A wee bit of time off....

27jun07
A step forward, with a working refrigerator, accompanied by a bowl of sweets as a "thank you" for waiting patiently...one of those "Awwwwwwww" kind of moments. Laundry is still a conundrum, as other than a formal cleaners, there are no public laundromats or anything similar. I've been hand washing things for the moment in the bidet (yes the water is clean, and it's the deepest "bowl" I have to work with!)....hung several things on the indoor line in my bathroom this morning, only to find them moved to an outside line when I got home this afternoon, and my trash bag taken away as well. Far from being put off by the landlady accessing my digs, it's become a source of surprise and curiosity to discover these gestures of caring. Pretty cool...

Spent a half day with this week's crew on site, and have been given the afternoon off. It's so funny to have been here less than a week and experience so much already. That said, it's been nice to sit quietly in the office and catch up with e-mail, get started with posts here, and silly as it may seem, nice to know that I will simply be going home rather than out for the evening. The two teams I've been with thus far have graciously included me in their activities, gifted me with dinner and other goodies like a fan, blow dryer, and temperature convertor (it's the little things), and provided a pool of English in the sea of Hungarian I live in

We took a walk through Szarvas together with Gabi last night, and I look forward to full days open to really explore. The town is home to an agricultural and nursing school, has several historical monuments, an aborteum and nooks and crannies galore to explore.

A carriage ride Monday evening revealed still more....many homes here have large yards and gardening is prevalent...feels a bit like being back in growing years in MN (no pun intended)....several sport apple, apricot, and cherry trees (a bit like bing cherries, with all three in season at present....yum!). The town feels very green and colorful, and flowers of all kinds abound.

The river is flanked on one side by a small aboretum and public beach and on the opposite side by several historic homes and one of the schools here. Racing kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats grace the river's edge, the latter two available for rent to the public. I'm told horseback riding is available, and of course, bikers (the human propelled kind) are everywhere. Cars are small as in Dublin, semis or "lorries" are common on the main thoroughfare, along with buses, the occasional motorcycle, and a handful of scooters. Crosswalks are set to accomodate cyclists; cars stop to allow them by on most side roads and sometimes the main road as well.

Quick "trivia"....sunrise is around 4 a.m., sunset after 9 p.m. Temps stay around 90 F, though with a breeze, it's really beautiful. Currency is the fohrint, at an exchange rate of 200 Ft = $1 US, and challenges the way you look at prices, e.g., restaurant menu pricing is in 100's, 1000's, and sometimes higher, but most things fall into the $3-5 range when translated.

Pork and chicken are the primary meats, and a preponderence of Hungarian dishes are fried. They often have fruit soups (served cold) as appetizers, several savory soups, and a host of traditional dishes I've yet to sample. Among the traditional desserts are a sponge-type cake with chocolate and whipped cream, and a crepe like confection (they call it a pancake) with a variety of possible fillings from nut purees to chocolate/banana/Nutella. All very tempting!

More on the next pass....time to enjoy the cool of the evening. Vislat!

Commercial interlude (of sorts)....

A little additional blurb about the how and why of my landing in Hungary....

Habitat construction has been a volunteer addiction since July 4 2004, when I first stepped onto a work site in Kitsap County, WA (where I live when not wandering the world) I've volunteered an average of 10-20 hours per week ever since except when out of country working, and have learned enough to earn the title "Builder Babe" (not to be confused with Builder Bob ). I've supervised builds at home, done project management and supervision in Dublin, and will be doing a variety of things here in Szarvas as I work with the local staff and incoming Global Village teams from the US and other parts of the world that come here in 1-2 week increments to build. Very cool.

I have to say that it's been an interesting/challenging and thoroughly rewarding ride over the past three years since I stepped away from pharmacy without looking back. No regrets. It's a faith based life, and while not easy, it's amazing what has come my way thus far in the way of opportunities, people met, places to go, etc. Living my dream life in the moment, in the sense that through the Habitat positions I've been blessed to fill, I have begun to see the world and give back as I go, learning new cultures, rhythms, and ways, and hopefully representing the US in a way far more constructive than we are often viewed. Very, very cool.

Catching up...

25-26jun07
Technical difficulties while working the kinks out of my electrical convertor and the fact that I everything I tap into online is in Hungarian! By now you have guessed these curious "hiccups" have been taken care of, as here I am blissfully chattering away Color me determined!

For not knowing the language at all yet, I find most folks I've encountered thus far quite friendly, and have successfully manuevered groceries, paying rent, finding out how to turn the hot water on, and building foundation forms all with nods and gestures. A friendly face, smile and good intentions go a long way just about anywhere, and Hungary is no exception. Whew!

All good, enjoying it thus far, and beginning to get a sense of the work site routine. By the time Ireland’s Global Village team arrives July 2nd, I hope to have a working knowledge of where things are re Habitat, and at least a start towards finding things within biking distance in town.

I am undoubtedly a vision in my dirt-infused jeans, work boots, sleeveless shirt, ball cap and safety/sunglasses as I bike back and forth to the site and the office on my trusty loaner bicycle from Levi's mom. It's workable now that the seat has been lowered and tipped forward, but a new seat is definitely on the list for the coming week so I can sit comfortably when OFF the bike

Andras and I continue to be the tag team for setting foundation forms, with hello and bye added to his vocabulary and "tapla" (form) added to mine! It's been a pleasure to work with him; with very little said, we can anticipate one another and "get 'er done" with humor and some serious manual labor.

Levi, the construction manager, has begun my Hungarian lessons with the concept of greeting another on the street or wherever. Simple task? Why, no! There is no hello in Hunagrian! Rather, there is a greeting relative to time of day (changes at 8 a.m., again at around 6 p.m., and again at nightfall), gender, and age. Goodbye is another non-existent salutation, though at least there are less phrases and rules for what they DO say...."Seeya" (phonetic spelling, not Hungarian!) is an informal way of saying see you again soon for use with friends and family, and "Vislat" can be used with anyone and means roughly the same. I am told that once you learn the 44 character alphabet, you can pronounce anything you read correctly since the sound of each character is always the same. It's figuring out the rest that's, well, interesting, especially since so many words seem to be 10-12 characters long. Imagine my delight at a short one like "yo"


24jun07
Today is a catch up day for me using the internet connection at the Habitat office here in Hungary, my first opportunity to do so since arriving Thursday night...YAY! Just getting started developing blog and pix content for the Hungary links, so stay tuned and give a look every week or two for new info...very cool means of sharing the trip with everyone.

Our first global village team (11 folks from the Midwest) leaves this morning, and a new team from the US/Canada arrives this evening. I am enjoying a "day off", to find groceries and get on line here at the office (no wireless in the area that I can borrow from where I live ), my first access since arriving Thursday night. I will meet the new team at dinner later tonight and join them on the build site tomorrow as I continue to learn Levi's (the project manager) routine and begin to step out of orientation and into my role here, evolving steadily as we go.

Current mission: get the blog going and some pix posted, find a different bicycle seat for my ancient but trusty loaner, and cross my fingers that the refrigerator in my lodgings is repaired soon...the heat makes keeping much produce fresh an interesting exercise!

22-23jun07
Two days orienting by doing with Levi and a global village team from Chicago on the build site, building forms for what we would call the foundation; footings had already been poured.

They build on slab much as we are doing in Kitsap County, though the process is very low tech. Forms are laid and concrete mixed and poured by wheelbarrow one section at a time. The forms are pulled the following day and reset farther down the line so to speak. Rebar or “steel” skeletons to set within the forms were pre-made by the families, and are set on flat stones within the forms to make certain the concrete fills in beneath the steel (versus suspending the rebar inside the frame). Temps are in the 90’s each day, great for the concrete, a bit more challenging for the “work force”!

I worked with Andras, a recipient family member who works night shifts at a turkey farm and mornings on the build site. He taught me how to set the forms with just three words understood between us….”no problem” and “ok” from him, and “yo” (which means “good” in Hungarian) from me. My first experience in this context….very cool.

The global village team I joined had been working the site for four days prior to my arrival; fun to meet them, many from Chicago, one living and working in MN (small world!!!), and helped create a great start to my stay, sharing and teaching what they knew, including me in meals, and offering concrete (no pun intended) suggestions for things that might be helpful for future teams coming our way. Famlies and the team met together for pizza this evening; this team leaves tomorrow morning and the next arrives tomorrow evening. And so begins my assignment in earnest, seeking ways to streamline operations, work new systems that keep everyone healthy, happy, and, er, underworked????

En route...

21jun07
No sights seen while in Budapest...not here long enough to do it justice, and opted to catch some sleep and arrive in Szarvas with at least 1-2 pistons firing. I am looking forward to going up for a day or weekend, as the city is packed with history and things to see, divided by the Danube into Buda and Pest (pesht, in Hungary).

First impression somewhat like Dublin, with the juxtaposition of old and new, and fabulous detail in almost every building along the main and side streets I was able to see walking from the hotel to the national office, restaurants, etc. Their "castles" are far more sophisticated and ornate looking than those in Ireland, at least the few I was able to see while in the city.

Running sleepy in the warmth of the new day, checked out of Hotel Czasar and waiting for the next leg of the journey to begin, a three plus hour ride to Szarvas. Looking forward to landing the luggage and myself somewhere for a while, capturing what I need from the internet, catching up till more on sleep and establishing some kind of routine…

Eating raw and live may be a challenge here…thankful for Burger King salads at present; who knew!

Am told that as an “extreme”, I may run Szarvas out of produce…Gyorgy shared a story yesterday about a volunteer group of Swiss high schoolers who ate only beef….while on most menus, the local restaurants didn’t have enough to accommodate a dozen hungry and determined teenagers…they eat mostly pork and chicken here. Soooo, will be an adventure to see how much I can maintain and obtain to continue enjoying my newfound uncooking habits!

The surrounding area going out to Szarvas is green, flat, and primarily farmland, sunflowers, corn fields, wheat, and others not stored in my data bank Lots of trees in town along the sidewalks, lots of plantings, and my overall impression of where I've been as a whole is how very clean it seems, with very little litter.

In Szarvas at 1730, met by Gabi and Levi, the affiliate staff here. Beautiful small town, with my lodging just one block north of the main street, 4 blocks from the office, and a 15 minute bike ride to the build site courtesy of a vintage bike (read “well loved” 42 year old bike here) on loan from Levi’s mom.

“Home” is a small space about the size of my Washington apartment, with large bedroom, nice bathroom, small kitchen, and a front area that was once a small ice cream parlor. More than enough space, though hot water was a mystery for the first 24 hours, and an operable refrigerator and somewhere to do laundry are still “opportunities” to solve.

20jun07

Walked to the office (about three miles, sunny, breezy and already 80+F) to get some exercise, meet with the national director and get a sense of expectations and how Habitat structures things here. Another walk to the bank and a local restaurant for lunch with the European volunteer coordinator for the international program; great to begin to match faces with the names of those I’ve been corresponding with for the past 3 months or so!

More orientation at the office, then walked back to the hotel with tonight and tomorrow morning to myself before catching a bus for a 3-4 hour ride to Szarvas and my final destination, at least for now.

Walked to the National Office (about two miles away) to meet with Gyorgy for orientation to Habitat Hungary. Their operation is different from the US in several ways:

Their “affiliates” are actually extensions of the national office versus individual operating units. They are pursuing creative liaisons with the local and national government to address the needs of poorer families in ways beyond housing, e.g., micro loans for heating systems, liaisons with banking institutions to better finance homes and the supplies needed to build them, building in cooperation with a small town and its government using a project manager supported by the national office versus establishing an affiliate, to name a few.

Other Habitat related information…a house here costs $35,000 on average, though this is quite variable depending on where in the country you are.

Construction is timber frame, using substantially wider lumber than we see in the states, in large part because the quality of materials available is less than we are blessed with.

In Szarvas a 5 unit “row home” is underway, with four of the five families already chosen. Unlike our system, work is immediate, and the classes in budgeting and home ownership are not formally offered here (although they are interested in what we do in Kitsap County). The entire building is referred to as one "house", the separate spaces within are apartments.

Habitat is fairly young here, established in 1996, with the Szarvas location in operation just since 2004.

Name recognition of the organization was high when President Carter first came here eleven years ago with Hungary as the focus of that year’s annual Jimmy Carter Work Project, though since then it has quieted a bit.

First language “lesson”…Invoice vs receipt, or as they would say it here (phonetically), “amma samla”

19jun07
All good, with a second opportunity to fly out to Budapest at 1700, handled smoothly by the SwissAir transfer desk, along with a food voucher and phone card for use in the airport to ease the way.

Arrived in Budapest at 1900 Tuesday June 19th, a mere 5 hours later than originally planned, and the luggage with me despite the airline changes (turns out they don’t take luggage unless there is a human to go with it, so some kind of magic must’ve happened when the flight to Zurich was delayed!). I was met by Gyorgy Sumeghy, Hungary’s Habitat National Director, and Zsuzsa Rihay, National Volunteer Coordinator. They were surprised at how little luggage I brought for the six month stay ( as I staggered their way with a large overweight Pullman, smaller version of same, and an overstuffed backpack); I was thinking I’d packed too much!

To the hotel by 2030, with plans made to meet the following day, my wish for crisp clean sheets and a hot shower granted...YAY!

18jun07
And so begins the next adventure!

Dropped off by friends (thank you for a great start to the trip, Tom and Darla!), I took off from SeaTac at 1100 Monday morning without a hitch to begin the anticipated 14 hours of real-time travel to reach Budapest. All went smoothly for the first leg to Chicago OHare, with an easy transition from domestic to international travel status. High winds in the “windy” city delayed takeoff, however, landing me in Zurich at 1230 19jun just as my intended connecting flight to Hungary was taking off (best laid plans….). The only other travel "wrinkle" thus far….dousing myself with orange juice this morning while still on the plane to Zurich....it's a look!

Slowly but surely making my way there, looking forward to a shower and a clean bed to sleep in!

And so begins the next chapter

After a scant five months back in Silverdale, WA (more than half of it away from home!), I am heading to Europe as a Habitat for Humanity International Volunteer (IV) once again, this time to Szarvas, Hungary. This appointment will be from mid June through December 31st, with a couple of weeks added on to explore a wee bit of Europe before returning to the states.

I am the first to be placed twice for an IV position...perhaps simply the first to ask? Very cool, regardless, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to serve in this way again. Color it my dream life, to be able to go abroad to live and give in other cultures and begin to exapnd my understanding of the world and those I/we share it with in this way

My "job" will be to host international volunteer teams coming to Szarvas to build (there are at least 5 scheduled during my time there thus far), and act as a volunteer construction liason on the work sites, along the lines of being a crew chief or site supervisor depending on the team and what is needed. I've loved doing it here in Kitsap County, and in Dublin last year; this is an extension of what I've done to date. Color me excited!o
Szarvas is a town of 18,000 or so, in the southeast portion of Hungary. The Habitat affiliate there began in 2004, and building is done in quads (think townhomes here) using timber frame construction. It will be interesting to see how building methods, terms, and materials compare, begin the growing/learning/discpvery process anew.

Funny how God prepares us for these things...we are building a triplex here in Kitsap County as we speak, our first ever, using stick frame construction on slab, with a concentrated "blitz" build the six days just prior to my departure date of June 18th. Once there, I will spend two days in Budapest before going on to Szarvas, where my orientation will be working with a global village team there doing much the same thing. I could not have asked for a better sequence of events to get into the swing of things both here and there....amazing!