Cultural differences

It is amazing how one gesture in one country can mean something completely different in another. When moving to a different country, it is interesting to discover the cultural differences.

Here in Hungary, I have found a few interesting cultural differences:

1) Probably the biggest difference from the UK, when men and women enter a building, the men ALWAYS let the women go in first (apart from restaurants and bars, when men are supposed to enter first). Even when you are not even near the entrance, the men are waiting outside until you go in and they follow.

2) Almost the same as the first, if you are with a Hungarian man and are out shopping, they carry your basket or any heavy items for you. They also open doors for you. This happens all the time. I heard that it only happens in the school I am teaching in, but reading from other sources it's proper Hungarian etiquette.

3) Hungarian's don't drink tea with milk. Instead they use lemon juice or sugar. They think it's strange that we Brits drink tea with milk. They also put a lot of sugar in with their tea!

4) If your glass is empty, then it gets re-filled almost immediately. 

UPDATE! 
5) Every year the 8th of March is recognised as International Women's Day. This is a day to remember women and celebrate the women whether as a family member or as a friend. Women are given flowers and wished a 'Happy Women's Day' (Boldog Nőnapot in Hungarian). 

6) Hungarians like alcohol and it is not unusual to have a glass of wine with a main meal, as well as drinking it for a main celebration. They also like a spirit called pálinka, which is made from many different fruits and has a minimum alcohol percentage of 37.5%. Although it's too strong for most foreigners, many Hungarians enjoy drinking it. 

7) Mother's day is on the first weekend in May. It is different from the UK Mother's Day which is usually in March.

8) Hungarians also heavily celebrate Pentecost which takes in late May or even as late as mid June. Pentecost is celebrated fifty days after Easter Sunday. During this Pentecost weekend, they have shows and many people have stalls selling souvenirs.

9) Teacher's Day is at the beginning of June and on that day students give their teachers flowers. I was given some beautiful flowers by my students.

10) Sometimes things go a lot slower in Hungary than in other parts of the world and this can often be a cultural thing. For example paperwork takes at least a month to process and the trains to other cities and towns in Hungary can take a good few hours to get there. If you like to be fast paced and organised, then probably Hungary is not the country for you.

That's pretty much all the cultural differences I can think of just now. If there are any more I recognize, I'll add them to the list. I do love learning about new cultures though and knowing that in our world we are all the same human beings, but how we communicate can be so different.

R xx

Hello!

I apologise my previous blog posts have been short and maybe not so sweet. I am sorry for this, as I have been rushing about and my internet access has been limited. However, this blog post I hope to show you some photos of Sárospatak, where I am living for the next ten months!

I am staying in a beautiful 1930's style building, this is the main dormitories for the students and I am living in a little flat just off the corner of the building. It has a large bedroom/living space, a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet room. It's very comfortable and has a beautiful view of a lovely park, which has statues of famous Hungarians who had connections to Sárospatak.

The town has lots of shops, corner shops, grocery shops, a newsagents, a number of  second hand shops (a lot of the clothes and shoes are imported from the UK) and some restaurants, bars and cafes. But what I love about the town is it's history. The school I will be teaching at is a very famous Hungarian school, it was founded as a theological college in 1531, one of the first Reformed theological colleges in Hungary. The wealthy aristocrats of Hungary, the Rakoczi taught here, back in the 1500/1600s. So far, the school has around 400 students, but it is difficult as there is a decline of students attending this school, as students apply to other schools. The aim of this year is to try and get students to come to Refi and this is through the school public relations team called the Refi Revolution Team. It started in 2012 by Aiysha Jebali and not only is it a media team, but is also a mission team. Throughout the years, the team organises different fundraising events which help to pay for a trip to the UK. This is a special trip, as it is a mission, which means students and teachers from Refi travel to London, spend time and fellowship with Christian organizations and churches, then travel by bus to Aberdeen and then again spend time and fellowship with different churches, giving presentations, holding Bible studies and helping those in Aberdeen who are less fortunate than ourselves. The past two missions have been very successful, so many people have been blessed by the students and are encouraged to help support the school and its ministry. We hope that Mission 2015 will be just as successful. 

I just got my timetable this week, I am teaching 26 hours a week, teaching ten high school classes and teaching primary school classes, but only two lessons a week. Still, with the classes, lesson planning and Refi Revolution Team, I will be a very busy bee! I am excited to start though and hopefully this will be a great year, just as this is a great opportunity. 

Before I finish this blog post here are some photographs of  Sárospatak:

 Entrance to Sárospataki Református Kollégium Gimnáziuma (Sárospatak's Reformed College Grammar School)

 The Kossuth Dormitory building - I am staying in a flat at the end of this building.

 The entrance to the Gimnázium - the secondary school

The clock tower of Sárospatak castle - I will post more pictures in future blog updates (if time permits!)

It is a beautiful city, with much history and one which I look forward to exploring and learning about.

Viszontlátásra! (Goodbye in Hungarian) 

Rachel xx

Hello from Sárospatak - Part 2

The flight to Debrecen went smoothly, apart from the fact I paid £20 for a bottle of water as I did not have the correct change. However, it was all good as I got the change just before we landed. I arrived at the airport and was picked up by a teacher from Refi (that's the shortened name of the school I am teaching in).

Two hours later, I arrived in Sárospatak, back to the place where my friend Aiysha started teaching in 2012 and loved it so much she returned for another year. I can see why, as it is a very beautiful place with many historical buildings, including a picturesque castle. I soon settled in to my apartment, but I found out that there was a problem with my getting out of my flat as I thought my keys didn't work!

This situation is now settled as I am able to get in and out of my flat, without fear of being locked in! Last week I was invited to the former headmaster's house for dinner and I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with him again. His English is limited, however he said he would like to learn more English so he wants me to teach him. 

It's very quiet just now as school hasn't started, but I hopefully will update more soon. My blog posts haven't been as regular as I have to go to a cafe to get internet, but I look forward to teaching and starting this new adventure.

 Rachel xx

Hello from Sárospatak! Part 1

 Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't updated recently as I have been without internet properly for a few days. I have arrived here safely, as I flew from Aberdeen to Luton on Monday night. I stayed overnight at the ibis hotel near the airport where I was greeted with a comfortable bed to lay my head down on until I had to wake up for my early morning flight to Debrecen.

The next morning I woke up around five for my flight, however I didn't leave for the airport until ten past six, as there was still plenty of time to get up there and check in for my flight. I arrived at the airport and headed straight to the check in desk, where I waited in a queue of people. An attendant was going around asking if anyone was flying to certain places. Debrecen was one of the places he mentioned, I told him I was going to Debrecen and he told me to go to the front of the queue and check in. This was about twenty past six and on the boarding pass it said the gate closed at five to seven. I apologised and made my way to the front of the queue, where I got my case checked in and my passports were examined. As I left the desk this man in the queue said to me quite nastily: Excuse me, but next time wake up a little earlier please!

I was slightly taken aback at this as 1) I was told to go to the front of the queue, I didn't push in for my own amusement and 2) There was plenty of time to check in and go to security.

Well that got my really annoyed and I went through security fuming, however I soon calmed down and got on the plane, with plenty of time to spare as the gate didn't open for another five minutes! Soon I was on the plane and heading to Debrecen airport where I would be picked up at the other end and taken to Sárospatak.

Tune in next time where I will update you on the second leg of my journey - arriving in Sárospatak!

Viszlát! (That's bye in Hungarian)

Rachel xxx

Hello!

Hello!

Welcome to Rachel's Adventures in Hungary. As you can tell from the title, I am moving to Hungary for 10 months as an EFL (English as Foreign Language Teacher) and a missionary at Sárospataki Református Kollégium Gimnáziuma (Sárospatak's Reformed College Grammar School) in Sárospatak, Hungary. The school is known as Refi to teachers and students.

I am leaving next Monday (the 18th) and arrive at Debrecen Airport on Tuesday (the 19th). From there, I will be picked up from the airport and taken to Sárospatak. Term doesn't start until the 1st of September, but I have to arrive before then to settle into my new home, get settled into the school, have teachers meetings and organise my lessons. 

A wee story as to how this opportunity came about. I met my now best friend Aiysha Jebali when I was living in Aberdeen. She moved to Hungary a year after we met. She had been teaching English at the Reformed College Grammar School for two years, when she felt that God was calling her to come back home to Scotland and spend time with her family. The school had to look for a replacement teacher and they asked Aiysha if she had anyone in mind. We had been having regular Skype/Facebook/e-mail conversations during the time she was in Sárospatak and Aiysha asked me if I would want to  replace her as the English teacher for the coming year. I fit the criteria: I would graduate soon from university, was studying towards a TEFL certificate, loved communicating and learning languages. It was apparent that I had also developed a love for the country, since volunteering at an English camp last summer in Balatonfűzfő and spending time in Budapest. Something about the language, the people, the cities, the countryside - it's like nothing I had ever seen before. 

So, after much thought and prayer, I knew that God was calling me to take the opportunity and to growth in faith. I accepted the job and went over towards the end of May to visit the town and the school. 

A few facts about the school: 

It was founded in 1531 as a theological college, the first Reformed theological college in Hungary. 

Sárospatak was once part of Transylvania and Refi was favoured by the Transylvanian Royalty, who taught in the school for years and across several generations. 

Teachers were martyred during times of socialism. 

Refi is not only a secondary school and theological college, but it also has expanded into a primary school. 

It is a very beautiful school, with many extra curricular activities outside school hours. One of these activities is the school public relations team called the Refi Revolution Team, which was started up by Aiysha in October 2012. The team is made up of around 30 students and three teachers, who raise awareness of the school by holding open days, youth festivals, fundraisers such as talent shows and ice cream/cake sales. The money from the fundraising events goes towards the annual mission to the UK, where the Refi Revolution team have a full-on week sharing Christ's love with various churches and Christian organisations in London and Aberdeen. It is a wonderful experience for the students and the teachers who go on the trip, as for some of them it is their first time to the UK. 

Although this opportunity will be full on and I will be working a lot of the time, I am really excited. I am nervous however, as I will be over 1000 miles from home and in a place where I can't really speak the language (although I know a few phrases). However, I believe that God has gone before me and knows the plans He has for me, he put Hungary in my heart for a reason and it's for Him that I have decided to go there. 

A verse which I feel I will be able to refer to whenever I feel frightened, nervous or alone is Isaiah 41:10: "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." 

God is always with me, no matter where I am and I pray that this year will be a blessing and also help strengthen my faith. 

In the next blog update, I will be posting some Hungarian phrases, so be sure to look out for that! 

In the meantime, it's goodbye and God bless!

R xx