Thanksgiving!

On Thanksgiving, a group of the Fulbrighters in Hungary gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving.  For Dan and I, it was our first time away from home and family for the holiday.  We were so grateful for this chance to gather with friends.  One the Fulbright professors hosted at her lovely apartment overlooking the Danube.  She has an amazing view! There was turkey, stuffing, imported cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.  Dan and I decided to challenge ourselves to bring 3 dishes. After scouring the internet for dishes we could make with the ingredients we have here, we made 3 vegetable sides.  Four hours of hard work later, we had orange-ginger carrots, garlic parmesan zucchini, and bacon wrapped sweet potato fries. Everything turned out well. The bacon wrapped sweet potatoes were the favorite. We also enjoyed 3 desserts. One Fulbrighter made apple/pear crisp...yum! A Hungarian student of our host brought a chocolate and coconut banana bread. And finally, our angel and Fulbright wonderwoman, Annamaria, brought a homemade pumpkin pie. It was a wonderful dinner! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect Thanksgiving in Hungary. This year and every year to come with include my thanks for receiving the Fulbright. This has been an amazing experience! I'm excited to see what the next 6 months have in store!

Iszom Coke (I drink Coke).

In Hungary, there are many things to drink. Drinks are called üdítő. Hungary's most famous drinks are probably all alcohol (wines, palinka, unicum). My favorites are non alcoholic drinks...usually the sweetest ones. I love the variety of lemonades available. My favorite is elderberry lemonade. I'm not quite sure how to describe it but it is delicious. There are even various flavors of milk. The other day, Dan and I tried caramel milk. I suggested we microwave it and put hot chocolate mix in it. That was one of my better ideas. It tasted great. There are a variety of pops as well. Almost everywhere serves Coke. Diet Coke is called Coca-cola Light here. They also have Coke Zero. The grocery stores have some Pepsi but not much and only a few restaurants serve Pepsi. Let me make it clear that when I say they serve Coke or Pepsi, they only serve Coke or Pepsi. They don't serve the other products made by Coke or Pepsi. No Sprite, Sierra Mist, Moutain Dew, etc. We've tried several flavors of the Schweppes brand of pop. I think they are very unique. My favorite has been the Lemon Mint. I also enjoy the flavors of Fanta. In my opinion, the Peach Mango is the best flavor of Fanta.

For those who want to warm up, there are many opportunities to drink coffee or tea. I prefer tea. During orientation week, I had my first taste of fruit tea. Now I'm hooked. This kind of tea is all fruit flavor, not a black or green tea with fruit flavoring. My first cup was at a restaurant and it looked like a hot glass of bright red Kool-aid. It was sweet, fruity, and perfect. Sometimes I add a little extra sugar and it's even better.

The other main drink of choice for us is water. At home we drink a lot of water because it's safe to drink right out of the sink.  It's clean and it tastes great.

As a picture for today, I wanted to share this Christmas tree. We saw this at the West End Mall near Nyugati train station in Budapest. The entire tree is Coke. Coke ribbons and Coke cans as the ornaments. It was neat to see but it was another reminder of the prominence of Coke.

Karácsony!

December 25 is over a month away but I'm already doing a countdown to Karácsony! Karácsony is Christmas in Hungarian. I've already started listening to some Christmas music while I'm getting ready in the morning. During the next few weeks, I will be doing some research in my free time about Hungarian Christmas music. I did a quick search tonight and I've already found many new songs. I'll be sure to post what I learn along the way. In the meantime, here are some traditional Christmas songs that Americans know, sung in Hungarian. Enjoy!

November Fulbright Adventure

I cannot fully express how wonderful the Hungarian Fulbright Commission is.  In addition to our orientation back at the beginning of September, they host monthly events for us.  In September we went to Szentendre and Visegrad.  In October we went to Eger. (See my previous posts for more information).  Dan and I are incredibly grateful for these events.  They are opportunities to travel Hungary, visit the best sights, meet the scholars and innovators of Hungary, and spend some time with the other Fulbright students and scholars. Everyone loves our monthly events.  On Friday, we visited the Aquincum Institute of Technology and the Aquincum Museum.

The Aquincum Institute of Technology (AIT) is part of a large business park (Graphisoft Park) on the north side of Budapest.  The campus is beautiful.  When the area was developed, they put the parking garage underground.  This way, the businesses and AIT are surrounded by beautiful landscapes and sculptures.  It is a lovely area right next to the Danube.  After we arrived, we attended a presentation by Gábor Bojár, the founder of Graphisoft and AIT.  He was inspiring as he spoke about the development of his company and the institute.  Just like Graphisoft, we can use our own strengths to develop our unique value and function in the world.  He also explained his business ideal of designing products and services for the customer. At one point in his presentation, he touched on the development of new software.  Most new software that is developed is never used because the products are not tailored to customers.  He believes that many products are designed in an effort to prove oneself to peers.  I think this happens in all fields but I can personally see this happening in music.  Mr. Bojár's presentation gave me a lot to think about in regards to how I will use my skills and share music with the world.  Even though I don't study computer software, I wish I could have him as a teacher.  If you know anyone studying computer science or software engineering, have them look into the Aquincum Institute of Technology. It is designed for American students studying abroad. I highly recommend it!

After the presentation, we walked around Graphisoft Park. We saw buildings for companies like Microsoft, Graphisoft, SAP and Canon. As Gábor Bojár shared in his presentation, Steve Jobs was crucial to the success of Graphisoft. Since Steve Jobs' passing, a statue has been erected in his honor in front of the Graphisoft building. Here are pictures of me and Dan with the statue.

In the afternoon, we went to the Aquincum Museum.  In the 2nd Century, Aquincum was a Roman city in what is now Budapest.  We visited the outdoor ruins of the city and the museum protecting some of the most valuable artifacts.  Walking around the ruins, we learned about the life of the people. They had a marketplace to buy food and other products.  We went to the public bath and toilet areas and we even saw one of their outdoor amphitheaters.

My favorite part was the museum.  One of the neatest artifacts found in these ruins was an small organ! We saw the original pieces as well as a replica built at the beginning of the 20th century. They said that the organ was even used to help keep guards awake!

We also enjoyed the beautiful mosaics, jewelry, and sculptures.  This first picture shows glass items such as plates, pitchers, and bowls.

This jewelry was incredibly beautiful! It still has its charm today. Most of the Fulbright girls said we would wear this jewelry today.

This mosaic was one of several that we saw in the museum and out in the ruins.  The mosaics are special because they were expensive and they required a great deal of time and artistry. I can't imagine how they designed them. Did they make a drawing first and then try to make it with tiles or did they start with the tiles?

It was hard to believe that we were still in Budapest for this trip.  Graphisoft Park and the ruins of Aquincum are nothing like the rest of the city. It made for a special day that we won't forget.  Dan and I are looking forward to our December Fulright event at the Parliament! 

Hungarian Lessons

I believe that I mentioned a few posts back that I was going to be starting Hungarian lessons. I have had a few lessons now and I love them.  I really enjoy learning languages and Hungarian is no exception.  My lessons are fast paced and since I'm the only student, I get plenty of opportunities to speak.  Before I came to Budapest, I had been mostly studying on my own.  Two summers ago, I worked with a Hungarian gentleman who lived near me. Then all of last year I worked with my tutor, Zsolt. Now my lessons are taking me to the next level. I have a lot of translating, reading, and interviewing to do this year. After just a few lessons, I feel much more confident about my abilities. Maybe my next post will be in Hungarian! ;)

Everyday Food

I've been so busy this past week that I'm behind on my blog posts! Today I wanted to share some information about the food we eat every day.  At home, my personal routine might involve a granola bar in the morning, a sandwich for lunch, and warm meal for supper.  Since we've been in Budapest, we have tried new foods in various restaurants. Perhaps the most interesting is what we've learned to make at home.  The grocery stores do have many options but it is impossible to cook in the same way.

For breakfast we have usually been eating cereal or BelVita breakfast biscuits. For the last two weeks without gas, we have been eating a lot of sandwiches.  Our sandwiches begin with these really good rolls. In every grocery store, there are bins of various rolls. We get these plain white ones that are bigger than a typical American hamburger bun. Depending on the store, each roll costs between 15-25 forints. That's 6-10 cents. Needless to say, we buy rolls at the store every time we go. The meat and cheese choices are nothing like in the US. We buy sliced cheese in these packets which include maybe 6 slices. It doesn't take long for us to go through them.  I haven't taken the time to translate all of the names of the cheeses but cheddar is not an option.  Most all cheeses are a white or very light yellow color. For meat, we use salami. Every time. Besides salami the only other typical choice is bologna.  Some salami is a little more spicy than others but they all have a similar taste.  I like it.  So our typical sandwich is salami and cheese on a roll. Occasionally we put pickles on the sandwiches as well.

Our other main staple is soup. At the store, we can buy soup packets in various flavors.  All you have to do is add 1 liter of water and heat it. It's easy and we like it.  Dan and I like to doctor the soups.  We cut up carrots, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, and onion and add them to the soup.  Sometimes we add rice or extra noodles. Each time is a different and we can often get 4-6 meals out of each soup we make.

Besides soup and sandwiches we have made salami and vegetables or pasta.  One of the interesting flavors we have had in our pasta is the meat.  At the grocery store, ground beef is rare. Instead have used ground pork and ground turkey in our pasta sauce. It tastes good but it's new flavor for sure.

We still have several months to try new foods here in Hungary but I hope this gives you an idea of what we eat every day.

Going with the Flow

At home, I had never lived in a home or apartment that used gas.  I'm used to all electric appliances.  Our apartment here in Budapest uses gas for heating, water, and the stove.  During our first week, it took us a while to figure out how to light the stove and the oven. Luckily we can buy a large quantity of matches because sometimes it still takes a few tries.  The water heater also uses gas to heat the water in cycles.  When you turn on the hot water, the heater will turn on to heat the water right then.  In the shower, it creates a little bit of a cycle between hot water and warm-ish water.  It's not too bad though. Finally, our heat is also generated by gas.  Our apartment has 5 radiators which circulate hot water from the water heater.

Just when we thought we had figured out how to use everything we have had to start over. For the past week, we have been without gas.  It is a new adventure in itself.  We are very fortunate that our landlord brought us some electric space heaters and more blankets.  For the kitchen he brought us an electric hot plate and a little pitcher that heats water.  It's all enough to get by.  Yet we can't wait until we can have hot water for the shower.  That is definitely the thing we miss most.  Yesterday, we watched the gas company work in our apartment.  They came to take down our gas meter last Monday.  Yesterday they were changing out the pipes.  There were several men who each performed a specific job.  One man came in to cut the pipes, another came to pull them down, and another came to fuse on the new ones.  He had a large flame thrower/torch which was actually pretty scary looking.  After the new pipes were attached, a fourth man came to paint the pipes white.  Although we have been working on Hungarian, we don't have the vocabulary specific to gas maintenance.  So we don't know exactly what is going on.  We do know that the entire building is without gas and that we won't have it back for at least another week.  We are very grateful to still have electricity.  I don't know what we would do without it.  This experience so far has given me some perspective on what I can and cannot live without.   We are doing fine but we will appreciate the return of our heat, hot water, and stove.

Library Differences

I must admit that I have been spoiled.  I cannot use the libraries here in Hungary in the same way as at home.  It has been a learning experience.

At home, I have access to hundreds of online databases.  I can listen to music (NAXOS, DRAM, Alexander Street Music). I can access countless sources through Oxford Music Online, JSTOR, RILM, RIPM, Music Index, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.  When I go to the library, I can look at almost all of the books in person.  As a graduate student, I can check books out for 1 year and media for 1 month.  For the books which I cannot check out, I am able to scan the crucial passages or copy them at the copy machine.

Since I am no longer enrolled in school at home, I have lost all of my library privileges.  I can no longer access any of the online material.  This has been a change because the libraries here do not subscribe to any of the databases I can access at home. At the National Library, the books are kept in a separate storage area.  I cannot browse the materials nor check them out.  Every item (except basic reference) must be requested. One of the issues I have had so far is that there is a limited amount of space where one can access wifi in the library.  It is not in the Music Collection.  So, I've been searching the internet like mad at our apartment to make lists of everything I need at the library.  Even this is not inclusive.  The journals, magazines and newspapers that I need either do not have a searchable database or they are only searchable by title and/or author.  Unfortunately, articles which discuss Hidas do not all have his name in the title. The task at hand is to flip through every journal and newspaper necessary to find all of the information I need.

The good news is that there is information out there and I will find it.  It will be tedious but extremely rewarding.  Some of these parts of the research are not glamorous but they are the most educational.

Trumpet Concert

On Monday evening, I went to the "Concerto Heavy Metal" concert presented by Concerto Budapest at the Budapest Music Center.  Besides being a great opportunity to hear brass music, this concert had a specific draw because it included the Hidas Trumpet Fantasy.  So far, this has been the only concert I have found with Hidas' music.  I don't know that I can explain my excitement!  This was the program:

Benjamin Britten: Fanfar
Georg Friedrich Händel: D-dúr szvit
Johann Sebastian Bach: d-moll kettősverseny
Antonio Vivaldi: C-dúr kettősverseny
-
Hidas Frigyes: Trombitafantázia
Zarándy Ákos: Spürst Du Mein Herz?
Zarándy Ákos: Breath Metal Ballad

The first half of the program was traditional and quite lovely.  The Hidas Trumpet Fantasy was the perfect start to the second half.  The Trumpet Fantasy lasts about 7 minutes but it includes several shifts in character. The opening is a dramatic section with a cadenza-like freedom.  Next is a lively rhythmic section.  It is this section where I can hear similarities to the first movement of Hidas' Horn Concerto. After a lyrical andante section, the remainder of the piece is a fast dance which reminds me of a tarantella. Here is a recording that I found online for you to enjoy.

 

The trumpet player at the concert I attended was Gábor Devecsai from Concerto Budapest. I think he did an excellent job of contrasting the various sections of the piece.  Mr. Devecsai performed on a rotary valve trumpet.  It was interesting for me to hear this instrument in a solo context.  I hope to hear this piece live again someday.

All Saint's Day

Yesterday was All Saint's Day, a public holiday in Hungary.  Dan and I visited Kerepesi Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in Hungary.  Let me first say that the experience was nothing like the video I found and posted on Friday.  The main reason is that the video showed a different cemetery.  Kerepesi Cemetery is enormous.  We went around 5pm when it is already dark outside.  There was also a light fog through the city.  The darkness and the fog in the large cemetery made it difficult to see and navigate.  Honestly, the atmosphere was creepy but we weren't scared because the mood of the people was clearly honor and respect. The cemetery was filled with people.  We saw families and people of all ages visiting the graves and paying their respects.  I read online that the Kerepesi Cemetery does not take new burials. However, we're not sure if that is exactly true.  We went to several areas that appeared to be monuments.  In each section, there was an arc-shaped patio with several large stones listing people and their dates.  There were no signs explaining why the people were listed together.  All of the names had death dates since 2000 and we even saw the section from 2014. We stopped at a few graves which had enough candles to actually read the name. We saw the grave for Blaha Lujza.  We recognized the name because we often go to the metro stop "Blaha Lujza tér." This morning, I learned that Blaha Lujza was a famous female actress. She performed at the National Theater which used to be located at what is now Blaha Lujza tér.  Frigyes Hidas was music director at that same theater from 1951-1966. The building has since been destroyed. Dan and I were remembering Hidas during our walk yesterday. It would have been neat to visit his grave and pay our respects but his ashes were spread in Lake Balaton. Hopefully, we can visit the lake before we leave Hungary.

Another thing we noticed during our walk were the married names.  One of the old traditions for Hungarian women was to completely give up their name. It's just as if I chose to be known only as Mrs. Daniel Small.  For example, if the man's name was Kovács István, the wife would be Kovács Istvánné.  The "né" signifies the "Mrs." We saw these pairs of names in several parts of the cemetery.

The grave of Blaha Lujza.

One of the arcades of Kerepesi Cemetery.

A unique grave.

This is a close-up of one of the corners from the previous picture.

Some of the monuments with lists of names.

Another similar monument area.

People lighting candles and leaving flowers.