Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 1993 (5. évfolyam, 31-51. szám)
1993-08-13 / 31. szám
AMERICAN Hungarian Journal The Enchanted Garden 3. What good is the Garden of Eden -without a snake? Jamaica has its own "snakes." Not in the literal sense, and not within the garden walls, because the fauna of the Enchanted Garden is just as carefully screened as its pleasant, well-mannered employees. But, should the unsuspecting visitor step outside, he could easily be relieved of his money by way of gentle but persistent persuasion, in exchange for some wares he doesn’t need or want, or simply robbed. The streets are monitored by uniformed and plain-clothes police officers to keep tourists safe. At the heart of the problems is the poverty. The average Jamaican earns about $30 a month (U.S. dollars). Many try to make a living from arts and crafts: woodcarving, painting, and making straw hats, fans, and bags of all sizes. Others skim the profits of honest workers and rip off naive tourists. On our first shopping tour, we took the resort’s shuttle to the shopping mall called Taj Mahal. All the stores seemed too expensive. The only thing I bought there was a straw hat, and it was worth every penny. Its wide brim protects me from the sun, its intricate pattern casts a lacework of shadows on my face, covering up minor imperfections, and its pink ribbon blends well with summer outfits. I wear it to the bank and the grocery store, with the pride of one who has seen far-away lands and lived to tell about it. To me it represents the waves of the ocean, the white gold of the sand, a breath of the scent of flowers: a piece of Jamaica. When the hour was up and our little group gathered at the meeting place, Kathy and Ken showed up with a bunch of purchases. Where did they go? A few blocks from the mall, there is the local crafts market where you can buy decent souvenirs at reasonable prices, Kathy informed us. Choose your day carefully, though, because on Wednesdays and Fridays the big cruiseships of the Norvégián Line and Carneval Tours come in, flooding the port with thousands of passengers, and then the prices go up 300 percent. Next day I took another trip to the Taj Mahal, and from there on foot to the market. I passed a group of locals sitting on a stone parapet, and one of them, a very dark skinned woman called Janice, offered to show me where the market was. I said O.K., but later I wished I hadn’t. The market consists of 30 or 40 makeshift booths. The vendors are sitting inside or in front, waiting for their prey like a spider in his net. When you approach, they smile and say things such as, "Come inside! It doesn’t cost money to say hello!" But it does, because once you step inside, they are all over you, pressing into your hands now one item, now another, offering you fabulous "package deals", and if you so much as look at something, they consider it sold. Then a few steps away you find the thing you just bought for much less, but it’s too late... I’m telling you, the place is not for the quiet, contemplative types like myself. On top of it all, Janice was tugging at my sleeves all the time, steadily droning into my ears her unqualified praises of whatever I was looking at. I gave her a couple of dollars and thanked her for her services, but she didn’t budge from my side. In the end, I just gave up the idea of shopping for that day, and I had to go back a third time to finally find the items I was looking for to make myself and others happy. Birds, fish, and a pineapple carved out of smooth, warm brown wood; small bamboo plates with the map of Jamaica painted on them; a tall, slender bamboo hand drum with drumstick for my daughter Kathy (she uses it to beat out in Morse signals the evening program for her husband Van); a small embroidered straw purse, easy to mail to New York for my daughter Susan; a fan, a cane with a green parrot head (my name was carved into it on the spot, as an additional bonus); and a humongous straw basket to carry it all. Blue Mountain coffee and a couple of bottles of rum completed the list. My overbearing "friend" Janice had also mentioned that she could braid my hair. Braid my hair?! What gave her the idea? Did I look disheveled or something? I looked at her gnarled, coal-black fingers and shivered. Later, on the beach, I got other offers regarding my hair, but I was too busy enjoying the immensely green ocean, letting the white frost cover and uncover my thighs, and feeling the golden sand retreat from under me with every wave. Only on the way home, during the five-hour wait at Montego Bay Airport because of thunderstorms in Florida, did I realize that I may have missed out on something important. No selfrespecting European or American white Caucasian girl or woman could be seen without at least a few braids hanging by her ears, ending in colorful large beads, blown about by the evening wind. I’ll give it a thought the next time around. Another Jamaican specialty is the characteristic reggae music which is now well known all over the world. Just the other day, star reggae singer Garnet Silk caught the headlines in London with his scandalous behavior. There is nothing like a neat little scandal to boost the career! Annabella’s Bar had its own resident reggae band and singer - his drawn-out, plaintive notes sounded like a dog barking at the moon... I liked to watch the team of the Enchanted Garden at work. The first thing that hits you is the slowmotion, laid-back approach to work and life. One time, at my early morning swim, I saw Michael, the pool attendant - a lanky, pitch-black young man - wade into the pool and pick out the fallen leaves from the water one by one. It took him a while, since the pool was quite large. I asked him if he ever used a net. He answered with a question: "What would be the use? There’s no hurry." In his broken English, This page written by ATA accredited translator SUSAN JANCSO Michael was always ready with the proper proverb: "One... onecoco -fills the basket!" Another time, I saw him in the middle of a waterfall. He was standing barefoot, ankle-deep in the rushing waters, sweeping the stones clean with a broom. When lunchtime comes, the waiters at the Pasta Bar spread a giant palm leaf on the counter and place the salads and fruits on it. The cook walks down to the spice garden and returns with a bunch of tarragon, mint, anise and basil leaves. All the herbs used in the kitchen are grown on the premises, right behind the Seaquarium. I went to see them, to get a whiff of their exotic scent on my way to the Beauty Salon and Health Spa. One of the most pleasant services of the Enchanted Garden is a free makeover: massage, facial, manicure and pedicure under their Aromatherapy program. The massage is remarkable because it is done out in the open, under the tent of the leaves, amidst the song of the birds and the gurgle of rushing waters. That’s what makes the visitor feel like the star of a "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" show. Naturally, the "aromas" are also grown locally and processed into fragrant oils and perfumed face and body lotions. I brought back a bottle of milky white avocado lotion to remind me of the aroma of the Garden. In conclusion, I want to share a thought with our Readers. Travel is not primarily a matter of time and money, but of will and desire. If a part of the world has sparked our interest, if, for whatever reason, it became important for us to get to know it, if we focus our mental energies on this goal, the rest will follow almost by itself. Where there’s a will, there’s a way... Let’s travel because it widens our horizons - or for the sheer fun of it! Call ALL DIRECTIONS TRAVEL to arrange a trip to Jamaica or anyplace else in the world!! (310)271-8434 Hungarian Festival California Hungarians’ Newspaper Day Festival celebrated its 57th year at the Alpine Village on August 1st. The program was rich, the visitors numerous, some of them came from as far as Hemet and San Francisco. MAGYAR MŰVÉSZEK RÁDIÓMŰSORA minden szombaton délután 4 órakor a KTYM rádióállomáson, az 1460-as AM hullámhosszon Műsorvezetők: CZÖVEK ISTVÁN és CSAPÓ TAMÁS BRATISLAVA New Slovak Laws Regarding Names Meciar Refuses to Sign The Slovak Parliament recently enacted a new law regulating the use of names, allowing Hungarians to register their names in their original form, without using Slovak suffixes. This enables Hungarian women living in Slovakia to drop the mandatory "-ova" ending from their last names. The law was enthusiasticly welcomed by Hungarians both in- and outside Slovakia. However, Slovak president Vladimir Meciar refused to sign it. To justify his refusal, Meciar argued that the new law would interfere with the Slovak grammar system, which uses the "-ova" suffix without exception - even with foreign names. Meciar is supported by the expert opinion of the head of the Slovak Linguistic Institute. At the same time, name plates of localities bearing Hungarian inscriptions are being removed in Slovakia, particularly in the county of Komarno. A representative of the Ministry of Transportation stated that a new law for place names is also in the works, although it is not expected to be passed until next year. Incidentally, the law is being prepared by the same department of the Ministry that initiated the removal of the Hungarian name plates. BUDAPEST 56-ers Do Not Form ________Party________ At least fpr the time being, the 56-er Hungarian World Federation is not transforming into a political party - said Gergely Pongrátz, president of the organization, at last week’s general assembly, while urging the coming together of nationalist Christian political forces in view of next year’s elections. Gergely Pongrátz stated that, although his organization supports the Antall government, he believes they do not get enough support from the government. He believes we are looking at a coordinated action against nationalist-oriented politicians. Part of this campaign is the report by "Kacsa" magazine that Jenő Fónay, president of the National Alliance of Political Prisoners (POFOSZ) was allegedly an informer while in prison. Mr. Pongrátz also announced the upcoming world conference on October 15-17. According to the calculations of 56-er experts, the former Soviet Union owes Hungary approximately $40 billion. If the new states built on the ruins of the USSSR will not take responsibility for these debts, the Federation would consider sueing them at the International Court in Hague - said founding member Tibor Hornyák. The World Federation still considers the issues of the administration of justice and indemnity unresolved. DR. 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