Magyar News, 2003. szeptember-2004. augusztus (14. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-03-01 / 7. szám
RH: Good! Now, before you came to the U.S. you must have had some ideas of what it would be like here. What did you find that was like what you were expecting and what were the surprises? Maya: I was really excited about meeting new people and interesting people. I know that for a teenager living in Hungary is kind of a dream to travel overseas. You see things through painted glasses. I came here and found the people extremely friendly and nice and helpful. It wasn't what I expected, I thought that there would be more about race. And I thought that the girls wouldn't be as friendly because it's a private school, but they are friendly and kind and helpful. And I also went to New York, and there it was more than I had dreamed about. This HUGE pool of nationalities, and interesting and different people, and lots of languages. It's so fantastic, it's very intensive, so different from the country. The educational system is very different from my country. In Hungary we leam 14 subjects and we don't change the subjects through the year. We don't have trimesters like here. RH: It must have been difficult to adjust to our system. Maya: It was difficult. RH: When you go back to Hungary, will you return to the same school? Maya: Yes, I would like to go back to my same school, but I'm not sure if I can continue my studies in my class because at my school the teachers don't accept this year, because I don't leam Hungarian grammar, Hungarian literature or Hungarian history. Even in Physics I will have to take special exams if I would like to continue my studies in that class. I will have to take at least seven exams. For Jena (an ASSIST student from Germany studying at Westover) it's different because the German system accepts this year for her. In Hungary it's really important to leam the Hungarian grammar and literature and history and you just can't do that here. RH: Yes, there's a lot of history there, isn't there? More than we have for the U.S. Maya: Yes. RH: Hungary was occupied by the Turks for hundred fifty years. Is there any evidence of that in your home village? Maya: In Pécs there is a beautiful Turkish style chapel in the middle of the city. Pécs is famous for this Turkish style church. It is so beautiful that we respect them for the beauty of their buildings and we didn't destroy them. Our relationship is based on friendship. RH: When I was in Hungary I was surprised by how many people spoke German. When I returned to the U.S. my father told me it was because of the alliance with Austria during the years of Austro-Hungary. Do you still find much influence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire? Maya: I think that there are more people in Hungary who speak German ... when I was in Kindergarten I started to leam German and there wasn't any opportunity for us to leam English. And then just four or five years ago some English teachers came to the school. Now they teach English there, but it wasn't really popular in my home, but at first, my second language was German. And now I'm learning Spanish (at Westover.) RH: So you speak Hungarian, German, English and now Spanish. Maya: Yes, but just a little Spanish. RH: And what about after school, will you go on to University? Maya: I don't know, because the possibilities are so open. I am interested in the arts and I would like to keep up with the English language. And I play handball and it is my father's dream that I will be a professional Hungarian handball player, to take part in the Olympic games on the Hungarian National Handball Team. RH: Do you play squash here? Maya: No, it's not really the same. I play on the basketball team, but it's not too close to handball! RH: When students in Hungary go to University, where do they attend? Maya: The most famous universities are for law (Jogi Egyetem) or if you would like to be a doctor (Orvostudományi Egyetem) or to be a teacher or leam literature, languages (Bölcsészkar). Some students go to University for sports. RH Where are the universities? Maya: I think that every city has a university. Pécs is famous for its universities and is called the City of Universities. There are a lot of students there. Grammar school in Hosszúhetény RH: What would you say that most Hungarians think of America now? Maya: I think that the country is divided now. I think that most Hungarian people liked Bill Clinton, and they don’t like President Bush, because of the war. After September 11th all of the country was dressed in black and at the beginning of each class we all stood in silence to express our respect for the people who died. And a lot of people think that it is the country of possibilities and freedom, of course. And a lot of people think that America is so big and so powerful, America tries to take care of the world, and to try to influence more than it should. It's really divided now. RH. This country is, too. Maya: Yes, I know. RH: Within Hungary, do many people talk about the loss of territory after WWI? Maya: We went to Déva, (Transylvania) Rumania, to take part in a Handball Cup. We also went to visit the memorial of the “13 Aradi Vértanuk”("13 Martyrs of Arad"). There is a lot of conflict because of the loss of Hungarian regions to Rumania, especially in Arad. There is the memorial building, and right next to it they've put a garbage dump. It was so awful, they (the Rumanians) don't care about these buildings. Now it is better. There used to be a big fight and the people hated each other, especially at the borders. And there was a negative discrimination in Rumania towards the Hungarian people. Now its better - it quiet now. RH: My father's father was born in Torna and we think that it's now in Slovakia. Do you know of that town? Maya: Yes, I've heard of it. I haven't been there but I think that it is now in Slovakia because of the Trianon Treaty. Note from RH: After the interview Maya and I were comparing our ancestral family names. She mentioned that her mother's maiden name is Hegedűs - a name which caught my attention because I know of the Hegedűs family in Westport, who are a distant relation to my own family. Maya will remain at Westover School until the end of the school year in June. She plans to return to her own highly respected school, Leőwey Klára Gimnázium. The Westover School in Connecticut Page 3
