holland.
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