Newcomers Gab: Emeshea from the USA

(the photos are from Emeshea's Facebook album)

-How you find the atmosphere of Hungary/Budapest?

The atmosphere in Budapest and Hungary as a whole is an interesting mix. I have met many Hungarians who passionately love their country. These Hungarians will tell you about all of the great inventions that have come from Hungarians (ball point pen, Rubik’s Cube, telephone, etc.) When I am with these people who love Hungary the atmosphere is one of pride and joy. They want to share everything good with the foreigners they meet. Then there is the depression that has seeped into the hearts of so many other Hungarians. They feel hopeless, downtrodden, as if there is no way to improve their situation or their country’s situation. Many of these Hungarians like some things here, but want to leave as soon as possible to go make the big bucks somewhere else. So the atmosphere here is a strange mix of pride, joy, depression and hopelessness.

-You live in Hungary...was it hard to settle down?

When I moved to Hungary this year I was very fortunate. The organization that I am here teaching with arranged my work and place of residence. Through their contract I have been very well taken care of by the school that employs me. This made the logistics fairly easy. Some of the other things though were a little bit more difficult. Finding places to meet others my age, learning the public transportation, getting used to the lack of American products which I am so used to was bit frustrating at times. As I have been reflecting on this, I feel like it was not any more difficult than moving to a new place in the United States would have been.

-How did you spend your first days here? What has been the most strange/unique experience to you?

Upon my arrival I had one week to get things together before I began teaching English at a high school. I spent most of my first week here purchasing supplies for teaching, arranging my apartment, getting used to the public transportation, and connecting with people.

I still remember the weather the very first night I arrived here. I settled into my room and was trying to go to sleep. It was extremely hot, so I had the window open. Suddenly the wind started blowing extremely hard, it started raining and there was lightning. I was a very scared that the weather would be like that for a long time, but it passed in a few minutes. It was very strange weather.

-What are the things which are familiar to you here?

McDonald’s everywhere. The McCafe is a great improvement upon McDonald’s. It has been a great substitute for Starbucks, which I miss immensely. Activia yogurt also makes me happy as it is what I ate for breakfast back in the States. I am also very, very happy that there are several H&M stores in Budapest. I love shopping there.

-How can you manage the language barriers?

Fortunately I learned Hungarian as a child. There are some things which are diffuclt for me, but overall I can get around. The frustrating thing to me is when people do not realize that Hungarian is not my mother tongue and they just think I am stupid instead of a foreigner. I get a lot of those looks…

-D you drive or do you use public transportation in Budapest?

However much I would love to try to conquer the streets of Budapest with my own car, I have not been fortunate enough to buy one. I use public transportation to go anywhere and everywhere. When that fails… I walk.

-How you find the public transportation here?

In the inner city of Budapest the public transportation is wonderful. Unfortunately I live a bit far from the center along one of the HEV lines. There are only two ways to get to my house and it takes a long time to get anywhere. By now I have gotten used to leaving for destinations an hour in advance so as not to be late. I am a little bit ticked off at all of the construction that affects the public transport I would like to utilize. All of the replacement busses for trams, etc are quite inconvenient. I have been learning a lot though and am always pleased to find new routes from place to place that are shorter and quicker.

-Where do you normally go when you are out in Budapest?

Some of my favorite places to go in town are: Marcello’s, Nagyi Palacsintazo, Gloria Jean’s, Irish Cat Pub, Buddah, Iguana, Hirado Kavezo and the Rezkigyo Coffee House. I have been to some nice dancing places, but their names escape me.

-Are there places where you can meet other expats or do you prefer local friends?

I do try to make local friends, but somehow foreigners always attract other foreigners. In a room of 15 Hungarians and five foreigners I will probably learn the names and stories of all five foreigners in an hour and by the time I leave have only met one or two of the Hungarians. It is quite frustrating really. I have been making a great effort by attending a Hungarian only church, called Krisztus Gyulekezete, and trying to hang out with Hungarians whenever possible. I still find myself frequenting places that are full of expats like Gloria Jean’s or Iguana. I like these places because they remind me of home. Apparently they remind other expats of home too!

-How do you manage everyday services like banking, library, internet, mobile phone, ordering delivery, calling for taxi, apartment rent, overhead?

Thankfully many of these things (internet, apartment rent, some banking) are taken care of by my contract with my organization. This has been a great relief. Other things, like mobile phone, banking, ordering delivery can result in frequent comical situations. When I go to the bank, I think they think I am an idiot, because I do not have the vocabulary (or at least I did not when I first arrived) to communicate what I need or want. If I reveal that in fact I am not a native speaker then they become sweet and helpful. Otherwise I have to deal with looks that are just not very kind. Ordering delivery and taxis has become much simpler with the internet. I use netpincer.hu to order sushi delivered to my house, and then I do not have to suffer on the phone. Taxis can also be ordered on line. When these things do have to be done over the phone, I frequently get conned into doing it by my friends who do not speak Hungarian as well (or at all). Usually it works out fine, but sometimes miscommunications ensue (like sending the delivery man to the wrong address on accident.)

-Do you find Budapest a livable city?

Depends. If you have a well paying job then Budapest is great. Unfortunately many Hungarians struggle to make ends meet, making it difficult to have any kind of upward mobility. In terms of transportation Budapest is great, most of the time. There are some great things here, like large parks that help people to escape the busy town feeling. In general you can find what you are looking for at the grocery store or a specialty store, although sometimes at a cost. There are good international schools here if you do not want to send your children to Hungarian school, but the Hungarian schools are generally quite good also. I can envision myself living here for quite some time, so I guess I would say it is livable.

-What kind of food/beverage have you tried in Hungary? Which is/are your favorite?

Palacsinta and Turo Rudi. Love them.


-Which are the locations that you like the most here that you would recommend?

I greatly enjoy going to Margaret Island. It is very peaceful and quiet. I also would recommend taking a ride on the Children’s Railroad, and visiting Janos Hegy.

If you are looking for a good place to eat then the places I mentioned before are quite good. The baths are a must. There are many to choose from, I encourage you to do some research to find the one that will suit your style best. Szechenyi Baths tend to please everyone. If you are looking for a fun and scary day you can visit the Vidampark (funfair.) It is a bit old, but the creaking noises just add a new level of fear to the normal experience.

-What tips or advices would you want to share with our readers?

At times Hungarians can be a bit hostile to foreigners. The way to get around that is to make friends with Hungarians and show genuine interest. The language is hard, but the more you know the more you will enjoy being in Hungary. Even basic phrases will make a huge improvement. Heed the old women who might yell at you for not blow drying your hair, eating ice cream in winter, or sitting on cold things. Find a place where you can get to know Hungarians and their culture at a deeper level. The deeper you go the more there is to enjoy!