Fraternity-Testvériség, 1992 (70. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1992-01-01 / 1. szám
FRATERNITY Page 13 Discovering My American- Hungarian Heritage My name is Kati Csornán and I am an American- Hungarian. I never fully understood what it meant to be a Hungarian or an American until I spent the past fourteen months working at the American Embassy in Budapest, Hungary as a Fascell Fellow. My parents had instilled in me a love and appreciation of my Hungarian heritage from the time of my childhood. As my father became active in the Federation, my brothers, sister and I were suddenly drawn into many activities with the Hungarian community. It was then that I started to realize that there was something quite special about my ethnic heritage — it was alive in me. government and the nation. I was astounded (and quite proud) of viewing firsthand the role that the United States plays in the continuing democratic development of Hungary. Living in Budapest was the most adventurous time of my life. I quickly learned how to shop at the open-air fruit market, how to ride the Metro, how to find the best shoe prices, and how to beat the taxi drivers. The greatest fun that I had was attending plays, concerts, operas and movies, often with my roommate, Jutka Jokay, another Fascell Fellow. We became cultural junkies, and we would sometimes attend events almost every evening in a week. When I think of Hungary, I often think of these many theaters and that particular dusty smell that they all seem to have. Left to right: Vice-President George Dosza, Arlene Csornán, Kati Csornán, President Imre Bertalan & Tibor Pflum As an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, I studied the Hungarian language for two years. As I was preparing to graduate in March 1989 (with great trepidation, as I had to choose a career), I came across a brochure on the Fascell Fellowship program. The United States Department of State was offering temporary assignments to Americans who spoke Russian or an Eastern European language to work in the American Embassy in that region. "Well," I thought to myself, "you've certainly blessed me this time, Lord." In May 1990,1 received the news that I would be going to Budapest, Hungary. I can't express the complete fulfillment and happiness that I felt when I heard the news. I was given an opportunity to work in an Embassy of the United States of America as a Political Assistant — in of all places, Budapest! As it was the first year of a freely-elected democratic system in Hungary, working at the Embassy was exciting and demanding. It seemed as if everyday brought even more changes in the The first "Kossuth House"
