15/3/2006 - Seeing Australia through Hungarian Eyes
Hello,
When I first heard that I was coming to Hungary for a year, I was excited and nervous. I knew almost nothing about the country and could not even say “Hello” in Hungarian. I thought that I would have many problems settling into Jànoshalma as it is a small town and very few people (including my host family) speak English.
Now, I have only been here for about a month and am amazed at how much I have already achieved and all the wonderful experiences I have had so far. Just a month ago I never would have imagined swimming in a hot thermal pool in Budapest, with ice on the ground just out of reach of the water. I also did not realize that if you did not properly dry your hair after swimming, it would freeze into icicles!!
After studying Spanish at school for 2 years, I finally got a chance to test my language skills when the other exchange students from South America arrived, speaking almost no English. Now, we use a mixture of Spanish, English and Hungarian to communicate leading to many misunderstandings and lots of laughter. It is amazing how well you can communicate with people even without having a common language. By using wild gestures, drawings and a lot of pointing it is possible to have long conversations and very easy to make friends. When you are hearing a new language every minute of the day, it is possible to learn fairly quickly – and the Hungarians are very happy and helpful if you attempt to use their language.
I was accepted into the community from the very first day that I arrived here. The people in Jànoshalma are the friendliest that I know, always saying hello and inviting me into their homes to experience the different culture and lifestyles. I was welcomed into the local football team by my second day here and had even joined the volleyball team by the end of my first week. I have always wanted to go horse riding, but until now I have never had the chance. My English teacher now invites me to her farm every week and gives me horse riding lessons in exchange for helping her improve her English vocabulary and accent. Jànoshalma has 10,000 people, and it seems like everyone knows everyone else. It takes a long time to walk down the street as you are bound to see many friends, and have to stop to say hello to everyone. I have already had many invitations to go camping in the summer and to explore the beautiful Hungarian countryside.
I love going to school early while the air is still cold and crisp (maybe even with snow on the ground) and coming home at 12.30pm everyday, with enough time to visit friends, play sport, do homework and still go to the local disco in just one afternoon. I attend 3 different English classes, helping the students learn to speak my language and then learning theirs. The students are happy to explain why they have name days instead of birthdays, why soup is so important to their daily lives and then help me to pronounce the longest Hungarian word in the dictionary.
Everyone is obsessed with learning about Australia, and I help to correct the many rumors and misconceptions about our country. I often have to explain how it is possible to live in a country which has the most dangerous snakes, spiders, crocodiles, sharks and other animals. Everyone is eager to see the photos of me cuddling a koala, patting a kangaroo and holding a baby crocodile. I have certainly started to appreciate Australian animals, plants and culture as I learn to view it through Hungarian eyes. I also love learning about the Hungarian history with their opinion of events. Learning European history is certainly more fun and interesting when you are actually in that country, and can see the results of past wars and conflicts.
Thankyou so much for giving me this opportunity, I cannot believe how much I have experienced in just a month and I try to do something new everyday. I am well on the way to learning the second hardest language in the world (Hungarian grammar is a nightmare at first) and I am learning to have more respect for other cultures and to appreciate differences between societies. I believe that I am having a positive impact on the community as many people are glad to finally hear English from a native speaker, and to learn about Australia. All of my initial doubts and worries before I came here have well and truly evaporated and I have to remind myself daily that yes, I am in Hungary and having the best time of my life. I owe this to your sponsorship, as this exchange never would have been possible otherwise.
Nagyon Köszönöm,
Jessica Davies
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