Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Patrick Martin (’11)

Happy Birthday Shantanu! This beautiful day was spent half in Ti^rgu Mure(s,) and half in a nearby nomad camp. Our tour of the city brought us to three beautiful cathedrals. The first was a formerly Catholic, now Calvinist cathedral in which the only decorations were dozens of crests mounted on the walls representing important Transylvanian nobility, but otherwise the walls were completely white, contrasting with the ornate cathedrals of other faiths we had seen. After the Catholics had lost that church they built another one which we visited second, which was the most decorated church we had seen. Unfortunately we couldn't walk all the way in, but we could see the ceiling covered in depictions of Biblical figures and stories. Our final church was the Orthodox church, which was the most decorated church we had seen and ever saw. The walls were covered with portaits with highly reflective halos that I can imagine being even more brilliant at noon when the Sun would shine through the stained glass Jesus on the ceiling.

The second half of the day was spent at the nomad camp, which involved a short but steep hike up a large hill to a beautiful view. Wild mint grew everywhere, providing a wonderful smell to distract from the nettles that attacked a few of us. Shortly after returning from our hike we were provided with mountain trout for dinner followed by Shantanu's birthday cakes! Our time at the nomad camp finished around a campfire that could not pop microwave popcorn at all and the largest cultural shock of the trip: there are no marshmallows in Romania.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Lily Luo (’11)

I'm woken up at 8 am by a rooster which is 1. quite late by our travel standards and 2. reminds me that we are with are homestays in Petreni. Excited for the day, I'm too enthusiastic with my glasses and break them, which gives me an interesting perspective (or rather, lack thereof) on the rest of the day.

After my delicious homemade breakfast made by Ildie, we attended a Unitarian Church sermon lead by Kinga. The sermon was in Hungarian, so we participated by humming along to the accordion and praying silently. Our own Julia King played a beautiful song called "If I Stand" on the guitar for the congregation. I could hear from her breaking voice that she was brimming with passion, faith, and love. It was quite a magical time and place where people of different faiths--or no faiths--and of different cultures stood together with reflective harmony.

For the next hour, Kinga chatted with the Flinns about a vast array of topics, from gendered difference in assuming leadership, about her worries for her campaign work (I'm sure it was successful, though I have no way of checking the results), about the EU and Romania. She shared her personal experience with the negative impact farming subsidies hard on Romanian agriculture, a point that caught in the web of our collective minds. We also brought the discussion home to the U.S. with border issues. Kinga gently poked fun at us; it is indeed very easy  to criticize Europeans while ignoring the human rights issues in our own backyards.

With much food for thought in our minds, we turned to feeding our stomachs with more homemade dishes for lunch. I had the best vegetable soup in existence, followed by creamy mashed potatoes, cold rice with carrots and peas, fried breaded beef, grilled chicken, and sausage. This was topped off with an unworldly dessert: crepes filled with homemade jam, drizzled in vanilla pudding and chocolate shavings with half a peach. It tasted like heaven on earth.

It was then time to say goodbye to our wonderful hosts and Petreni village. As fun as it all was, nothing quite beats a great big nap following a great big lunch. I slept for almost the whole bus ride to Targu Mures, where we ate a dinner that was diametrically opposed to our wonderful cultural lunch: fried chicken, french fries, and pickles...a classic U.S. American meal, served in Hungary.

At night, we went off exploring the city for a bit, branching off into different groups. My group invaded a playground while Romanians observed our loud American-ness. Finally, we had some group bonding time, consisting of real talk, Whose Yo Daddy, What If, and other nonsense. All in all, a very satisfactory day.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Donovan Lockwood (‘11

Even on our "relaxed" days we do more than any day I would call relaxed back home. Today, we left the Deva Saint Francis Foundation and drove to Medias, an old fortified town. We had a quick lunch, and then we had a little while to explore around. Even though it was approximately 150 percent humidity and in the high 80s. We got a little group together and went to an old fortified church with some beautiful architecture.

After this, we got back on the bus and drove for three more hours. After so long on the bus, a few people were getting a bit stir crazy, especially Julia, who was a self-proclaimed "rage ball" by the end of the ride. Driving through the countryside was great, though. On either side there were rolling green hills and farmland for as far as the eye could see. The houses were few and far between, which was awesome, coming from a place like Phoenix.

Right when we arrived in Petroni, a small village with about 160 people, we were welcomed with fantastic homemade donuts. The hospitality of these people was so refreshing. They were so happy to welcome us into their lives, even though they had never met us before. After the donuts, we met our homestay hosts, and then came back to an excellent dinner of goulash made over a fire. We had a little bit of time to relax before we were taught folk dancing by some of the villagers. I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't very good, but Stella was rocking it.

The rest of the night was really relaxed, with some sitting around, talking, playing on a swingset, and an impromptu accordion concert. I think the part that is going to stick with me the most about this village is the amazingly vibrant community in such a small town.

The trip seems to be winding down, but in a good way. Just sitting around and having a chill night is something that I have definitely learned to enjoy through this trip. It's been great getting to know everyone better, and I'm excited to see what the rest of the Hungaromania 2012 has in store for us!

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Ben Lang (‘08)

The day started early, with various Flinns taking runs or doing yoga in the hall. For those who didn't start their day at six thirty, the day began with breakfast at eight. While the cheese and eggs for breakfast left many of us wishing for more hot sauce, or at least some chorizo and tortillas, conversation was as lively as always. We then hopped on the bus for a beautiful drive through the Romanian landscape, alternating between rolling green hills, small villages, and abandoned industrial factories left from the reign of Chacescu.

Our first stop was Hunnedora, where we set out a picnic lunch in the shadow of a castle used since the 14th century. Our lunch was relaxed, only bothered by a few cute dogs looking for handouts. There was a festival taking place and we were soon invited to demonstrate our (lack of) archery skills, as well as take a swing with swords and other weapons. The group then toured the castle, which had been rebuilt at least six times over the centuries. While our guide had some different interpretations of stories we had heard elsewhere, we quite enjoyed the view from the castle walls and the beautiful architecture contained within.

Once we escaped the castle, even making it out of the torture room alive, we headed to Deva. Here we found a shelter for kids having family issues at home or wishing to continue their studies when their parents could not support them. The volunteers at the shelter gave us a tour, and then we were thrown into the yard for hours of playing with the children. Soccer balls, children, and other toys all went flying through the air. After a dinner to recuperate, we headed back out to the yard again to have the Americans get owned by the local boys in soccer and for even more playing and fun. We missed the opening game of the Eurocup, but our game was far more exciting. Even the least children-enthusiastic among us had kids hanging off of them by the end of the day. By the end of the night, everyone was worn out, and while we stayed up chatting for a bit, we soon fell fast asleep in our bunkhouse.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Gabrielle Lacy (’11)

June 7th marked by our first full day in Romania. We woke up in Timisoara and our first sights included Victory Square, a beautiful plaza steps away from our hotel. The square was bounded by an Orthodox Church and a theater; the sides were lined with restaurants and gelato shops. We first passed through this area on our way to West University where we spent the majority of our day.

Upon arrival, we received a practical orientation of the following eight days and a general overview of Romanian history as well as a note on some famous Romanians. After lunch, we returned to the West University and attended a lecture given by a local professor pertaining to Anti-Development theory. The idea addresses issues that arise with conventional development approaches and local reactions to large- scale efforts. Later, we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet some local Master's students working in development studies. It was very interesting to hear their areas of study as well as their motivations for entering the field.

We continued these conversations as they gave us a tour of Timisoara.

Many of us chose to visit a restaurant situated alongside a river with the local students, while others found their way to delicious Italian food. But for most, the night concluded with gelato. At the end of our first day in Romania, we were all so very excited to see what our coming days had in store for us.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Julia King (’11)

The days here are very long. And not just, "Wow, what a long day" sort of long….more like "Three-lectures-in-one-day-and-then-how-about-a-four-hour-hike-followed-by-a-two-hour-tour-of-the-city" long. So after 12 of these days, it was more than a little bit relieving to have a free morning in Budapest. And where better to spend two free hours than at the Budapest Zoo with my esteemed colleague Eric Chang?

Right next to the zoo are the Szecheny Baths, where doctors actually send women to who are having difficulties getting pregnant; whatever minerals are in the water have been hailed for their ability to restore fertility for many the happy Hungarian mother. This particular jewel of information wouldn't have applied to Eric and I at the zoo, except for the fact that the water pumped into the baths is the exact same water given to all of the animals at the Budapest Zoo. I have never seen so many baby animals in my life.

After petting camels, goats, and even a sloth, Eric and I headed back to the hotel in order to pack up with the group and leave for Romania. The six hour drive included a loaf of ice cream, a flat tire, a dog determined to eat our soccer ball, and more than a bag or two of our favorite Hungarian snack, Duci Puffs. With six hours being the same length of my typical annual drive to San Diego with my family at this time of year, I also had plenty of time to realize how far I am from home.

So do I think that we are succeeding in one of the main goals of this trip, to teach us how to become independent travelers? At first glance, it probably wouldn't look like it. We will never again get to travel in a group of 20 plus. We will never have these people to rely on to always have a map and follow aimlessly wherever they may lead. We will never have a bus driver to drive forwards, backwards, and upside-down in order to deliver us from city to city in one piece.

But the herd that this trip set us up with can't be condemned too fast. These are the kids that we learned how to do bathtub-laundry with; they are the ones that helped devise a system for figuring out which stray dogs should be avoided and which are okay to pet (mostly the only factor in this evaluation is cuteness, but if anyone asks, no of course we didn't find any that met the standards because obviously petting stray dogs if just way to dangerous and risky); these kids invented the "gelato crawl," treating every dinner-on-you-own (doyo) opportunity like a five course gelato meal.

So at this point, we still look like goofy tourists when we travel altogether, looking far from independent. But in less than two weeks, this trip ends and the herd will be dispersed, some of us venturing out on our own immediately, some preparing still for future travels. We won't have the comfort of our giant group. But we will also remember how NOT to get rabies, how to always smell clean and shiny, and how to never go hungry. Sounds like a successful set of skills so far to me!

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Lee Burke (’11)

Today can be split into two themes: EU politics and Hungarian music. Peter Balázs honored us with a lecture on Hungary's accession to the EU and its new place in European politics, and also lent insight into Hungary's current internal political problems. As a former foreign minister, among a long list of essential national and international offices he has held, Professor Balázs is the most informed, concise, and eloquent presenter we have had the pleasure of meeting. (He also happens to be Kata's father.)

Then we took part in a fun and informative workshop on EU politics--we formed four groups and respectively passed a constitutional amendment in Ireland, settled EU discomfort with the EuroCup's location in the Ukraine, investigated solutions to the linguistic disenfranchisement of EU citizens, and discussed whether the US Secretary of State should include Roma issues on the agenda of a meeting with the EU. We all seemed to have fun debating, and I for one am surprised how much I learned in such a short time. Thanks go to János Bóka from the EU info point for organizing the workshop.

After a “Lunch On Your Own”, we reconvened at the Ligéti building of the Liszt Music Academy for a lecture and presentation from Gyula Fekete, an internationally recognized composer. After a brief introduction to Liszt, Kodály, and other Hungarian composers, Professor Fekete introduced us to a couple outstanding musicians who play traditional instruments: the Hurdy-Gurdy and the Zither. They were both outstanding players, and hearing the sounds of folk music really reformed my conception of the Hungarian past.

The students' unusual sounds contrasted sharply with my favorite part of the trip: seeing Anna Karenina in Ballet at the Hungarian State Opera House. The music was compiled from the varied and diverse works of Tchaikovsky, from his Symphony No. 4 to the Souvenir de Florence, and performed by an excellent orchestra. But the dancers! I've never watched a ballet and I have to say, I'm definitely a convert.

That seems to be a common feeling on this trip: never-ending discovery and falling in love with our beautiful, huge, planet.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Shanan Immel ('11)

This Monday was the last day in our newly-beloved Pécs. After a rousing breakfast of Hungarian meats and cheeses and coco puffs, we set out for the greatly anticipated Gandhi School. The Gandhi Gimnázium is a state-funded high school for socially disadvantaged teenagers, 95% of whom are Roma. Everyone who attends the school learns a normal curriculum coupled with Roma culture and two years each of the Roma languages Bayash and Lovari. As someone who struggles with political correctness from time to time, and was confused about the appropriateness of the word gypsy, I was fascinated to hear from the vice principle of the school, Maria, that the Lovari people prefer the word 'Roma' while the Bayash prefer 'Gypsy.' Who knew!

Next came time for a small group of the high schoolers to perform a song and a dance for us. The male and female dancer were both really good and made me want to hop up and dance with them. Our Broadway-quality rendition of Fun.'s song We Are Young followed. Although I must admit to a twinge or five of awkwardness, the song and accompanying clapping was a hit. A small group of students who knew a few words of English stayed with us for some cultural exchange. When we realized that none of us understood each other, I decided to asked the girl dancer to show us some moves. So we learned some Roma dance jigs and then Aman did the Dougie, much to the enjoyment of the group of kids.

With a few hours to explore Pécs a little bit, a few of us got prosciutto and fried egg pizza, which was amazing! We ran over to the Catacombs but they happen to be closed on Mondays. We returned to the hotel luggage room for a lecture on conflicts and solutions in Central Europe from István Tarrósy. Maybe by divine providence our wish was granted to stay in Pécs for a few more hours: there was a taxi strike in Budapest and so had to stay there for two more hours. After a heavy but quick rainstorm, we left this 2010 European Capital of Culture and went back to Budapest. Good bye Pécs!

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Dylon Gookin (‘11)

Something you learn about traveling with a flock of Flinns: there are two sides to every coin. We often agree on a lot, but it's the same issues one would think we could all agree on we tend to find ourselves most divided over.

For most of us, every moment, every experience, and every memory is to be dissected, discussed, and debated for analysis, followed by reference and cross-analysis, and of course, further discussed in regards to whatever subliminal controversy must surely lay beneath. Needless to say, we seem to deeply discuss everythin on a daily basis. Not a single day has gone by without my own mind being stretched beyond whatever bounds I had only the day before deemed comfortable. Yet, however we call the spinning coin of reality from our perception of every day, the experience that tossed it still does what it's meant to do - change us.

We opened the brisk morning in Pecs with a late breakfast followed by a lecture in the Porcelain Museum. We were led up to a generally inaccessible lecture hall (an occurance that is now becoming familiar to us) by Professor Frank Zsigó to discuss minority issues with a primary focus on the Roma community.

The vast room echoed with whatever sentiments we had to share, often solemnly turning to the disadvantages of minorities such as race, gender, sexuality and the like - and there was little argument over this. Yet Frank, always with a purpose, was keen to point out even our own most subtle stereotypes; facilitating criticism of our own thinking while keeping the discussion focused primarily on the Roma - their culture, trials, and small successes. Frank ended up joining us on our short drive to Alsószentmárton, a local Roma village past scholars have annually visited for the past twelve years.

At this point in our three week expedition, bus travels have begun to blend together, but even before we left our seats we could see a half dozen eager children sitting along the road, eyes wide-eyed and watching us through the windows as we pulled alongside their mess hall.

We got off the bus and were quickly ushered in where we promptly feasted on some sort of plain pasta, freshly woodfire-cooked bread, and plenty of tender boned chicken in broth. Delicious hardly describes the combination of all three in a single bowl. We spoke to Laci (read Lot-see) between bites who described his leading role in the village, his past experiences, and his numerous travels around the world. Even  more curious though, were the dozen or so children with their fingers intertwined in the wrought iron window grate behind our new aqcuaintance, waiting and whispering in giggles, clearly eager to play.

Not fifteen minutes later, balloons, beach and soccer balls, chalk and hundreds of stickers were being tossed around as we were casually led through dilapidated buildings strewn with blanketed windows and weather-torn bricks. We juggled our attention between the natural vibrance of the children and an otherwise sobering tour of poverty, but one couldn't ignore the overgrown flora the beach balls weaved through, or the battered buildings the occasional stray soccer ball would meet. Laci brought us to their local church which paled in comparison to most we had seen over the past days, yet stood majestic in its own right. It still held a certain importance for the Catholic based village, which held special sermons for the religious holidays, though they remarked on the bitter winters they trudged through each year to attend.

We met again at the main hall where we first ate. The number of children had at least tripled, though this wasn't a problem once we had a game of soccer going, not to mention the other small games of tic-tac-toe, chalk drawings or the like being passed around.

I took a break from the games at one point to speak directly with Laci, thanking him for the food - a meal he revealed isn't shared too often. He commented with a smile that they only eat like so for special occasions: Christmas and Easter for example, and apparently whenever we come to visit.

If you get a moment to speak with all twenty of us in the future about how we percieved that day, you'll likely be greeted with twenty different answers. There were debates of interaction in comparison to voyeurism, confusion with our purpose in visiting them, and even some stated qualms of awkwardness and discomfort due to the language barrier. For every claim however, someone was sure to argue the opposite.

We can't know how our visits will impact the Roma of Alsószentmárton. Beyond the coy smiles and mutterings of Hungarian from the children, all we could take from our day were our own freshly born perceptions, however they formed. In the case of the spinning coin, every Flinn called the day's toss a different way, but only time and effort will tell how the coin will actually land. All we can know for certain is that our visit affected not only the Roma of Alsószentmárton, but ourselves as well.

For whatever impact it had, the hours we spent with the Roma slipped by in mere moments. Too quickly, it seemed, we said our scattered goodbyes and left.

We looked back as we waved goodbye and slowly settled in for the bus ride back to Pecs.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer an entire class of Flinn Scholars engages in a group study-travel seminar. This year’s seminar, held in Hungary and western Romania, runs from late in May to mid-June. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Cody Frear ('11)

Although we awoke to gray skies this morning, the day turned out to be anything but bleak. The clouds overhead seemed to intensify the vibrancy of Obanya, making its rolling hills a glowing emerald, its shingled roofs a rich reddish-orange, and its grazing sheep a magnificent, pure white. It was a visual feast, and my eyes gobbled up every inch of it during my morning jog. (NOTE: When running through a small Hungarian village, make sure to watch out for roaming farm animals. And the things they leave behind.)

After the run, I volunteered along with a few other Flinns to prepare breakfast for our 25-member group. Under the masterful direction of Julia and Olivia, we went full Iron Chef mode on our closet-sized kitchen, chopping up dozens of fruits and vegetables, asking to borrow possibly every spare pot and pan our non-English speaking host family had (vastly improving our charades skills in the process), and finding some new uses for bath water (you don't want to know). The end product was a delicious meal of French toast with cherry sauce, which one scholar described as "heaven in a pan."

Next on our itinerary was a hike through the Mecsek Hills, a trip that was scheduled to take three hours but ended up taking more than four. The extra time didn't seem to bother anyone; we were all too awe-struck by the stunning waterfalls, plateaus, and caves surrounding us. It was like journeying through the setting of an ancient fairytale or luxury car commercial. Equally as pleasurable were the conversations we shared. Exemplifying the passion and diversity that, for me, are the greatest qualities of the Flinn community, the scholars around me talked about everything from Jainism to evolutionary biology to Philip K. Dick (don't worry- there were plenty of discussions on Facebook memes and Bridesmaids, as well). Plus, no hike is really complete without getting lost at least once or twice. Or, in our case, three times.

We concluded our day by traveling to and touring around Pecs, a college town near Hungary's southwestern border. Smaller than Budapest but still infused with a strong sense of history and culture, Pecs is the kind of European city that actually lives up to its brochures. We couldn't walk more than a few hundred feet without finding another dazzling cathedral, museum, public square, or monument. As we were returning to the hotel at the end of the day, the moonlight glimmering on the slated roofs and cobblestone streets, I couldn't help but reflect for perhaps the 100,000th time how fortunate I am to be here and to call myself a member of the Flinn community.