Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Time and social networks
60 Árendás Zsuzsanna schools at the place of their visit (there are several accounts on this in Hird). These first legal, long-lasting round-trips were not followed by further ones. As it was explained in many narratives, it was satisfactory to see the relatives in their new homes, the first worries and curiosities were gone for ever. Stories explained that further travel was difficult due to the lack of money to travel, lack of time, and some other obstacles. For the resettled families, visits to Matúškovo were visits to the native land, “home", while for visitors from Matúškovo, Hird was just one interesting destination to see and leave. For them Hird did not have a symbolic value, it was not a place of remembering as Matúškovo was for their relatives. Nevertheless, relatives living in Czechoslovakia did have incentives for visiting Hungary. They were mainly economic reasons (shopping). The "second economy” of Hungary (maszek) produced some “objects of desire”, useful, fancy, fashionable products which were not available in Czechoslovakia at that time. They visited Hungary to purchase goods as fashion clothing, pullovers, kitchen equipment, and some “typical Hungarian” food-products (paprika powder, spirits, wine, Hungarian salami, etc.) which beside their usefulness carried a particular symbolic meaning of “Hungarianness” for these ethnic Hungarians from Slovakia. Again at the level of symbolic meanings, these visits meant unforgettable trips to Hungary, to "the mother country" for all ethnic Hungarians. On the way to Hird they often stopped by at some tourist places such as Budapest or Esztergom. After the postsocialist economic and political changes and the opening up of the western borders, other destinations apart from Hungary opened up. Today, when Hungarians from Slovakia visit Hungary, the targets are some tourist attractions (Balaton, Budapest, some cultural festivals) and mainly places close to the border such as Győr and Komárom. Summary Due to the Czechoslovak-Hungarian population exchange program between 1947-48, several ethnic Hungarians from
