Joining the Hungarian Group

We were late.. as usual, I'm a teriible time keeper. But because of this all the doors into the building for the Hungarian Group were locked. It's the oldest building in town and a labyrinth of courtyards, corridors and staircases, We've never been there before.

It was pouring with rain, (s) was getting scared because we couldn't find the in door and the building looked like something from Harry Potter (which he's just started watching lately) (d) was stressed because she always is when starting something new and I was cold and wet. Husband was keeping calm on the surface. Not the start to our language journey I was hoping for.

Finally, we got in, followed the bilingual signs and started to hear the distant hum of the Hungarian spoken language ahead. The first thing I saw on entering the room was lovely cakes and tea. Then we joined the kindergarten group singing nursery rhymes. (d) & (h) watched from safety of the chairs around the walls of the room. The leader was talking fast in Hungarian - of course - what did I expect - that they would all stop talking Hungarian and speak English because we'd arrived? No this was going to be hard. We felt like aliens just landed.

(s) did really well, he joined in all the actions, took his turn to bang the drum in the centre of the circle and seemed to enjoy it. I did notice he was becoming more and more quiet - I guess not understanding anything can do that to you.

Next was folk dancing downstairs. A beautiful young teacher dressed in Hungarian dance attire organised the children and parents and began to explain the routines. This was easier to follow as we only needed to watch her to know what to do. But I felt sorry for (d) who was by far the oldest (the average age was 2yrs) but she joined in well and kept smiling. Both children recognised Hungarian words and told me when they did so. That was promising I thought. The dance went on for a long time and Ben started to make a friend.

Next it was time for those lovely cakes and then a visit to the adult language class. The class is suitable for (d) and as most of the children her age are in a Hungarian catch up class being native speakers this will probably be the best place for her and I. Leaving (h)&(s) to enjoy nursery rhymes and craft upstairs. What a star (h) is supporting my ambitious goal.

Finally it was free time and we had a chance to chat to some of the English spouses mainly husbands. We felt a bit more at home then and when asked why we wanted to learn Hungarian, the alien feeling melted and I felt more legitimate in being able to say "I'm half Hungarian and want to learn the language".

This is not going to be easy and we all feel a bit daunted and out of our depth. I keep telling myself that this is the hardest day. We will only keep on learning new words and getting to know people, so it will only get easier from here... won't it?

Meeting new Hungarians

Tomorrow my family, husband included, will join a Hungarian group. I'm really excited about this and can't wait to start the language classes. (d) is really interested in the folk dancing on offer and (s) just wants to play superheros (well he is only 4).

It's going to be tough though. (s) is going to find it all the easiest, being the youngest. (d) will probably have a difficult time at first as their is no stuctured language class for her age, she will have to learn by joining in with the other kids and that will not be easy for her. I hope it doesn't put her off.

Hopefully the almost promise of a trip to Hungary with her nagypapa(grandfather) this year will keep her spirit up if communication becomes hard.

A piece of kek (cake)

I'm feeling very optimistic today with our language learning.

Whilst playing with children tonight we started singing nursery rhymes and I realised that we could actually change some of the English words to Hungarian and sing those instead! mainly colour and number words.

But what really astounded me was that my (s) immediately volunteered the Hungarian word for blue - kek (p.cake)- after only chatting about that word once before a few days ago!

He had remembered the word immediately and used it in the correct context later - language learning in children is just amazing!

bilingual labels - cimke (tseem-ke)

Today (s) (aged 4) and I are putting bilingual labels around the house with the names of objects in English and Hungarian.

One colour for English and one for the Hungarian; as he is just learning his letters at nursery he will need to know which are Hungarian words.

Need to think about forming letters as his nursery does to help his newly forming writing,reading & spelling skills.

Also putting pronunciation of Hungarian words in brackets so we all learn how to say it properly.

Who am I

I was talking with a friend of mine who is English with a German mother. Like me she was brought up in England but had the continental influence in her home such as different foods, traditions, language etc. She was bilingual (although hasn't used the German language for a long time now). She said that when she went to Germany she did not connect at all with her German heritage. She said she did not feel German at all when she was there. Perhaps because she had no immediate family there.

However, we both shared the same experience of not really feeling English either. Personally I feel more English when I go to Hungary and more Hungarian when I am in England. I don't fit very neatly into either camp. I am, I believe neither one nor the other.

When I am around my Hungarian relatives I visually connect with them because some of us look similar but we can't communicate with each other and they are relative strangers. I guess this happens anyway with full English families which grow apart and then all meet up again at a wedding or something. But at least they can speak and catch up with each other.

What is this feeling of being neither one nationality or another, is it European? is it bicultural? or is it an outsider trying to connect? Like a square peg in a round hole, it will never fit no matter how hard you try... But also that is the beauty of it!

The Awakening

My daughter (d) is 11 now and has started asking to learn Hungarian. I think her new and developing identity is beginning to understand that she is part Hungarian and for the first time she is really questioning how it fits into her life.

At the recent Christmas carol concert some foreign children in her class were to wish the audience a merry Christmas in their home language. I was so proud when d told me that she had asked her teacher if she could say it in Hungarian.

She rang her Papa that evening who dutifully gave her a simplistic phrase to say and taught her the pronunciation. She kept the phonetic, English spelling of it up on show in her room so she could keep practicing it - boldog koraachoynt kivaanok

She was a star when the night came "boldog karacsont kivanok" clear as a bell.
Not only did she stand up and speak in her concert but she did it in a foreign language! wow that's my girl xx