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Pastmast

Hungary Exchange - October 3 - 18, 2000

Marilyn Paolini - Exchange Director

After an overnight flight to Frankfurt, Germany, then to Budapest, and a short bus trip to Szekesfehervar, we were all exhausted.  Yet our hosts'  warm reception caused us to forget our fatigue and look forward with pleasure to the exciting week ahead of us.   Instead of giving a travelogue (which would be totally impossible in this newsletter), I would like to share a few of the impressions of this historic land and its people. 

Hungarians are fiercely proud of their heritage.  They were anxious to show us all of the historic spots, from the ruins of the Royal Basilica in Szekesfehervar where King Stephen I and other kings were crowned to the Parliament in Budapest where King Stephen¹s crown is on display.  We had an appointment to enter the Parliament, yet we still had to wait in line outside with many others.  I had seen pictures of the crown, studded with gems and a bent cross on the top.  However, when I saw the crown I was very disappointed, for it was poorly lit and unlike the pictures I had seen.  Then I made a major faux pas.  I said to Elizabeth, the Exchange Director in Hungary, that I was disappointed in the crown because it wasn't as pretty as the pictures I had seen. She remarked, "Why, it's beautiful."   And so it is, as a symbol of their nation and of their liberty.

After being invaded and occupied by many people, today Hungary is once again a free land.  Vestiges of the occupation by the Russians after World War II are still visible, perhaps none so much as the blocks of huge apartment buildings.  As my host, Sara, explained, 
'No one wants to live in them, but when that is the only housing that is available, people are glad to get an apartment there." Others  choose to live in the apartments because they are near to their place of work or to parks and businesses.

At least one married couple stayed in such a building.  The apartment had two bedrooms, one each for of the hosts¹  young adult children.  Our ambassadors slept on the couch in the living room, normally  the bedroom for the parents.  While the daughter was at college, the mother slept in her room and the father went to the in-laws for the night.  When the daughter came home on the weekend, both parents went to the in-laws.  Such sacrifices are not unusual for these generous people.

Costs seemed very low, compared to prices here, yet many of the Hungarians seem to be struggling to keep ahead of inflation.  In the home where I stayed, the mother and older son teach English in a high school and trade school, respectively. The daughter goes to college and comes home on the weekend.  The other son is still in high school.  The father used to work on a collective farm under the Russians.  When the Russians left, he said, only two or so workers were needed to do the work that had been done by 20.  Many lost their jobs.  He started a chicken farm,  Today he has 30,000 chickens whereas several years ago he could make ends meet by raising 20,000.  He fears that in a couple of years, with in?ation, he may have to raise 40,000.  In addition to the economic fears, one of  the family stays at the farm 24 hours a day to prevent theft.

The hospitality of the Hungarians is almost overwhelming.  I met several Mormon missionaries from the States in Szekesfehervar.  They told me that when they knock on someone's door to inquire if they would like a Book of Mormon, they are often invited in for a meal, even though the Hungarians have no desire to learn about the church. 

We had a wonderful week in Hungary.  We saw many historical spots, castles, and churches, visited the Herend Porcelain center and Lake Balaton and even saw Hussar horsemen demonstrating their skills, but most of all, we will always remember the warmhearted, generous hospitality of our host families.