Refi's Got Talent

It was one of the eagerly anticipated school events of the year. Students and teachers alike were looking forward to the event that was 'Refi's Got Talent.' It started in 2012 by my good friend Aiysha Jebali. The talent show is normally held to raise money for a school event. 

This year there were a variety of different acts including mimes, pianists, flautists, poets, footballers and jugglers. The evening was very entertaining and there were many hilarious moments. We also had a panel of three judges, two English teachers (who equalled to Britain's Got Talent's Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan) and the school pastor, who tried his best to rival Simon Cowell and give criticism (hilariously) to every performance. The event ran on for over 2 and a half hours and in all raised over 27,000 HUF (which equates to roughly around £70-80). The event was one of the biggest ones yet.

There were four prize winners, first, second and third place and a prize for the best performing teacher. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the show and it was an honour to help organise it! 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's almost December and that means Christmas! Of course Hungary is no different and the streets and shops of Sárospatak are adorned with Christmas lights. Here are a few photos I took while walking to the shops yesterday:

In Hungary, most people celebrate on 24th of December (Christmas Eve) and they have a big dinner and open their presents then, instead of on the 25th. However, some family members bring gifts to their relatives on the 25th and the 26th. 
Hungarians have the belief that baby Jesus brings gifts to them and not Santa Claus.
December 6th is a very important date in the Christmas calendar, as on this night children have to clean their boots and put them out on the windowsill and in the morning when they wake up, the boots are filled with different treats, mainly chocolate. If the children have been bad, then they receive a stick which is painted gold. In Hungary, Santa Claus is called Mikulás.

Although I won't be in Hungary for Christmas, it will be good to see it leading up to Christmas.

Until next time,

R xxx

Update

Hello everyone!

I am really sorry for not updating on here regularly, but my Internet access has been questionable as of late and teaching is really, really busy! I am also in the middle of organising and finalising plans for the annual school talent show, which is appropriately named Refi's Got Talent!

Last Saturday there was a fundraiser in the town centre of Sarospatak. It was for a young boy who lives in a nearby village. He suffers from leukemia and he loves race cars, so of course the fundraiser was centered around race cars and motorbikes. I have to say it wasn't so good for the environment and my mother had told me to get out of the house and go for some "fresh air!" However, it was all for a good cause. There were many different stalls offering wine and people were singing, playing instruments and entertaining the crowd. One thing that was really interesting were the people dressed up like warriors and being "attacked" by the men on motorbikes. When the warriors were charging towards them, the motorcyclists were revving up their engines. It truly was an unusual, but hilarious sight to see. See the picture below and you'll know what I mean.

I will be coming home for Christmas in a few weeks, I fly to Aberdeen from Budapest on the 20th of December and will be returning to Hungary on the 3rd of January. So keep those dates free if you want to catch up! I will write a blog post about Refi's Got Talent soon, it is happening in two weeks time.

Until next time,

R xxx

Szalagavató

This was the night that every senior student in Refi was waiting for. They had practiced dances, sketches, comedies, dramas tirelessly for two months just for this night. This was the night where every senior student could "let their hair down" before they have to work hard and study for their exams.

The szalagavató is the school leavers ceremony in Hungary. It starts with performances from the students, including a traditional waltz where the girls wear white bridal like dresses and the boys wear tuxedos. During the performance there were two waltzes. The one at the beginning was choreographed by one of my friends. While watching it I was just in awe. It was incredible and I was amazed at how the girls could dance in high heels, let alone walk in them! It was truly magnificent.

After the waltz, there were performances from the graduating classes. Some performed dances, dramas, mimes and of course at the end of their performances, they sang a song about their memories and their time at Refi. One of my classes performed a hilarious sketch. Their form teacher was watching television and she kept on changing the channels. At first there were some of the boys who were jumping into the sea and then they were chased by a "shark" (which was actually an inflatable dolphin). Then the channel changed again to a Hungarian kids channel 'MiniMax', some of the students were pretending to be children, by putting their heads through a curtain and using their hands to move trousers and shoes as if they had smaller bodies. Then with their "bodies" they were dancing to different songs such as Kung Fu Fighting or Gangnam Style. The sketch was hilarious, particularly when they made a parody of a certain teacher in school! Another class did a "Mission Impossible" sketch when they were dramatizing the time they hacked into a teacher's e-register! The most senior class in the school did a dance to the song 'CandyMan' by Christian Aguilera. Their outfits were reminiscent of the 1950s (one of my favourite style decades - the clothes were gorgeous!)

After the performance ended, there was about a ten minute break and then the graduating classes stood in a line on stage with their form teachers. The headmaster and the school pastor gave a little speech and read from the Bible. After this, the classes form teachers put on a "ribbon" either on the front of the suit or the blouse, or on the side of their arm. The "ribbon" had the students class on it, the name of the school and the year they started school and the year they will graduate from school. Apparently they are really hard to put on, so a huge admiration for the form teachers who managed to do about thirty of them! My best friend and I were holding on to each others hands. We are so immensely proud of the students and wish them all the best for their future.

After the ceremony had finished, it was time to head over to the Mudrany Restaurant, where a fantastic banquet was prepared. After a speech from one of the teachers, the teachers clinked their champagne glasses with each other and then the students clinked their glasses with the teachers. It was very sweet. After the banquet finished, it was time for dancing. It was a special kind of Hungarian music (wedding party music as it was described). However I didn't really dance to it, until a few of my students asked me to dance with them. Aiysha had to go back to my flat and Skype a friend, however I stayed a little longer and one of the teachers gave me a huge box of cakes to take home with me (yummy!) Once I had dropped the cakes off at the flat, it was time for us to go back out to the after parties, where we stayed until 3:15am and returned back to the flat at 3:30am! I was absolutely shattered as was Aiysha, but it was worth it. I enjoyed my very first szalagavató and hopefully it won't be my last!

 

Aiysha and I going to the szalagavató

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRBc3EP_III
Highlights from the szalagavató - sorry it's in Hungarian!

Mum and dad's visit to Sárospatak

Budapest Part 1

This week was the school's autumn break. It was also the time when my parents came over to visit me. I was so excited and travelled on a bus and a train to get to Budapest (the train line is still being repaired from Sarospatak). When I finally arrived in Budapest, I got the metro line to Batthyany Ter. Getting off at the stop, I walked along the street until I finally found the hotel we were staying in.

It was very good timing as I arrived just five minutes before my parents. It was a cheerful reunion, as I hadn't seen them for over two months (an eternity in my opinion). We then settled into our hotel room, before heading off to find a restaurant. We managed to find one near St Stephen's Basillica, which was a more hip style restaurant, however the food was excellent. We walked around the city centre for a bit, looking at the sights, walking across the Chain Bridge. Then it was time for bed.

The next morning we were treated to a lovely breakfast and with a lovely view of the Parliament building and the Chain Bridge across from our hotel. Then it was time for sightseeing, we bought tickets for a bus tour and the bus soon arrived and we were on our way around Budapest, finding out interesting facts about the capital of Hungary and the history itself. Then we got off the bus across from Heroes Square, took a few photos there and then decided to go for somewhere to eat.

We spent time at the Varsoliget, which is a city park close to the centre of Budapest, we went to a cafe there (I know I keep talking about food!). But it was so delicious, I had chicken paprikash (paprika chicken) and for dessert, a yummy chocolate mousse with lavender ice cream. After this, we went back on the bus before going back to our hotel and relaxing. We had a few hours to relax in the hotel, before we went back again on the night bus tour. However, there was a demonstration on that night which meant the Chain Bridge had to be closed off, so we didn't get on the normal route that the bus would take, up to Gellert Hill. But it was still a good tour, as we got to see the lit up Heroes Square, which normally wouldn't happen on the night bus tour. Afterwards, we went to another restaurant where we tried some more Hungarian specialties and then it was time for a good night's sleep in our last night in Budapest.

The next morning we would check out at 11.00am, but kept the hired car in the hotel's garage while we went sightseeing again, this time at the top of the Citadella, where the famous Liberty Statue is. In my opinion, it is the best place to get a fantastic panoramic view of the city. After the Citadella, we then took the bus to the Castle district, visiting the shops and St Matthias church, as well as the Fisherman's Bastion. It was here that my parents bought me a beautiful Hungarian rag doll, who I have decided to call Eva. After this,
we took the bus back to Adam Clark Square (or Clark Adam ter), arrived back at the hotel, got the car and then headed off to Sarospatak, where I live.

I had a lovely time in Budapest and hopefully it won't be long until I am back there soon. In the meantime, enjoy some of the photographs which were taken on our trip.

Rachel xx

N.B. I had two trips to the city, one in October (where my parents visited me) and one in February as a solo traveller. Hence, the names of the blogposts are Part 1 and Part 2.

Budapest Parliament Building, Heroes Square, Buda Palace and the Fisherman's Bastion, Chain Bridge (at night), view of Parliament Building and Gellert Hill (with the Liberty Statue), St Matthias Church, chocolate mousse with lavender ice cream courtesy of Varosliget Cafe & Bar, Budapest. Yum!

Photos by: Rachel Summers

Dream...

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream. A dream which constantly occurs. I am currently sitting here outside the Rákóczi castle in Sárospatak. It overlooks the River Bodrog and in the distance I can see the Zemplén mountains which leads to the next town Sátoraljaújhely and eventually onto Slovakia. Why am I here? Well, it's all because I accepted a job as an EFL teacher and because I met my wonderful friend Aiysha. I have been here for over 2 months now and the time has certainly flown, especially as we are on the first holiday of the school year.

It has been hard, I'm not going to lie. There are times I have felt homesick for my native Scotland, however I have learned to trust in God and know that He has a plan for me through this short time I am here in Hungary. On Monday, I will travel to Budapest and meet my mum and dad there. It feels like forever since I last saw them and I'm looking forward to seeing them again. I hope they will enjoy this beautiful country.


Below are some photos I have taken of Sárospatak and its beautiful scenery.  These photos speak for themselves. Until next time,

Rachel xxx