Observations....not Rants : By Ben

I have a few entries about my observations in this blog. However, I feel that I rant more than inform so I apologize. So I am going to make a true effort to just tell stories and vent on my own time as opposed to yours. :)

Some things about the Cold War I have found interesting were as follows. For example I found out that Eastern Europe was used as a potential shield to protect Russia from future attacks from the west. I also found out that the Soviet Union wanted to eventually take over Western Europe. I already had assumed that but what I found interesting was their plan. They assigned each of the eastern countries a western one to attack when invasion was decided or on the defensive in an attack. Hungary was assigned to go after Italy. The men here were required to do military service. So most of my adults have served in the Soviet Army. They explained that they were trained on where to attack in Italy and what to do in case of an invasion. Most of them of course hated being in the military and are happy to be out.

Another aspect of the Soviet take over I found interesting was religion. It is hard to differentiate between Chinese and Soviet Communism today because people mix them a lot. Especially the extreme right in the US who label any one a socialist or Nazi if they smile the wrong way. As far as religion goes the Soviet Union was pretty bad. Religion wasn’t illegal in Hungary from what I have been told. However, it was not wise to attend or participate in religious activities. The Soviet government did not approve of the way that the church (especially Catholics) received funding and paid it’s leadership. So if you were observed being active in religious activities it drew attention to you. As I have been told the last thing you wanted during that time was attention on yourself. People disappeared and were arrested for any reason that could be found. So religion wasn’t against the law but if you participated it could create an opportunity to be punished for other offenses linked to suspicion. This created a strange social situation in Hungary. The older generations who remembered pre-Soviet Union kept practicing religion and taught it at home. The next generation attempted to keep going with the home practicing. However, the 3rd generation did not practice it hardly at all. Therefore, a lot of the younger adults and youth in Hungary today do not practice religion or have confusion about it. This of course does not apply to all people of Hungary but a decent percentage of the population.

The last thing I found interesting about the Soviets for today was the missing of communism. I have heard MANY people say that they miss the fact that during communism there was “100% employment.” Today there are a lot of homeless and poor through out the eastern block countries. Many of the old people still want to know how to vote for the communist party. Most of the people here also agree that the same politicians from communism are still in power today. The same politicians who were against church during the Soviet Union are now Bible carrying Christians today. Sounds a little like the Republican Newt G. who produced the Moral Contract with America while simultaneously taking money from the poor and sleeping with a mistress while his wife was dying of cancer. Or the Republican produced Patriot Act which listens to our phone conversations and communications. Reminds me a little of Big Brother. I love how their supporters have the ignorance to call Democrats Socialist and Nazis. Sorry, couldn’t let that one get away. :)

Christmas Crafts

Being a teacher around Christmas time can be challenging. So I have tried to find ways to channel the kids excitement into something other than driving me crazy! :)

Here are a few activities that I'll be doing:

• Construction paper Christmas tree's that the kids decorate with ornament stickers.
• Write your own Christmas song and perform it for the class (it can be to the tune of an already existing Christmas song).
• Create your own holiday crossword puzzle.
• Make a Christmas card for someone special.
• Make a Christmas ornament. 
• Christmas Pictionary   
• Word find (how many words can you find in the words Christmas or candy cane?)
• Draw a map of the North Pole.

If you have more idea's I would love to hear them!

A group of my nursery kids decorating their
construction paper Christmas tree's.

It's Christmas Time In The City!

Here is a photo journey of Debrecen in the Christmas season. We love walking around the market smelling all the delicious food, but we do wish it was a bit warmer! 

Enjoy!

It snowed on December 1 and this was the view from our
apartment balcony. 

The snow was pretty, but it was not to last.
It melted an hour later and turned to slush.

The Christmas Market in full swing.

Need something sweet to warm you up?

Happy Christmas Debrecen!

A beautiful light tree.

Later that evening it dropped to -3 Celsius! 

The Christmas Tree.

The Hungarian Santa, called Mikulás, (Me-ku-lash) visits children on

December 6th, St. Nicholas' Day, which is the name day of "Miklós.
Here Santa is accompanied by a devil figure, called Krampusz. He
carries a devil switch to warn the children to be good or else!
Children leave a boot out on December 6 for Santa to fill,
but since no child is completely good or bad they get both candy
and toys, but also a 'switch' as a warning. :)

Blue lights decorate the long roadway.

The fountain is now a decorative Christmas light display.

GOOGLE!

I shake a figurative fist at Google today, while shouting "GOOGLE" (a la Stephen Colbert style). I wanted to post pictures of our first snow and of the Christmas lights around town...but I'm not allowed to! I have exceeded my 1 GB of storage space on Google/Blogger/Picasa. I had to purchase more space for pictures, but it takes 24 hours to kick in first. So dear readers you'll have to be content today with just words and no images.

Since we have been back from Thanksgiving break we have been working and getting adjusted to our new apartment. We moved right before the break to an apartment near the University section of town. We moved for many reasons (I won't go through them all on here) but we are happy to be in a new apartment and in a different part of Debrecen.

Teaching my kids since December started has been a bit tiring. This is my first year of teaching, but I was wondering if all kids go this crazy during this month? My kids are so wired on chocolate goodies, the anticipation of Santa and just general excitement that it makes teaching a challenge. Next week I will be doing holiday crafts and Christmas activities and I hope the kids will be able to handle it all.

Yesterday, I had my nursery kids decorate construction paper Christmas trees with ornament stickers my mom had sent me. They were so proud to show off their Christmas trees to their parents afterwards and the parents were impressed too. I'll be doing this craft with another nursery class tomorrow and I'll try and remember to take some pictures. Hopefully Google will be ready soon to let me post pictures again.

The hardest part of the Christmas holiday so far for me is (besides missing family and friends) is not getting to decorate a Christmas tree or do all the usual traditions I would do back home. Hmm...I may have to decorate my own construction paper Christmas tree to tied me over till next year!

Get me out of Budapest before I scream!

Our bus left Prague at 6:30 a.m. that morning. The bus ride was uneventful and we arrived in Budapest around 1:30 p.m. We made good time because there were less stops going back to Budapest than going to Prague, but this is where our good luck stops.

We decided to take a taxi to the train station since we are not familiar with Budapest and didn’t want to spend hours trying to navigate the city. We hop in a taxi--the ride took less than 10 minutes and we arrived at the main train station. Easy right? Except the taxi ride ended up costing a small fortune! We reluctantly paid and went inside to get our train tickets. The man behind the ticket counter explained that there were no direct trains from Budapest to Debrecen. Ben asked, “So what your saying is there aren’t any direct trains to the second biggest city from the main Budapest station?” “Correct” was his reply. (It seems like nothing makes sense here). We had to go to a smaller train station a couple of blocks away to get a direct train ride back home. We said okay and then left. He told us to take bus 7 to the station.

We take bus 7....but it was the wrong bus...of course. So there we are standing in the middle of somewhere in Budapest, lost. Great, the one thing we had been trying to avoid happened anyway! We walk around a bit, dragging our suitcase through the slushy snow and trying not to scream with frustration. We end up walking all the way back to the main train station. Ben goes to the information office and asks them what bus we’re suppose to take again. This time the reply is 7E of course! So the first guy forgot one simple letter and it made us miss our train (and cost us more money).

So we leave the station again and this time get on 7E, which takes us directly to the station. We get there and exchange our tickets for the next train to Debrecen, which leaves in 45 minutes. As we stand there we vent our frustrations about traveling. It seems we can travel just about anywhere, except Hungary...and mainly Budapest. Plop us in the middle of a desert and we’ll find a camel, take us to the arctic and we’ll find a polar bear to ride, take us to Budapest and good freakin’ luck! We don’t hate Budapest, but it is not a travel friendly city for foreigners trying to come and go through it.

The train finally arrives and we get to our assigned seats. As the train left the station I put on my Ipod and the first song that came on was ‘Blue Christmas.’ It seemed rather fitting for the time. The train ride was uneventful and we doze on and off for the duration the ride. Once we arrive in Debrecen it’s around 6:30 at night. On our way back home on the tram looses power and we sit there for a full minute thinking, “Really?”

We finally get home and drop off our stuff and then head back out to get dinner because we have nothing to cook and have hardly eaten all day. We go to the mall for fast food, but just as we get there it closes (of course). We then get on the tram and who do we see...an old hungarian lady who seems to be everywhere we go in Debrecen. She likes to stare a hole into Ben every time she see’s him, and we can’t help, but laugh and think...”What’s next?” 

We end up at McDonald’s because it is one of the few places still open. We eat our ‘McAwesome’ food and then leave. As we travel the streets of Debrecen on our way home, we notice for the first time that evening the beautiful Christmas decorations. We sigh with relief that we made it back home to Debrecen and think, “Thank God we don’t live in Budapest.”

Day 2 in Prague--Let's climb another tower!

We woke up to a winter wonderland on our second day in Prague. We decided first to head to the Old Town Square, where the Astronomical Clock Tower is located. We decided that with the recent snow fall we should take some pictures from up high somewhere. The view was lovely from the top with rooftops of snow as far as the eye could see.

Our next stop was Lennon Wall. It was created in the late 1980’s as a student protest against communism. The wall continues to be gratified on to this day, with the original layers of paint long gone. I really enjoyed seeing this wall because it is off the beaten tourist path and it speaks to my rebellious side. Plus, I love the Beatles!

From the wall we walked to a tram that takes you up to one of the highest points in the city. The tram ride was short and at the top were buildings, churches and an Eiffel tower looking type thing. It’s called the Observation Tower on Petřín. We didn’t really feel like climbing yet another structure, but hey why not? So once again we climbed something high...and once again the view was marvelous. I’m starting to feel like a broken record. Or like Forest Gump where he says, “I got to meet the President...again.”

There wasn’t too much to do besides climb the tower and walk around in the slippery snow so after an hour or so we headed back down. While riding the tram we got trapped with some Americans. No offense American readers...but some of us are really annoying. All these Americans could talk about were frat party days, beer binges and bars. They were in all in their early 30’s, one of them even had a kid, but they seemed even younger than us. Sometimes I wonder if I live in the same world as people like this? All they seem to do is go from one party to the next and yet somehow they have higher paying jobs than me. Hmm...maybe I should have majored in business and sold my soul to the man. (No offense business majors). :)

After all the climbing I was ready for lunch. We found a great pizza place to eat at that was relatively cheap. After lunch we just roamed around and took pictures and did a little souvenir shopping.

For dinner that night we met up with our friend Heather, who also came to Prague and is also in the CETP program. We had had our fill of Czech food so we found a Chinese restaurant to eat at for dinner. It was spicy and a ton of food--I couldn’t finish even half of it! Then we headed to the Old Town Square to see the Christmas market and tree---they had done the lighting earlier that night. The Christmas market was packed with shoppers and tourists trying to get the perfect photo for their Christmas cards.

After all our wandering around it was time to say goodbye to Heather--(we would see her again for our bus ride home). We walked back to Charles Bridge for one last look at the city and enjoy the lights reflecting off the river. We did some “espionage” poses---trying to seem mysterious/dangerous and yet soulful (ha, ha). :)

We stood there overlooking the waters for a long time---neither of us wanted to go back to Hungary. We don’t dislike Hungary, we just wanted to stay on vacation a little longer. You know that feeling--the last few hours of vacation are precious, you feel like you should do something really “big” in that time. Like we should climb another tower, or go to an all night rave party. But all we could do is stare out at the city and feel the peacefulness of a vacation well spent.

Our first day in Prague--Beer it's what's for dinner!

You’ve seen all our pictures and know pretty much everything we did in Prague. Or so you think! Our first night in Prague was Thanksgiving. We ate at a cute little traditional Cezch restaurant where I had sirloin with a bread type stuffing and cranberry sauce on the side. The meal strangely felt like a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The streets that night were cold and the cobble stones reflected a hazy amber light, which enhanced the beauty of being in the city. It made us feel like we were international spies or in a movie about them at least. You know the kind movie I’m talking about-- the one where the unassuming Americans fall into a trap of intrigue somewhere in Eastern Europe, etc, etc. Isn’t that what the next Johnny Depp movie is about?

The first full day in Prague we headed to the Old Town Square of the city first. We first came upon the Clock Tower, which has a famous Astronomical Clock and is also a coo-coo clock. While we waited for it to ring in the hour a group of German Tourists started singing Christmas carols and a bridal party walked by heading to the church. In addition to all this merriment the smell of hot wassail hung heavy in the air. The clock finally chimed, but it was less exciting than waiting for it to chime had been, but still an interesting experience.

Next stop was Charles Bridge, the most famous and oldest bridge in Prague. It was built during medieval times and today showcases local artists down its path. Since it was Friday the bridge was less crowded than usual. I suggest that everyone should travel to Prague, but make sure you come during the off season. It makes a huge difference not only in walking around, but in booking hotel rooms and eating at places.

Charles Bridge lived up to its expectations and it has the best view of the city--in my opinion. We walked across the bridge to go to Prague Castle and Cathedral. The Castle and Cathedral are located on one of the higher hills in the city. So the hike was slow, but no worse than a volcano. :) Once you reach the top the city unfolds around you like a painting. All you can think is, “Am I really here?” “And oh my God this is so amazing.” I can honestly say that Prague is one of my favorite cities I have ever been to. What makes the city so wonderful is that it is so accessible, so approachable. Other cities like Rome and London are grand and overwhelming, but Prague is easily navigated on foot and yet still retains a sense of mystery.

As we were exiting the Castle and Cathedral area we arrived just in time for the changing of the guard. I know what your thinking and yes, Prague has a changing of the guard, it is not exclusive to Buckingham Palace! The soldiers were serious and dressed in full military regalia, but I did see one or two crack a smile for a brief moment. While watching the “changing” a group of tourists pushed their way to the front, which meant I got pushed to the back. Ben was annoyed and was talking quite loudly about how rude people can be, but it didn’t bother me. I’ve gotten use to pushy people just from being in Hungary these last few months. No offense Hungarian readers, but you all seriously need to learn the art of forming a line. :)

Our next stop was lunch, which helped us warm up. After lunch we ventured to the Jewish Old Town section of the city. Then we went to the Wenceslas Square where the huge Museum of Natural History is located. Ben looked at it and said that must be their Parliament building, but when we looked at our map and saw it was a museum we were surprised! It is funny Ben thought that because Communist troops shot at the Museum after mistaking it for the Parliament building too.

This square has also been witness to Nazi Occupation and the Velvet Revolution, but now it is home to fried cheese sandwiches and more sausage stands than should be humanly possible. We traveled from the square back to our hotel for a break before we got dinner.

We decided to head back to the Old Town Square for dinner. It is a very touristy section, but it wasn’t crowded at all that night. We decided to eat outside to enjoy the sites of the square. There were heaters located around us, but I still froze. The cuisine was once again traditional Czech, which usually means some sort of meat slow roasted with a gravy type sauce poured over it all. This is not the place to go if you are on a diet! Luckily, since we had walked easily over 10 miles that day I didn’t feel any remorse about pigging out. I convinced Ben to order his first beer (ever in Europe) for dinner. He ordered a golden Pilsner beer, which looked so beautiful that I even decided to try some of it. It must have been a good beer because it was the first beer that didn’t make Ben gag. Czech Republic is known to have some of the best beer in all of Europe and I can safely say the rumor is true.

As we finished dinner and got ready to leave it started to snow. We raced through the streets of Prague back to our hotel with snowflakes chasing us along the way.