Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot a short commercial for a Hungarian music TV station. I was told this was supposed to be aired starting this month, and be on TV for a year, but I don't own a TV, so I haven't seen it in its original context. I just did a search on YouTube and found it! I'm sharing the video with those of you who have been asking me about it, and anyone else who may be curious. I appear at the very end.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
18th Budapest International Wine Festival
Last weekend was the International Wine Festival here in Budapest. I'm more of a beer drinker, but didn't want to miss this opportunity! I went there Saturday afternoon with Clémence, my French friend. I expected her to be more knowleadgeable about wine than I am, being French and all, and teased her about it. I had a great time anyway, as you don't need to be a connoisseur to enjoy all the great tasting wine.I couldn't take pictures because I realized I had to recharge my camera batteries and Clémence had other plans for the evening. I live close to the castle where the festival was held, and we had wristbands, so I went home when she left, recharged my batteries and went back in the evening for some more tasting.
Things just got so much better. It was more crowded, but the lower temperature was more conducive to wine drinking. As usual, my Hungarian attracted a lot of attention. I was talking to a vendor when I realized I had a small audience. So I started telling everyone about my adventures learning Hungarian and before I knew I had four new friends. They introduced me to töki pompos, a kind of pizza with bacon, onions and sour cream. (I think!) I meant to take a picture of it, but forgot. I'll blame the wine!
At another booth, the vendors were very pleased with my broken Hungarian, and even more pleased to learn that I was Brazilian because they lived in Brazil for fourteen years! It was such a nice coincidence and we spent some time speaking Portuguese. My new friends were really amused. They also prefer beer to wine, and we're meeting this week for a beer.
The Buda Castle.
Laci, Mónika, Misi and Emese.
The couple who lived in Brazil.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Enjoying the last few summer days
These past few weeks have been packed with activity and fun. Now that it's not so hot anymore, I enjoy going out more and taking advantage of the many seasonal activities before the summer is over. I finally went to Zöld Pardon, the famous open-air music club. It has a reputation for being frequented mostly by high school students and it's true. Zöld Pardon has great concerts and tickets are only 300 HUF.
I also went to the lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. I went out with my roommate one evening and met some really nice Hungarian girls. One of them had a friend visiting from France, and we did many things together. She invited me to her house in the Balaton and it was a fantastic last-minute, spontaneous trip. The lake Balaton did not disappoint! Even though I'm not an outdoors type of person and I tend to have very high expectations for everything, I really loved the lake! The scenery was beautiful and the water was warm and wavy. I expected it to be packed with tourists, because that's the image I had in my head based on pictures, but we didn't go to a hot-spot, and it was basically like my new friend's private beach.
I also went to the lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe. I went out with my roommate one evening and met some really nice Hungarian girls. One of them had a friend visiting from France, and we did many things together. She invited me to her house in the Balaton and it was a fantastic last-minute, spontaneous trip. The lake Balaton did not disappoint! Even though I'm not an outdoors type of person and I tend to have very high expectations for everything, I really loved the lake! The scenery was beautiful and the water was warm and wavy. I expected it to be packed with tourists, because that's the image I had in my head based on pictures, but we didn't go to a hot-spot, and it was basically like my new friend's private beach.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Sziget Festival
Sziget was amazing! I always heard great things about it, but it was so much more than I expected. I don't like crowds and I thought it would be a sacrifice for me in order to listen to good music, party with friends and see what Sziget is all about. But the atmosphere was fantastic and I could actually see myself having fun and enjoying myself. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it that much because I was already feeling sick on Saturday and all the smoke there only made me feel worse. I got really ill and it's taken me a couple of days to recover. I didn't take that many pictures but here are some of my favorites:
When I saw that plane I had to have a picture with it! It was so
cute, and Dreher is my favorite Hungarian beer!
When the Placebo concert started I was very close to the stage.
By the time it ended, not so much. I found out the hard way why
my friends wanted to stay in the back! But it was worth it.
But it's OK, I made new Hungarian friends before the concert
started. The girl helped me fix my phone that keeps breaking.
Some crazy fans during a concert.
This was close to the island's entrance and I took a picture by it.
As I was leaving, it was all lit up and I just had to take another
picture.
When I saw that plane I had to have a picture with it! It was so
cute, and Dreher is my favorite Hungarian beer!
When the Placebo concert started I was very close to the stage.
By the time it ended, not so much. I found out the hard way why
my friends wanted to stay in the back! But it was worth it.
But it's OK, I made new Hungarian friends before the concert
started. The girl helped me fix my phone that keeps breaking.
Some crazy fans during a concert.
This was close to the island's entrance and I took a picture by it.
As I was leaving, it was all lit up and I just had to take another
picture.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Sziget Festival and More
My roommate is in Berlin and I enjoy being alone for a few days in the apartment. She's a great roommate and I actually miss her, but it's nice to be alone. I'm also taking advantage of her absence to cook more, because when she's here she smokes in the kitchen and I avoid being there.
Earlier today I met with my friend Edit, who came to Budapest for the Sziget Festival. She was an exchange student in my university in West Virginia during my senior year, and my first Hungarian teacher, along with Ági, who couldn't come because she was sick. Edit was sweet as always, and I thought it was really funny that we ran into a Hungarian girl I knew in New York, who had just run into an old man I remember seeing all the time in Hungarian events in the city, but had never officially met. That's one of the many things I like about Budapest. It's a big and cosmopolitan city, with so much to see and do, but it feels so small and cozy. Constantly bumping into people I know makes me feel right at home.
I'm very excited about the Sziget Festival this week. I'm only going tomorrow and I think it's enough. There are great bands playing and although I don't like crowds, I think it's nice to be in a festival that attracts so many people from other countries. One of my neighbors from when I studied in France years ago told me that his girlfriend is coming with friends. She sent me a text message and I'm getting ready to meet them. I already feel like a local.
Earlier today I met with my friend Edit, who came to Budapest for the Sziget Festival. She was an exchange student in my university in West Virginia during my senior year, and my first Hungarian teacher, along with Ági, who couldn't come because she was sick. Edit was sweet as always, and I thought it was really funny that we ran into a Hungarian girl I knew in New York, who had just run into an old man I remember seeing all the time in Hungarian events in the city, but had never officially met. That's one of the many things I like about Budapest. It's a big and cosmopolitan city, with so much to see and do, but it feels so small and cozy. Constantly bumping into people I know makes me feel right at home.
I'm very excited about the Sziget Festival this week. I'm only going tomorrow and I think it's enough. There are great bands playing and although I don't like crowds, I think it's nice to be in a festival that attracts so many people from other countries. One of my neighbors from when I studied in France years ago told me that his girlfriend is coming with friends. She sent me a text message and I'm getting ready to meet them. I already feel like a local.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Getting along in Hungarian
I haven't been writing lately, not because I don't have any news, but because not only has the internet continued to be a problem, but I also feel like what I do have to say may not be very interesting to most people. This blog wasn't intended to be a personal diary, but now I'm reconsidering its original purpose, since it can be a convenient way to keep in touch with people.
So here are some updates, for those of you who care: I started doing the tandem classes with the sports journalist who loves Brazil and Brazilian Portuguese. He's a fantastic teacher and quick learner, which makes both learning and teaching very enjoyable. I also have a new Hungarian teacher. She's strict but nice, and I like the fact that she can only speak Hungarian. She teaches little kids and sometimes seems to forget she's dealing with an adult, which can be funny, but also slightly annoying.
Andrea was highly recommended by the young couple I met in a hallway in the Balassi Institute, when they were inquiring about classes for Clémence, who's French and doesn't speak Hungarian yet. Stefan is German. He's lived in Budapest before and speaks Hungarian very well. I'm now good friends with them and we do many things together.
Last week I went to their apartment at the end of Clémence's lesson to meet the teacher and make arrangements to start taking lessons from her. My first impression was far from positive, as she wouldn't give me a chance to speak and tell her about my background and what I know. Instead, she sternly focused on her colorful book, asking me several questions I didn't understand and becoming more and more frustrated. I was also frustrated because I don't work well under pressure. When Stefan returned from work, she began talking to him in the same manner a teacher would to complain to a parent about a child who misbehaved. I felt humiliated and discouraged, but I decided to give her a chance because her method looked promising.
At the time I thought I might be overreacting because I'm very sensitive to criticism, but another day when talking to my new friends about it, I realized that Clémence had had the same impression I did, and we all laughed because it was a very funny situation. Having swallowed my pride was the best thing I could have done. Andrea is very serious and focused, and comes to every lesson very well-prepared.
I'm finally starting to make progress and that makes me very happy. I've been in Hungary for almost a month and have seen very little progress in my language skills. I still have so much trouble speaking Hungarian properly that I considered changing my name to Tarzana! But now things are starting to look up, and the Hungarians are very supportive of my efforts, as usual.
So here are some updates, for those of you who care: I started doing the tandem classes with the sports journalist who loves Brazil and Brazilian Portuguese. He's a fantastic teacher and quick learner, which makes both learning and teaching very enjoyable. I also have a new Hungarian teacher. She's strict but nice, and I like the fact that she can only speak Hungarian. She teaches little kids and sometimes seems to forget she's dealing with an adult, which can be funny, but also slightly annoying.
Andrea was highly recommended by the young couple I met in a hallway in the Balassi Institute, when they were inquiring about classes for Clémence, who's French and doesn't speak Hungarian yet. Stefan is German. He's lived in Budapest before and speaks Hungarian very well. I'm now good friends with them and we do many things together.
Last week I went to their apartment at the end of Clémence's lesson to meet the teacher and make arrangements to start taking lessons from her. My first impression was far from positive, as she wouldn't give me a chance to speak and tell her about my background and what I know. Instead, she sternly focused on her colorful book, asking me several questions I didn't understand and becoming more and more frustrated. I was also frustrated because I don't work well under pressure. When Stefan returned from work, she began talking to him in the same manner a teacher would to complain to a parent about a child who misbehaved. I felt humiliated and discouraged, but I decided to give her a chance because her method looked promising.
At the time I thought I might be overreacting because I'm very sensitive to criticism, but another day when talking to my new friends about it, I realized that Clémence had had the same impression I did, and we all laughed because it was a very funny situation. Having swallowed my pride was the best thing I could have done. Andrea is very serious and focused, and comes to every lesson very well-prepared.
I'm finally starting to make progress and that makes me very happy. I've been in Hungary for almost a month and have seen very little progress in my language skills. I still have so much trouble speaking Hungarian properly that I considered changing my name to Tarzana! But now things are starting to look up, and the Hungarians are very supportive of my efforts, as usual.
Friday, July 31, 2009
My Language Exchange
As I mentioned earlier, many people I met have expressed an interest in learning Portuguese or know people who would like to. My roommate's sister is an English teacher and one of her colleagues at the language school is one of them. He's a sports journalist with a passion for Brazilian soccer (or football, as he said, with his British accent) and romance languages in general.
I met both of them last night at a nice seasonal outdoor bar by the Margit híd, or Margaret Bridge, and it was a very pleasant evening. Laci is Hungarian (though I kept having to remind myself of that, since his speech and mannerisms seemed interestingly British to me) and we will be doing a language exchange. I'm excited because most native speakers don't have a good enough command of the grammar to teach the language, but he was able to answer several questions I had and Gyöngyi (my roommate's sister) and I were very impressed.
Also, being a teacher at a language school that also teaches Hungarian, he has access to the library with many books and resources that would be very pricey to purchase. I'm also excited because his Portuguese seemed really good. He had a great pronunciation and he's as motivated about learning Portuguese as I am about learning Hungarian. I think it'll be a good experience and fun not only to learn but also to teach someone like that. We start next week and I'm really looking forward to it.
I met both of them last night at a nice seasonal outdoor bar by the Margit híd, or Margaret Bridge, and it was a very pleasant evening. Laci is Hungarian (though I kept having to remind myself of that, since his speech and mannerisms seemed interestingly British to me) and we will be doing a language exchange. I'm excited because most native speakers don't have a good enough command of the grammar to teach the language, but he was able to answer several questions I had and Gyöngyi (my roommate's sister) and I were very impressed.
Also, being a teacher at a language school that also teaches Hungarian, he has access to the library with many books and resources that would be very pricey to purchase. I'm also excited because his Portuguese seemed really good. He had a great pronunciation and he's as motivated about learning Portuguese as I am about learning Hungarian. I think it'll be a good experience and fun not only to learn but also to teach someone like that. We start next week and I'm really looking forward to it.
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