That's right, there's my big announcement! I'm moving my blog to a whole new website:
AlexWillTravel.com
Instead of just a blog, it will be a complete website that's going to be much better!
It's still in the early phases, so you'll have to be patient, but it's going to be incredible.
Head there now to see it!
You'll want to change your bookmarks, because that's where I'm going to do all of my posting from now on. Tell your friends! Tell your dog! Yell the new address out the window! Get some spray-paint and write AlexWillTravel.com on the walls! If you do that one, you may want to watch out for the rendőrség.
I'll see you there!
Alex
AlexWillTravel.com
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Pictures of Lake Bled, Postojna, and Zagreb
Remember the trip I took during my fall break a few weeks ago? Click here if you don't. I still have pictures to share with you. Again I've posted them on another site, and I will give you the link here.
First, there's Lake Bled. It's the famous, picturesque lake in the Slovenian Alps where I spent Halloween. It was rainy, foggy, and incredible. The pictures don't really do it justice, but they sure try. Click here to see them:
Next, my pictures from Postojna. That's where I visited a big cave full of Koreans, saw the coolest castle ever that's built into a cave/cliff, and met an Indian who was obsessed with the internet. By the way, I still haven't received my eagerly awaited e-mail from him. Click this picture to see the rest:
Finally, some pictures from one of my new favorite cities, Zagreb, Croatia. I fell in love with this place, and I may very well meet my wife there. She will obviously be beautiful and dressed very stylishly, as all Croatian women seem to be. Until then, you can enjoy pictures of the city by clicking here:
Now, for my Hungarian word of the day. It may not be correct, however, because I learned it from the dictionary. I have a strange distrust of language dictionaries, because they always seem to give a similar, but incorrect, word that causes people to laugh.
Fénykép (pronounced like "faint" without the "T" and "cape"). It means "photo".
One more thing, tomorrow I will (hopefully) be making an exciting announcement about my blog! Be sure to visit so you can find out what it is.
First, there's Lake Bled. It's the famous, picturesque lake in the Slovenian Alps where I spent Halloween. It was rainy, foggy, and incredible. The pictures don't really do it justice, but they sure try. Click here to see them:
 |
| Click the picture to go to the album. |
Next, my pictures from Postojna. That's where I visited a big cave full of Koreans, saw the coolest castle ever that's built into a cave/cliff, and met an Indian who was obsessed with the internet. By the way, I still haven't received my eagerly awaited e-mail from him. Click this picture to see the rest:
 |
| Click this image to go to the Postojna pictures. |
Finally, some pictures from one of my new favorite cities, Zagreb, Croatia. I fell in love with this place, and I may very well meet my wife there. She will obviously be beautiful and dressed very stylishly, as all Croatian women seem to be. Until then, you can enjoy pictures of the city by clicking here:
 |
| Click this picture to see Zagreb. |
Now, for my Hungarian word of the day. It may not be correct, however, because I learned it from the dictionary. I have a strange distrust of language dictionaries, because they always seem to give a similar, but incorrect, word that causes people to laugh.
Fénykép (pronounced like "faint" without the "T" and "cape"). It means "photo".
One more thing, tomorrow I will (hopefully) be making an exciting announcement about my blog! Be sure to visit so you can find out what it is.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Is Smoke Supposed To Come Out Of The Wall?
I have a big electric kettle to heat up water. Maybe you would call it a pitcher. It's a big blue plastic thing that boils water in less than a minute. Needless to say, it gets a lot of use.
Today, I clicked it on and went in the other room for a second. When I came back in, I noticed a funny smell. I looked at the electrical outlet and saw smoke pouring out of it.
Hmm, that's not normal.
Quickly I unplugged it. Smoke was still coming out, but I couldn't see whatever it was that was burning. I guess I'll blow on it?
Today, I clicked it on and went in the other room for a second. When I came back in, I noticed a funny smell. I looked at the electrical outlet and saw smoke pouring out of it.
Hmm, that's not normal.
Quickly I unplugged it. Smoke was still coming out, but I couldn't see whatever it was that was burning. I guess I'll blow on it?
Oh well, I was in the middle of making lunch so I just pretended it didn't happen. It went away. I'll ask someone about it on Monday, but until then, I'll just enjoy the adventure.
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| I never did find out why they were here. |
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| View from my balcony. |
I can always call the tűzoltóság (fire department). Pretty cool how I snuck in the word of the day like that. They were parked outside yesterday, they must be psychic too.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wow, The Word Of The Day Picked Itself
As you know, I try to have a Hungarian Word of the Day. Usually, I connect it to some topic I'm discussing, or I tell something interesting that I learned that day.
Today, the decision was made as soon as I saw the word.
Let me set the scene. It's about 8:15 in the morning, and I'm teaching one of my 9th grade classes. They're the most advanced of their grade level, but they're still relative beginners.
I had finished what I had to teach, and I was now on the second part of my lesson. My classes usually begin with the boring stuff, and about halfway through I change to something else. Typically I have a plan of what to teach, but I often change it depending on how it's going. If they're behaving and participating, I can play a game instead of some textbook activity. If they're misbehaving, I practice my medieval torture methods.
Just kidding - I wanted to see if you're paying attention.
Returning to the story, this particular group usually behaves quite well. When I came to the point where I could make a decision, one student raised her hand and asked what Hungarian words I know. They have been fascinated by this since day one, so we started talking about it.
I put them in groups and told them to think of useful phrases or words to teach me. It started out with a few common words like juice and sunglasses, but then one girl asked if she could come write a word on the board.
You must know that this particular student has a very stern look about her. She's not mad or unhappy, but her face naturally has an intense, almost angry, look on it. When she's a mother, I think she'll have very well behaved children.
That's important to know because she came up to the board and started writing. I think most others would have started laughing. She was focused.
Then she kept writing.
And she wrote some more.
The pen dried up and she needed a new one - just kidding, but it's possible.
Finally she finished. It was one word.
"We don't know how to say this word in English, but it's the longest Hungarian word."
If you speak Hungarian, I bet your laughing. If you don't, I bet your not ready for this. This is what she wrote:
Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért
She quickly read it out loud so I could repeat. I stared at her and the class laughed. Then she drew lines at certain intervals and taught it to me in parts. I'm proud to say I managed to pronounce it, at least in a rough manner.
So there you have it. That's what I learned in school today. If you're wondering what it means, just ask around. After all, it's not like it's difficult to pronounce.
Today, the decision was made as soon as I saw the word.
Let me set the scene. It's about 8:15 in the morning, and I'm teaching one of my 9th grade classes. They're the most advanced of their grade level, but they're still relative beginners.
I had finished what I had to teach, and I was now on the second part of my lesson. My classes usually begin with the boring stuff, and about halfway through I change to something else. Typically I have a plan of what to teach, but I often change it depending on how it's going. If they're behaving and participating, I can play a game instead of some textbook activity. If they're misbehaving, I practice my medieval torture methods.
Just kidding - I wanted to see if you're paying attention.
Returning to the story, this particular group usually behaves quite well. When I came to the point where I could make a decision, one student raised her hand and asked what Hungarian words I know. They have been fascinated by this since day one, so we started talking about it.
I put them in groups and told them to think of useful phrases or words to teach me. It started out with a few common words like juice and sunglasses, but then one girl asked if she could come write a word on the board.
You must know that this particular student has a very stern look about her. She's not mad or unhappy, but her face naturally has an intense, almost angry, look on it. When she's a mother, I think she'll have very well behaved children.
That's important to know because she came up to the board and started writing. I think most others would have started laughing. She was focused.
Then she kept writing.
And she wrote some more.
The pen dried up and she needed a new one - just kidding, but it's possible.
Finally she finished. It was one word.
"We don't know how to say this word in English, but it's the longest Hungarian word."
If you speak Hungarian, I bet your laughing. If you don't, I bet your not ready for this. This is what she wrote:
Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért
She quickly read it out loud so I could repeat. I stared at her and the class laughed. Then she drew lines at certain intervals and taught it to me in parts. I'm proud to say I managed to pronounce it, at least in a rough manner.
So there you have it. That's what I learned in school today. If you're wondering what it means, just ask around. After all, it's not like it's difficult to pronounce.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Caught Off Guard
RING RING RING RING RING
"Is that my doorbell? No one ever comes to my apartment, so it's not really a sound I'm familiar with. I'll go look through the peek hole and see who it is. Oh that's right, the glass is so dirty that I can't see a thing.
"Well, there's a man standing there. Or a woman. But it's definitely a person. Unless it's an alien. Or a drunken angel statue. You never can be sure.
"I guess I'll open it. It's probably someone I know. If it isn't, I doubt it will take long for them to realize I don't speak Hungarian and they'll go away. Maybe it's a Hungarian girl scout selling Hungarian girl scout cookies. If that's they case, I'll buy a ton.
"I hope the whole transaction doesn't take long - I have dinner on the stove. It's not too important if I burn it, though, because I usually burn it anyway."
These are the thoughts that went through my head while I was cooking dinner tonight. When I opened the door, I didn't find a woman, an alien, or even a drunken angel statue. Instead, it was my neighbor. You remember him, he's the one I was at the sausage festival with (read about that here).
He's a nice guy, but his English isn't great (even though it's 20 million times better than my Hungarian). I've had a few short conversations with him in passing, but we only hung out at that one festival. On the other hand, he is my neighbor, so I wasn't that surprised to see him at my door.
"Do you like cookies?" he asked.
"Yes, I love cookies."
"Great! I made some cookies and I brought some for you," he replied as he handed me a Christmas tin, "Enjoy your dinner!"
And off he went.
Therefore, it was a pretty welcome feeling to have someone come knock on my door with a gift. It's just more proof to my theory about living in a foreign land: If you're lonely, homesick, don't fit in, don't have friends, etc., then you need to do one thing - be patient. With enough time, patience, and smiles, you will feel welcome.
So answer the door, if it isn't a drunken angel statue, it may be your friend with cookies.
Hungarian word of the day (seems important, under the circumstances): Köszönöm (you're on your own with this pronunciation, I know how to say it, but I don't know how to explain it). It means Thank You, and you could find yourself saying it a lot.
"Is that my doorbell? No one ever comes to my apartment, so it's not really a sound I'm familiar with. I'll go look through the peek hole and see who it is. Oh that's right, the glass is so dirty that I can't see a thing.
"Well, there's a man standing there. Or a woman. But it's definitely a person. Unless it's an alien. Or a drunken angel statue. You never can be sure.
"I guess I'll open it. It's probably someone I know. If it isn't, I doubt it will take long for them to realize I don't speak Hungarian and they'll go away. Maybe it's a Hungarian girl scout selling Hungarian girl scout cookies. If that's they case, I'll buy a ton.
"I hope the whole transaction doesn't take long - I have dinner on the stove. It's not too important if I burn it, though, because I usually burn it anyway."
These are the thoughts that went through my head while I was cooking dinner tonight. When I opened the door, I didn't find a woman, an alien, or even a drunken angel statue. Instead, it was my neighbor. You remember him, he's the one I was at the sausage festival with (read about that here).
He's a nice guy, but his English isn't great (even though it's 20 million times better than my Hungarian). I've had a few short conversations with him in passing, but we only hung out at that one festival. On the other hand, he is my neighbor, so I wasn't that surprised to see him at my door.
"Do you like cookies?" he asked.
"Yes, I love cookies."
"Great! I made some cookies and I brought some for you," he replied as he handed me a Christmas tin, "Enjoy your dinner!"
And off he went.
Either he's psychic or he could smell my food from the kitchen. The second is more likely, but I don't have any proof against his psychic abilities. I'll try to ask him, but I better bring my English-Hungarian dictionary because mind reading isn't something usually taught in language classes.
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| The Cookie Tin |
It may come as a surprise, but living in a foreign country can be lonely. The odds of this increase when you live in a small town where the vast majority of people don't speak your language. Until you learn their language, conversations tend to be at a minimum. Friendships only go so far when they're based off of three word interactions.
So answer the door, if it isn't a drunken angel statue, it may be your friend with cookies.
Hungarian word of the day (seems important, under the circumstances): Köszönöm (you're on your own with this pronunciation, I know how to say it, but I don't know how to explain it). It means Thank You, and you could find yourself saying it a lot.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Ljubljana Pictures
Slowly but surely. That's how I'm going to add pictures. Let's start with the first day of my fall break trip.
This was Halloween in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was rainy and cold, but that didn't stop us from sightseeing. We saw a castle, an underground bar full of skeletons, drank hot wine, crossed some bridges, and saw the awesome neighborhood that housed the prison we'd stay at a few days later.
The pictures reminded me of something I need to bring up, though. There seems to be a tradition around here of using a padlock to symbolize love. A couple writes their name on it, locks it to something significant, and throws away the key. It sounds very romantic because it shows how confident they are that their love will last forever.
My issue is with those who choose combination locks. No key? How does that show anything? "I love you so much that we should put a lock on here so that everyone knows!"
Uncomfortably, he answers, "Um, okay, but can we use a combination lock?"
"What are you trying to say?" she replies, with a frown on her face.
Click this picture to go to my photo album:
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go buy a combination lock. I'll need to make sure I memorize the numbers, you know, just in case.
This was Halloween in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was rainy and cold, but that didn't stop us from sightseeing. We saw a castle, an underground bar full of skeletons, drank hot wine, crossed some bridges, and saw the awesome neighborhood that housed the prison we'd stay at a few days later.
The pictures reminded me of something I need to bring up, though. There seems to be a tradition around here of using a padlock to symbolize love. A couple writes their name on it, locks it to something significant, and throws away the key. It sounds very romantic because it shows how confident they are that their love will last forever.
My issue is with those who choose combination locks. No key? How does that show anything? "I love you so much that we should put a lock on here so that everyone knows!"
Uncomfortably, he answers, "Um, okay, but can we use a combination lock?"
"What are you trying to say?" she replies, with a frown on her face.
Click this picture to go to my photo album:
 |
| Ljubljana |
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go buy a combination lock. I'll need to make sure I memorize the numbers, you know, just in case.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
So That's What That Is
There's a lady here in Békéscsaba who I give private English lessons to. She's also a tour guide, and today she needed practice for a tour that she's going to give in English. It was perfect for both of us.
Do you ever walk by something everyday and not know what it is?
I do.
If you say you don't, perhaps you should go on tour of your own town.
My favorie part went a little like this:
Tour Guide: "Do you know what the statue is on top of the fountain?"
Me: "Um, it looks like a little girl walking."
Tour Guide: "No, it is an angel. But she is...what do you call it when you have drank too much alcohol."
Me: "Drunk."
Tour Guide: "Yes, drunk! We call it the Drunken Angel fountain."
Me: "Hmm, I've never heard an angel described that way. I think that's my new favorite fountain."
There were, however, plenty of other things that didn't have to do with intoxicated deities. Maybe I can take some pictures of things and show you around Békéscsaba. I'll only do that if you agree to come visit! The Drunken Angel fountain is best viewed in person. Just don't expect water. She must have consumed it all.
Suddenly, the demand for my English language skills has sky rocketed. I've been asked to correct a translated version of a speech by the school director and proofread a paper written by the daughter of one of my colleagues. This is the part where I begin to wonder if I could sneak in ironic little phrases without anyone noticing...
Plus, my English language knowledge has given me some exciting plans for the evening. Have you ever wondered if there's anything worse than doing homework? There is. Grading homework. Right now, I wouldn't recommend being a teacher.
I think I'll become a sculptor who specializes in drunken angels. I'd probably be the only one.
Hungarian phrase of the day (thanks to my loyal Hungarian readers): Például (pronounced like pail, and then dowel). You gessed it, it means the topic of yesterdays post "For Example or For Instance".
Do you ever walk by something everyday and not know what it is?
I do.
If you say you don't, perhaps you should go on tour of your own town.
My favorie part went a little like this:
Tour Guide: "Do you know what the statue is on top of the fountain?"
Me: "Um, it looks like a little girl walking."
Tour Guide: "No, it is an angel. But she is...what do you call it when you have drank too much alcohol."
Me: "Drunk."
Tour Guide: "Yes, drunk! We call it the Drunken Angel fountain."
Me: "Hmm, I've never heard an angel described that way. I think that's my new favorite fountain."
There were, however, plenty of other things that didn't have to do with intoxicated deities. Maybe I can take some pictures of things and show you around Békéscsaba. I'll only do that if you agree to come visit! The Drunken Angel fountain is best viewed in person. Just don't expect water. She must have consumed it all.
Suddenly, the demand for my English language skills has sky rocketed. I've been asked to correct a translated version of a speech by the school director and proofread a paper written by the daughter of one of my colleagues. This is the part where I begin to wonder if I could sneak in ironic little phrases without anyone noticing...
Plus, my English language knowledge has given me some exciting plans for the evening. Have you ever wondered if there's anything worse than doing homework? There is. Grading homework. Right now, I wouldn't recommend being a teacher.
I think I'll become a sculptor who specializes in drunken angels. I'd probably be the only one.
Hungarian phrase of the day (thanks to my loyal Hungarian readers): Például (pronounced like pail, and then dowel). You gessed it, it means the topic of yesterdays post "For Example or For Instance".
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