Culture Shock: Food, Language, Bathrooms
Two weeks and 2 days ago I landed in Hungary. Since landing my time here has been nothing short of amazing. I have begun to experience a new culture that I have already fallen in love with. I have many different experiences I would like to share, so below I have catagoirezed different parts of my time here. These are based on my time in Bodrogeresztùr, Hungary, where we stayed at Betlehem ( a retreat center that is gorgeous). If you want to know about the wine tasting we went to with the Roma College Students, and our time worshipping at two different churches, I will be writing all about it in my newsletter!
Food
Before coming to Hungary, I was told to expect to eat a lot of cabbage. Two weeks in and I have not yet had to eat cabbage. I have, however, gotten to eat cheese in more ways than I ever imagined. I have had cheese in triangles that you spread on bread for breakfast (also, breakfast is bread, cheese, jam, and a ton of fresh vegetables every morning), I have had tùrò (similar to cottage cheese except cooked into many things), thick round slices of cheese grilled (yes, literally a slice of cheese that has grilled marks and is delicious), thick round slices of cheese breaded and fried, think square slices of cheese dipped in batter and fried, and smoked cheese. In Hungary, lunch is the biggest meal of the day and always starts with a soup. We have not had the same soup twice. And all have been delicious. From bean soup to garlic cream soup to fruit soup (it tasted like the inside of an apple pie), all the soups have been amazing. It is also common to have a sweet lunch and dinner once a week. We have had plum cake (plums with a pie-like crust on bottom and top) as well as plum dumplings covered in sugar. Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant when they are in season and they are fresher and more delicious than anything I have had before.
Language Lessons
Hungarian is very different than English, but not necessarily in a bad way. We received 10 days of lessons from a wonderful teacher. Our teacher was amazing. She was very patient with us and would take time to explain concepts in multiple ways for us to understand. Hungarian is mathematic in the way that the grammar creates an equation and after that you just have to plug in the right words. The grammar is logical and makes sense, remembering all of the vocab, for me, is the real challenge. Learning Hungarian has made me appreciate being a native English speaker, as English has so many rules and exceptions I could not manage keeping it straight if I had to learn it now. Hungarian does have 14 vowels that all make their own sound, but every letter of the Hungarian alphabet always makes the same sound, no matter what, in a word. Our lessons ended today, and I feel confident that I can order fried cheese (rantott sajt) and ice cream (fajhi).
Bathrooms
During our lay-over in Vienna, I was surprised to discover toilets are different in different countries! Upon landing in Budapest, I discovered Hungarian toilets were different again. In Hungary, the toilets have a little “shelf” were American toilets have a bowl, and this shelf has a hole in it in the front. When you flush (the lever is also different!), the water pushes everything off the shelf and into the hole were it then flushes away through the pipes. Almost all toilets have a scrub brush next to them so you can clean up any signs you were there, and some are kind enough to include air freshener spray. I do not know why this fascinates me so much, but it really does. It makes me wonder if this type of system is more or less water efficient then the toilets in the USA.
If you want to subscribe to my blog, hit the subscribe button, enter your email, and you will receive updates when I post a new blog. If you would like to know more about my time here, send me your email through the link below or by facebook messenger, and I’ll add you to my mailing list for my bi-monthly newsletter. These will contain different information than my blog and the first one will be coming out September 15th.
https://goo.gl/forms/TfDdtcRWe9nyVsQB2
Food
Before coming to Hungary, I was told to expect to eat a lot of cabbage. Two weeks in and I have not yet had to eat cabbage. I have, however, gotten to eat cheese in more ways than I ever imagined. I have had cheese in triangles that you spread on bread for breakfast (also, breakfast is bread, cheese, jam, and a ton of fresh vegetables every morning), I have had tùrò (similar to cottage cheese except cooked into many things), thick round slices of cheese grilled (yes, literally a slice of cheese that has grilled marks and is delicious), thick round slices of cheese breaded and fried, think square slices of cheese dipped in batter and fried, and smoked cheese. In Hungary, lunch is the biggest meal of the day and always starts with a soup. We have not had the same soup twice. And all have been delicious. From bean soup to garlic cream soup to fruit soup (it tasted like the inside of an apple pie), all the soups have been amazing. It is also common to have a sweet lunch and dinner once a week. We have had plum cake (plums with a pie-like crust on bottom and top) as well as plum dumplings covered in sugar. Fresh fruits and vegetables are abundant when they are in season and they are fresher and more delicious than anything I have had before.
Language Lessons
Hungarian is very different than English, but not necessarily in a bad way. We received 10 days of lessons from a wonderful teacher. Our teacher was amazing. She was very patient with us and would take time to explain concepts in multiple ways for us to understand. Hungarian is mathematic in the way that the grammar creates an equation and after that you just have to plug in the right words. The grammar is logical and makes sense, remembering all of the vocab, for me, is the real challenge. Learning Hungarian has made me appreciate being a native English speaker, as English has so many rules and exceptions I could not manage keeping it straight if I had to learn it now. Hungarian does have 14 vowels that all make their own sound, but every letter of the Hungarian alphabet always makes the same sound, no matter what, in a word. Our lessons ended today, and I feel confident that I can order fried cheese (rantott sajt) and ice cream (fajhi).
Bathrooms
During our lay-over in Vienna, I was surprised to discover toilets are different in different countries! Upon landing in Budapest, I discovered Hungarian toilets were different again. In Hungary, the toilets have a little “shelf” were American toilets have a bowl, and this shelf has a hole in it in the front. When you flush (the lever is also different!), the water pushes everything off the shelf and into the hole were it then flushes away through the pipes. Almost all toilets have a scrub brush next to them so you can clean up any signs you were there, and some are kind enough to include air freshener spray. I do not know why this fascinates me so much, but it really does. It makes me wonder if this type of system is more or less water efficient then the toilets in the USA.
If you want to subscribe to my blog, hit the subscribe button, enter your email, and you will receive updates when I post a new blog. If you would like to know more about my time here, send me your email through the link below or by facebook messenger, and I’ll add you to my mailing list for my bi-monthly newsletter. These will contain different information than my blog and the first one will be coming out September 15th.
https://goo.gl/forms/TfDdtcRWe9nyVsQB2
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