Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003-12-01 / 4. szám
I visited Hungary by Josef Mazeiko HUNGARY, I've heard many stories about it when I was a child. Probably the most memorable one was when my grandmother (Rozalia),my grandfather (Boldizsár), and their five children (my Aunt Judy, Uncle Michael, Uncle Micky, Aunt Roza, and Aunt Katie) escaped from Hungary during the 1956 Hungarian revolution. I could easily imagine them running through the night, gunfire and bombs bursting behind them, as they struggled for the border, mud and dirt holding them back. They eventually made it to the border, and headed for America. Later I learned that there were no bombs, only lots of flares and border patrols searching for escapees. At one point they were briefly held at gun point by the Hungarian Border Patrol. They threatened to shoot my grandfather if they didn't turn back, but he told them they'll have to shoot because they're not going back. The solders were sympathetic and let them go on their way. Forty-seven years later, my families and I take an exciting trip to the many places in Hungary. There were lots of events that we did while we were there. Within the first week of our trip, my family and I visited my great aunt Zsuzsi's house. She lives in Sziget Szent Miklós, a town just outside of Budapest. Literally every one was there, our great, great, Aunt Kati Néni, Aunt Judy and Uncle George, Sandy, Uncle Michael, Aunt Rosa, and cousins made up the rest! It was at a huge family reunion! While we were waiting for the food to be prepared, we went fishing at the Little Danube River. We walked to the river bank. Reeds grew alongside the paths making them very narrow. When we were fishing we didn't bother casting out because the fish were very small. Instead, I just dropped the line into the water near the shore. Later, I caught a tiny frog with my bare hands. There was a park near by. Its jungle-gym and swing set was made of wood. Michael and Dad practiced his football moves and techniques there. We even saw a man who trained his dog to fetch sticks in the water. The dog jumped in, retrieving stick after stick. When we got back to Zsuzsi's, we played video games on her PC. I also found some Construx (a plastic erector set) and built a small plane out of them. Later the children (including myself) went into a small plastic swimming pool of cold water to cool off. Then at dinner, the whole family gathered into one room to eat. It was soooo good! From the goulash, which was cooked in a pot over an open flame in the backyard, to the potatoes, and even the cabbage, everything was delicious. There was even fried chicken and French fries too! After dinner, we took some pictures of the whole family. We had to take a lot, because the person who held the camera wasn't in the pictures they took. So, we alternated. A few days later, Antal, little Antal, Gergely, Adam, Mom, Dad, Zsuzsa, Michael and I went to Margit Sziget Strand. This water park was on an island in the middle of the Danube River. We took a bus to get there, waited in a long line for tickets, and finally went to our small changing rooms (which we rented). When we got to the outdoor pools, I was surprised that there were so many pools! There were at least 6 of them. There was a mineral bath, a wave pool, a kiddy pool, a circular pool with massaging sprayers, a pool with a current that would whirl you around and around. The final pool had five water slides. Four were blue, and two of those four were out of order. The other two blue ones were slow. The fifth one was red and named "Kamikaze". This slide seemed to live up to its name; it went nearly straight down, and shot you into the pool. Since I was too young to ride it, I settled for the blue ones. I enjoyed going down them. Then I went to try the mineral bath with my dad. This pool was hot and relaxing. I could feel my troubles literally melting away! This was paradise. No paradise would be complete without a wave pool. It is a monster pool, with an attitude! The waves were nearly as tall as a house, quick, and literally swept everybody off their feet. It was thrilling; we were going up and down, and splashing around while riding monster waves. The Strand was Heaven on Earth. The fashions at the Strand were a big surprise! The boys were wearing tight, bikini like swimming trunks! To me it was strange! I couldn't stand it! I wasn't used to this style because here in the United States boys wear trunks called jammers almost down to their knees. I was reassured when mom told me that jammers were just coming into fashion in Europe. Also, some of the women weren't even wearing tops with their two piece bathing suits. This was a shocker to me! Another amazing sight was the special holiday celebration, on the night of August 20. Antal, little Anti, Adam, Gergely, Aunt Judy, Uncle George, Zsuzsa, Mom, Dad, Michael and I went to the fireworks which were being launched at the Danube River. It was night time and a colossal crowd had lined the streets to see what was, in my opinion, the greatest fireworks show ever. It started out with small fire works, and then things were kicked up a notch. Gigantic fireworks lit up the sky! Every color and size rocket shot up and At the beautiful Margit Sziget. At the two ends Michael and Josef from U.S.A., and cousins in Hungary Gergely Bocsa, Antal and Adam Konrad. (Note the swimming suits.) exploded into the air above. Some of them were even shaped like the planet Satum. Then a row of gold fireworks lit up the opposite side of the Danube. It sounded like thousands upon thousands of cannons firing simultaneously. More fireworks made night seem like day. For the grand finale, one of the bridges going across the Danube erupted with a water fall of fireworks that poured into the river! I had never seen anything like it. I could only stare and watch in amazement. The whole thing was fantastic! I had a great time, a trip to Hungary is something everyone would enjoy. JOSEF MAZEIKO is a 12 year old and attends 7th grade in New Haven, CT. This was his first trip out of the country. Although he did not speak Hungarian, except for the usual few words, he did learn enough to be able to communicate with his cousins while he was playing with them. The Barabás family gathered at Zsuzsa Kondrád ’s home in Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary Page 4
