against all odds

Did I have an extraordinary day today or what! Where should I start? Well, to give you a little background: I was asked to give a workshop to a bunch of high school students about the effects of advertising. It is part of a Comenius joint project in which schools of Spain, Italy, Poland, France, and Hungary take place. I got this email one day that a certain lady from a certain high school (both unknown for me) kindly asks if I would be willing to share my expertise. I was suprised coz I cannot say I get a lot of requests like this, but I was also very enthusiastic. The project was a challenge, because it's one thing that I know a lot about the topic and present it to professionals and colleagues, but what kids know about it, I had the faintest idea. So I prepared a lot and was looking forward to the day to come.

Whatever, and I am not exaggerating, whatever could go wrong and test my nerves, did. I mean, really. The only thing that saved me was that I was soo damn prepared that probably nobody would have. 

As a start, I had to go out of Budapest to a town I've never been to. I checked the schedule, the stops and the locations of the stops on google maps. The coach stop, however, was not where it was supposed to be. Even though I arrived to the place 25 mins earlier, I finally found the right stop only 3 mins before departure! OK, sigh, I made it.

With that bus I was supposed to arrive to the town of Halásztelek at 10.05 AM. That would have given me more than half an hour to prepare the room, the speakers, the internet, the videos, etc, and familiarize myself with the school and the teachers, let alone with the students, before starting the class at 10.45. Nevertheless, at 10.05, when I was supposed to already be walking to the school at Halásztelek, the bus hadn't even left Budapest!! There was such a huge traffic jam, coz we had ice on the streets today, that we were practically crawling not driving. I was already giving it up to ever arrive. But just when I let go, the bus started to move and I arrived to the town at 10.38 and to the school at 10.45. Just on time, as they say. :-)

Physically I was there, but arriving like this meant I had no mental preparation of course. Well, let's get over that! Coz then came the next challenge. I looked into the room, and, instead of the promised 30 students, they were, no kidding, 80! All the students from 4 grades! That just means it was COMPLETELY inadequate for the type of tasks I had prepared for (like group discussion and project work). But no panic still. 

Then I went on stage -- literally, it was a theater hall -- and started to set up the laptop with the projector. I had asked the organizers at least 3 times in advance if they have internet, laptop, projector, and speakers. "Of course!" quoteth the lady. "Of course my ass!" replieth reality.

During the one-hour show, we replugged the internet 3 times, started my prezi 4 times, couldn't play the video only from a third source I brought, waited for the speakers to arrive for 5 mins, and had an electric shortage with complete darkness (!) in the room, and I could continue. And imagine this with 80 students staring at me and murmuring. Of course the whole thing was a chaos -- compared to, at least, what I am used to from unversity classes or conferences -- and I could interact only with, let's say, the first 3 rows of students -- the rest, the majority was just making noise. But guess what, in the end some kids came to me and asked stuff, and the organizers proposed that I should give more lectures for them in the future. So, I reckon, it was a strange form of success.

You know why it was a great experience? Exactly because nothing about it was perfect. And I didn't give up and freeze or panic. It was a mind-opening experience to feel that it is just about accepting the present and making the most of it that really makes one content. Not a perfect show -- coz there is no such.

twenty-fifteen

Inspired by the turn of the year, I just had a poll here on the blog about NY, and guess what, it turned out that for most people NY is not New Year, but New York. (Um.) So, to be a but educational (wink ;-), I decided to focus on the lesser known, the new year interpretation. Sorry, Empire State Builders, maybe next time we can talk about the Big Apple too.

Instead of the usual resolution kind of posts, or the ones giving you an assessment of the past 365 days, I have decided to salute you with something else. I have hired some actors for a photo shooting, even going abroad for this, in order to be able to illustrate to you what I wish for all of us for 2015. (Tell me that I don't care about you!)

It is my honor to introduce to you the actors, from the famous Feline family of Constantinople.

Best Wishes for 2015

featuring: Cats of Istanbul

No. 1.: Do your job. Find your place.

We will need to work a bit even in 2015, but this is not a problem as long as we find our place in what we do (next to Panda Boss).

No. 2.: Sleep tight.

Sleeping is essential. Don't underestimate a good night sleep, a good pillow, and good company.

No. 3.: Treat your belly.

Much of how you feel has to do with what you eat. So try to be conscious of consuming what your belly -- and not your head or your horoscope -- calls for. (Bones for a cat? Why not? Mine eats olives and corn. Not very typical either.)

No. 4.: Don't say no to a tea.
Do I have to explain this on a TEA blog? :-)

No. 5.: Take a walk.
Slow down, look up, discover the hidden magic around you.

No. 6.: Embrace connection.
Like we heard from Christopher McCandles, "happiness is only real when shared."

No. 7.: Learn new languages.

Could be a theme picture of this blog as well, this cat and dog try to communicate with each other, even though they lack a common language. The attempt ended up in a tense scene, with the cat hissing like a snake and the dog crying like a baby. If only they had paid more attention during that L2 course! :-)

Happy New Year (or York), everyone!

t(o)urkey

It has a funny story. On the exact same day that I decided to quit my programmer job, a job that was just about to give me a significant raise, but a job that I started to feel as a misuse of my energy and time, I bumped into a call for a filming course in Turkey. I have just made up my mind to follow my dreams instead of following that of others (my boss wanted to prove that he can transform me into the next Zuckerberg). Having a long-time fascination for films, I knew this was the chance to start over. In the past, I already edited a couple of short and/or documentary productions and I simply adored both the process and the outcome. On that November day, I felt it was time to refresh and improve these dormant skills in me, bringing my creative storyteller spirit to the next level. So I quit there. And so I applied here. And two days later I was selected as the Hungarian participant. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, as November turned out to be an incredibly busy period for me. Before travelling, I even caught a massive cold, so for a couple of days I was considering to skip the trip. Finally I managed to settle all the inner and outer turmoil, thanks mostly to a large dosage of lemon and garlic (lemon for the germs, garlic for the jerks). :-)

..FYI: not just the ladies..

Before travelling to the location of the traning course, I had to stay in Istanbul for two days. OK, I didn't have to. I wanted to. And it was the best decision. Being an open-minded person and priding myself on being curious and tolerant, I have a hard time admitting that I did have some prejudice against going to an Islamic country. Not because of the typical Western reason, the fear of Jihadic violence. No, that I didn't have, as I had researched that area long before to know that extremists exist everywhere, killing in the name of anything. But what I couldn't accept (and in a way I still cannot) is the gender issue. Since lately I am quite gender-conscious -- actually I was even called the Equal Opportunities Officer a couple of times -- I view many things through these lenses. And let's accept, most of the established churches, Islam being one, perform quite badly in this respect. With all these preconceptions, I arrived to the banks of Bosphorus and I found myself fascinated by the city and the culture marked by mosques, minarets, and muezzin. Istanbul had such a unique atmosphere that simply mesmerized me. I must say, those two days took me on a spiritual, inward journey (and it was not just because of the large dosage of Turkish tea I was cleansing myself with  :-).

In this mindset, I had to continue my journey to Kars, a small town next to the (closed) Turkish-Armenian border. Seemingly, it was a completely uninteresting and unimpressive city, especially after Istanbul, but its relevance lies exactly in the ethnic conflicts, of the Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian,  Russian, and Azerbaijani inhabitants, that resulted in the very decadence we see today. The city had too much history to cover and we had too little time to explore, so the filming part of the training was not as successful and effective as I had expected. (We started to make short films about antiracism, about local relations, about the torn down monument of the Armenian-Turkish friendship, and so on, but nobody really completed their projects in those 7 days.) There was, however, a lot to learn on a different level. We were a multi-ethnic group of 30 people, just like a school class. As a teacher and coach, it was an eye-opening experience for me to be on the other side.

We were representing quite different cultures, backgrounds, and world views. Occasionally, I was the only one in my group of 5-6 that was not religious, let alone, not Muslim. Nothing really was self-evident, like on what grounds I (and Western mainstream ideology) think it was debatable why Muslim women have to cover their faces, or why LGBT (what? who?) are not unnatural to claim rights, or why is given so much space in politics. All the group projects were challenging, because we needed to reach a group decision. It was rare when two people were on the same side. The reason that I (we) felt frustrated so often in these group processes made me (us) realize how bloody difficult it is to live in real democracy, one vote meaning just one vote. :-) Also, as a teaching method, I came to view groupwork a bit differently. Previously I had glorified it, considering it more effective, in most cases, than individual or frontal methods. Now I was reminded that it should not be overused though, because it does have its social-cooperational value, but as far as work-efficiency is concerned, it heavily depends on the personality of the members, which only occasionally is free of conflict.

We had a funny task once. As a social-cultural experiment, we had to draw our countries on a blind map. The Netherlands started, then came a miniature version of Germany (to correct the size problems set by Holland). This is when I was supposed to put Hungary on the map. It was hilarious to see how I placed it so damn far from Western Europe (yes, my mis-perception of the position of Hungary :-). To mend the situation, the Italian girl decided to draw her country reverse, as if Italy was "kicking" Hungary away. This is how we ended up with a new, very welcomed, neighbor: Sicily. Bella Taormina! :-) On the East, then, Azerbaijan became our new border-country, which again is a very fortunate change if you bear in mind that it will become a lot easier like this to travel to the European Games next year. :-)

All in all, it was a successful 11 days. We reshaped borders, brought cultures together, and had a lot of fun. 

happy..

..a-n-n-i-v-e-r-s-a-r-y!!!

It was, to the day, one year ago that I launched this blog and invited you, for the first time, to share and taste exciting tea stories by joining an inspirational online community. Now it's time to stop for a moment and look back. Now it's time to have a birthday party. Folks, it's TEA PARTY TIME!!

Since one of the most popular sections of the blog is interviews (do I know how to ask questions or what? :-), I thought to surprise you with one for this special occasion. The interviewee will be none other than ... myself.

Hello, Anna. I read a lot about you. Now we finally meet.

My pleasure.

You know the reason why we sat down next this enchanting kettle of tea, right?

Yes, because we are quite alike: we both adore tea. :-) But, to be fair, there is another reason as well: the blog entered into its second year, which, in the virtual world, is already maturity. So it's a reason to celebrate.

You say maturity? So blogs are like cats? You count with seven years?

Well, you can say so. The thing about virtual surfaces is that by now it has become very easy to build your online presence, not just through social media but blogs as well. Blogs are very popular because, with their themed and personalized content, they fit the modern trend of sharing; what's more, they are free so anyone can afford, and there is a wide variety of samples and templates to help with the design. It seems, therefore, that they are easy to maintain. 

But then reality kicks in. Soon you realize it is you who needs to create the content, day by day, week by week, month by month. And there comes the effort, because it is sweaty work. Sometimes you are tired of your day. Sometimes you are fed up with having to sit at the computer constantly. Sometimes you are sick of people and you don't feel like talking anymore. Sometimes you just can't find the words and your muse seems to be on holiday. And once you skip a day, a week, a month, it's damn hard to get back. Why? Because there might not be enough motivation; there might not be enough feedback. One big disadvantage of virtual activities is that, in fact, you are on your own. After all, we are mainly doing this not for ourselves but for our audience. And it takes time and energy, in the sea of blogs, to call attention, raise interest, get noticed. Many blogs die before they could reach this point -- the point when your audience keeps you going even if you are tired, fed up, sick, and uninspired. This is why I am happy and proud to step into the second year with this blog.

Turkish tea

How do you look back on the past year?

Like a typical Hungarian, I start with the negative aspect. :-) I must admit, I also had my difficulties from time to time. After the initial (and so often irrational) enthusiasm, I slowly had to rationalize (euphemism for: reduce) the amount of posts I produce a month, in order to balance professional life, private life, and virtual life. I found it important from the first moment to keep myself from getting overly virtual, at the expense of real, physical life (even though I know the general tendency is shockingly going in the opposite direction). 

At the same time, I love writing and this blog proved to serve as a perfect platform to express myself. It grew beyond a simple "teacher's blog". It became much more than a collection of classroom stories, addressing the wider themes of languages and cultures, two passions of mine, as well. Human interaction also became a key topic of the posts. We covered issues from stereotypes and gender, to creativity and inspiration. The topics of group dynamics and self-perception were addressed not only as matters of the classroom but as matters of everyday life. 

A couple of months after the start of the blog, I launched two new sections which proved to be quite popular. In one of the interview series, we got to hear stories of expats, from Hungary, Slovenia, Germany, Romania, Japan, and the US, who chose to live in countries whose culture and language is different from theirs. From each of the subjects, we got to see the often mysticized issue of migration from a different perspective, and while all of them were positive about their experiences, they warned us also about the difficulties that usually remain hidden. In the other interview series, we got to talk with professionals who work with English in a variety of contexts, from elementary school teaching to reseach. We came to see that languages can lead you to many exciting paths.

English tea

What did you like most about the blog?

All the posts gave me pleasure (some more, some less, of course). But overall what I liked the most is the variety of topics, issues, styles, and stories I could share. I found it inspiring to talk with people, both in the form of the interviews and in the comments. I'm a curious person who can't stop exploring. This blog was a way and an excuse to pursue this quest of mine.

Although you already hinted, could you specify what you had difficulties with?

Time. And those hidden efforts it takes to keep on producing sound content. To say enough but not too much; to explain the context but not overcomplicate; to introduce new topics but stay consistent. It is hard to go back to the computer if you already spent a day in front of it; it is hard to be excited to communicate when you talked and listened all day already; it is hard to choose a virtual room when you can choose a real tea house. These are all difficulties I faced only after becoming a blogger and maintaining the blog on a regular basis, for a longer period. Everyone needs to face these dilemmas and find the path that fits them, time-wise, routine-wise, sacrifice-wise, and so on.

Japanese tea

What would you do differently if you could start over, or what are you going to do differently in the future?

Well, I don't really like to think in conditionals. I did it this way and it was OK. The blog is not perfect and my processes were not always consistent, but I always did my best. This being my first personal-professional blog, after a more restricted academic blog and a co-edited sports blog, the exploration process it entailed taught me a lot, since I had to face newer and newer challenges and find my own way. 

What I changed since I had started the blog is the frequency of posts, to be able to keep up the quality of the content. At the same time, it is perfectly understandable that at the launch I posted so much. Enthusiasm kept me going, even at the expense of other duties, which I weigh differently now. This does not mean the blog means less; it only means that I realized sustainability is an important aspect of success. I cannot keep up with posting every day or 3 times a week, like in the beginning. I needed to be realistic and see how much I can promise myself and my audience. Regularity -- what and how much people can expect from your blog -- is crucial in building a stable audience, thus, a stable blog.

Then, what can your audience expect in the upcoming year?

Intriguing stories and delicious teas from all over the world! :-) The theme doesn't change, that I can say. Also, the main sections will stay, but I am planning to enrich the selection with a couple of new flavors. Of these, you will get a taste soon. 

As for the scheduling, I will stick to the monthly posting for a bit still, due to my work duties, but once things are settled, I may be able to return to the weekly routine. 

Indian chai

Finally, what advice would you give for (prospective or practicing) bloggers?

For prospectives: give it a go. Not only is it a lot of fun, you also learn a lot while writing about a topic. It is not just the process but also the people it leads you to that will enrich you. In the end, you will realize how much more there is still to know about an issue you thought you were expert in. But be realistic: it will take a lot of time and energy. Therefore, I suggest that you launch your blog only if you care a lot about that issue, so it can keep you through the tough times (although tea and coffee help too :-).

For practitioners: let's connect. It was always a pleasure for me to get to know how other people do it, because we have a lot to share, from advice through complaint to success stories. And you can never know which friend, acquaintance or reader of yours you will help out by guiding them to your fellow blogger's page by sharing its link on your blog. 

For all my readers: thanks for your interest. It is a pleasure to share the stories and the teas with you.
Egészségünkre!

it's all about the money -- or not

One of the monthly columns of the blog is dedicated to present to you what kind of career paths strong English language skills can bring you. So far we have focused on teaching jobs, from high school positions to university professorship, and from private employment to public institutions. We have not dealt with teaching in general, though. After half a year of interviews, I thought to dedicate this article to a more general consideration of being a teacher.

 

Today I brought you some short excerpts from interviews with (public school) teachers, who reflect not only on what they feel about their job but also on what materialistic matters like finances mean for them. I have picked professionals from a wide variety of countries, so to give you a more objective and extensive picture about what it really means to work in education. You will see that many of them address the issue of money, not only because capitalism made money our god but also because the profession of teaching is often linked, typically negatively, to capital. Let us see whether and how much they support the general claim that teachers are underpaid.

 

 

“I am happy with my income and think I earn a fair wage. I am unhappy with the public’s perception in Canada that teachers are overpaid. I’ve never met anyone that teaches for money. It’s never about the paycheck; it’s about loving the work we do. However, I do feel that our politicians, media, and therefore the general public feel that we are overpaid and lazy because we get more vacation time than many other professionals.” (Canada)

 

 

“I feel like I am providing a valuable service — and I do love my job at times. But teaching also has unfortunate downsides such as the money and administrative load, which can significantly detract from my core job as a teacher. While my income could be worse, I would argue it still is not fair for the qualifications I hold and my job performance. Often it’s hard work with little thanks.” (South Africa)

 

 

“I’m content with my income, but that’s because I don’t have a family to support or bills to pay. As a teacher, I do more administrative work than teaching. Sometimes the children are unsatisfied with our performance, but there’s only so much I can do with all the administrative work I have.” (Macedonia)

 

 

“Sometimes I wonder if the stress I put myself through is worth it, but then one of the kids or parents will tell me a story about how I’ve made a difference and it all seems worthwhile.” (England)

 

 

“I’m worried my income won’t be enough as my daughter gets older. I really like being a teacher — I just wish I was recognized for it every now and then, whether in pay or just a pat on the back. But it beats being a lawyer.” (US) 

 

 

“I am happy but financially strapped. I don’t eat at restaurants; I can’t afford it. I am not a demanding guy, so my income seems sufficient for now, but I can’t sustain my life on it.” (Nepal)

 

 

“Teaching is like volunteer work that nobody recognizes as such. I’m deeply dissatisfied, and I think the great victims of our system of education are the pupils.” (Romania)

 

In short, teachers consider their job as a profession and a calling, to which they dedicate their entire body and mind. But the dreadful financial issues the majority has to live with make it godd@mn difficult to persist. It is not for the faint-hearted..

Read the whole article on TED's page.

 

BCN

July signals the end of the school year, when teachers finally get crazy and break free after a mentally and emotionally engaging (or sometimes devastating) period. As for me, I decided to use the time to work on my academic life, so I applied to go to a conference late June, early July. As the event was in Barcelona, I considered it half my vacation, half my reunion with my dormant scholar alterego. I must say, the trip turned out to be so successful in both, by going beyond expectations, that I have been feeling transformed ever since.

First of all, I had never been to Spain before, nor had I known what to expect from the Spanish (at that point I didn't even know that Catalans are not Spanish). The tips I got was: "watch out for your purse in Barcelona" and "prepare that people will not speak English". To be fair, I didn't encounter any personal insults but I did witness a thief running away from the beach with the stuff of a swimmer. Regarding English, it was indeed true that many locals didn't speak, but never before have I been helped this many times by locals (despite the language barrier). So expectations, to some level, were fulfilled. However, the experience left me enchanted much more than I could anticipate. It was not just the unique architecture and the pleasant geographical charateristics that mesmerized me, but it was the Catalan spirit as well. Like I wrote before about Ireland, I tend to be moved by resisters and fighters. Maybe because I view my country as one (although not a very successful one).

It was not just the city that was an interesting experience. The conference I went to present my topic -- this time about domestic violence in Hungary -- was so chaotic which I thought only Italians could produce. The organizers sent out several versions of the schedule in advance. According to one version, I was supposed to present my paper twice. When I pointed it out, they apologized and told me it was going to be on Thursday. Then in the next "final" version, I was scheduled for Friday. And with a wrong title. At this point I stopped myself from sending out the tenth email. We were debating about my presentation anyway. I informed then, just out of politeness, that I am bringing a prezi (not a powerpoint). They said, after a week, that I should make a ppt instead, because they cannot run prezis. My jaw dropped but I kept calm. Instead of expressing that I find it incredible that in an academic conference in Western Europe there is no computer that can manage such a (by now) basic program, I just sent them a link that described the technical requirements of running a prezi. I hoped this will open their eyes. But it didn't: still I was advised to change my prezi into a ppt. Naturally, I didn't. I still thought they were just lazy to deal with my request. And guess what, I was right. Their laptops -- what a surprise -- had no problem running my prezi! And again, guess what: my talk was rescheduled again. I was calmly sitting in the audience Thursday afternoon, knowing that I would present the next morning, when the moderators walked to me to say that according to their schedule it is my turn now. "You know what? If I present now, tomorrow I can go sightsee earlier" -- I thought. I gave a very pleasant speech (despite the theme), because I just didn't have the time to worry. And my prezi rocked.

The trip was interesting from a cultural point of view as well. At the conference I made friends with a couple of extraordinary people, even if you only consider their origins. We took this picture during one of the lunch breaks and titled it: From 4 continents. Ethiopia -- Sri Lanka -- Hungary -- Chile. It's a pity there was no one from Australia. :-D

living with and as a local

Last month I talked with Eszter, a European vagabond, who went on a 3-month-long trip in Latin America. Inspired by her story, I decided to host a fellow-traveller from Asia, who arrived from a far-far land to see our continent. In her itinerary, she had Hungary as well, so I offered her accommodation during her stay in Budapest. We talked a lot about her home, the Philippines, my home, Hungary, and the benefits of cultural exchange, like CouchSurfing. Here is a short interview with her, in which you will learn about her journey, her view about Europe and Europeans, and about a set of dazzling islands called the Philippines.

Hi, Myca! What kind of tea can I serve you?

It doesn’t matter, everything is new for me. We mostly drink coffee in the Philippines.

Really? Then I had a funny misconception, thinking that the Far-East is all about tea. 

Well, I also had my misbeliefs about Europe, like that there is no traffic jam, no flood, and things like that.

Wow, yeah, we know a lot about traffic jams. And as far as flooding in concerned, the Balkan area just experienced its largest disaster in long years.

Yes, I know. This trip of mine around Eastern Europe taught me a lot.

So, where exactly have you been?

I landed in Germany a month ago, then moved on to Salzburg, Austria. From there, Slovenia came, with Ljubljana and Bled. My next stop was Croatia, where I checked not only Zagreb but Plitvice, Pula, and some surrounding sea resorts as well. After that, I came to Hungary, more specifically to Budapest, Szentendre, and Eger. From here I will move on to Prague, in the Czech Republic, and from Hamburg I will fly home to the Philippines.

Then, your trip is approximately a month long, right?

That’s right. That’s how much I can stay away from my job in sales. Of course, the journey had financial limitations too: it was partly because of the money that I decided to choose Eastern and Southern Europe as the destination of my first roundtrip. The other reason was because I wanted to see new things and less popular places.

What did you like the most? Any favorite spot so far?

Hard to pick one. There were amazing things everywhere. I couchsurfed most of the time and my hosts, local experts, took me to beautiful places. One of the best days of the trip was when we went around tiny little towns in Dalmatia. Also, to mention something strange I encountered, never before have I seen people so casually (un)dressed as around those beach towns. Men walking in light green trunks or women in monokinis.

Was this then the biggest culture shock?

Yes. I wouldn’t say I was too shocked by anything. If you ask how people in the Philippines are different from the Europeans, maybe what can be said is that there are much more of us (100 million). Really, one of the most populated lands are the Philippines! And there are many languages and tribes on the several islands that constitute the Philippines. Maybe because of this, people are very welcoming wherever you go in the country. They invite and host anyone no matter where they come from.

But in the end you were hosted by Europeans as well, right?

Yes, I stayed at people’s place most of the times, only 1 o 2 occasions in a hostel. I like to live with and live as a local and I was lucky with each of my hosts. I can only recommend CouchSurfing.

I also like the concept of it, but at the same time I think one needs to address certain risks too. Did you ever feel lonely and vulnerable during this relatively long journey of yours?

I would say that I enjoyed every day of it but sometimes I felt I just want to go home. I guess not because I couldn’t take any more new experiences, that is, it is not that I got filled. It is more that I missed my family and my home. I love the Philippines! I told a lot of stories about my country to most of my hosts. About the monsoons, the floods, the Chocolate Hills, the island transportation, the dialects, and a lot more.

Indeed, I learned a great deal from you about this land that I had hardly known before. You mentioned the language. How did you manage with communication on your trip?

In the Philippines the second official language is English, because the land was occupied by the Americans. As a lucky consequence, I (and many of my compatriots) are fluent in English. In the countries I visited, like Croatia, Slovenia, or Hungary, it was not so. Many of the people don’t speak English, but all in all I always managed. Language was not a problem if you want to get a message across.

Good to hear! What’s up for you now?

Well, I will go home soon, about which I am happy, but I will also be happy to work hard and save some money for my next trip. It is definitely to repeat! I will either come back to visit some of the places I missed this time, like the Balkans, or I will aim for Western Europe, but that will cost much more. I’ll see.

Good luck with that. And have a safe trip to Prague and to Manila!

look up

A couple of days ago a former student of mine posted a video on her Facebook page. Her description of the short film was: "This is a very thought-provoking film. Watch it, then get away from the computer." Her words made me wonder, so I gave it a shot. And it was worth. Watch it with me:

I was amazed, not so much by the novelty of the message, but by the extensive presentation of how far we go (or fail to go). I remembered how strange it feels lately that if I look around on the subway, 7 out of 10 people are on their phone, texting, emailing, playing, sometimes talking. Even if you overcame your shyness and wanted to exchange a word or two with someone, or just a look, it would be just impossible. Of course, I haven't given up on trying (though I must admit, ever since I have a smartphone, occasionally I also fall into the trap of being "efficient" while travelling: sending another email, instead of letting go of virtual problems and embracing real happenings). So, the other day I was watching a guy who was plugged into his phone. Listening to music -- ears occupied -- and texting -- eyes occupied. He was so absorbed by his phone that he almost fell when the subway -- gently -- stopped. Then, as he bounced back on his feet, he wanted to lean on the door, but it just opened: he almost fell out. Not only do we make clowns of ourselves but we also tend to risk our lives (to send one more sms or email while driving).

I used the video in one of my classes as a closure. My student was thrilled by it and admitted how true it is and we know that! Just as she uttered these words, her office phone started to ring... she hesitated a bit but then she picked up. So our class -- an hour of freedom and relaxed conversation in the middle of a crazy working day -- ended prematurely. It is hard to allow ourselves to be. Present. Relaxed. Free.

not just a dream

Do you ever wonder what happened to the people you'd once sat down with to exchange some ideas and dreams? Do you wonder if they have realized what they were planning or it was just their fantasy? Well, you don't have to wonder anymore, because I am bringing you back together with one of our old TEA guests, Eszter. Six months ago we got to know a young Hungarian vagabond, who was then working in a bar in Scotland. Her goal was to earn enough money to go on a longer trip to South America in the following year. She told us that she was not going to spend her entire life working: half a year of working and half a year of travelling is what she wants. Nice dreams, we might have thought. Well, believe it or not, she is not (just) a dreamer: she made it. I caught her for a catch-up interview the week after she returned from a 3-month round-trip over the Atlantic.

 Hola, Eszter! Where were you in the last 6 months?

Hi, TEA drinkers! Well, it's a long story. I resigned in December, came home for the winter holidays, then in February I flew through London to Havana, Cuba. I spent 10 days there, then went to the indigenous villages of Mexico and Guatemala. After that came Lima and the mainstream Peruvian track, which led me to Bolivia and Northern Chile. Finally, I stayed in Argentina and flew home a couple of weeks ago.

Wow, quite a lot of places! How did you manage to cram this many locations in three months?

Well, yeah, I had to hurry. In Havana I spent 10 days, while in Buenos Aires 5 – these were my favorite cities. In the other locations, it was even less. But, honestly, I couldn't imagine to spend more time in these cities. Except, of course, if I had more time… The capitals are not so nice as, for example, in Europe – which is why I would say I liked Toledo and Madrid, two Spanish cities I visited on my way back, even more than most of the Latin American metropolises. Latin America, I feel, is more about nature, the oases, the lagoons, the endless white soil and horizons, than the urban experience.

And was this what you had expected?

I don't know really what I expected. As for the sights, yes, they were exactly like what I had expected. Next time, however, I will try to move away more from the mainstream and check the less popular places.

You know, I think what I expected was the sensation of freedom, to be able to do what I want. To do different things every day. And this I got perfectly. I loved being with fellow-travellers who share this lifestyle and mindset. I must say, though, that we are a weird minority – because few can afford having a 9-month holiday. 

Probably it is not just about who can afford this but also who wants this. Why did you decide to go on this trip?

Because I like travelling. I want to travel around the world. I started in Latin America because, first of all, I haven't been there, and second of all, I wanted to see Cuba before the Castro regime collapses, because then Cuba loses its charm. I regret, though, not to have stayed longer in Mexico and having missed Costa Rica and Colombia.

Now let's turn to more practical issues. These are all non-English speaking countries. How did you manage with communication?

I learned a bit of Spanish beforehand, acquiring a 100-word vocabulary. I tried to use this as efficiently and creatively as possible. It was important to know certain words and phrases, like I want to get off here, or numbers, directions, meals, while, for example, I couldn't talk about my family in Spanish. I also had a very useful dictionary application on my phone. I must say, these were all necessary but not sufficient, because firstly very little percentage spoke English, and secondly, the Spanish they used was not Castillian but local indigenous variations. So I had difficulties but I always managed somehow.

Also, what was a great help is that I used CouchSurfing. I contacted a number of local CouchSurfers, mostly young and intellectual people, who spoke English. They took me to places and helped me understand local customs. CouchSurfing is a very good way to get to know like-minded locals.

Talking about local customs, how did you feel as a young woman in such distant and different cultures?

I didn't feel it mattered I was a woman. Actually, there were great many (single) female travellers. If you are attacked, it's not because you are a woman. The point is that you just need to follow certain basic rules, like don't go out in the dark alone, avoid certain areas, don't wander around drunk, etc. These countries do have dangerous parts but they have touristic, thus, safe, parts as well.

Did you ever feel alone and lonely in the middle of a foreign and constantly changing environment?

Well, only once, in Peru. I was very high above sea level and my body just couldn't handle it. It was hard to breathe, I had constant headache and fever. I couldn't eat. It was then that I felt I need to get out of here. Other than that I always enjoyed being out there and among new acquaintances.

Can you recall one memorable experience then?

It's hard to pick one.  But for example the Oasis of Huacachina, Peru. It was a village for gringos (tourists), a pond in the middle of the immense sand. On one evening we went sand-boarding. It was so weird! I mean, I hadn't seen the desert before. It was amazing. It is not covered with sand, but it is made of sand! So, firstly, this sand experience was totally new for me. Secondly, the oasis, with the pond, the water-bikes, the Cuba Libres, and the sunset, was breath-taking. Then, we had this sand-boarding trip in the evening. We were playing like children, in the sand, in the sunset. The whole desert was our playground. This was complete freedom!

Sounds amazing indeed. Now, after this awesome period of 3 months, what's next for you?

Now I stay in Hungary for a couple of months still, going to concerts like Aerosmith and Rolling Stones, then a bit of family vacation here and there. From September, then, I'd like to get a job in Scotland again, now in a normal bar, not in a country-side hotel. Then in February, my plan is again to go on a bigger trip, either to South-East Asia or to Northern America.

So be it. Good luck! See you in the TEA room next year. :-)

Deal!