Family Shenanigans, Part 1: A Birthday

Boy, it has been a busy few weeks for me! This month has involved so much family and so many family gatherings that I will forever think of it as the Shaw-Schu-Schae Reunion Month.

The day after our counselor training academy, I took a red-eye flight to Berlin. My Oma, you see, turned 90 years old this month, and that's a big deal and a cause for celebration!

90 roses for 90 years

Schuberts, Schaefers, and Shaws turned up from all over the world for Oma's big day. From Berlin, we took a road trip to Bad Godesberg, the town near Bonn where both of my maternal grandparents are from (and where many of my distant relatives still live). I had been there once before, but only for sightseeing in Bonn and nearby Cologne, so it was nice to reconnect with some family history.

The "ancestral hometown" of the Schaefers and the Schuberts.

We stayed at a really nice hotel, right on the Rhine, called the Dreesen. The hotel itself is gorgeous, and holds sentimental value for my family. It was right on the Rhine, too, so every morning I awoke to the beautiful views of ships churning to and fro on the Rhine in autumn.

Hotel Dreesen

View from our window.

The day before the big party, we all took a walk around town as a family. Bad Godesberg is a beautiful place (I will definitely be going back!) and a lovely town to walk around. It's like something out of a storybook.

Walking around the town.

We made sure to stop by the Rüngsdorfer Friedhof, the cemetery where my Opa is buried. This was important to me, because when my Opa died when I was still pretty small -- my brother and I weren't able to go to the funeral, and I had never visited his resting place before. Twenty years later, I finally got to pay my respects to my Opa.

Oh, hey there, Opa! (and other relatives)

The next day, it was time for the Big Party. Excitement buzzed through the whole family. The table was immaculately set, the menu carefully chosen -- and boy was it delicious! Many of the foods were Rhineland specialties: some kind of fish tartare, mushroom soup, sauerbraten, knödel, and fancy ice cream... yum. Prosecco, beer, and wine flowed freely, conversation flourished, people laughed and talked, and several people gave really sweet and heartfelt toasts.

The best part was that the whole family was together. On the German side of my family, we have people living in Brazil, Chile, and Texas...and Germany, of course, so it's not often that we all get together. But for Oma's 90th, we all made the effort, and it was wonderful. I know it meant a lot to everyone!

Table is set for dinner!

My cousin and I dressed up and ready to go!

Oma flanked by her two siblings.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, Oma!

The next day, it was time for me to return home -- but not for long. I was at home for only about 48 hours, at which point I jumped right back on a plane and flew to London. That's the story for the next blog post: Family Shenanigans, Part 2: A Wedding.

The First Annual Counselor Training Academy

If you are a Hungarian high school student and you want to go to college in the United States, the odds are stacked against you. The American college admissions process is unnecessarily complicated, and few people in Hungary know how to navigate it; furthermore, Hungarian high schools don't have "College Counselors" like American ones do, because they are generally not needed. If you want to study law in Hungary, you go to one of the handfuls of universities that offer law, if you can get the right scores on your high school leaving exams. Hungarian students and teachers are rightfully confused by our American process of personal statements, standardized tests, different application types and deadlines, etc. etc. etc. Often times, the students just give up and go to school in Hungary.

To fix this, my colleague Nelly and I decided to host a new event last week: the first ever Counselor Training Academy. This idea has been brewing in Nelly's head for some time, and with both of us invested in this effort, we made it a reality! Last Thursday, we brought seven high school teachers and counselors from all over Budapest together in our office, and we trained them to navigate this process better.

Nelly handled most of the logistics -- finding participants, issuing invitations, ordering supplies -- and I created the program, putting together a 90 minute presentation from scratch that covered higher education basics, the American college admissions process, common application components, and how to write a good letter of recommendation, school profile, and official transcript for a student.

Although we "only" had seven participants, the program was a huge success. All seven teachers were very interested and participated actively. Several of them had students they were currently working with, so they could directly use the knowledge and skills they were learning. All of them had positive reactions to the event, and two of them even invited me to come and talk to their classes in the spring!

Considering this was the first program of its kind in Budapest, I consider this a win! Nelly and I work really well together, so that definitely helped. Hopefully, next year's English Teaching Assistant can use the materials we created this year to take it a step further -- each year, we can train more people and reach more students -- and just like that, bit by bit, we make a difference.

Visit to the Homeland

Last week was fall break! I think my students were as happy as me to get some time off, especially after the mid-term I gave them (apparently, it was “sooooo hard!”). So what did I spend my time off doing?

Taking a test.

Well, originally I had planned to travel this week anyway, to go to the wedding of my good friends, Caitlin and Brian. But luckily, I also managed to schedule the Foreign Service Oral Assessment for the same week. The timing was perfect, but this looming exam had been stressing me out for weeks. Thankfully, I flew into D.C. a few days early and was able to stay with a high school friend, Megan, as well as meet up with my peace corps friend, Matt, both of whom helped me stay sane. (Thanks, guys!)

There’s a limit to how much I can say about the test, as all candidates sign a confidentiality agreement, but I’ll say what I can. The test started ridiculously early in the morning – I had to be there at 6:45 a.m. UGH! After signing in, I met the other test takers while waiting. There were four other people testing with me for the Foreign Service Generalist position.

 Our first task of the day was a group exercise, where we acted as a mock country team at an embassy and had to decide how to allocate limited funding among several competing projects while assessors watched and listened. It was weird being watched, but my group mates worked well together, although I worried I didn’t stand out.

The second activity was an individual writing task, in which I was given a binder full of information about an issue and had to read through it, analyze the data, and craft a well-written memo with recommendations in a limited time frame. I felt pretty good about this part, since writing has always been my strong point.

After lunch, I went in for the third part, the interview – in which two assessors asked me questions about my experience, motivation and qualities for about an hour. This is the section I was most nervous about (I don’t interview that well) and I did not feel confident about it afterward at all.

Of course, then I had a two-hour break to sit there and think about all the things I said or did wrong and all the things I forgot to mention or shouldn’t have said. It was agonizing, but everyone else was agonizing about their performance along with me, so that made it better. While we waited, the assessors deliberated about us and came to a decision about each candidate. By the end of the waiting period, I had just about convinced myself I had failed. (“I should have been more assertive in the group exercise! I should have tightened up my memo more! I should have not sucked so much in the interview!”)

After what seemed like an eternity, I was called into a room to await my verdict. Completely frazzled at that point, I was a totally surprised when the assessor congratulated me on passing! I was still stunned as she reached out to shake my hand, but once it sunk in, I broke into a huge smile and thanked her about a dozen times. The smile stayed on my face for most of the afternoon. I was even more surprised when she told me my score – it was pretty good! (And here I had convinced myself I failed!)

Afterwards, I was escorted to a room where I met up with the other test passers – three of us in total – and we were briefed on the next steps in the process. Over the next several months, I will work on medical and security clearance. Once everything is done, I will be placed on a list of eligible candidates awaiting the magical invitation to an A-100 class – training for New Foreign Service Officers. However, if I don’t get called within 18 months, my candidacy expires, and I have to start over from square one. The list is rank-ordered by score, which means I should be decently high on the list (especially because I am eligible for extra points due to foreign language competency), but with hiring numbers way down right now, it’s more competitive than ever. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

After the test, I was in the mood for a celebration – so it was really a perfect time for a wedding! After staying the night with a good family friend (who also gave me a tour of the State Department where she works – how fitting!) I flew back to Houston for the nuptials.

The wedding was wonderful – I was able to see lots of Rice friends that I hadn’t seen too long, and I was a bridesmaid for a perfect couple who I know will make each other very happy. There was delicious food to be had, a cake shaped like a dragon, and endless champagne. What a great way to finish off the trip! Congratulations, Brian and Caitlin!

I’m back in Budapest now, and things are full steam ahead! Next week, we have our big Counselor Training Academy which I am preparing (I’ll write a post about it!) and later this month, I am flying to Berlin to celebrate my Oma turning 90 years old, and then turning around and heading to London to celebrate my big brother getting married to one of my oldest friends.

Lots of great things happening! More to come soon. 

Pre-test hiking for anxiety relief.

Hangin' out with good ol' George Washington

Even got a fall besties photoshoot in!

Wedding time!

The happy couple <3

Thoughts on the Two Month Mark

It's hard to believe I have already been in Budapest for two months, but that "monthiversary" is coming up quickly. As a Peace Corps volunteer with twenty-seven months of service ahead of me, two months seemed like nothing -- but as a Fulbrighter with only nine months total... time is passing too quickly! That said, I think I'm really getting into the swing of things here. Work is going really well, at both workplaces.

At ELTE, where I teach, fall break is upon us so we just had our mid-terms. When I asked my students how it went, they said, "HARD!"... which I take as a good sign! (Hehe.) Outside of teaching, my colleagues have asked me to put together a Writing Workshop for the students who are working on their thesis papers this year. As an extension, we are working on a project to start a writing center at our university. Unlike at many American universities, ELTE students don't have somewhere they can go to have their papers proofread and checked over for content, formatting, style, etc. Also, here oral exams are much more common than essays, so students tend to panic when they actually have to write something. So, a writing center is much needed! And since good writing is something I really appreciate, I am happy to help in this effort.

Things are going well at Fulbright as well. Now that I've gotten the hang of things in the EducationUSA office, I am working on bigger projects. I've been put in charge of putting together a Counselor Training Academy -- basically, a one-day workshop for Hungarian high school teachers and guidance counselors to learn more about the American higher education system, and to understand how they can help their students who want to study in the U.S. -- things like how to fill out materials on the Common App, how to write a letter of recommendation, where to look for scholarships, etc. It's really exciting to be a part of this, because I remember when I applied for college as a high school senior in Stockholm, there was very little support from my school because most of my classmates were applying to European or British universities.

Outside of work, one thing that has been challenging has been making friends, firstly because I don't see my colleagues that much, and secondly Hungarians as a whole aren't exactly bubbly and outgoing. But I am making progress! Recently, after deciding I needed to meet new people, I went to a coffee meetup for international women in Budapest. I found the event through Facebook and I was hesitant to go, but I am so glad I did! I met several new people from all over the place (Germany, South Africa, Romania, U.K...), including a few other teachers. I've already signed up for a potluck in a few weekends--now to figure out what I should "cook" that other people might actually want to eat...

On a final note, I'll be traveling quite soon to the U.S., to D.C. specifically, where I will take the Foreign Service Oral Assessment. This is the final testing component of the Foreign Service recruitment process, and consists of a completely nerve-wracking day-long interview/exercise where you are constantly watched by assessors as you work as a group, answer questions, etc. I'm very grateful just to have gotten to this point, but I'm nervous all the same -- justifiably so, I think, given the amount of time, effort, and money it has taken to get to this point. (I started this process in 2014!) The good thing is, I will find out the day of whether or not I passed. If I do pass, there's a whole series of new hoops to jump through and its still far from guaranteed that I'll get hired -- but if I fail, I start again from square one next June. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

For now, it's back to grading tests for me! Until next time, readers.

Remembering 1956

Monday is a national holiday here in Hungary, remembering the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Many Americans don't know much about this major Cold War event. However, the Revolution was a pivotal moment in Hungarian history which still sparks controversy and debate today.

In October of 1956, a group of Hungarian students, frustrated with the iron-fisted rule of terror imposed upon them by the Soviet Union, protested the government and its policies in front of the Hungarian Parliament building. Government security forces opened fire on the peaceful protest. Outrage intensified, and a revolt quickly swept the country. Revolutionaries banded into militias, and the Soviet government in Budapest collapsed.

Famously, an enormous statue of Stalin was pulled down and destroyed, leaving only his boots behind. People began cutting the Communist coat of arms out of the inside of the Hungarian flag as a symbol of freedom from Soviet oppression.

Statue of Stalin being dismantled. His boots are the only part that remain, and they can be seen at Memeto Park in Budapest, where many of the Communist statues have been collected since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Image of the flag with the Communist crest cut out.

The Soviet Union initially showed signs of willingness to negotiate with the Hungarians. However, after the new Hungarian government announced its plan to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union felt compelled to act. From the Soviet perspective, losing Hungary from its sphere of influence would shrink the buffer zone to the West and might start a chain reaction of other nations rising up; there was in fact a similar movement in Poland at the time. So, the Soviet Union responded with force.

"Russians Go Home!"

On November 4th, 1956, Soviet tanks moved in to Budapest, beginning a bloody battle that would cost more than 2,500 Hungarians their lives, including the leader of the revolutionary government, Imre Nagy. The fighting was block by block in the streets of Budapest, causing enormous damage to the city's infrastructure. 

During the fighting, revolutionaries rallied under the cry that the West would send help soon. After all, Radio Free Europe had for some time been broadcasting messages into the country, encouraging Hungarians to stand up for their freedom and implying that a rebellion would be supported by American forces. Little did the Hungarians know that the United States had no intention of getting involved in Hungary, lest it upset the very delicate entente between the two world superpowers. Historians still debate today what effect the broadcasts had on the revolution, but one thing is clear: up until the last day of fighting, revolutionaries were telling each other to hold out just a little bit longer--American aid would surely come soon. But the aid never came, and the last revolutionaries were stamped out by November 11th.

Destruction caused by the battle.

In the aftermath of the Revolution, a Soviet, Communist government was re-established in Budapest, and its policies were harshly enforced. Hundreds of Hungarians were executed for their involvement in the revolution. Imre Nagy, who had sought asylum in the Yugoslav Embassy, was assassinated as he tried to flee the country, despite a Soviet promise of safe passage. Tens of thousands of other Hungarians were arrested or imprisoned for their involvement, and hundreds of thousands fled the country never to come back. For more than three decades, under communism, speaking about the Revolution was outlawed. Even today, the Hungarian Revolution sparks controversy. It seems the wounds of the past have not yet healed. 

These days, October 23rd is commemorated as a national holiday in Hungary, with schools and businesses closed for observance. In preparation of the holiday, flags with holes in the middle have appeared all over Budapest.

In my quest to understand Hungary better, I thought that this was a good opportunity for me to pay a visit to the House of Terror, a museum and memorial to the horrors that occurred in Hungary under both the fascist Arrow Cross regime as well as under the Communist government. Inside the building, which served as the secret police headquarters for both the Arrow Cross and the Communist regimes, a three-story wall depicts the faces of the many victims who were interrogated, tortured, and murdered there. The haunting voices and videos of Hungarians sharing their harrowing stories follow you throughout the exhibits. At the middle of the museum is a rusted Soviet tank, a heavy reminder of a painful chapter in Hungary's history, accompanied by a plaque on the front of the building for the victims of the revolution.

The House of Terror

Plaque commemorating the heroes of the 1956 revolution.

The United States' role in the Hungarian revolution is still debated today. Would the revolutionaries have fought to the death if they had known help was not forthcoming? How much influence did Radio Free Europe and American anti-communist propaganda really have? These are questions we may never know the answer to. More Americans should know about the 1956 revolution. Hungarians will never forget it; the bullet holes can still be seen in many buildings today.

Building near my apartment with battle scars still clearly visible.

An Autumn Day on Margaret Island [Photos]

On Friday, I took a walk to Margaret Island, a large city park on an island in the Danube. It was so beautiful that I will let the photos speak for themselves.

In the Light Garden

The Rose Garden

The Rose Garden

Ruins of the Dominican Convent

In the Japanese Garden

On Margaret Bridge

Beautiful fall foliage!

A Morning in the Immigration Office (or not)

This is a story about how I did not spend the morning at the Hungarian immigration office.

I was supposed to spend my morning there, to file for my residence permit, but unfortunately I was missing one document. The guy at the check-in desk took one look at my files, and shook his head. Better luck another day!

So there I was, early in the morning on the other side of town, with no plans for the rest of the day. So, with nothing else to do, I began walking. I knew I was somewhere in the vicinity of the city's Városliget, or central park, and I headed in that direction.

I walked. And walked, and walked, and walked. For the longest time, I saw nothing to suggest a park in the vicinity except these two cats lounging in the grass.

I wondered where the city park might be, and I started to get the feeling that I was walking all the way around it -- but there was no entrance!

At one point, I looked down at my feet and thought "Is that elephant poop?" Now, I have seen a lot of animal poop in my life, and I felt pretty confident in my assessment of this particular feces. I wondered why there would be a pile of elephant poop in the middle of a Budapest sidewalk.

Well, my answer came when I rounded the corner. Turns out, I had not been walking around the park,  but around the Zoo, which is inside the park. I thought about going into the zoo, but I was more interested in exploring the city park itself. So, having finally found it, I crossed the street and was greeted by these lovely mermaids near the entrance to the park.

Doesn't look like they are super comfortable.

I walked past the mermaids, and was greeted by a view of a lovely castle.

Straight out of a fairytale!

This is Vajdahunyad Castle, and it's actually a faux-castle. It was built in 1896 to commemorate a thousand years of Hungarian history, and different sections showcase architectural styles from throughout Hungarian history. Originally, it was built of wood and cardboard, but Hungarians loved it so much that it was reconstructed from stone in the early twentieth century, and now is a permanent fixture in the park that houses the Agriculture museum.

Another view of Vajdahunyad. I love how the foliage is growing on the building, although I'm fairly certain it's not supposed to be like that.

I spent most of the next hour wandering around the castle and around the park itself. It was a beautiful day, and there were lots of people walking their dogs, having picnics, and enjoying the fresh air.

As I walked, I kept looking for the lake that I had seen in photos and maps of the park, but I couldn't seem to find it. I kept running into this parking-lot looking thing instead. You can't see it in this photo, but there were a bunch of utility trucks and workers in reflective vests wandering around.

The "Lake"?

It finally dawned on me that this was the lake, and it had been drained. Every year, this large area gets turned into a giant open-air ice skating rink, so that's what they must have been working on. I made a mental note to come back here when the rink is open. I might even bring my ice skates back from the U.S.! I love skating.

Having exhausted my time in the park, but not my wandering-energy, I made my way out of the park and down Andrássy Ut. This is a large boulevard where many countries have their embassies. I walked down the green median, noting the different embassies, like Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria, and more.

Further down, Andrássy turns into one of Budapest's main shopping streets where most of the luxury shops are. As I walked, I looked through the windows at all the fancy watches, fur coats, and jewelry that I will never, ever be able to afford.

However, just a few steps later, I found a shop that did have something I could afford and also wanted. It was the perfect way to finish my morning walk.

Yum!

Well, my morning in the immigration office turned into a three hour walk through Budapest, which was much more pleasant anyway. But now it means that I'll have to go back to the immigration office next week...