You see, i have three stories for you from the day.
Random story: I had an opportunity to meet a young Hungarian guy for some coffee. Not only did I meet someone who I actually LIKE that is about my age and speaks English and has nothing to do with my work here... I also met someone who complimented my Hungarian. I kid you not. He told me that I speak like a Hungarian and you can't tell that I'm not Hungarian. This is when I told him that I get a lot of practice ordering coffee, so hopefully i have that down :P But, it really made my day. Hopefully we hang out again soon, as I enjoyed our conversation today.
What's in a name? : Also, as I was leaving from meeting with Jozsi (keep in mind it's 1:30a), there were two guys outside and one was forming a beautiful snowball. I clutched my purse and prepared to be struck with it in just a few steps. Instead, he asked me something in Hungarian, to which I responded "Tessék?" which means (among MANY things) "come again?" and then he must have seen the confused look on my face and actually asked in English "do you want to join our snowball fight?" now, had it not been 1:30a, I probably would have - I've been itching for a good snowball fight. However, I must remind you that it's 1:30a and i NEED to get to the bus on time or I'll have to wait an hour... we begin a short conversation that involves them speaking in English and me answering in Hungarian (because I want to convey that I know SOMETHING), which results in another compliment of my Hungarian pronunciation (go me!). Then they ask what I'm doing here and I explain that I'm a volunteer with Roma Gadje Dialogue Through Service... Not Önkéntes Diakóniai Év, not the Reformed Church... RGDTS. more on that in a bit.
Can a shot forgive all wrong? : As I sat in the pub with Jozsi, it became clear that there was a man at the end of the bar that was going to cause trouble. When it finally commenced, there was some shouting and some hateful glares, all pointed toward Jozsi, who was obviously the only Roma in the establishment. Jozsi is well-known and loved in this pub, as it is near his flat, so he had everyone in the pub on his side, so no worries there and the man (having had a few too many) was quickly quieted by the bartender... then the man even bought Jozsi a shot, hoping that his outburst would be forgotten. Keep in mind that while my Hungarian pronunciation might be good, my understanding is not... when it was all explained to me, I realized: this is the first visible sign of discrimination/blame/hatred/prejudice that I'd seen again a Roma/Gypsy person. It was then that it struck my heart: this is real. It is happening. I see the effects of it everyday, but I don't actually see it happening. My heart broke all over again for the people here. I am supposed to be here.
So, why do I tell people I'm with Roma Gadje Dialogue Through Service? It's because I feel like that's who I work with most. It's not because I am ashamed to say that I'm with a Christian organization. It's not because I can pronounce it better than Önkéntes Diakóniai Év. It's because I want whomever is asking to know that there's a serious issue happening and that there's a reason I'm here and I'm determined to be a part of a solution. I want whomever is asking to think for a few minutes about what THEY're doing about the situation. I want whomever is asking to think about what they COULD do. ... And not because I have all the answers, because I haven't even seen the end of racism in the states, but I want to be someone who stands for equality, that envisions a world working together despite our differences, and who works in order to reach the solution - the end.
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Christmas lights around the city:
Castle District
Andrássy Ut
Parliament
Happy Hanukkah!
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