It has been about two months since I started walking dogs at the shelter. I have been test driving dogs to find a good fit for me. If the entire walk consists of me pulling the dog back, that is not much fun for anyone. So, I have found the perfect dog for me. His name is Bogar and they told me that he is one of their older, calmer dogs. He seems to recognize me and doesn't rush out of the gate like a race horse when they put the leash on him. He responds to his name, seems to like his head petted and knows the meaning of "nem" (no). So I am thinking about starting an exclusive relationship with him.
The goats and sheep have had babies in the last few weeks. They also have a new addition; a young deer with one deformed ear.
On Sundays there are lots of families visiting. They feed the goats and sheep and play with the dogs. Hopefully, the adoption rate is good, I have no way of knowing.
I have been very impressed with the cleanliness of the place and the devotion of the staff toward the dogs. When I indicated to this employee that I would like to take a picture of him and Bogart, he picked the dog up and beamed.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Berlin
My brother and his wife were in Berlin for a professional conference so we flew over to meet them. Kevin has been going to Berlin since 1990 (a year after the wall came down), so he has a historical perspective and is a great tour guide. Yes! It was really cold!
All of us in a certain age bracket remember studying about Berlin after WWII and then in 1960 when the wall was erected. So here we were staying in the Mitte which is smack dab in the middle of former E. Berlin!
My impressions of Berlin are that it is a vibrant and modern city. Due to the damage of the war, many of the old building in the area where we were staying had been leveled. So on a street you might see one obviously old building surrounded by these fabulous modern buildings. It had a totally different vibe than Budapest.
The first night we took a cab to where some of my brother's coworkers were having dinner. The cab let us off at the curb of this narrow street. We had to walk carefully (due to thick ice) through what appeared to be an abandoned lot toward what looked like an empty old building. We found some stairs which we presumed led to the entrance. Sure enough on the second floor of this old building (we were later told that it had been a post office) we found a dimly lit hallway and a hostess! She led us into an area at the end of the hallway that opened up into a dome with an intricate ceiling and about 15 long tables. What a venue!
The menu was in German but the waitress translated to the best of her ability. I ended up ordering the vegetarian menu. It came as the most beautifully presented dish that I had seen in months. The Hungarians are not into presentation. And the meal. . . fabulous! It was paired with some great wines of my brother's choosing. Since my brother works with the international community, that evening I had conversation with people from Taiwan, India, Brazil and Scotland. It was quite the eclectic group.
Our 3 1/2 days flew by and were filled with lots of sightseeing. We would go back to Berlin in a heartbeat, but, so many places and so little time!
All of us in a certain age bracket remember studying about Berlin after WWII and then in 1960 when the wall was erected. So here we were staying in the Mitte which is smack dab in the middle of former E. Berlin!
My impressions of Berlin are that it is a vibrant and modern city. Due to the damage of the war, many of the old building in the area where we were staying had been leveled. So on a street you might see one obviously old building surrounded by these fabulous modern buildings. It had a totally different vibe than Budapest.
The first night we took a cab to where some of my brother's coworkers were having dinner. The cab let us off at the curb of this narrow street. We had to walk carefully (due to thick ice) through what appeared to be an abandoned lot toward what looked like an empty old building. We found some stairs which we presumed led to the entrance. Sure enough on the second floor of this old building (we were later told that it had been a post office) we found a dimly lit hallway and a hostess! She led us into an area at the end of the hallway that opened up into a dome with an intricate ceiling and about 15 long tables. What a venue!
The menu was in German but the waitress translated to the best of her ability. I ended up ordering the vegetarian menu. It came as the most beautifully presented dish that I had seen in months. The Hungarians are not into presentation. And the meal. . . fabulous! It was paired with some great wines of my brother's choosing. Since my brother works with the international community, that evening I had conversation with people from Taiwan, India, Brazil and Scotland. It was quite the eclectic group.
Our 3 1/2 days flew by and were filled with lots of sightseeing. We would go back to Berlin in a heartbeat, but, so many places and so little time!
The Poetry Contest
Jack and I were judges in a poetry reading contest at a bilingual high school (Gimnasium) last week.
This was an event open to grades 9-12 and these kids were the finalists of each of their high schools. There were three judges, the two of us and a Scotsman who is a cop in Budapest. We were seated prominently in the front of the room (why didn't I dress up more) with the 17 contestants all seated in chairs. Surprisingly, there were an equal number of boys and girls. As I have mentioned before this country really appreciates poets and poetry. Each child had to recite a compulsory poem and a poem of their own choosing. We had scoring sheets and were directed to give three separate scores for their pronunciation, interpretation of the theme and dramatic effect. Here is the compulsory poem, I think that it is quite thought provoking.
WHICH ARE YOU? Ella Wheeler Wilcox
There are two kinds of people on earth today
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.
Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.
Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.
No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.
Wherever you go you will find the earth's masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.
And oddly enough, you will find too, I mean,
There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.
In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner who lets others share
Your portion of labor and worry and care?
Considering they were reciting in a language other than their mother tongue, I was really impressed with the performances. We awarded a tie for first place, a second and third prize. The kids were polite and appreciative. I am sure that I will never have this opportunity again!
This was an event open to grades 9-12 and these kids were the finalists of each of their high schools. There were three judges, the two of us and a Scotsman who is a cop in Budapest. We were seated prominently in the front of the room (why didn't I dress up more) with the 17 contestants all seated in chairs. Surprisingly, there were an equal number of boys and girls. As I have mentioned before this country really appreciates poets and poetry. Each child had to recite a compulsory poem and a poem of their own choosing. We had scoring sheets and were directed to give three separate scores for their pronunciation, interpretation of the theme and dramatic effect. Here is the compulsory poem, I think that it is quite thought provoking.
WHICH ARE YOU? Ella Wheeler Wilcox
There are two kinds of people on earth today
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the sinner and saint, for it's well understood,
The good are half bad, and the bad are half good.
Not the rich and the poor, for to rate a man's wealth
You must first know the state of his conscience and health.
Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span
Who puts on vain airs, is not counted a man.
Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years
Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears.
No; the two kinds of people on earth I mean,
Are the people who lift and the people who lean.
Wherever you go you will find the earth's masses,
Are always divided in just these two classes.
And oddly enough, you will find too, I mean,
There's only one lifter to twenty who lean.
In which class are you? Are you easing the load,
Of overtaxed lifters who toil down the road?
Or are you a leaner who lets others share
Your portion of labor and worry and care?
Considering they were reciting in a language other than their mother tongue, I was really impressed with the performances. We awarded a tie for first place, a second and third prize. The kids were polite and appreciative. I am sure that I will never have this opportunity again!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The cat person and some homeless Hungarian dogs
Yeah, I am a cat person. I have an old photo of me when I was about 2 years old and draped in my arms is this huge cat and I am wearing a smile from ear to ear. We never had dogs when I was a kid, only cats (I guess that I come from a long line of feline fanciers.) The only time I had ever walked a dog was about 25 years ago when Jack and I babysat his parents' poodle.
Well, here in Hungary dogs are plentiful, but the number of cats I have seen can be counted on one hand. I was going through animal withdraw!!
So, I did some research and found out that there is an animal shelter not too far from our school in the burb where we are living. I sent and e-mail of inquiry and much to my surprise got a response in english along with an application form. I filled it out, sent it via Hungarian snail mail and was notified that I could start the "work". So last week I walked over after school and found the shelter and what a shelter it is. It backs up to a large wooded area and has several structures strung along this path. As I walked along I spotted a chicken shelter with some "fancy" chicken strutting around, an area with goats, a pen holding a ferret and then the dogs' buildings. They are build it a circular formation with little pie wedge shaped pens which house three dogs each. The advantage is that the dogs can see out through the bars because they are at the wide end of the wedge. Of course when they saw me I received a loud doggy welcome.
I found a sign which looked like it said something like "administration". Sometimes Hungarian words look similar to English but usually there is no way to figure out a word. They have lots more vowels than we do and some of them have accent marks. The thing that makes a lot of sense to me about their language is that each vowel always sounds the same no matter the position in the word, (what a concept, huh?) So I entered that building and found an office with several chairs and two women behind the counter. I asked if either of them spoke English and the one at the computer responded and said that she recognized me from the passport photo that I had included with my application. She asked if I would like to start. I responded that I would and that I had lots of experience in cat shelters. "We don't have any cats here, " she responded. " Would you like to walk a dog?"
I agreed but told her that I could only handle a small to medium sized dog. They handed me a leash and lead me out to the round dog areas to a cocophany of barking. They must have seen the lease and everyone wanted to go for a walk. I was introduced to the fortunate pup. I asked, Nav? which means name and patted the yellow mixed bread doggie. As soon as she was clipped she took off, pulling like crazy on the lease. How can a dog that weighs probably 35 pounds pull so hard that I almost went airborne?? She obviously knew the route, around the building to the gate which leads to a path through the wooded area. This dog was SO excited to be exploring. She took me along the creek and through the woods. Who knew that all dogs do is pee, sniff and poop! She could have cared less about me, she had her doggy agenda. Luckily when I turned her around she knew the way back because I was really not sure! When we got back to the ad building I took her inside. The English speaker got on her walkie-talkie and called back the employee who had set me up with the dog. When the young woman came in she swooped the dog up and then took her paw and helped the dog to wave goodbye to me.
I have been back several times to be pulled by a dog though the path. They all seem to be estatic to be free. When the lone English speaker is not in the Hungarians that work there and I just guesture and nod. Everyone seems to know me and I don't have to show my picture ID. I am probably the only non-native volunteer that they have.
The good news is last time I was there a cat who lives on the grounds found me. He was one of those super friendly big males who purrs as soon as the petting commences. So hopefully sometimes I can get a kitty fix when I am improving the lives of dogs!
Well, here in Hungary dogs are plentiful, but the number of cats I have seen can be counted on one hand. I was going through animal withdraw!!
So, I did some research and found out that there is an animal shelter not too far from our school in the burb where we are living. I sent and e-mail of inquiry and much to my surprise got a response in english along with an application form. I filled it out, sent it via Hungarian snail mail and was notified that I could start the "work". So last week I walked over after school and found the shelter and what a shelter it is. It backs up to a large wooded area and has several structures strung along this path. As I walked along I spotted a chicken shelter with some "fancy" chicken strutting around, an area with goats, a pen holding a ferret and then the dogs' buildings. They are build it a circular formation with little pie wedge shaped pens which house three dogs each. The advantage is that the dogs can see out through the bars because they are at the wide end of the wedge. Of course when they saw me I received a loud doggy welcome.
I found a sign which looked like it said something like "administration". Sometimes Hungarian words look similar to English but usually there is no way to figure out a word. They have lots more vowels than we do and some of them have accent marks. The thing that makes a lot of sense to me about their language is that each vowel always sounds the same no matter the position in the word, (what a concept, huh?) So I entered that building and found an office with several chairs and two women behind the counter. I asked if either of them spoke English and the one at the computer responded and said that she recognized me from the passport photo that I had included with my application. She asked if I would like to start. I responded that I would and that I had lots of experience in cat shelters. "We don't have any cats here, " she responded. " Would you like to walk a dog?"
I agreed but told her that I could only handle a small to medium sized dog. They handed me a leash and lead me out to the round dog areas to a cocophany of barking. They must have seen the lease and everyone wanted to go for a walk. I was introduced to the fortunate pup. I asked, Nav? which means name and patted the yellow mixed bread doggie. As soon as she was clipped she took off, pulling like crazy on the lease. How can a dog that weighs probably 35 pounds pull so hard that I almost went airborne?? She obviously knew the route, around the building to the gate which leads to a path through the wooded area. This dog was SO excited to be exploring. She took me along the creek and through the woods. Who knew that all dogs do is pee, sniff and poop! She could have cared less about me, she had her doggy agenda. Luckily when I turned her around she knew the way back because I was really not sure! When we got back to the ad building I took her inside. The English speaker got on her walkie-talkie and called back the employee who had set me up with the dog. When the young woman came in she swooped the dog up and then took her paw and helped the dog to wave goodbye to me.
I have been back several times to be pulled by a dog though the path. They all seem to be estatic to be free. When the lone English speaker is not in the Hungarians that work there and I just guesture and nod. Everyone seems to know me and I don't have to show my picture ID. I am probably the only non-native volunteer that they have.
The good news is last time I was there a cat who lives on the grounds found me. He was one of those super friendly big males who purrs as soon as the petting commences. So hopefully sometimes I can get a kitty fix when I am improving the lives of dogs!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Christmas in Europe
We took the train to Prague for Christmas.
You know the images that people have of trains in Europe where you have those cool compartments where you can slide the doors shut? Well, the folks who were traveling 1st class had those, but the 2nd class cars which we were in were just like trains in the U.S. As we stepped on the train to look for our seats which were printed on our tickets we saw someone in our seats. Turned out that they were American and that someone was sitting in their seats, so appartently the seating assignments weren't adhered to. So we sat down across the aisle from them. Turned out it was a father (about mid 40's) and his daughter who were in Europe for Christmas. Well, we talked almost the entire 7 hours of the trip. We didn't realize how hungry we were for conversation with Americans! And these folks were aligned with our values and lifestyle. Mark had served in the Peace Corp and so he understood the challenges of being in a foreign country where little English is spoken. They were politically liberal just like us and Morgan was quite the composed and mature young woman of 18, so we enjoyed talking with her as well.
When we arrived at the train station the first thing we had to do was change money. At the time I had in my wallet Euros, dollars and Hungarian forint. When we got the Czech currency I was carrying 4 currencies! Both The Czech Republic and Hungary are part of the EU and are scheduled to change to euros. However with the global economy such as it is there have been delays in the process. Hungary was supposed to change in 2010, but there economy is really depressed and so it has been postponed indefinitely.
We felt quite comfortable taking the subway to our hotel stop and felt pleased that we are now able to negotiate subway systems with relative ease. The Hotel Europa was just a short walk downhill (thank goodness for suitcases on wheels). When we arrived we walked into a grand old hotel with character oozing from it's 120 year old walls. Our room was on the 4th floor which we got to in one of those old elevators with the metal gates. To make a long story short, the room was a massive suite with old style furnishings and built in closets overlooking a square with lots of action. We were enthralled until we discovered that the toilet only flushed intermittently and the shower lacked water that was warmer than tepid with no water pressure!
As soon as we dropped our luggage, we bundled up to go explore and find dinner. Following a glimpse of a steeple that we could see, we found the main square which was dominated by the most beautiful Christmas tree that I had ever seen! It literally brought me to tears!
So, we spent 3 days walking the streets of Prague with a lot of tourists and locals as well. The city is about half the size of Budapest, so it was an easier feat to accomplish. It was super cold the whole time, but each day had fewer clouds so our pictures improved. We had an incredible time and really felt like we had been dropped into a fairy tale.
We made some interesting observations about the Czechs v. Hungarians. First of all there is much more english spoken at least in the areas that we visited. Language was just not an issue. Also, the Czechs understand about service in a restaurant, offering excellent service and suggesting additions to make the meals more complete. This is something that we never experience in Budapest. There, they take your order which sometimes means that we point to the Hungarian words on the menu and pray that we are making a good choice, bring it, and then you never see them until you have to flag the server down to beg that they bring the check. Once they do, though, they hoover over you as you look at the bill and calculate the tip.
I have included several pictures which speak to our experience in Prague as well as anything.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Acupuncture in the land of the Magyars
Since we have been here, I have not slept through the night once.
I mentioned to one of the English speaking teachers at school that I was not sleeping. She is a vegetarian and seems tuned into her health, so I quizzed her about her health care preferences. Turns out that she goes to an acupuncturist whom she feels has changed her life. He is Chinese and speaks no english (only Hungarian) and is a professor here in Budapest. According to her, he has helped her manage with what sounds like some major intestinal issues. That is what I was able to infer from our conversation. I am never totally confident in my ability to communicate with the Hungarians because even the teachers speak only passable english.
She called and made me an appointment and offered to take me to it. That would have meant that the school would have to substitute for my classes and hers. They don't have a sub pool like in the states, the staff just covers for each other. So I told her that I was sure that I could find it on my own.
The day of the appointment, I traveled into Budapest by tram/subway armed with the map and an address. The challenge in Budapest is that with every takeover they change the names of some of the streets. Instead of taking down the old plaque, they just put another one above it. Sometimes you see buildings with 3 different street names attached to the walls. Luckily, I did find it. It was in one of those old buildings in Europe where you have to be buzzed in. Well, Gobi had neglected to tell me that part. I scanned the list of Hungarian names by the bell and found one that said "Wang" (well that certainly isn't a Hungarian name) so I decided it was the most likely and buzzed #I 11. Sure enough, I could now push the door open. Thankfully, once I entered the courtyard there were signs for the business and I entered. The first thing I encountered was a rack full of sandals. Okay, so I was supposed to take off my shoes. I replaced them with sandals and walked to the receptionist, an elderly Hungarian lady. When I spoke to her in english, she got an expression of understanding and got up to go into the other room. Out came a younger man who was dressed in white (an assistant I supposed) and spoke to me in english with a Hungarian accent. The receptionist handed him a form in Hungarian, of course and he started to ask me the usual questions about name, birthday, etc. Then it got to the part of the form where you list your complaints. I told him that I was waking up several times during the night and as soon as I did, I would have to get up to empty my bladder. At that point he got this puzzled expression that I have come to recognize and he announces to the room full of patients and the receptionist something in Hungarian. One of the patients spoke to him. Then he turned to me and said, "I wasn't sure what you meant by bladder". Great! Now the entire room knows why I am there! So much for confidentiality!
The day of the appointment, I traveled into Budapest by tram/subway armed with the map and an address. The challenge in Budapest is that with every takeover they change the names of some of the streets. Instead of taking down the old plaque, they just put another one above it. Sometimes you see buildings with 3 different street names attached to the walls. Luckily, I did find it. It was in one of those old buildings in Europe where you have to be buzzed in. Well, Gobi had neglected to tell me that part. I scanned the list of Hungarian names by the bell and found one that said "Wang" (well that certainly isn't a Hungarian name) so I decided it was the most likely and buzzed #I 11. Sure enough, I could now push the door open. Thankfully, once I entered the courtyard there were signs for the business and I entered. The first thing I encountered was a rack full of sandals. Okay, so I was supposed to take off my shoes. I replaced them with sandals and walked to the receptionist, an elderly Hungarian lady. When I spoke to her in english, she got an expression of understanding and got up to go into the other room. Out came a younger man who was dressed in white (an assistant I supposed) and spoke to me in english with a Hungarian accent. The receptionist handed him a form in Hungarian, of course and he started to ask me the usual questions about name, birthday, etc. Then it got to the part of the form where you list your complaints. I told him that I was waking up several times during the night and as soon as I did, I would have to get up to empty my bladder. At that point he got this puzzled expression that I have come to recognize and he announces to the room full of patients and the receptionist something in Hungarian. One of the patients spoke to him. Then he turned to me and said, "I wasn't sure what you meant by bladder". Great! Now the entire room knows why I am there! So much for confidentiality!
After about 1/2 and hour, they came for me and Zolton (I had to ask him his name) took me back to a curtained off area to see the doctor and acted as a translator. There were about 6 little sterling timers on the desk. They were all a different design. As the two of them were talking about me, I spent the time puzzling as to the purpose of these little timers. Through the translator Dr. Wang tells me that my tongue is coated white, my pulses are weak and my kidney yin is low. He told me that I needed 10 sessions and asked if I would like to start that day. I responded YES, so they put me in a bed behind on of the curtains and Dr. Wang did some points on my feet, legs, abdominal, the exterior part of my palm and my all time favorite, the 3rd eye point and left me for 30 min. While I was laying there, I figured out the reason for the timers. There were a bunch of curtained off areas in this big room and each one had a patient in it. The timers were to indicate when each patient's needles were ready to come out.
Zolton helped me make the next two appointments and I changed my shoes to leave. Okay, down the steps to the courtyard, hang a right, down some more steps, yes, I found the exit! But the doors are locked and I can't figure out how to get out of the building! Great, so I retrace my steps, have to get buzzed back in to the office and pantomime that I don't know how to get out of the building. One of the other patients takes me to the front door and shows me the buzzer to release the front door. Whew! This really is a metaphor for living in this country, nothing is easy! The good news is I left feeling clear headed and rested for the first time in months.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The homesickness
Jack and I have been here 3 months now. In many ways it seems longer to me.
Our impression has been that sunset here is earlier than at home, so I did some research and sure enough, in Budapest the sunset is currently 14 minutes earlier than in Portland. That makes for a very short afternoon and
l-o-n-g evening.
I am beginning to have some homesickness, so I thought that I would write about what I am missing.
1. My family
2. Independence. Currently the toilet is leaking, the washing machine is acting up and we have not been refered to a doctor. We have to wait until someone at the school helps us with these things. It is very frustrating and something that I have not experienced since I was a child.
3. Companionship. I miss being able to pick up the phone and have a heart to heart with my girlfriends. Other than Jack and the occasional American that we are able to spend time with we are alone.
4. Being able to jump in the car anytime you want and go. We spend lots of time waiting on buses, trolleys and trains, but the subway is great!
5. Space. Jack and I have no where to be away from each other in our flat. We have always respected each others' need for alone time and now it is a very rare occurance.
6. My cats snuggling on my lap, T.V., the big fir trees in our yard, dense whole wheat bread, Jazzercise, yoga, salads, a garbage disposal, the phone ringing, the cats sleeping with me, comfortable beds and couches, watching my yard change with the seasons, meeting friends for lunch, drinks, dinner, or any social activity, being able to have a conversation at a normal speed, my sauna, watching the boys chase each other down the hall, shopping at New Seasons, Indian food, buying Advil, cough syrup or other mundane items at Fred Meyer instead of at a pharmacy.
And here is what I am enjoying over here in list form; being a minority, planning a weekend away which means another country, the depth of history which surrounds us, the incredible architecture, museums, sculpture that is so accessable, living outside my comfort zone before I am too old, the walnut filled, horseshoe shaped pastry which I am quickly becoming addicted to, living as an expat which is an experience not many people are lucky enough to have, living to the fullest, not just moving through life.
Our impression has been that sunset here is earlier than at home, so I did some research and sure enough, in Budapest the sunset is currently 14 minutes earlier than in Portland. That makes for a very short afternoon and
l-o-n-g evening.
I am beginning to have some homesickness, so I thought that I would write about what I am missing.
1. My family
2. Independence. Currently the toilet is leaking, the washing machine is acting up and we have not been refered to a doctor. We have to wait until someone at the school helps us with these things. It is very frustrating and something that I have not experienced since I was a child.
3. Companionship. I miss being able to pick up the phone and have a heart to heart with my girlfriends. Other than Jack and the occasional American that we are able to spend time with we are alone.
4. Being able to jump in the car anytime you want and go. We spend lots of time waiting on buses, trolleys and trains, but the subway is great!
5. Space. Jack and I have no where to be away from each other in our flat. We have always respected each others' need for alone time and now it is a very rare occurance.
6. My cats snuggling on my lap, T.V., the big fir trees in our yard, dense whole wheat bread, Jazzercise, yoga, salads, a garbage disposal, the phone ringing, the cats sleeping with me, comfortable beds and couches, watching my yard change with the seasons, meeting friends for lunch, drinks, dinner, or any social activity, being able to have a conversation at a normal speed, my sauna, watching the boys chase each other down the hall, shopping at New Seasons, Indian food, buying Advil, cough syrup or other mundane items at Fred Meyer instead of at a pharmacy.
And here is what I am enjoying over here in list form; being a minority, planning a weekend away which means another country, the depth of history which surrounds us, the incredible architecture, museums, sculpture that is so accessable, living outside my comfort zone before I am too old, the walnut filled, horseshoe shaped pastry which I am quickly becoming addicted to, living as an expat which is an experience not many people are lucky enough to have, living to the fullest, not just moving through life.
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