Ethnicity
On the map Hungary appears as a non-Slavic wedge separating the southern Slavs (Bulgarians and the peoples of the former Yugoslavia) from those of the north – the Czechs, Slovaks and Poles. As a non-Slavic people surrounded mostly by Slavs, Hungarians sometimes feel like lonely outsiders. Read more »
Hungary Drops in Competitiveness
Hungary slipped back three places to 38 in the World Competitiveness Yearbook survey compiled by Swiss economic institute IMD. The report covers 55 countries and measures competitiveness based on some 300 criteria. Read more »
Shepherd’s Food: Pörkölt and Gulyás
The finest Hungarian food comes out of the shepherd’s cauldron. Shepherds are actually famous for several different dishes, of which probably the best are the Hungarian stew (pörkölt) and goulash (gulyás). Read more »
Gyurcsány Vows Moderate Reforms
A moderate reform policy that can be implemented is worth more than failed radical reforms, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány told an international press conference on Friday. Read more »
International Schools in Budapest
Budapest has a number of educational opportunities in the English language. There are three schools that offer instruction in the English language and use an essentially American curriculum: Read more »
Prejudice Against Gypsies in Hungary
The widespread prejudice against Gypsies is undoubtedly an impediment to improving their lot by way of affirmative action. As it now stands, the population thinks that too much money is spent on Gypsies who produce children only to be eligible for child support.
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Intercultural Competence
‘Oh the Hungarians, they are so arrogant! So ignorant! So proud, but of what?! And sooo depressed!’
When people get together from different cultures, they are often not as happy or content as they could be. Read more »
Used Bookstores
Idea for Fun in Budapest: Go to galleries, museums and especially used bookstores along Museum krt. Have lunch at a table on the street in Ráday utca.
Missions: Misreading Each Other
Following the flood of Western evangelical missions into Hungary, many young Hungarians were trained with superficial methods of evangelism which tended to ignore Hungarian culture and promote a “cold turkey” approach without building trust. Read more »
Budapest Playrounds: Margaret Island (Margitsziget)
One of the best playgrounds in Budapest is the large, modern playground on a hilly area of Margaret Island. There are many different play corners according to age: from 0 to at least 14. Read more »
Yahoo Buys Hungarian Software Maker
US internet company Yahoo announced that it had agreed to buy Hungarian firm Tensa, known as IndexTools, a producer of web marketing analytics software. Read more »
The Language of Business
People who are very good in reading and writing a foreign language, might encounter hardships in verbal communication. They may not understand as well as you think they do. Read more »
Fidesz and the Elections
A few days before the decisive run-off elections, the defeat of the conservative opposition party Fidesz seems ever more likely. Former supporters of the party blame its leader Viktor Orban and believe they have discovered leftist populism behind his arch-conservative, Euro-sceptical facade. Read more »
You Know You’re a Hungarian…
41. When you know what a pogácsa / a dobos torta / a kürtős kalács / a főzelék / a túrógombóc is, and love most of them.
42. When you understand cynism and sarcasm, and you are cynical / sarcastic yourself.
43. When you eat pizza with a fork and knife.
Libraries with English Books
Budapest Christian Library
Address: Gellert ter 1, 1111
Phone: +36 (1) 365 2483
Email: budapestlibrary@cs.com
Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library
- it now has the collection of the British Council Library
Address: 1088 Budapest, Szabó Ervin tér 1.
A great place to get books in English.
Website: www.fszek.hu
library, English books, reading, Budapest Christian Library, British Council Library, Ervin Szabo Library
Moving Abroad?
Life can seem a bit hard sometimes, we all go to work to earn our daily crust so we can provide for ourselves and our families and then through no fault of our own the prices in the super markets and at the petrol pumps shoot through the roof leaving us with less money to spend on the things we enjoy doing with our loved ones. We have to start to cut corners and make savings in our lives but still we have to go to work for the same pay but with much less to show for it at the end of the month. So what can we do to make changes to our life so we do not feel the financial pinch as much and changes that will enable us to live a more fulfilling life with our family? Read more »
