November

The November started with a Halloween Party in "Apollo". We dressed up as Cat, Vampires, Witches or what ever you would like to call it. At least there has been a lot of black clothes and red paintings in our faces.
In the Kindergarten we started to create hand lanterns with the kids for the "Martinsday" and Henrik, Freya and I rehearsed a theatre play with some of the kids. The play was about the story of Martin and we three made the background music when the kids were singing.
On the 12th of November the big day for the kids came. 100 children, parents, grandparents and the whole Kindergarten staff came together on the playing yard to celebrate the event. The kids showed their play, everybody was singing songs, we had a little walk with the lanterns and in the end there was lard bread (Schmalzbrot) with onions and hot tea. The kids had a lot of fun and it was even more exciting for them to be on the playing yard in the dark.

One of the saturdays we spent on the farm of one of our Mentors together with some of the kindergarten teachers and Portuguese volunteers who spent the month on the farm working there as a volunteer.
In the evening, after we had eaten a lot of traditional hungarian food, the Portuguese did a rally with us where we had to do different task, separated in two groups, in order to find letters to build up a portuguese word. The day full of fun ended in the bar Csinos.

As well we went ice skating this month not far from our place. At the beginning it was hard because it has been a long time ago since I have done it the last time. But it went better and better and even more fun. Music was played and every quarter of an hour you had to turn. Our one hour went past very fast.

Another program point in November was the cinema. At our first time in the cinema here in Hungary we saw "Hunger Games" in "Urania", which is a cinema with only one room but very cosy with a good sound. We already said that we have to do it more often because it is much cheaper than in Germany and it is located between our flat and the city center which means that it is very near.

The rest of the month I planned and bought christmas presents and in the kindergarten we did a lot of christmas stuff too, like starting to sing christmas songs and learning poems, creating Santa Clauses and preparing for the St. Nicholas.

And of course we celebrated the first Advent. In the morning we had a big breakfast in our flat with our self made Advent wreath, which actually isn't a real wreath but four orange candles between tree branches, christmas tree jewelry and little snowflakes. The day continued with laziness :) and cookie backing and ended with a christmas movie.

Happy 1. Advent

Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.

Our holiday weekend in Györ and Sopron

The 23. of October is a national holiday in commemoration of the revolution 1956 in Hungary.
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 or Hungarian Uprising of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956. Though leaderless when it first began, it was the first major threat to Soviet control since the USSR's forces drove out the Nazis at the end of World War II and occupied Eastern Europe. Despite the failure of the uprising, it was highly influential, and came to play a role in the downfall of the Soviet Union decades later.

We used the free days for traveling, because we had off from work on friday as well.  

At half past ten Kathi, Ines, Freya and I took the bus from Pécs to Györ, where we arrived at three o' clock. When we were walking to our hotel I immediately fall in love with the city. The lights were turned on slowly and even it was a national free day, which means that everything was closed, there has been a lot of people on the streets build up a nice atmosphere. 

After we checked in the Kertész Panzió we discovered the place around us, took our obligatory bridge-picture which we have done already in Szeged and had dinner in an Italian restaurant where we stayed for around four hours. 

On friday we did our "Touri-program". At first we visited the cathedral, which is somehow mystical and overwhelming at the same time. 

The next stop was the exhibition of Vilmos Apor, the Bishop of Györ during the World War II who became famous for protesting against the persecution of the Hungarian Jews. The exhibition keeps the memory of Apors martyrdom alive, presenting his life and works, his sacrifice and his martyrs death. 

From there we climbed up the tower and a 360° view over the city in its full size. 

After the sightseeing we went to Árkád, the big shoppingcenter which is located in many cities in Hungary.
In the afternoon we went to the local big Thermal bath which includes a Saungarden, a dark water-room with a "star sky", a warm bank, a salt room.. 
It was good to have some time for relaxing. 

On saturday we made a day trip via train to Sopron.

Unfortunatelly many places where closed because of the long holiday weekend. 
We walked through the alleys and visited the Storno House. The castle-like Baroque corner house was the property of the Haberleiter family in the 15th century, and provided accommodation for King Matthias in 1482-83, when he assaulted the town of Vienna. The Storno family purchased the building in 1872. Ferenc Storno, a chimney-sweeper by his original profession, became an artist and one of the most significant restorers of Sopron in the 19th century. 
The house was the venue of two concerts played by Franz Liszt, in 1840 and 1881. 
The rooms, decorated with antique furniture as well as the works of family members, give a true picture of interior design at the end of the 19th century. 
I haven't been allowed to take any pictures, thats why I can just give you the internet link where you will find more information and pictures: Storno House Sopron.

As well we have been in the medieval synagogue after some problems of finding it because it is hidden in the middle of other houses. The Gothic synagogue built at the beginning of the 14th century  is a unique piece of architecture in Eastern Europe. A corridor from the entrance leads to the main hall. Its main door is decorated with a tympanum, and two side consoles date from 1300, the time of construction. Woman had their own house of prayers, which was equipped with its own exit. They could follow the events in the main hall only through narrow window slots.
After the expulsion of the Jews from Sopron in 1526, the synagogue started to fall into decay; later it was converted into private homes. The building regained its original beauty during the restoration work of 1967. 

Back in Györ we found a nice restaurant where we spent our last evening before we went home on sunday.

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

17.-19.10.2014   My weekend

This weekend we stayed at home but still it was full of program. 

Friday evening we went to the concert of Irie Maffia and Mary Popkids in the Zsolnay Kulturális Negyed - E78. We had a lot of fun and I really liked Mary Popkids. 

On saturday morning I met Svenja for a walk and a coffee in Tettye Tér, a great place from where you have a fantastic view over Pécs. 

more pictures in PécsPhoto

In the afternoon I had a little walk (thats how Ines called it in her blog) with Kathi, Ines and Freya through the city center with a stop at the Bistro of the restaurant Elefantos. We enjoyed our baguette and ice cream on the main venue in the sun, having troubles to go up to continue the day. 

Afterwards I went to a nice Café called Csinos to write postcards. 

In the evening all the volunteers met to go out for dinner in Flekken and we ended up the day in the CoolTourCafe since it was the only bar where we could fit all together. 

Sunday morning we spent sleeping and having breakfast on the balcony. In the afternoon we met with the "Tesco Flat" and half of "The house" (two of the other flats from the volunteers) at Tettye Tér to have a big picnic. Since we had so much luck with the weather it has been lovely there. 

As well we walked around and visited the small church on top of the hill. 

 more pictures in PécsPhoto !

Greetings from the "Indian Summer"

Üdvözlettel !
Since I am in Pécs there has been almost no day that wasn't sunny and warm. It is october now but still we have around 20 degrees, the sun is up the whole day and the little mosquitoes are -unfortunately- still alive. Secretly we call it our little Indian Summer.

In the kindergarten there has been a theatre group last week. I didn't understand them speaking but the children where quite excited about it which made me happy to see. As well we made a little trip to find some chestnuts to do handicrafts. The kids loved it and couldn't stop picking them up.

On the last wednesday of September we had our sightseeing 2.0 including the western part of Pécs. We went to see the old town boarder,  the "Big Horse",the town hall, the old Post, the Unesco world heritage and the different churches of the city, which was quite interesting since I know now where the churches are located that make up the german name of Pécs "Fünfkirchen".

In the evening we went to the Wine Fest for a second time to taste Langos and Kürtöskalacs (great typical hungarian food).
Some of the other evenings we spent in the bar/cafe Nappali, the CoulTourCafe, the Pecsi Est Disco and at home watching movies, reading or skyping.
Additionally we went to Tesco again to buy a Toaster. Now we can proudly say that the Toasty Flat owns its own Toaster :)

Since the 29th of September we have joined our hungarian lesson twice a week. Because the teacher speaks english and german we divided the volunteers in two groups: a german for most of the germans and an english one for the spanish, italians and some germans. During the first lessons we learned how to pronounce the hungarian alphabet. All in all there are 44 letters and by the way the hungarian language exists of around two dozens of cases..
As well we got to know how to present ourselves Kristina vagyok, how to greet somebody Szia / Sziasztok / Jó Napot / , how to say thanks Köszönöm / Köszi and and and és és és... I am looking forward to the following lessons to be able to speak hungarian as soon as possible.

Last wednesday we held a german evening in the YouthCenter Pepita. We (the german volunteers) made a presentation in german about Germany including general information, music, sights and the Oktoberfest since it just took place. We had a hungarian translator and have been surprised that it wasn't needed for everybody because most of the visitors understood german quite well. It was a nice evening and we had the chance to get an insight of the projects of the Center.

Yesterday I got myself a card in the library and stayed there for hours. The building is huge and as it was told to me the biggest one in Hungary. As well I was a little bit shopping, I cooked Risotto.
Today I baked Apple-Crumble-Muffins

and we have been on the sunday market. It is a really big market where you can buy actually everything!

Now it is dark already and I am still sitting on the balcony enjoying the fresh air.
Next week I will finally get a gym ticket and maybe I will find time to go swimming.
As well I found some nice cafes and places I want to visit.
But this is another story for another post.

Sziasztok!

Travel is the only thing you buy, which makes you richer.

Holiday weekend in Szeged

The first weekend of October we spent all together in Szeged.
With its 170000 inhabitants Szeged is one of the biggest cities in Hungary and is situated near to the triangle with Serbia and Romania on the river Tisza.
After a four hours trip by bus we arrived at the Tisza Hotel which was located in the middle of the city. We unpacked and had a really nice meal in the restaurant Véndeglö. Afterwards we spent the night in the Retro Club which was luckily connected directly to our hotel.
On saturday we discovered the city by foot. We went to the Cathedral Square which contains Szeged's most important buildings and monuments, to the National Pantheon where you can find statues and reliefs of 80 notables running along an arcade around three sides of the square and to the Ferenc Móra Museum.
In the evening we ate in the Bistorant, a restaurant and wine bar, and went to a bar called Smooth where I drank a BLUEBERRY HOT CHOCOLATE and where others had a chocolate fondue. It was really good!
On sunday we had breakfast, checked out and visited the New Synagogue before the bus took us back home. For some people the Hungarian Art Nouveau New Synagogue, which was designed by Lipót Baumhorn in 1903, is Szeged's most compelling sight. It is the most beautiful Jewish house of worship in Hungary, as it is said, and is still in use, though the community has dwindled from 8000 before WW2 to about 50 people. The grace and enormous size of the exterior and the blue-and-gold interior are very impressive.
This was our first small holiday weekend and now I am happy to be able to make the first check on the list of the places I want to see.

check out

Check out EVS to find out more about the European Volunteer Service, how to find the right project and about my sending organisation Experiment e.V. and my hosting organisation Területfejlesztök a Vidékért.

As well I updated PécsPhoto!

It's time to start: the first week

Welcome to Pécs!
Last sunday I arrived in Pécs and since then a lot of things happened. But lets start from the beginning.
After a trip of 14 hours to Budapest and 3 hours to Pécs by train I was picked up with other volunteers and we were brought to our flats. I am living together with three other lovely girls. While I am in one room with Kathi, Freya and Ines are sharing the other one. Our kitchen was just renovated and we have a balcony which is connected to my room. We are quite happy here in our "Toasty flat".(The name was given by the previous volunteers).
On sunday we just unpacked our stuff and went to Lidl which is located just 200m away to buy some food for the evening.
On monday we had a first meeting with all the other volunteers and our mentors from the project. All in all we are 17 volunteers: 11 from Germany, 2 from Austria, 2 from Italy and 2 from Spain. We are separated in two kindergartens from which one is a german-hungarian where I am working and the other is a hungarian one. Both of them are also separated in two locations.
After the meeting we went to the city center to buy a sim card and a bus ticket.
In the evening the german volunteers met Ildi, the german Mentor, in a nice bar/café. We talked about a lot of stuff and agreed to meet on a weekly basis.
On tuesday my work in the kindergarten started. The kids are so sweet and the teachers are also very nice and open minded. I am in the "Butterfly group" with 24 children. This week I worked from 8 o'clock until 13 o'clock and next week from 10.30 until 15.30. (The shifts are changing every week.) Basically my main task is to speak german to the kids, but of course I am helping with the meals and in the bathroom. Except one girl everybody is speaking hungarian. Therefore the kids are talking hungarian to me all the time while I am speaking german :)
When I arrive we are just playing games, drawing, playing with cars.. After the breakfast we are singing some german songs, playing german games like "Mein rechter, rechter Platz ist frei" and we are counting in german. Afterwards we are going out to the playing ground. Around 12 o'clock the lunch is served and then the kids are going to sleep. I am reading a german fairy tale and then my kindergarten day is over. I really love the job and I am happy to be in this wonderful project!
In the evening we all went to the "Cooltour Café". It is a lovely place which has its one very big terrace where are different kind of lights which makes a cozy atmosphere.
On wednesday we got a first sightseeing from Vicky who is one of our Mentors. We visited the "Zsolnay culture quarter" which was somehow renovated a few years ago when Pécs was the European Capital of Culture. The Zsolnay family was very famous for its ceramic.                             (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zsolnay_Porzellanmanufaktur) The quarter consist of a museum, a planetarium, a gallery, different shops, exhibitions, restaurants, theatre halls... I will definitely go there with everybody who is going to visit me :)

 As well we visited the new concert hall of Pécs where we got a short introduction by the director of the programs. (http://www.kodalykozpont.hu/index.php?a=hangversenyterem&nyelv=deutsch) We already said that we have to go there for a concert because the stage is huge, the atmosphere is great and the stage is even variable.
On thursday we had a rest day after the kindergarten. The four of us in my flat watched "Friends" and we walked up the hill in front of our flat from where we had a nice view all over Pécs.

the view over Pécs

On friday we met all together in the city center. There was a wine fest and people all over the place. Unfortunately we have been there a bit late, but we heard at least the last songs of a band from Pécs which was giving a concert.

the concert

people all over the place :)

The weekend we spent in Orfü. It is a little 900-people-village half an hour away which is located next to a lake. In two groups we made a rally to get to know the place around us. In the evening we cooked a typical hungarian meal over an open fire. We had a great time all together.
Today on sunday we discovered "Tesco". But since the supermarket is so huge we agreed to walk there another time again to orient ourselves in there :)
The weather is very sunny besides one evening when it was raining and we have over 22 degrees the whole day I would say.
Pécs is very beautiful and we get to the city center in just 10 minutes by bus. Yet we haven't discovered everything of course but the time will come..

the main venue

little lake next to "Pepita", a youth centre where we will have our meetings

The Faculty of Medicine is located next to our street so we thought to visit some of the lectures since all the germans are studying there. As well we will try to get in some sport course. Lets see if they are full or not.
That were my first days. I feel great and I am excited about the next week.
Many greetings from Hungary, Pécs.