Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Katherine Cai ('09)

Today was our first official day in Szeged, and the travel toward the Eastern border of Hungary definitely brought a nice (and warmer) change in weather. We met a guide for a sightseeing tour of Szeged. It is a beautiful small town with a rich history. Destroyed by a periodic flooding problem, the city at one point had 17,000 people left homeless. However, the people of Szeged take a lot of pride in their ability to rebuild most of the city in only four years.

We walked around the quaint walkways to look at the beautiful new architecture of city hall, the library, the church, and the main squares. We also had the opportunity to see some of the original houses that had survived the flood, identifiable only by the very low windows, which had originally been a part of the second floor of the house. After the beautiful tour of the sunny city, everyone ran to the gelato shop on Karasz Street. We all enjoyed a little break, and the most popular gelato flavor was by far the Ferrero Rocher.

Afterward, we took a bus ride to the Opusztaszer historical memorial park. We learned how to make paper and we saw the progression of life in Hungary over the years. We looked at some traditional Asian tents from Kazakhstan and Mongolia - a sneak peek into our living conditions for the night! We stopped for a small sandwich and fruit picnic before visiting the Feszty panorama. This painting is 15 meters high and 120 meters long, and depicts the historical legend of the Hungarian tribes arriving in the Carpathian Basin from the East. The size of the panorama itself left everyone in awe and the grandeur was only exemplified further by the landscape around the painting that highlighted the details of the multiple contributing artists and made the painting seem three-dimensional.

We met up with our contact from Szeged, Panka, and some other Hungarian students from the area. We all drove to the Jurtatabor Horse Ranch, where we were going camping in the traditional Asian tents that night. We all had the opportunity to ride horses and do archery. Michael (Young) and Kata even joined us for the activities! We even found out that we have some superb archers among our group!

We headed back for dinner, and after the Hungarian students surprised us with a juggling act involving seven balls and sock poi. We all tried out juggling and sock poi but we no no match for those guys. We also got a pretty intense soccer game going until it got dark, and then the Hungarian students surprised us again by putting on a fire show using the sock poi! Matt pulled out his violin, and we all enjoyed music and some singing. Some people headed out to take a walk in the dark of the night and explore the ranch and others did some stargazing. We ended the evening by singing a bunch of Disney songs as the bonfire died down and then we retired from the cold of the nights and the pestering mosquitoes to our tents.

Today was another day of learning, but I think it is really significant because it was a day full of those few lifetime experiences and opportunities. Visiting the Keszthely Castle and playing hide and seek in the dark was something that I knew I would never be able to do again. But just today I was able to do archery and experience raw nature with the old-style tents and our "outhouse," which was really just a glorified hole in the ground.

This trip has undeniably already taught us so much about the history, language, culture, and status of Hungary, but it has also fostered those once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities that just give you the goosebumps. Tonight I saw my first shooting star as I lay out in the grass under the starry clear sky of Hungary with some of my closest friends, and I believe that aspect of the trip really speaks for itself.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Ben Sanchez ('09)

Boldog születésnapot! As a child, I hated having a summer birthday since it meant I never could celebrate with my peers at school. The advantage, though, was having the privilege of celebrating my nineteenth birthday in Hungary. (The opening is Hungarian for Happy Birthday, if you hadn't already guessed).

The day began as most seem to begin: an extension of the night before. I had returned with part of the group to a place called Szimpla in the central part of Budapest. Szimpla is essentially a huge courtyard with has been converted into a social gathering. I really enjoyed Szimpla because it reminded me of a place that used to exist in Phoenix called The Monastery.

In fact, I have repeatedly been surprised at how many times I've been reminded of home in a place halfway around the world. I'm not saying I miss home, but there just seem to be a lot of things that people like and enjoy all around the world regardless of place and culture. Anyways, after spending a while at Szimpla, I continued with about half the group to a dance club on the banks of the Danube to continue the celebration. When the sun started to peek over the horizon we decided it was time we return to the hotel to get a couple hours of sleep before the next days activities.

Most days two hours of sleep leads to a rough morning. Luckily, we visited the Széchenyi Medicinal Thermal baths today. The Széchenyi baths were in the city park just north of our hotel and we met as a group at the entrance at nine. We first had a presentation from Ádám Ruszinkó, who worked with the Hungarian Office of Tourism and specialized in thermal-bath tourism. He described the prevalence of baths across the country and the culture associated with them. I was surprised at how integrated into their culture thermal baths are. There is a widespread belief in Hungary that thermal bathing is a major contributor to overall health and as such, many of the bath's services can be charged to an insurance company or prescribed by a medical doctor.

After the discussion on baths, we received a tour of the building and saw three large pools as well as 35 different thermal baths that had varying temperatures and mineral contents. We quickly moved to the baths when our tour ended. We tried pretty much all of the saunas and mineral baths as well as all of the pools in our two hours at the baths. It was extremely relaxing after a very late night. The baths were quite busy with mostly Hungarians, which reinforced what Mr. Ruszinkó had told us about how culturally important the baths were.

We began our journey to the last town we would visit in Hungary before Romania after a great morning. While the baths were relaxing, I was still really tired and slept the entire trip from Budapest to Szeged. We arrived in Szeged just before 6 pm and met our guide Panka. She gave us an informal tour of the city as we walked to the restaurant for our group dinner. Szeged, like Budapest, is a city on a river (but it sits on the Tisza rather the Danube). The city has a history of being flooded by a river and we could tell why: as we crossed the bridge over the river we saw that the rain from the last few days had caused the river to flood over a street that ran next to the river. The city has built defenses, so no actual buildings are damaged, but it was still interesting to see just the top few inches of a traffic sign.

We had dinner near the main pedestrian area of the city and the chaperones kindly surprised me with a cake at the end of dinner. While I was surprised by the cake, I was even more surprised that the entire group had at some point in the day learned how to sing Happy Birthday in Hungarian. I barely have time to sleep, but they have time to learn a song in Hungarian.

All in all, it was a great birthday. I didn't spend it with my family or at home, but I enjoyed every minute of and have enjoyed the opportunity to spend it with my Scholars class, whom I seem to get closer with every day.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Jennifer Chen ('09)

This has been a summer of many firsts. This was my first trip to Europe, my first time traveling with so many students my age, my first experience in homestay, my first time consuming gelato on a bi-hourly basis, and my first time seriously contemplating the minority issues surrounding other countries.

Today was reflection day on the bus ride back from Balaton to Budapest. As a class we were asked for our opinions regarding the latest visit to the Roma village. For an ethnic group that is shrouded in suspicion by the locals, they were extremely welcoming of our class. I found it amazing how quickly they accepted our hodgepodge group of students into their family. As the discussion continued, we hit a roadblock when trying to identify or characterize both the Roma and Hungarian people. While it is clear that the two ethnic groups are segregated, the solution is not as apparent. Who was right? Who was wrong? Where does the root of the problem lie, and what can we as people do to improve the situation?

These were all very heavy issues that seemed much too complex to fully comprehend, at least for me. I mean, if there has not been a solution in all these years, who are we to prescribe a course of action within our first week in Hungary? Nevertheless, Ravi summed it up quite simply noting that people must recognize each other as people, not as a member of one political party, cultural background, or religious affiliation. Rather than point out the differences, people must find the common ground they walk upon in order to take a step towards a better future, and each person is essentially linked by this sense of humanity. It was a beautiful thought, really.

After the bus reflections, we arrived at the Bartok house for a tour, lecture, and concert. The tour encompassed all aspects of Bartok's life and exhibited his most arbitrary possessions (i.e. his cigarette stub and insect collection). The lecturer was wonderfully energetic as he danced and sang throughout his presentation. Following his presentation was a concert comprised of Bartok's pieces. The contemporary music was quite an experience where the piano was more rhythmic and percussive than traditional piano pieces. While the music was interesting, it was a little too modern for my tastes.

Later that night we went out as a class to celebrate Ben's 19th birthday. (I'll save that story for him to tell, though.) Then again, I don't think that Ben's the only one who's grown. I think that we've all grown a lot as a class through out this trip.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Galen Lamphere-Englund ('09)

A welcome sight greets our eyes this morning: the clouds have lifted, and the sun has decided to peek out around the edges of the grey sky. We peer, bleary with shortened sleep, and find that we are smiling.

Last night was spent in the Keszthely Castle, otherwise called the Festetics Palace. It is a massive building filled with beauty and lore, with a 100,000-volume library of rare works amassed by its former occupants. At the invitation of our hosts, we gained the use of the third-floor "smoking lounge" at night. Unlike the rest of the hardwood-paneled, ornate palace, the smoking room had been renovated in a bizarrely retro '70s style. Several of us spent the night playing cards and chasing one another around the guest wing in the former residence of Hungarian Counts. Perhaps their spirits appreciated our young company.

Today we leave the fantastic Palace for a journey through the Balaton national park. Winding roads and a few wrong turns, resulting in strange detours through quaint residences with sprawling gardens, eventually lead us into the green hills above the lake. Our white tour bus stops outside an preserved historic farm, nestled alongside homesteads and a steepled church.

Past the split rail fence and whitewashed houses, we are greeted by several rangers who proceed to lead us around past the "Hungarian Grey Cattle," which look identical to American longhorns, and deadly-adorable baby farm animals. Later, after sojourning on to several other villages, we are again led through meadows to beautiful rolling hills littered with "healing stones" and birdbath-sized reflecting pools.

The small white homes sprinkled amongst the hills opposite us and the new growth forest remind us that everything here has felt humanity's touch for many years. Reminders that civilization is thousands of years old in Hungary are everywhere, even in the seeming rural country. Yet, in spite of the human aspect, the sweeping vistas of Lake Balaton from the top of an ancient volcanic basalt hill seem to put all of our collectively small existences back into perspective.

After bidding farewell to the National Park, we found ourselves in a lakeside research arm of Hungary's University system. Our lecturer informed us about the limnological research which they have conducted in the extremely shallow, 3 meters at most, Lake Balaton over the past century.

After leaving the rather well-decorated research building, we found some quiet solitude on the lakeshore among the beautifully landscaped grounds. Soon after, we ventured up the hill to Tihany, perched on a picture perfect hill between lakes, crested by a grandiose Abbey. Wandering around the woods surrounding the town stirred up memories of similar places in the United States, places with the same plants and flowers, but lacking the thatched roofs and whitewashed walls of the villas in Tinany. Our lodging for the evening was in just such a house: two stories, with beautifully thatched roofs and curved windows overlooking a green courtyard.

Yet, as I lay down to sleep, I find that my thoughts are still dwelling on the Roma village visit several days ago. The captivating beauty of the people, richly happy despite their material poverty; the stunning kindness with which they greeted us; the smiles on each Roma child who ran alongside our inner youth. The pride of the houses, each one spotless and with dazzling flowers, and the flavorful feast prepared for our visit. The nationalist agenda pursued against these amazing people seems so foolish, yet it is a pattern used time and time against, across borders and time. The same stereotypes and prejudices have been used in the US against the Irish, the Chinese, and, today, the Hispanic immigrants. Why such othering persists is confounding.

But of equal universal appeal was the Roma boys' use of Capoiera. In the green grass, the energetic kids demonstrated perfect martial arts moves like Jengas, Banderas, and Ouefechadas. The Brazillian dance martial art, once used by repressed slaves, has found another home: in the movements of another repressed people, kindred spirits only separated by time and space. Reminders of universal humanity are everywhere.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Emma Kleiner ('09)

We all woke up to the now typical rainy day in Pecs, Hungary. Around 8 AM, there was a fleeting hopeful moment of sunshine, but that dream was quickly and effectively squashed by more rain. Our day centered around transporting ourselves from Pecs to Lake Balaton, but first we spent the morning and early afternoon in Pecs.

Breakfast was more lively than usual, as Nesima brought down her Mad Gab game, and we all gathered around a table to play. It must have been quite amusing for other foreign visitors to see a whole group of American teenagers trying to figure out silly phrases in English.

Then, after moving all our luggage downstairs, we proceeded to the main square in Pecs. Our mission there was to split into teams and create a scavenger hunt which we would then switch with another group.

Despite the chilly conditions, it was great to walk around Pecs one last time. My group even made it to a huge underground shopping mall, which was a cool experience!

After the scavenger hunt, we met at a Croatian restaurant, Afium. Most of us had eaten there previously, so it was familiar territory.

Following lunch, we departed on our bus to Lake Balaton. The most popular bus activity by far was sleeping, but some more adventurous Flinns entertained themselves by taking picures or even chatting with each other. The lush plants, rolling hills, and tall trees along the road made it a gorgeous drive. We arrived at Lake Balaton around 5 PM and had no trouble settling in at our beautiful hotel that also happened to be a castle.

After quickly depositing our suitcases, we were whisked off to dinner complete with a regional dessert specialty, which, due to the language barrier, we still do not know the name of. Our walk back to the castle was replete with general merrymaking and jokes, just like all Flinn together time.

Upon our arrival back at the castle we were given a tour by very nice and entertaining guides dressed in 18th century period clothing. The tour was fantastic, as it gave us the opportunity to learn more about the time period and the way in which the castle has been preserved. We saw the women's waiting room (vanity themed with a lot of mirrors) and the men's waiting room (hunting themed with a horse motif), but my favorite room by far was the library. Its dramatic high ceilings and ornamental woodwork proved to be the perfect houe for two floors of books. At the end of the tour we saw a special performance--a traditional European instrument, the hurdygurdy, was played for us. Then, we were all treated to a mini concert by Matt on the fiddle and Derek on the piano.

The night proved to be young, as many Flinns ventured into the chilly town after the tour, while others stayed and explored the castle.

Overall it was a terrific day with an especially fun evening. Hope everyone is doing well back in the U.S. and that you're enjoying our blog!

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Ravi Ram ('09)

It was a Wednesday morning and had rained all of Tuesday (remember the Flinn application?) I sat outside my room thinking about the events of the previous day, trying yet again to understand how all of us could have done so much in so short a period of time. After an early morning run in the rain on Monday morning and clambering into bed late that night, the chances of a repeat performance on Tuesday morning stood at an encouraging 0%.

The rain and bleary skies, however, remained to greet me yet again on Tuesday, June 1st. Breakfast was the usual – eggs, bread, cheese, fruit, juice, hot chocolate – along with some philosophical banter between Derek and Galen and a discussion of Hugh and Katherine’s personality test results. Not even the brightest personality in our group was thrilled at the prospect of another cold, rainy day, but the morning gloom would soon be dispelled even if the clouds were not.

Agenda Item #1: The Gandhi School, a high school specially for ethnic Roma children of Hungary. We had to create a presentation of sorts for the boys and girls at the school, and as is so typical for the Flinn Class of 2009, we decided to do something with music and dance. The result: a brief history of Arizona’s universities and higher education system followed by a rendition of UA’s Bear Down fight song. Just like at the Roma village, shouts of “nice!” and “yes!” in broken English greeted us. Even better, we taught the students the song and then sang it again with all of them.

Better still, our planned performance inspired an impromptu session including a team break dance by Derek and a Roma high-schooler named Sándor, a guitar-accompanied song performed by two guys and two girls from the school, and finally a Flinn Class of ’09 version of Down by Jay Sean, led by Hugh on guitar, and Katherine, Nesima, and me singing. Music apart, the disadvantaged gypsy children had once again been the source of joy and laughter just like at the Roma village, and the bright, intelligent faces of the high schoolers provided hope that some day these people would be able to overcome their plight.

Later in the day, we had the opportunity to visit a number of museums in Pécs, all with years of culture from the Turks, Habsburgs, and all the other people and civilizations that have called Hungary home. The quality and diversity of artifacts and architecture in each exhibit was striking purely for beauty, but to me it emphasized something more, too, that tied together all of our experiences thus far.

To me, it was a symbol, a message, an idea that despite our differences – our ethnicities, families, economic status, education, etc. – we are all human beings, all bright, passionate people living on the same Earth. We often discuss the world’s problems as if we are all so far apart, as if unity and agreement are foreign concepts that rarely, if ever, are achieved. Some argue that the Roma people should be integrated into Hungarian schools and companies to help them rise as a people, while others argue for the necessity of a separately education Roma elite first. We debate alternatively that the Roma are oppressed and in need of help, or that we are forcing our Western values upon them.

If anything, interaction with the Roma people has taught me that we all share common goals, we all believe in family values, in community, in liberty, in achievement, whether we live in the poorest slum or the most beautiful mansion. As Michael said after visiting the Roma village, everyone speaks the language of fun. I know when I was 5 or 6, I would’ve run yelling and screaming to play catch and piggyback races too. The faces of the Roma kids are the smiling intelligent faces we all share as children, the hope of a peaceful world we all share as human beings.

At night I sat engaged in one of my favorite activities: a good, old-fashioned heart-to-heart conversation with Lauren. Finally, I had a chance to reflect with someone about the myriad of experiences we had all already had since leaving Arizona for central Europe. I realized that if this trip has taught me anything, it is that the awareness of this unity, these values, these common goals must come first if we are to ever truly solve the problems of the world. In my opinion, it is this understanding that will shape the future. But on a lighter note – this trip is the best thing ever.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Nesima Aberra ('09)

Today was a great immersion for the group into the city of Pecs--a rainy immersion, I should say. It's been raining hard through out the day and we have had to grab our jackets, rain boots, and umbrellas as we traipse around the city from place to place in our busy schedule.

In the morning, we went to the American Corner, which is a center that highlights American culture and values around the world. We learned about the different programs the Corner puts on in Pecs and other Hungarian cities to teach about American culture, like Native American Week, Thanksgiving Quilt workshops, and African American Week. It was fascinating to see how American culture is perceived and celebrated through the lens of Europeans, and Hungarians specifically.

Then, we learned about Pecs's activities in preparation for its title as European Cultural Capital of 2010, a title it shares with Istanbul and Essen. Pecs has developed several projects in its bid to highlight the culture and innovation of the so-called "borderless" city, like the Pecs Conference and Concert Center, the South Transdanubian Regional Library and Knowledge Center, and the Zsolnay Cultural Center.

Afterwards, we listened to a lecture about Hungarian politics, which is very interesting, considering the current issues the country is going through, dealing with the effects of its recent elections and the rise of the extreme-right party. The political culture in Hungary is full of distrust and suspicion, no doubt from the socialist and communist regimes the country has experienced. There is a lot of corruption and still marginalization of minorities that the government has to deal with. The professor who gave the talk had some optimism for the future but also some skepticism.

For lunch we headed over to a very nice restaurant called Traffik, followed by a couple hours of free time. It was still pouring rain but we all managed to find something to occupy our time in the eventful city. I walked through some shops for souvenirs and visited the two surviving mosques, symbols of the old Turkish occupation, although one of them has been now turned into a Catholic church, interestingly.

The group returned to the American Corner to watch Sunshine, a Hungarian film made by a famous Hungarian director. The movie was an epic drama chronicling the lives of a Hungarian Jewish family through the Habzburg, fascist, and communist eras. It brought up many themes of redemption, identity, assimilation versus integration, and political oppression.

Overall, we had a very educational and eye-opening day in Pecs and I feel like I am getting a better understanding and appreciation of the culture and history.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Michael Weingartner ('09)

This morning began at 12:01 when I turned to Blake and said “Hey, Blake, its 12:01.” He nodded back to me, but amongst the sound of Katy Perry and Sean Kingston, I wasn’t completely sure that he had heard me. The place is Morrison’s 2, a Budapest dance club. I’m in a circle with Blake and about seven Hungarian students studying English. It’s very crowded and I don’t know where the other Flinns are.

I think to myself, this is going to be a good day.

Flashback to about five hours ago, which isn’t technically my day to blog about, but It’s kind of important, so, whatever. At 7 pm we Flinns met up with our Hungarian host students, who would be in charge of us for the next fourteen hours. We had met these people only once before and only very briefly before we were matched up. My host’s name is Alexandra Kálmán, but we call her Szandra, and she tells me that she and the other hosts have something planned for us already, and so they take us out for the night, first to a café, next to their university library, known as Könyvtár (Hungarian for “Library.” Go figure.), and then on to Morrison’s.

All in all, somewhere in this massive club built into a three-floor building out of the nineteenth century, there are fifteen Flinn Scholars and seventeen Hungarians studying English, which I begin to realize must be at least a little easier in a world where their nightclubs play American hits all night long. I’m dancing with Szandra and Blake is dancing with Eva while his host, Istvan, dances with another of his friends. After losing some of the other Flinns--trying to find a way to watch the Sun’s Game at three in the morning--and singing Backstreet Boys at the karaoke bar with four Hungarian strangers, Blake and I decide to call it a night at about three in the morning. I return to Szandra’s dormitory and I fall asleep by about four in the morning.

It’s six in the morning, and I need to wake up because today is another big day. I get up, spend twenty minutes trying not to scald myself in the dormitory shower (Hungarian showers--don’t get me started), spend ten minutes trying to translate to Szandra in Hungarian why Scyther is my favorite Pokemon, and then spend another forty minutes getting from the dorms back to the Radio Inn where Blake and I try to piece together our own stories while sharing tales of the previous night with the rest of the Scholars. It is nine in the morning by the time we all arrive and say goodbye to our hosts. I tell Szandra, my host, that we will be back in Budapest three more days in the near future and that we should get together. She emphatically agrees, and we say our goodbyes. Szandra and Istvan are the last hosts to leave the hotel.

Ten in the morning and the bus is packed up and we are on our way to a little place called Alsószentmárton. It’s a tiny village, about 1300 people, and every single person there besides the priest is a Gypsy. Now, I use the term Gypsy here because of what exactly we as a class have come to learn about this word. The Gypsy people are the single largest minority group in Hungary, comprising somewhere between 6 and 8 percent of the entire population. Many Hungarians refer to these people as criminals, drunks, stupid, lazy, dirty, and all sorts of other terrible things. The Gypsy people hold only three seats in the Hungarian parliament of nearly 400 representatives and are significantly behind their Hungarian neighbors in education, standards of living, employment, and even in their access to the Hungarian universal-health-care system. We are told that it is more polite, more politically correct, to refer to these people as the Roma, and as we tentatively spoke of them on our way to encounter them for the first time, this is what we called them ,because we did not want to offend a group that had already been through so much. I know that this is how I felt. And then we met them.

We are greeted before we even park the bus by children who burst out of their front doors and come running from all over the village to see the Americans. They call out to us as we walk from the bus to the community center, no bigger than a convenience store, in every English word they know.

“Good Morning!”

“Good Night!”

“My name is Alex!”

“Purple!”

We wave to them as we step into the community hall, where some of the women of the village stand, having been cooking since three in the morning (which I personally found ironic, but didn’t mention). We are treated to a remarkable feast, by far the best that I have had yet in Hungary. Goulash, chicken paprikash, peppers and salads and the most wonderful bread--and did I mention the bread? As we eat and eat and eat, we are being spoken to by Laszlo, one of the men of the village who tells us about his story and the story of his family and his people.

Laszlo grew up in this village and went to the Ghandi school, which we will be visiting in a few days. He attended university, one of the first ever to do so in this village, and received a degree in sociology. After this, he left to work for Princess Cruise lines as a waiter to make money for his family (19 percent of Roma are unemployed in Hungary) as well as to make his dream of seeing the world come true. He introduces himself and his community as being Gypsy, and he is proud of this. Later, I will ask him about how he plans to make changes in the village (He is running for office in a month) and then why he chooses to call himself a Gypsy instead of a Roma. He tells me that we cannot change who we are by changing our name. We must instead change the world so that the name Gypsy can become something to be proud of.

As surprising as this might sound, this is not what inspired me most in Alsószentmárton.

We step outside, and where before there were ten children there are now twenty, thirty, more than I can count, and more are coming. We have brought stickers, balloons, jump ropes, tennis balls, frisbees and Slinkies (which, in case you were wondering, everybody does love), and these we cannot give out fast enough to meet the children’s enthusiasm. We play tag. We make balloon animals. We play catch. After a while, Ravi begins to lose his language skills and devolves into a form of communication consisting of shouts and wails, which the kids seem to understand perfectly well. Derek teaches the kids how to dance and when he is finished, they end up teaching him how to dance. A boy named Alex runs towards me and jumps up onto my back and points forward, asking me to run. I oblige him until I am too tired and let him down. He runs to Blake and does the same thing a moment later.

All around the town we walk and play and run and jump and by the end of it, we are doing acrobatics in the grassy field outside the community hall and trying our best to catch our breaths, we are laughing so hard. And then the news comes: We have to be going. The kids don’t understand any English but when Michael tells us to start getting ready to leave, they are already upset. Laszlo and his wife say goodbye to us and present us with bread and drink (Tradition dictates that guests should never be let go without sustenance for the journey.) and bid us farewell. Adam decides to give one of the kids his ASU hat, saying later that it is the best seven dollars he has ever spent.

We take our last pictures, say our last goodbyes, and head onto the bus. As we go, Alex stops me to say goodbye. We pound our fists together like Hugh taught the kids to do, and he says to me “Thank You” as I get onto the bus and we drive away to Pecs.

In Hungary, May 30th is Children’s Day, and I still don’t know whether or not we made these kids’ day, or if they made ours. Either way, by the end of it all, I can say that I’ve never felt more like a kid.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Dawn Cole ('09)

This morning began as the previous few had, with breakfast at the Radio Inn. It promised to be just a little more interesting, however, since it was a “challenge” day, meaning we would have to find our own way around the city. Although everyone claimed to know the way, we soon began to question whether we were going the right direction. We turned our heads in circles, occasionally glancing at the maps, but accomplishing little more than looking like confused chickens.

A man passing by on the street noticed this tourist SOS and asked us what we were looking for. So taken by surprise, and admittedly loopy from a lack of sleep, not a single one of us managed to utter an answer. “Do you speak English?”  he asked, a question we seem to be getting a lot lately. We quickly fumbled with our maps and schedules to produce the name of the street, and he kindly sent us in the right direction.

We began the day with a discussion on the current relations between Roma and Hungarian people.  The speaker, Ferenc Zsigó, first introduced us to the “Roma problem,” using free association to bring awareness to us about our own stereotypes and ignorance on the issue.

Even the simple term “jipped” reveals a lot about how we perceive the gypsy culture to be defined by poverty and begging.  The cigány, the Hungarian term for the Roma, which literally translates to “the outsiders,” are treated as just that, second class citizens.  But as citizens of Hungary, the Roma, literally “the people” in Romani, deserve equal opportunity and treatment.

Despite having been settled in this region of Hungary for over 100 years, the people have been marginalized by Hungarian policy. They maintain distinct cultural practices and physical appearances that can distinguish them from ethnic Hungarians, but do to intense discrimination, they are often identified based on socio-economic factors rather than cultural ones.

Ferenc noted something that I think is very important to recognize--that if efforts to “integrate” the Roma into Hungarian society were successful, it would only be possible to identify them based on cultural and not socio-economic status. Similarly, in a truly integrated school, the percentage of the population of Roma students in higher education should be equal to the percentage of Roma in the overall population, some 10% rather than the current .01%. With such low levels of education, the Roma lack an elite population capable of participating in politics and representing the interests of their people.

Reforms in education are therefore desperately needed, if they are going to be able to have any chance of gaining political influence and the ability to affect change in policy to reduce the amount of institutional discrimination. And widespread improvements in access to quality education will only be possible if Hungarians are able to stop blaming the country’s problems on the cultural differences of this minority.

I think it is important here to point out that when discussing these issues, we often say that “they,” referring to the Hungarians, are being unjust and inhumane with regards to the Roma. But especially now, we must recognize that we too are culpable of ostracizing the “others"  in our own country. Many claim that the “biggest issue in Hungary is gypsy crime” just as many people in the US blame reduced availability of jobs and high crime rates on illegal immigrants and our Hispanic populations in general.

We must now take what we have learned about this repressed people and take the anger and frustration we have felt about their unjust treatment and apply it to the marginalized populations of the US. We must recognize that these problems are not unique to this region or people. Furthermore, we must realize that many of the root causes of injustice and solutions are very similar.

Although we may have little ability to influence change here in Hungary, we do have the ability to prevent the discrimination taking place in our own state.

In both cases, education will play a vital role in achieving equality. We must fight to educate both the oppressors and the oppressed. We must challenge long-held stereotypes. We must show Americans and Hungarians alike that it is flaws in the basic systems and not actions or characteristics of their respective minorities that cause problems.

Furthermore, the oppressed must be educated on their rights and empowered with the right to vote. We must provide them with adequate representation by improving general conditions of education. We must not be “afraid to see clearly or to be seen clearly.” Only when we recognize our role in this inequality will we be able to improve the situation.

Flinn Scholars

Each summer the Flinn Scholars Program takes an entire class of Scholars to Budapest, Hungary, and neighboring Romania for a three-week seminar on the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Here’s a day-by-day account.

Hugh Chung ('09)

Today, we began what Kata called the true "Day 1" of the trip.  After breakfast, the class was split into two groups, one to go on a walking tour and one to discuss travel plans at the Institute of International Education (IIE) office, with plans to switch roles after lunch.  Personally, I chose to go to IIE first while the others explored the Pest region of Budapest. It was very interesting to learn about the background of the organization that made all of this possible. IIE's goal is to give students abroad avenues to expand their minds and perceptions by getting them involved in a large scope of activities regarding a particular culture.

After having a thorough overview of the travel plans, I can confidently agree that they succeed to fulfill their goal. We meet some of the most respected people of the country as well as people of the struggling class. We get pampered with incredibly nice restaurants, but also have very down-to-earth experiences (literally) with picnics. Overall, I find that this will be a very eye-opening experience for all of us.

After the meeting we went out to lunch. I have noticed a recurring theme of soup, course, and dessert, but this was the first time many of us had ever tried a fruit soup, peach in particular. It was interesting to see how their culinary tradition was structured and how diverse it was. In addition, we were able to see the workers at the restaurant make their own strudel, which was also a unique experience for many of us. They also had various flavors not familiar in the states, such as poppyseed strudel.

While the group that visited Pest went to the IIE meeting after lunch, the rest of us saw a few sights in Pest, then took the bus and headed off to the more hilly and rural side of Buda. It was interesting to see the immense amount of history in the area and how it survived so many different social and political climates, including the two world wars. At the end of the day, we were able to meet with the foreign ambassador of Hungary. What was particularly interesting was that it was his last day in office. There we learned a lot about the political struggles Hungary has had with its neighboring countries and how dynamic its history is.