Janlw's Weblog

We all woke up to send Leigh back to Spokane and Monday training at Camp Reed at 4:30am this morning.  Dennis went to the airport with her & saw her as far as Passport Control would allow.  In discussion we all decided visiting Felsorakos (pop. 900) was probably our most meaningful experience.  http://picasaweb.google.com/Janwingen/Felsorakos 

Organization is as follows: church, parsonage, town highlights, annual spring fair & high school visit in Barot (pop. 6,000), church dinner & dance in the Felsorakos community center, picnic in the meadow, town and hike from the village. 

Croatia was probably the most fun and the Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden was Leigh’s favorite in town activity.  In that spirit I spent time today organizing the Felsorakos pictures and concluding you had to have been there. 

I have yet to order our pictures from Brasov, Romania our train station.  We all agreed that Brasov was our best “surprise” town.  We were just there because it was the train station but we had a couple of great walks.  It is a beautiful town and we had one of those wonderful experiences where we were checking to see if a church was open and a strange man unlocked it for us and wanted us to help him ring the 5pm bells.  We were all afraid that we lack the proper rhythm so we just watched him do it.  He also refused to take a tip for doing this for us.  Of course we were so excited we didn’t even think to take a picture.  I’ll work on Brasov next I guess. 

Building Consensus in Felsorakos http://www.uupcc.org/communitydev/Felsorakos/FelsorakosCaseStudyEng.pdf

 http://www.brasovtravelguide.ro/en/brasov/brasov-city.php 

A word of correction: Leigh did not almost fall under the wheels of the train.  The train was moving and I was holding onto Leigh trying to pull her into the train but my suitcase was where she needed to jump.  There is some family debate as to how this situation should have been handled.  In any case we have all survived our trip to Romania and the train trip to and from Zagreb. Even better we survived our auto trip around Croatia although we did not make it all the way down to Dubrovnik.  We decided we would prefer a more relaxed pace rather than driving an extra 5 or six hours.  We opted for an easier day on the Adriatic in a town called Makarska and a visit to a UNESCO/Croatian National Park. We have some wonderful pictures but with one computer and three cameras it will take some time to edit our collections. 

I think about a month ago Pat & Nel told me they were sending me some food items that are hard to find here.  The package didn’t arrive but then neither did other cards I heard were on the way.  Dennis thought I should maybe find out if the post office was having trouble with my address.  How to do that when I have yet to find a postal person who speaks English is a conundrum.

Last week just before we left town a letter appeared from the post office.  I took it to my office for  my Hungarian colleagues to translate.  The first readers decided the post office had a 1,150 kilo package for me to pick-up.  Did you order a car or a refrigerator?  In a different office of colleagues assured me that I had a 1.15 colleages, “the package is long and rather thin.” 

Next where to go to pick it up:  I was told to go to the “main” post office.  When I arrived at the suggested post office on Kossuth Lajos labeled “city post office” on my map I found it was the wrong post office.  Two clerks looked at my map and after some discussion they pulled out the phone book and found the “main post office”  of course it’s not called anything like that in Hungarian.  They showed me the location on the phonebook map & what really helped wrote down the tram number and transfer point.  I had to rest another day but this morning I took it on. 

Once I got there it was relatively painless. The lines were much shorter than usual. I had just a couple of lines and an awkward moment because I’m too inept to count in Hungarian and I confused window “ot” (6) with window 8. There was again one more moment of slight panic  as  I saw them wheeling in several large packages on dollies.  Those were for someone else at window ot thank goodness.   

My package contains some very precious commodities, herbal tea that doesn’t taste like grass, decent granola bars and above all PEANUTBUTTER.  I opened it in my office today & I can tell you one of my colleagues was pretty jealous.  That & the assorted other junk food is going with us to Croatia this week.  We have two 7 hour “no food” train rides ahead & I doubt that there will be a crumb left. 

What a dream it was visiting the Unitarian Church in Felsorakos, Romania (Transylvania). Nothing like the hardships Julie & Jerry Jose had to put up with. It was like an art house European film EXCEPT for the part that was strictly American slapstick. Dennis decided he should locate our train car BEFORE Leigh & I climbed on. These trains don’t wait long and while we were following him the train started to roll. Leigh & I were trying to hop on as the train began to roll and somehow there were people & luggage stuck in the door with Leigh nearly being left behind or falling under the wheel (very scary!). I think someone stopped the train and we were able to get on board safely.

We took an overnight train from Budapest to Brasov,Romania with a 3 bunk sleeper. I was stuck on top but there was a sort of safety belt to hold me up there. We arrived at about 11:30am and the Jozsef took us directly to Felsorakos where his wife Reka was preparing our lunch which always starts with a shot of palinka (clear brandy). We next went to the annual fair in Barot where we saw the sights & had a beer. While sitting in the pub we watched a long line of teenage boys arm wrestle a  sport organized by the current mayor one of the four mayoral candidates running for election this Sunday.

One highlight of the festival was meeting the high school principal who gave us a school tour and celebrated our arrival by having a palinka toast and awarding us three of us honorary hall passes. Dennis noted this is the first time he had ever been invited in for a drink in the principals office. He was really fun guy but we couldn’t figure out why he was in the school on a Saturday wearing a 3 piece suit. We drove home and eat a light supper again and of course start our meal with another palinka toast. (None of us refused.)

Sunday was also incredible. We began with church at 11am which was a special service celebrating the 60 year olds of the village. Of course the service was all in Hungarian but I can tell you Jozsef is a fantastic speaker & there wasn’t a dry eye amongst the elders and even the younger men started to tear-up. We noted that some of the parishioners attending were newbies or at least novices because they didn’t have any more idea than we did regarding the protocol. At 2pm we attended a sumptuous 60 & over luncheon. They danced, they sang & you could really get a sense of the different personalities without knowing a word of the language. We cut out after a couple of hours & met a family & their 5 year-old twins for a barbecue in the most beautiful verdant setting you’ve ever seen. Just when they got their tee-pee style fire really going & we were wondering how we could eat barbacue as we had just finished our lunch not more than 2 hours before it clouded over & the rain began to really pour.

We packed up but the night wasn’t over yet. When the rain stopped we went back to Barot. The town days were ending with a Hungarian singer who Leigh aptly called “the Cher of the Hungarian people.” She is a well known singer who is over sixty but still putting on a fantastic show. Since arm wrestling is a young man’s game the current mayor gave a speech reminding everyone he was responsible for bringing the celebrity & don’t forget to vote next Sunday. I’m just guessing here but I think someone told me that was a lose translation. There were fantastic fireworks that were really more remarkable than anything I’ve seen in Riverfront park. The custom seems to be shoot them all off in about 15 minutes instead of spacing the rockets out for an hour which really makes a much better show. I’m exhausted from my trip back to Budapest.  Monday morning we took a hike around town and in the hills above.  We took lots of pictures of the gypsy kids and new construction in the village.  Jozsef delivered us back to Brasov in the middle of the day.  I’m afraid we may have made him late for his afternoon high school classes.  I hope we left enough money to cover all that gas.

Brasov was really a beautiful city but that will have to be another entry.

Slide show http://picasaweb.google.com/Janwingen/Felsorakos

  Leigh and Dennis arrived about seven hours later than I expected but they made it.  I am way more “jet lagged” than when I myself arrived.  First it was trying to dose but waking to every car going by until almost 1am (Wed.) then 2 days of finishing my final classes at the university and somehow waking up during my new roomates 2am restlessness.  I’m suddenly way more exhausted than I have been all year.

Dennis spent 2 days mostly on a self-guided tour.  I took them both to the Castle District Wednesday and today Friday to St .Istivan Bascilica , Hero Square and the zoo.  Leigh had her choice Wed. and Thursday of going with me to the university or with Dennis back to the Castle area.  She choose the university and attended 3 classes.  It was great to have a teaching assistant but a little discouraging. One class involved evaluating students final speeches and we were both taking notes.  When we were done she remembered the speeches better than I did.  She theorized it was because I was concentrating on hearing mispronunciations and grammar problems while she was listening more wholistically to the presentations as a speech.  Nice of her to cut me that break.  Three students gave a presentation on Hungarian wine so she is now quite knowledgeable for someone who has yet to taste or show any interest in tasting Hungarian wine. 

Meanwhile Dennis is still talking about his self-tour yesterday.  On his way back from the Budapest Castle he ran into some traffic problems and ended up abandoning the tram and walking home.  It turned out the problem was that while doing some construction the crew  unearthed an unexploded WWII bomb.  Everyone here is used to this problem but making his way home in a still strange city was an adventure for Dennis.  There is that odd thing that since you don’t speak Hungarian, while some other people have likely heard what the problem is from the radio or calls from friends, you have no clue as to why building are being evacuated and yellow tape is appearing.  

We are off tomorrow to Vienna returning Tuesday.  I did my homework.  This entry is preceded by summary of two library visits.  We all have a special tour at the Corvin (National) Library Thursday. 

European Library Definitions:

Closed stacks – A place to keep one copy of every book and back copies of print periodical. Now a days your electronic number lights up when your order is in.

Reading Room – A place you can read the books checked out to you from the closed stacks. Also provides a large table, a reading light that no one uses and wireless for your laptop. Many tables now have plugs too.
Library Cards– Most Hungarian/?European libraries are open only to card carrying members. For research libraries this means paying a small fee and possibly furnishing a letter of recommendation or description of your research an explanation of why you need access to the collection.

Building & Library Guards – Almost always a burly guy who checks your library card before you can go UP to any library. Exception is the university library does not require a card but the coat check lady keeps an eye on the entrance AND the theft detection alarm.

Budapest University of Technology & Economics (founded 1782)

Library Homepage After much struggle I found this

14,000 students enrolled

Open 9-8 Mon.-Friday

Periodicals back issues kept for 150 years

Books over a 1 million most in closed stacks

Catalog System: ??something different  ALT200 Dictionaries KOZL503 Bicycles, Motorcycles etc.

Periodicals subscribed to: nearly all

Security: Coat and bag check optional but the lady in charge is going to check YOU out

Databases – A gazillion

Open stacks for technology in the basement and 3 reading rooms

Food, drink and smoking prohibited

WC facilities limited

No library instruction program. Hey they are technical students they should be able to figure it out

Central European University (founded 1992)

3000 card carrying members

Homepage http://www.library.ceu.hu/

Open 7 days a week when university is in session

150,000 volumes and rapidly growing about 8000 per year

Collect only in curriculum areas, offer a small fiction collection, specializes Human Rights & International Law

Catalog: Dewey Decimal for most books; Law Uses LC numbers

Microfilm & fiche/ AV collection (videos/dvds)

Periodicals databases and e-books – Lots

Food, drink and smoking prohibited but there is an espresso cart with snacks just out the door

They called them “Reading Rooms” but it all looked like a library to me

Security: Two burly guards want to see your library card as you enter the U. Student worker checks you in if you are actually able to find the library. (It’s a round building, I got lost.)

Databases: Only half a gazillion

Coat and bag check mandatory

Two required instruction sessions: Library orientation/ databases

Last Saturday we had a great trip down the Duna(Danube) to Esztergom. I was the guest of Itsa Matte and Kati Dobos. Itsa planned, organized and insisted on treating me to everything including a slice dobos torte before they put me on the bus for home. Kati got me to all the right places as Itsa is having some foot problems and isn’t comfortable walking. Both of them have been exchange teachers in Spokane and their English is excellent. Itsa could entertain you all day with funny incidents where she misunderstood some aspect of U.S. culture.

Esztergom was the first capital of Hungary and the place where St. Istvan (Stephen I) was crowned. I believe we briefly viewed his hand in the relic room. The main attraction is the 19^th century basilica. When we arrived it was filled with tourist and the bishop was conducting mass.

Kati figured out that she and I could climb to the top of the dome while the mass was finishing. There is a narrow granite one-way spiraling stairs straight-up to the dome. A couple of other people had the same idea and it was a continuous line of people all the way up. At one point when the line stopped at a particularly stuffy spot, I thought I was going to have my first panic attack some combination of claustrophobia & agoraphobia. We were stuck in a small high place jammed up with a bunch of people and no air. Luckily the line began moving and the next time we were stuck we were in front of a vent which wasn’t bad at all.

We had a funny thing happen when Kati and I were in the Treasury. Kati said it was announced in the 90’s that if the Treasury at Esztergom were sold it would pay the entire Hungarian national debt. Kati was really enthused to examine all these valuables. Much of the collection is ecclesiastical robes and Kati is quite knowledgeable about the fine embroidery techniques. There are also lots of priestly paraphernalia embellished with jewels & gold filigree. Kati and I were bantering in English of course when the Hungarian guard/guide heard us and sensing Kati’s enthusiasm, he began to try to explain everything to us in his broken English. Sometimes he would have to pause and use his finger to write a number on his hand because he didn’t know how to say the number in English. At some point Kati whispered-“I’m just going to just keep speaking English.” We felt a little guilty; this poor guard followed us through the rather large exhibit struggling to explain everything to us in English which meant he didn’t have a lot of time for the Hungarian visitors. It was a great tour for us though. Kati justified his struggle by explaining it is her mission as a teacher to encourage Hungarians to use English.

One last historical note on Esztergom it is the final resting place of Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty who was arrested by the communists and lived in the U.S. embassy for 15 years before fleeing to Austria in 1971. Kati says he is still considered a controversial figure and apparently they are also arguing over the Wikipedia article.

Slide show http://picasaweb.google.com/Janwingen/Esztergom