Ryan's Trip to Bulgaria

May 4th to May 10th 2005 Two weeks ago, I went to Sofia and Plovdiv, Bulgaria. I was invited to give lectures at the University of Plovdiv. When I arrived at the Sofia airport, I was not too surprised as to how small and run down it was, but it really looked like a throwback to the Communist times. I took a taxi from there to the bus station (8 Leva or about $3.75) and then the bus to Plovdiv (2 hour ride). I am used to the travels between airports and city centers being less than attractive. Coming from the Budapest airport to the city is not a good impression either. However, I thought that as the bus made its way through the city to leave, I would see some sights of note. All that I saw were old run down buildings in block style without any decoration to distinguish them from one another. Everything looked drab to me. The few statues I noticed looked like the Communist statues that Budapest has since relegated to Statue Park. Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria was not much different. There were little oasis patches of interest, though. There is one area that they uncovered an ancient Roman amphitheater in tact. One of the Bulgarian professors told me when she was a girl, it was just a hill. Now this entire section of the city is restricted digging. No matter where they dig, they find Roman treasures or ruins. There were some interesting restored buildings in this area, but few. All of the restaurants I was brought to were amazingly attractive once off of the street, but you would never know from the outside or the neighborhoods. I was also taken to the second largest monastery in Bulgaria. Unfortunately, I did not write down the name. It was lovely and very interesting, but very small compared to others I have seen. Lining the road up to the monastery entrance were stalls selling pottery, jams, jellies, and honey. I bought a beautiful 4 gallon sized dutch oven type pot, a large platter, and four bowls all hand painted with a gorgeous design for $16.00. A cooking lesson was included. The dutch oven has been used at least 6 times since returning and it was a great investment. I had to return to Sofia for two days for a conference and although I was cloistered at a university, the bit of city that I saw around my hotel in the center, was nothing to cheer about. The university was fantastic and well equipped, which was an anomaly. It also has a wonderful restaurant on the campus, since there was nothing else within walking distance. I had to take taxis everywhere when I was not traveling from city to city with the exception of the monastery, where I was toured by a professor. Taxis are cheap. Trips ranged from 75 cents to $2.00. My hotel in Plovdiv (Saint Petersburg, formerly the Lenin) was newly remodeled and was far above the 3 star rating it held. My room was huge with a sofa, tables and chairs. They have a huge water 'playground' outside, though the pools were not filled yet. Breakfast was a tremendous buffet each morning. The staff was fantastic and accommodating. My hotel in Sofia was less pleasant, but clean. I have since talked to others who have been in Bulgaria. I heard of one person who was a Fulbrighter who spent a year in Sofia and loved it. Many others thought it was drab and depressing. I understand there are other parts of Bulgaria that are magnificent. At this point, I am only interested in returning for professional reasons or to buy more pottery. : )

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Bulgaria Professional Report

Ryan James, Ed.D. Trip Report for Bulgaria May 4- 10, 2005 At the request of Ronda Critchlow, Junior English Language Fellow at the University of Plovdiv, I was invited to give educational presentations to the faculty and students. The dates were set based on faculty advice and convenience. The Bulgarian EFL conference was also scheduled during this time frame; therefore it was agreed that I would also attend and present at this conference. A presentation for Oxford Publishing was also included. The list of presentations follows. They were decided after Ms. Critchlow surveyed the faculty for topic suggestions. I arrived in Sofia on May 4, 2005 and took a taxi to the bus station, where I took the bus to Plovdiv. I was met at the bus station by Ms. Critchlow and her Bulgarian counterpart. After settling into the hotel, the three of us went to dinner to discuss the presentations that would follow. Both were most hospitable and made me feel welcomed and relaxed immediately. May 5, 2005 I delivered three presentations. The full schedule is below. All presentations were well advertised. The university had flyers posted on bulletin boards, professors had announced them to their students, and invitations were sent out to the public school teachers. The attendance at the presentations was as follows: At the first presentation there were 28 participants. There were 27 participants at the second presentation. The third presentation at Oxford Publishing had 12 participants. The Oxford Publishing rep was disappointed at the turnout since she had 25 confirmations; however, she was overwhelmed that the participants became so involved in the activities. May 6, 2005 was a national holiday and everything was closed. We originally had plans to leave for Sofia on this day, but it was decided to wait until Saturday morning, due to the holiday. This necessitated booking the hotel in Plovdiv for one extra night not planned, and then canceling one night at the hotel in Sofia. May 7, 2005, Ms. Critchlow and I took an early bus to Sofia. We arrived at the conference during the registration period and spent the entire day and evening at the conference. May 8, 2005 we both had presentations at the conference. I was extremely pleased that the conference organizers assigned me to an extra large room. Every seat was filled and late comers left due to lack of seating. The room held 50 seats. Later in the afternoon, I attended Ms. Critchlow’s presentation, which was excellent, well received and well attended. We left Sofia to return to Plovdiv late in the afternoon. Monday, May 9, 2005 I again gave three presentations at the university. Presentation one had 8 participants. Presentation two had 30 participants. Presentation three had 14 participants. I had an opportunity to meet many of the staff and students. Many faculty members apologized for not attending various presentations as they had time conflicts. They admitted that when this was first arranged, they thought they would be able to attend more sessions, but other things occurred in the meantime. Due to issues with infrastructure, there was no possibility to make copies of the hand-outs for attendees either at the university or for the conference. The university only has one photocopier that is not coin operated and it was not working by the time I had arrived. Each hand-out was lengthy and it would have taken an unusual amount of time and coins to prepare copies for the participants. However, all lecture notes and hand-outs were given to Ms. Critchlow on a DVD for reference and to be distributed as needed. I would be remiss if I did not add that Ms. Critchlow was an exemplary hostess. She guided me along the entire stay, to make sure that everything ran as smoothly as possible. She went above and beyond to entertain me in the free time I had and make my stay extremely enjoyable. Even in our free time, we met with and had dinner with students and other professors, so this was productive time also. It is evident that Ms. Critchlow’s presence at this university is welcomed, appreciated, and honored. The faculty and students have a great deal of respect for her as a person and as a professional. Being able to work with her, the staff, and the students was a significant highlight in my professional career. I sincerely hope I have the opportunity to be of professional assistance to Ms. Critchlow again. Ryan James, Ed.D. May 16, 2005 The Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv Presents: Teacher-Training Workshops and Student Enrichment Seminars Guest Lecturer: Dr. Ryan James, American Council for English Studies; Budapest, Hungary Location: Plovdiv University (New Building); American Corner, 5th floor, rm 502 Thursday, May 5, 2005: Event 1 Time: 10:30-12pm Topic: “The American Educational System: Background and Current Issues” Event 2 Time: 1:30pm-3pm Topic: "Uses of American Slang and Other Expressions: What's Up With That?" Event 3 Time: 4pm-6pm Topic: "One Picture Is Worth 100 English Lessons" Monday, May 9, 2005 Event 4 Time: 10-12pm Topic: “Developing Your Curriculum: How to Enhance Learning with Authentic Materials That Will Motivate Student Learning” Event 5 Time: 1:30pm-3pm Topic: “Academic vs. Social English: How to Use and Teach the Differences” Event 6 Time: 4pm-6pm Topic: “The Teacher as Researcher in the Classroom: Are Your Students Learning What You Think You Are Teaching?”

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Stress

Greetings, Well life here has been stressful to say the least. I was having major problems with the computer. It would shut off on its own and do other bizarre things. Our friend Fernando, who works for IBM, convinced me I needed to get a new one. He offered to go shopping with me and get all of the components and then put it together for me. I had just bought a new hard drive for the old one, a CD R/W, and a DVD R/W within 4 months of his proclaiming my computer on the death watch list. We decided to make the leap of that expense, but when I asked him when we could shop, he said he was sorry he ever mentioned since I want everything yesterday. I told him to forget it and I would handle it on my own. With this, I asked around among my students and one of my T.A.'s has a brother who works in Information Systems for a company. His brother bought the parts for me and then assembled the computer. This took about three weeks longer than estimated and I was fighting with the old computer the entire time. When he finally finished it and I received it, I needed someone to put in the Operating System, as well as move my second hard drive, and the two burners. The guy who put the computer together did not have time to do that. In the meanwhile, I had ADSL, but decided to switch to cable since everyone was raving about it. They offered a super fast speed, faster than ADSL along with a 10 MB website and 5 e-mail addresses. They also have a package where they can be your phone provider as well as the television cable company. This inclusive package with a two year contract would be less than my ADSL alone. It took six weeks for them to show up after the application, but they did right before the new computer came. When the guys came out to install the cable for the Internet, they said the wiring in the building was too old for the computer line, so they would have to hook it up differently. They saw I had a router and took it. This was fine, we now have wireless Internet throughout the apt. The problem was that the new computer did not have a WiFi card. I then had to ask my student to get his brother to get me a WiFi card for the computer, an additional expense. My co-teacher has a private student who also works for an Info Sys company and he came over to move all of the components to the new computer. It took five hours with all of the problems getting hooked up to the Internet again to download updates, patches, etc. When he finally finished, the computer went BLUE screen with an error message. He corrected some program and then an hour later, it did it again. He worked on something different; the message was different. All seemed to work well until the next day when the Blue screen returned with yet another message. The guy came back and spent three hours changing parameters and making sure it would work. It has since. But after he left, I realized the two USB ports in the front and the sound card were not working. I had to get my student's brother over to fix it or replace it. He did, they just needed to be turned on with the motherboard. Then the guy came to change the wiring for the phone to the cable system. He looked at the Internet wiring and said they did a lousy job. He called the company and told them they needed to send someone else to redo the whole thing. The next day, I was at school and another guy from the cable company came. Ron said he looked at the wiring, said "Jo" (good) and left. He did not do a thing. When Ron went down to the cable company, they said that their monitors show our connections are fine and there is nothing wrong. While all of this is going on, I am trying to correct student papers. They turn them in over e-mail as attachments. I figured out last semester that I read and correct 3,940 pages of student writing a semester. This is not including the four thesis students I have or the other thesis committees I am on. Amongst all of this, I have six presentations to prepare for Bulgaria for the first week in May. In the meanwhile, I have to go to the university's financial office to tell them that we now own the flat and they should not be paying the 56,000 Huf to our former landlady any longer, but it should be coming to us. They said that this is not part of my salary, so now that I own the flat, they will no longer pay it. I had to go through a song and a dance through the student I dragged down there with me to say the business bought it and not me personally. They still did not want to pay it, but eventually they relented. However, we now need a special code on our business documents that shows the business has the right to rent the apt. They also gave me a pile of papers to fill out and return and I had to bring in the official paper from the Land Management office showing the business is now the owner. I called our attorney and asked about this code. It is not on our business papers, but it can be added for 40,000 Huf. My TA came over and helped me fill in the papers, I got the paper from the Land Man. office and went back. They then decided they did not need the paperwork anymore, but now I have to get a letter of support from the Director of the university stating that she supports their continuing to pay a portion of my rent even if my business owns the flat. My department head is in San Diego on a Fulbright, so I have to find this woman and plead my case myself. As all of this is going on, Thursday night, a friend calls on my mobile, but we were watching a movie and I did not answer it. Finally, I called her back and she was hysterical worried about us. She had tried calling us on the land phone, but got a message that the phone was disconnected. She was going to take a taxi here to check on us. The phone was dead and so was the Internet. Ron called the cable company and again they said there was nothing showing wrong at their end. When he insisted, they said they would come on Monday to look at it. When he mentioned the router, the guy at the cable company got furious and said they would never use a router for installing the Internet. Fortunately, my TA was here when they did use the router and he was here again when Ron called on Friday. The TA called the cable company, went up to the router box, unplugged it and plugged in again and everythng worked again He showed us the wiring they did. Two exposed wires wrapped around each other. While all of this is going on these last weeks, Ron had to renew his Visa. Due to a screw up with mine last year, I do not have to renew until June. He has had to make mulitiple trips to various agencies collecting papers for the agency that is charging us 250 Euro each for our Work Permits and 320 Euro each for our Visa. At the same time, we have had B and B guests for the entire month of April with the exception of five days. I leave for Bulgaria on May 4th and will be there for six days. I was supposed to do 5 presentations in Plodviv and one in Sofia at the Bulgarian IATEFL conference. The woman in Plodviv sent the announcement last night. She has me booked for 6 in Plodviv. I am doing this whole thing gratis with only expenses covered by the RELO's office since he could not afford to pay me. With all of this, I am trying to keep up with my Spanish class at the Spanish Institute, but I may not be able to continue. The teacher is great, but she is treating us like we have nothing better to do than study. She has been assigning 6-7 pages of homework on Tuesdays for Thursday class. This is not simple fill in the blanks, but many times writing a short essay. It is too much to keep up with when I have to teach and grade papers. She then lectures me about my motivation. I went from loving it to dreading it. I will most likely take this course again next semester and hope for the best. This is my second class there and the last one was much more relaxed.

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Salaam Alaikum Morocco

Salaam Alaikum Peace be unto you April 12, 2005 With a smile and a slight bow, right hand on heart, Moslims frequently extend this greeting to each other and to strangers. A very disarming and sincere wish the world needs each day. Ron’s reflections: Easter/Spring Break 2004 found us winging from Budapest to Marrakech, Morocco. It’s always difficult to encapsulate a new experience, but I will share a few highlights. We taxied early Monday to the airport and Malev Air was very efficient in getting us to the northwest corner of Africa… Marrakech to be exact, the second largest city and one of the most ancient fortress establishments of the Berber people, whose leaders became the Moslem Caliphs who set up a high culture there. Most of the citizens are descendents of the Berbers, one of the few ‘nations’/peoples of the world who were never conquered. Eventually they became a protectorate of France, but that was mainly economic and political, I think. We flew into M about noon, deplaning into a warm, but dry climate (in the 80’s F/ high 20’s C). It was striking to be surrounded immediately by palm trees and roses (they LOVE roses), with a backdrop of the snowcapped Atlas Mountains. M is about 60 miles from the Atlantic, and semi-arid, but fertile with the miracle of water. A short trip later, courtesy of Budavar Tours (who set up the flight and hotel), we settled into a clean, colorful 3* hotel, the Le Grand Sud. We were surprised to have a full suite with kitchen… simple décor, but a frieze of Islamic border art in every room. In addition, there was a small balcony overlooking Café Amondine, a patisserie (bakery) and coffee shop, and the center city neighborhood. The staff were so accommodating, especially our daily waiter for breakfast and dinner all seven days (we arranged a half board plan). The Moroccans or Berbers are handsome and very friendly… they are olive skinned, but their faces seem softer and less angular than other Arab people. Although they also speak Arabic, it was very interesting to hear people of color speaking the soft sounds of French most of the time. Once, as the woman at the desk was arranging a day tour, she broke into Arabic and we thought she was giving hell to the tour agency… her voice was sharp, piercing and louder than the adequate English she had been using to speak to us. Then she switched to French and sounded much warmer. We later noticed that it’s the sound and style of the language to be clipped and loud and “in your face”. The personal space is so different… they speak almost nose to nose and use many hand gestures. The entire city, including the one and only McDonald’s on Mohammed V (previous King) Avenue, is painted in different shades of desert tones. I found that appealing, but Ryan would have liked a bit more variety. The buildings are usually quite plain on the exterior because they concentrated on comfortable and beautiful interiors. Once you enter, often through a horseshoe shaped gate or arch decorated in complex carved ornamentation, you often come into a garden space with succulents and roses, sometimes a fountain. In one hotel, the lounge had rattan chairs spaced under a skylight, with cut roses in a fountain in center stage. (That was our other favorite hotel, half the distance to the central Medina/Old City, that served well as our ‘refreshment stop’ for rest and necessities). On the walk from our New Town area to the Medina, where the central Mosque and the Royal Palace are located, we passed through one of the many old gates/arches in the 20 foot high mud/clay wall, which surrounded and protected the ancient city. Immediately, the setting becomes more peaceful (except for multi-present Petit Taxis/Little Taxis and motor bikes)… parks filled with palm trees, roses, winding paths… people in caftans, some women in burkas (some with faces partially covered)… children playing or trying to sell small souvenirs…the broad new rues/avenues change into winding, shadowy, ‘hallway’ alleys … lots of activity but still a serene feel and slower pace. Entering the old, revered setting of the Medina’s ancient and high culture brought feelings of awe and excitement. A time warp, with a sense of visiting an unknown (and in many ways, unknowable) way of life. Many of us have been sold short in our knowledge and appreciation of other, both simpler and more elegant, traditions and relationships. It’s in places like the old Medina that I’m learning how wonderful the differences in the human family can be. That’s so compelling now, given the sad and tragic separations we’re experiencing in our world these days. It seems to me that we need more “Respect and Awe” rather than ‘shock and awe’. Our first days were spent in getting oriented (translation: getting lost) to the layout of the Medina. The Koutoubia and Ben Youssef Mosques and the Royal Palace are the centerpieces which are “fairly easy” to locate; as is the Jmaa el Fna, the central open market triangle, which covers about ten of our blocks. Note how concise and economical Arabic language can be… one has to provide the vowel sounds in many words… saves ink, right : )> The Jmaa is the meeting place for everyone, locals and tourist (mostly French it seems). Things start slowly. The empty square gradually comes to life in the morning, with portable stands for vegetables and flowers, then a row of about 20 fresh orange juice stands (great treat!), followed by a scattering of varied vendors wandering about. We were taken with the old women sitting on the pavement under their sunsheltering umbrellas, painting henna motifs on the hands of tourists… and enjoyed the circles of people gathering around musicians and ‘break dancers’… and the storytellers (didn’t get the gist, but appreciated the pantomime)… but we kept our distance from the snake charmer-they were real Cobras and the pipers were very close to them! Our favorite was probably the local Dentists who set up card tables brimming with teeth, singles and dental chops, and were wielding huge pliers!!! No sale here. After the second day, our feet had trod on lots of new ground… and over much old ground as we wound our way through the labyrinth of the Souks that swirl in and about the Medina. Each Souk (market) specializes in certain goods… spices (food, cosmetics, medicines) or cloth goods (caftans, hats, elaborate leather or cloth slippers) or carpets/kilims or jewelry or home décor (for example, metal or colorful camel skin lamps) or skilled metal crafts from gates to window grills to tea pots and many little cafes. Most goods are handcrafted, but some imports sneak in (China products, e.g.). We ended up with a painted camel skin wall light cover, a mirror with engraved copper and camel bone inserts, and a bellows with more camel bond and stone insets. Poor camels… Ryan is convinced they all had long lives and expired of natural causes! The vendors are friendly and not aggressive. Negotiation is the name of the game… and it’s a pleasant bantering, with a smiling close of the deal. The custom is to stop and rest from the heat of the day at about noon, then things begin to liven up again around 3:00. We would head for a fresh mint tea refresher or back to the hotel to rest. Fresh mint bundles line the alleys in the morning. If you brush your hands on them, the pleasant scent stays with you for quite some time. One favorite rest stop was the coffee/tea café inside a new central art museum… it also had the advantage of a free and elegant toilette. These are rare in the Medina. In the evening the Jmaa (central triangle) changes a bit. Long tables are set up in the center… braziers are lit and the succulent spiced meats and side dishes are arrayed on banked shelves for custom cooking. They’re able to seat hundreds. At one end of the banquet, we spotted six booths, with chefs on high platforms; as we approached, we smelled garlic and clouds of steam coming from great cauldrons. It seems these are the Caliphs of Chefdom, the Escargot Sheiks. After seeing hordes of snails trying to escape huge baskets in the souks earlier, we declined their cheerful offers. After a stroll among the entertainers, we plopped down on a café balcony, enjoyed the sights of the Jmaa over excellent café au lait and super gelato or pastry. One evening we bargained with the horse taxi fellow. I’m glad we did, since our feet had played out, and the balmy evening was perfect for the open carriage ride from the old city via the newer hotels in the new town (only a few centuries old). Day Trip One found us huddled in a mini bus with mostly French friendly folk. We wound our way up green valleys into the Atlas Mountains. The scenery was inspiring, but the chance to observe the simple but difficult life of the Berber people was most interesting. Farmers and shepherds still. We were halted by a large goatherd crossing the highway. From a distance, one could spot unusual geometric patterns on the hillsides. Then we could make out the stacked shoebox mud houses of villages that blend into the red and caramel colored mountains. We eventually made the top, about 7500 feet altitude, where we visited a sultan’s Kasbah (Harem), which is currently unoccupied, so we saw no ‘birds in the gilded cage’. What a lifestyle that must have been. I think the mountain people are a bit more liberated now… women seem to bear the burden of the hard work as much as the men. At lunch, we shared a table with a young Hong Kong couple who were on a whirlwind trip through Spain and Morocco… they spoke English and were very pleasant company. As were the friendly ‘house’ cats who wanted some of our Couscous and Tagine tasties. The trip back down was quiet except for quite a bit of sleep sounds. On Day Trip Two, we packed into another mini bus, cozier than the other, and enjoyed a day in the historic Atlantic port town of Essaouira. It reportedly was a major entry for Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Portuguese and French sailors over the centuries. Unlike Marrakech, the dominant color here is a vivid blue as accent. It’s very accessible… the souks are central, with lots of veggie and fishie stands… a walk along the 18th C. Portuguese fortress walls was a highlight… and it was good to be by the sea again. On the way back, we saw our first live camel… one dressed to the hilt for tourist pictures. We also got a kick out of the acrobatic goats who actually climbed into the trees for their lunch. Finally, for me, the topper… Easter Sunday Mass back in Marrakech. We’d tried for the Saturday Vigil, but had the wrong time. Meant to be, cuz Sunday Mass was one of the most lively and joyful ever. French Franciscans serve there, so that was the lingua franca! But they had the readings printed into about 8 languages. The simple church, with subtle Moorish designs and horseshoe arches here and there, and simple plain green, red and yellow high windows, was packed. The clergy and choir procession was uplifting, with the very dark skinned choir shouting their Alleluias as they danced down the center. The musicians vigorously played their long necked guitars, drums and rattles. The choir men and women were gloriously full voiced as they led our celebration. At the Offertory, they sang a hymn in French and Arabic, including piercing ululating high notes… at the same time, the ushers brought forward the gifts in a choreographed sauntering dance. So hard to capture the emotions of the experience, but their music and movements made me feel that I was truly experiencing Good News, the Gospel message of life and hope. A wonderful finale to a great adventure. Salaam alaikum … Peace to you … Happy Days ! P.S. If you didn’t get the e-mail invitation to see Ryan’s pictures on Ofoto.com, just let us know.

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Apartment Sale Progress Timeline

Apartment Sale Progress Timeline August 21, 2003 – Negotiated for the sale of the apartment October 20, 2003 – Contractor started with the electric and plumbing November 4, 2003 – Re-painting of the apartment started April 30, 2004 – Signed the contract to purchase the furniture in the apartment and a pre-agreement to purchase the flat. We paid for the furniture and made a deposit on the apartment. June 10, 2004 – Made the final payment for the apartment. Totally paid off. January 26, 2005 – WE signed the final papers for the sale of the apartment, but the previous owner has not yet. February 18, 2005 – We received the final sale papers signed by everyone. Papers to be submitted to the Housing Authority by the attorney on Monday.

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Luxembourg

First let me start with the positive. It was great seeing two of our friends in Cologne were we flew into. We had some good sharing time. We are thankful that they picked us up at the airport and arranging the train tickets to Luxembourg. That was quite a savings over buying them online. Randolf found a special and saved us over 236 Euros. We did not want to spend the night with them, since they had other plans. We booked a gay B and B through the same agency that books for us. It was convenient and not expensive. We left there the next morning and took the tram, which was conveniently around the corner, to the train station. We picked up a delicious chicken dinner at the station for very little money and took it on the train. The train ride was nice, but only scenic in short spurts. We remembered Koblenz and our time there with with Randolf on a different trip to Cologne. We have heard that Treier is fabulous and we have that on our list of places to see now. We passed through it on our way. Now the negative: Again, we booked a B and B through out booking agency. In Luxembourg, we found our bus to the B and B. We had bought our tickets. The bus which we were told would take 20 minutes, took 50 minutes to our stop. After we got off of the bus in the middle of NOwhere, we had to walk another 15 minutes to the house. It is way out in the country with nothing around, but a small church, a little restaurant, a few houses, and two ponies in the field grazing. This was not a good sign. As you enter the building, there was a small hallway. You walk into the living room, then the kitchen is on the next floor. The third floor is the owners bedroom and bath. Then the guest room was what was probably once and attic. In Philadelphia, this is called a Trinity house, one room above another, but only three. The stairs to the guest room were like your stairs to your loft bed, left, right, left, etc. However, these were curved in a semi-circle and there was a banister on one side only. The room was nice, but the bed was small. There was a skylight with no shade for morning light. There was no door for privacy on the room and nothing to cut the sound from downstairs. First we were really upset that they told us 20 minutes to Luxembourg City, but it was 50. Then they told us they do not allow smoking in the house. They then asked that we take our shoes off at the door and put them in the closet. We dumped our luggage and then we wanted to head back to the bus to see the city. We were informed that they bus only runs once an hour and stops coming back at 7:15 pm. By now, it was 6:00 pm and if we took the bus to the city, we would have to come right back on the next bus or be stranded in the city. The other option was the Night Bus,which only runs on Friday and Saturday nights. This bus, though, does not start until 12:10 in the morning and only runs once an hour. We opted to take the last bus to the city and hang out there until 12:10 in the morning to see something or the whole rest of the day would be shot. We took the bus to the city, but they did not tell us that everything closes at 6:00 pm. All restaurants, stores, museums, EVERYTHING downtown closes. So now what the hell do we do until midnight and it is freezing cold out? We asked some young women and they suggested a movie. We took a bus to the edge of town. We had dinner at the Coyote Cafe, since there were limited choices in restaurants and we had hours to kill before the movie. We went to see "The Closer" a good, but bizarre movie with Jude Law and Julia Roberts. 15 EUROS for the two of us. Holy cow!!! We still had an hour to kill before the bus, so we just hung out in the lobby. We did not get back to the B and B until after 1:00 am. When we walked in, the owners had a movie going. They rigged their TV to a projector and had a full wall sized screen that pulls down from the ceiling. The movie is projected onto it. The sound system must be awesome since the sofa was vibrating. They were watching some action movie with lots of LOUD action of guns, waterfalls, etc. When we went up to the bedroom, they still had not turned down the volume. Because of the layout of the house, there was nothing to block the noise. The movie went on until after 2 am. The next morning, Saturday, we took the bus to the city and planned for a long day. We knew we would not return until the night bus at 12:10 the earliest. We went back to the movie theater and bought tickets for the 9:30 showing of "The Aviator". We then went back downtown. We walked all around the city and looked at the sites. To try to stay warm and waste time, we went into the only two department stores there were. At 5:30 pm, we went to a restaurant and planned on an early dinner. The restaurant stopped serving food at 5:00, so we could just get a beer. When we left there, nothing was open anywhere. We walked around some more and then took the bus to the theater. The plan was to go to the Au Chan next to the theaters, thinking that in Hungary, they are open 24 hours. Being a hyper-market, we could look around and kill some time. When we got there, it was closed. All of the stores in the little mall were closed. We went back to the theater and had a 'relaxed' dinner at another chain restaurant to kill time until the 9:30 movie. We left there at 8:30 and sat in the movie lobby for an hour, before we could get into the theater itself. The movie was over 2 1/2 hours, so we missed the 12:10 bus and had to wait for the 1:10 bus. We got back after 2:00 am. Again, they were playing movies and the sound was rocking the house. Sunday morning, we were planning our get away early, since there was no night bus on Sunday. We would have to return by 7:00 pm or so we thought. As we were walking out the door, one of the guys said to us, "You know there are no buses at all on Sunday?" A duh, how would we know this? So we were stuck there all day. They offered to drive us to the city, but told us there is nothing at all open on Sunday, except the churches. The museums are closed. We would have had to take a train to another town from the city and they would pick us up after they did what they were off to do. We said, thanks, but no thanks. The dilemma was that there were no options for food. They had not prepared us or we would have bought some things for Sunday dinner/snacks. We went for a walk and across from the bus stop is a little restaurant and cafe. It was open, so we went there to get angry and vent. This is when I sent you the SMS. We thought, great, we will eat here. Nope! They close at 2:00 and did not serve food on Sunday. We went back to the room and read. Ron had brought a jar of peanut butter, so we ate that. Before the couple left for their outing, they had this delicious smelling chicken dinner. Just make us feel worse, why don't you? When they returned, we asked them if there were any options for food. They said there were not, but did invite us for a salad with them. It was nice and we had a good talk, but I had to keep from telling them how much I hated where they were located, the number of things we should have been told in advance, and their lack of respest with the noise from the movies at night. We spent a long evening reading and Ron trying to get the CNN sound and picture at the same time. We were more than happy to take the early bus at 7:12 am to the train station for our 8:32 train to Cologne. We had breakfast at the station and bought sandwiches for the train ride. When we got to the station, I was looking for the airport bus that I had taken in June last year, but was told there is a train. For 2 Euros, we took the train directly to the airport. That was very convenient. We had two hours to wait there and hopped our flight home. When we returned there was a snow blizzard going on. Quite surprising. Our first real snow this winter. Today is it almost all gone though. After we got home, I ran off to my last Spanish class of this semester. I register today for the next one. So Luxembourg is now off of our list of places to go to. It really is a pretty little city and country, but not worth more than a day and a half. Ryan

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Lisbon December 04 to January 05

Lisbon Notes – December 18, 2004 to January 8, 2005 Getting from the airport…there is an airport bus that goes from the airport to the downtown hotels. However, when we finally approached someone at the tourist info desk in the airport, they neglected to tell us of this option. They did not recommend the Tourist Taxi, to their credit, they said it was overpriced at 16.00 Euros and a regular taxi would be cheaper. They were right, the taxi ride cost us 8 Euros. We never did find out the cost of the airport bus since our return flight was at 6:00 am and they do not start running it until then. We took a taxi back to the airport. Our luggage was lost on arrival. There is a central zone for lost luggage for all airlines. Take a number and wait your turn. We were number 85 and they were serving 54. It took us three hours to get served. They found that our luggage was lost in Amsterdam and would arrive at 10:30 that night, but not be delivered until the next day. They could not tell us what time and we were held to our flat until it arrived. We had made multiple calls to the luggage place, but they did not have a phone or radio contact with the driver that delivers. They finally delivered it to the fruit stand across the way, but we did not know until we called the landlady’s friend. We finally found it at 1:00. This seems to be a common occurrence since this office was the busiest place at the airport. People smoke EVERYWHERE. Although I am a smoker, it felt strange to see them smoking in the airport, stores, in the mall, and in the subway. You are not supposed to smoke in the subway, but they do, though not on the subway itself. Non-smoking areas are small and not ventilated, usually right next to the smoker’s section. If you are a staunch non-smoker, I would think twice about a vacation here. Most apartments do not have central heating. They get cold in the winter, sometimes colder than outside. The advantage of having an apartment for us was that it was cheaper than three weeks in a hotel. We were able to cook when we wanted to and we had ready access to making coffee or tea at our leisure. This alone cut down our expenses since the apt. was $40.00 a night. It was about 50 square meters with a bedroom, small living room, and a tiny kitchen. It did give us a place to separate from each other when we wanted some privacy. We found food in the grocery stores to be cheaper than in Budapest, where we live. We were also able to cook some foods that we cannot get in Budapest, like Italian sausage and sweet potatoes; things that you miss from living abroad for years. This was a plus in itself. It was also located two blocks from Figeroa Square, where many of the bus lines and trams stop. Across from our front door was a produce stand and there were two others within 5 feet. We enjoyed many of the fruits and vegetables that are not available in Budapest. I would highly recommend this flat for one or two people. For more than two, it is unsuitable. The landlady is a charming young woman who is working on her doctoral dissertation in sociology. The streets were beautifully decorated for Christmas. The streets had loud speakers playing Christmas carols in English. Each street had different songs and decorations with the major squares having huge central displays of ornamentation. Most of the stores were closed on the Monday after Christmas and New Years. I believe from the signs on the doors that this is usual to be closed on Mondays. The transportation card is cheaper 8.30 Euros for five days, rather than 1 or 3 days. The card itself is .50 cents for the first time only. As you enter the tram or bus, there is a scanner. You just need to scan your card. Always get on at the front unless you see a sign on the larger buses to do otherwise. The metro is faster than the above ground transport if you have a choice and don’t care. Trams and buses are scheduled for every 6-15 minutes, but we waited over 30 on several occasions for a bus or a tram. This card is good on all elevadors too. They are fun to ride and the views are wonderful. St. Justa elevadore is a work of art in itself and the view is great, but it can get quite windy (and cold in the winter). Bus 37 goes to the castle entrance if you don’t want to walk the hill after tram 28. It is recommended that you ride up and walk down. As you walk down, you will go through the Alfama section of the city. This district survived the earthquake of 1755 on All Saints Day when 40,000 people were killed and most of the city was destroyed. In this area is a store called Tradicoes at Rua de Saint Pedro 41 www.portugal2u.com We found some modern pottery here that we did not see anywhere else. Although many of their items are priced high, they are reasonable with the pottery prices. The cork products are available many places, so if this interests you, shop around. Tram 15 goes to Belem. This is where the Monument of Discovery, the monastery and the famous pasteleria is. Pasteleria do Belem. The Lisboa Tourist office at Commercio Square is very expensive for souvenirs. The tourist office can be useless depending on the clerk of the hour, regardless of the location. We received different information regarding the same questions on three different trips in. The directions printed for some museums are outdated or misprints. They did admit that their maps are not very good either, especially the transportation one. It is always best to double check the maps at the bus or trams stops. Our landlady later told us they have a reputation for being rude to the tourists. Many places you have to pay for your coffee and pastry at the cashier and then take your ticket to the counter to order it. Other places have table service with a bit added for the service. Watch what others do and follow their example. The best café latte I had was at the post office at Restarandures Metro stop. It was only 95 Euro cents. The Casa do Alentejo is on the street behind this post office. This has a magnificent tile collection. It was once a private club, but anyone can wander in and have dinner if you choose. We wandered all over the second floor to look at the tiles. Rua dos Portes de Santo Antao (no number given in our book). There is a flea market behind St. Vincent’s Church on Tuesdays. On the hill going down on the left, there are two stands worth visiting. One sells ceramic tiles and the other pottery. Both sell new and they are cheaper than the tourist shops, but the quality is the same. They refused to bargain with the people next to me, so I did not try it. El Corte Ingeles is worth going to for the food store in the basement. There are many foods there you do not usually see elsewhere. It is like Harrods food court only less expensive. If you live in Europe and can use PAL system DVDs, you will find some good buys here. There are ATM bank machines everywhere, they all seem to be tied into MultiBanco. This means that regardless of the machine we used, we could only get a maximum of 200 Euros a day. Since our bank charges $5.00 per withdrawal, it hurt to have to take money out more than twice in a week. In Budapest, trying to cash a traveler’s check is a major hassle. I have not used them for years. The only exchange offices I noticed were the Western Union offices (2 in the city). The rates are not good, so I will eat the $5.00 charge that my bank charges me. Although I found over 2 dozen Wi-Fi Internet cafes listed on the Internet before I left, the tourist office said there were none. Hard Rock Café has one that is supposedly free. However, when I went to use it, I found I needed to buy an access card from PTT, the phone company. They charge 5 Euro for an hour or 20 Euro for an all day card. This was the same wherever there were “free” wireless connection cards. I never did find any hotspots for really free access. Western Union has Internet access, but it is about 2 Euros for a full hour, but costs more if you get it in 15 or 30 minute increments. This is about the cheapest I could find. I only went to clean out mailboxes so nothing would bounce while I was gone. If I could have found a Wi-Fi café, I could have written my notes on my laptop and then just uploaded them. I also wanted to upload my photos, but needed the Wi-Fi place to do it from my laptop. Discounts in Lisbon: Some museums like the Puppet Museum are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so double check before you head there. The Azulajoz Tile Museum is closed on Mondays, but only opens again at 2:00 pm on Tuesday. My partner received a senior discount of 50% of admission (cost was 1.50 Euro rather than 3.00). I just by chance asked about a teacher discount and received the same 50% for teachers. On Christmas night when nothing was open including the restaurants, we found lots of activity at the malls. The stores were closed, but the movies and some restaurants were open. My partner was given a 50% discount on his movie ticket for being a senior. If you are over 65 y.o. ask for a senior discount. Most places will give it to you and only ask to see a driver’s license or passport. Free Admission: Gulbenkian Museum and the Modern Art Museum on the same grounds are free admission on Sundays. They will give you a ticket, collect the stub, but the admission is still free and the backs of the tickets are quite pretty. The Cemetery of Pleasure at the end of the 28 tram line is a cultural experience. If you have ever been to Buenos Aires to find Eva Peron, you will appreciate this one as well. It would be worth taking the 28 tram from one end to the other. With your transportation card, you can hop off at any point if something catches your eye. There are many lovely places to stop and look at views or interesting sites along the way. The 12 tram is a circular route that will return to where you started. It is worth a ride around at least once. One book we have found very helpful is Lisbon: A Cultural and Literary Companion by Paul Buck and published by Interlink Books NY/North Hampton © 2002. Part of the Cities of Imagination Series. Sintra- You can easily get to Sintra as a day trip, but two would be recommended. From Lisbon at the Jardim Zoologica Metro stop there is a connection for Comboios. These small commuter trains run about every 15 minutes to Sintra. Tickets are 65 Euro cents for seniors with a passport or drivers license each way. Regular adults are 1.30 Euros each way. Get off at the last stop. There are two Sintra stops. When you come out of the train station, turn left, follow the signs for the historical center of town. This is what we did our first day. We walked a lot!!! On the second day, we turned right outside the train station and next to Pizza Hut (ugh!) there is a bus that does the whole circuit of castles. It is number 434. A day ticket is 3.60. This provides unlimited hop on hop off possibilities. It goes to all of the castles, so you can take your time and then hop on the bus again for the next castle. Beware that the crowds get large. There was a lot of pushing and shoving to get on. The bus driver finally admitted people to a limit and then stopped letting others on. They do not come as frequently as you would expect considering the crowds. We had to wait for two buses to pass us by before we could get on. Due to the crowds, the driver refused to stop at some of the stops in between castles, though they are listed on the schedule and there were bus stops with people hailing him down. At the end of the day, if you are tired, you just take it back to the train station. There is less of a crowd at the end of the day. The Regaleria Palace is 500 meters uphill, while the Palacio Palace is 1400 feet up very steep hills. I overheard someone say it took them 1 ½ hours to climb up the winding roads. The roads are also very narrow and you have to be on the look out for traffic at all times. We went to the Palacio Palace and would highly recommend it. It is still quite a hike after the bus lets you off. Do not be turned off by the long line waiting to buy tickets. It went really fast. Seniors combined admission for the Palace and the gardens was 4.00 Euro and the regular adult was 6.00 Euro. There is a little shuttle which will take you closer to the top, but it is 1.50 Euro per person. There is a lot of stair climbing. We also went to the National Palace. It is interesting, but not furnished as well as the other. It is more old world castle feeling since it was used in the 16th century. Portugal’s last King left the throne in 1910. The Toy Museum was fun, but they claim over 20,000 toys. I believe this, but they should have stopped at 10,000. The exhibits are stuffed and it is difficult to appreciate many of the things since they are crowded in a small space. There are three floors and they really need more to do these gems justice. There are toys from all over the world. 3 Euros regular, 1.50 Seniors, no teacher discounts. Restaurants are a bit pricier in Sintra, but many have fixed meals starting at 8 Euros. There are dozens of tourist shops. Our third week, we rented an apt. in Bélem. This was only due to our first rental lady having to move back into where we were staying since the roof was being fixed at her other flat. We rented the Bélem flat from a friend of hers. She charges 50 Euro a night, 10 Euro per person a week for utilities and 40 Euro total for cleaning when you leave. Bélem is only 4 miles from downtown Lisbon, but can take over 20 minutes to get there due to traffic. The flat could accommodate about five people comfortably. Although it was a first floor flat, it did have a downstairs. On the first floor was a kitchen and living room combination. The room was very large with a sofa bed and a single futon. The kitchen had a stove with oven/broiler combination. The stovetop was gas, but the oven was electric. We used the broiler a few times for steaks since we do not have one in Budapest. The downstairs has a long hallway, with a huge bathroom. There are two sinks as well as the tub with shower. Two people could easily get ready at one time in this bathroom. There was also a very spacious bedroom with a very comfortable double bed. Off of the bedroom is a closed in sun room with a hammock. It was too chilly during our stay to try it out. The flat is located near the Hospital Militar, by two blocks. A bus that stops there going down the hill to the center and then trams and buses there into Lisbon downtown. We walked the hills back to the flat for the first three days, but then succumbed to the bus. It is quite a hike up at the end of a long day. The public library in Bélem is worth visiting if you are a lover of children’s books. The whole first floor is a children’s library. The second floor is the adult section. You will not find anything in English, not even newspapers, but they do have one computer with Internet that you can sign up to use for a half hour at a time. The children’s librarian speaks adequate English to assist. From Bélem, we took the commuter train to Cascais, a beautiful little beach town. The ticket was from a machine: 1.30 Euro regular one way and 65 Euro cents Senior ½ price ticket. It took about 40 minutes to get there and it is at the end of the line. Trains run about every 10 minutes all day long. The town is wonderful with many little shops and restaurants, but my favorite part was strolling the small beach area and collecting an amazing variety of seashells. If I had known, I would have brought a baggie with me, but I utilized my jacket pockets instead. The cultural center is small, but they did have an interesting art exhibit which was free. They also have restrooms. To the right and around the corner is the entrance to a park. The park is huge and magnificent. There is a large pond with swans, ducks, and dozens of turtles. As you wander through the trails, there are peacocks and peahens roaming freely and being very used to people, do not move from your path when you walk by them. There is a children’s playground in one section, an open field in an another, and many little walking trails through what feels like little sections of a jungle. There are spectacular statues in various areas and water fountains with surprising statues as well. There is a children’s zoo of various kinds of birds, which needs some attention. There is also a children’s library at the other end, but we did not venture there. In little openings on the trails are picnic benches and tables for warmer weather. There are a few restaurants to have a meal or coffee overlooking the beach and the boats moored in the water. You can watch the men baiting their hundreds of crab traps getting them ready for the days work. On our return trip to Bélem, we did not pay close attention to the schedule and our train by-passed our station and did not stop until the next one. We had to take a bus back to Bélem from there. From Bélem, we decided to go to the Oceanarium at the Expo 98 site. We had to take a bus to one metro, take this metro to the end, then switch to a second metro to the de Gama Center. The ride took us an hour total to get there. I was not enthused about the Oceanarium having been to the one in Monterey, CA a number of times and to the New Jersey State Aquarium shortly after its opening. My partner received a 4.50 Euro discount on his 10 Euro ticket and I received a 1.50 Euro teacher discount. As soon as we entered, I was enthralled. The set up is wonderfully designed. In the center and from all areas, you see the huge aquarium of the global ocean. The aquarium is done is such a way that you can see the different varieties that like to swim higher and lower in the water’s depths by having viewing areas on two levels. In each of the four corners, there is the Atlantic Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. Each has its own species of fish, plus birds, and in one case a pair of sea otters. There are many break-out areas with scientific information that is quite interesting and written in English and Portuguese. One such area has an on-going movie about the care and feeding of the animals. It is well worth the time to watch. This scientific center works in cooperation with Monterey Aquarium in CA as well as some others. From here, we returned to the de Gama mall to see a movie in English with Portuguese sub-titles before wandering home again. We retraced our route taking one metro to the end, then switching lines to the second metro. We waited for our tram back to Bélem for over 20 minutes before we realized that it stops running at 7:30 pm. We had to take a different tram and was on this for 3 stops before it stopped dead and we waited 15 minutes for it to move again. It turns out there was an accident on the tracks. There were seven other trams log jammed ahead of us waiting to get through. It was difficult to find alternative routes to get back, but finally made it back to Bélem. We then looked for the bus that would take us back up our hill. It was now close to 10:00 pm and we were too tired to hike it. No bus came and we finally opted for a taxi to the hospital and then walked from there. One thing to be wary of is the time that different lines stop running. Some stop as early as 5:30 pm while others stop at 7:30 or even as late as 11:00. They all stop fairly early for a large city, but this is the same in many cities. The Monastery in Belem is well worth visiting. The art museum is not unless you are really into Portuguese art. Discounts at both for seniors. Ryan James, Ed.D. drjames@aces-hungary.org

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More FAQs Moving to Hungary

Hi guys, Could you recommend districts of Pest we might look to rent a furnished flat our first year and buy in the next year? At this point in time, I would recommend Dists. 5, 6, 7 (parts of), or 13. There are good and fair points about each district, but I would live in any of these on the Pest side. I do not know any of the districts on the Buda side, since we would not consider living there. One thing to keep in mind is that the trams stop at midnight, the subways at 11:00 pm and if you go to a late movie, you want to be able to catch a night bus to get home again. Some taxis are cheap, but if you are living on a budget, why waste the money? We are trying to work with HungarInvest at the moment. I sent them a snippy e-mail about their needing to learn how to work with foreigners if they want our investment dollars. I will report back on our satisfaction level. We are planning on buying our flat, but need to do some comparative shopping. We personally think that the older buildings have much more character than the new ones do. It adds to the cultural experience of it all. We love our flat. Like the States, they start high and you work them down. Our rent here is $500. a month, so it is to our advantage to buy it. Would it be safe to assume that we will not be able to rent for only 6 months? However, if we are not yet residents will we be able to rent for a year either? You most certainly should be able to rent for six months. It may not be the apt. of your dreams, but for six months, who cares? For a six month rental, you should probably think in terms of a much smaller apt. for two reasons. 1. The rent will be cheaper. 2. It will accustom you to living in smaller quarters. Large apts. do not rent well here. Ours was vacant for 6 months before we took it and the prior tenant was the owner's daughter. Apts. over 70 square meters are not rented by Hungarians. They cannot afford to rent/run a larger apt. If you buy a larger one, you will be dependent on ex-pats to rent to and this could be a financial risk. Unless a large apt. can be renovated into two apts. where one can be rented out, they do not sell fast either. Our apt. cannot be broken down to two since both bathrooms are next to each other. We don't intend to rent it out or to sell it for the near future, so it is not a concern for us. We have 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, a walk in pantry, huge living room and quite a large eat in kitchen, with a good size entry hallway. We rent out our large spare bedroom to Fulbrighters that need a night to a weeks lodging for 20 euros a night and we provide breakfast. Some day, Jean will include us on his web site for accommodations, but the summer is his busiest time. I have been editing the English of his site, but he does not have the time to make changes until the Fall. The lease laws have nothing to do with the Visa laws. They will give you a lease for 5 years if you want, but whether or not you can actually stay in the country is your problem. They will have all of your passport details to make sure that they collect from you eventually. Be careful of the agents that you use. All utilities go in the apt. owners name, not the tenant. When we first came, we rented off the Internet for fast service. The agent screwed us royally on the utilities and way overcharged us. When we asked to see bills, we were told that they were combined with other apts. that they managed and separating them and translating them was more than they were willing to do. When we moved, we found our utilities dropped considerably. Within your apt., you are responsible for repairs. The building itself is handled by the “homeowners assoc.” You can always have an apt. inspected like you would in the States to see if there are problems before buying. Having lived here in this apt. for over a year, we have a sense of what is what. Of course, one never knows either. One other thing to think about with buying. We just found out that most flats/apts. are sold unfurnished. What we did not realize was that also meant they also rip out the ceiling fixtures, the refrigerator, the stove, and anything else they like including the kitchen cupboards. It is not like the States, were you have to leave whatever is attached as a fixture. So, you need to consider furnishing a place too from top to bottom. Do you think that $1,000 is enough for basic monthly expenses if we own a flat. If you own your flat, it should be fine, but you have to consider the fluctuating exchange rates. When we first came it was 280 HUF to the dollar and everything seemed like we were paying with play money. Now it is 230 and we are more cautious about it. The opera depends on where need/want to sit. You can get seats for $3.00 if you are not prone to nosebleeds or you can spring for $20.00 seats. It does depend on the performance and the company too. Some are a little higher, but not all that much. Theater – Last year, we bought season tickets to the Merlin, the English speaking theater. The season ticket was $36.00 and include 6 performances with one bonus for a total of seven. The theater is small and it is first come, first to grab a seat theater. We have been pleased with most of the plays. “Stones In My Pocket” and “Two Blind Mice” were especially good. Movies – The highest priced one so far has been 1,000 HUF (about $4.00) depending on the exchange rate. There are cheaper ones, but they usually run the same English movie again and again or you have to wait weeks for it to arrive there. There is an English video store, you need to buy a VCR here since it is the PAL system. The VCRs here will play American videos as well as PAL, but not vice versa. There are usually tons of musical things that are free or under $5.00. You may not be able to see all that you want due to the cost, but there is plenty of free stuff to take advantage of. All other plays “CATS”, “Phantom”, “My Fair Lady”, etc are only in Hungarian. By the way, the opera house and the Merlin are closed during the summer due to no air conditioning. Being from 'the sunny South', we always have to ask about air conditioning. We monitor the temperatures in Budapest and it seems like it would be tolerable in the summers...warm days but cooler nights. July and August are by far the hottest months. It is not unheard of for the temp to be in the 90’s. Last year, we thought we were going to die and we came from Central CA where 105 is usual from June to September. It is the humidity, here which makes it unbearable. We have had a relatively lovely summer this year, but we still have had days that have approached close to 100 and the nights have not been cool. Yesterday was a scorcher. Now, I have to take a pause to stop laughing about the air conditioning. Okay, I am being snide, but WHAT AIR CONDITIONING???? The malls are not air conditioned, most of the movie theaters are not a/c’ed. Though interesting, the movies in the mall are. They were not last year. Have you been here in the summer? If you stayed at a place with a/c, unless it was a 5 star hotel, I would be shocked. The only places with a/c that we have been to are the embassy, 5 star hotels, and the theater in the mall. There are some casinos that advertise it, but we have never been. Window units are few and far between due to the very large windows. It would be hard to place a window unit in most of them. The a/c units that one of our friends have is a small unit, but they had to cut a hole over his kitchen door to install it to the outside. His electric bill skyrocketed. For the number of days that you really, really need it, we get by with a couple of fans. Pest has more traffic than Buda, but we have not had any problems with the air quality. It is far better many U.S. cities that I have been to, but since I have only been in the Atlanta airport, I cannot compare. If you have been to Athens, it is pure air here in comparison. As hot as it gets, I still drag my ass to the thermals on Tuesdays. What part of the year is considered the coldest? I would venture that January and February are the coldest. It was still cold in March, but all of the Hungarians said that this was strange since March it usually starting to be Spring-like. I was still wearing my winter coat into the middle of March and changed to a lighter coat around second part of March. I still needed a jacket until May, but it was not glove weather. The thermal makes you warm inside on the coldest day. Could we ask for the name of your Israeli friend's insurance company in the UK? I will have to call her for this, but that means at least an hour on the phone, so I will get back to you with this. Sounds like being Directors of a Corporation is an imperative. Does this corporation have to be profitable? Does it require taxation, reporting, other oversight by government? We have an idea for what our 'corporation' might be but it would not be a full time concern. Would that be a problem? Just like the States, you are given a few years to make a profit. The bad part is that by Hungarian law, you must have an accountant. This can turn into a hefty fee. Most that we talked to wanted the equivalent of $75.00 to $150.00 a month for services. They know that they have you over a barrel, so they can charge a high fee. Although, you may not have any business activity, your accountant still has to file monthly forms on your behalf, quarterly reports, and do your income tax. All of this is legally required. Yes, you have to pay taxes, but you can have write-offs similar to the States. It does not need to be full-time. When we started our company, we were shocked and horrified to find out that just because we owned the company, not only did we have to get Work Permits to work for ourselves, but we also had to compete with Hungarians for our own jobs. As part of the Work Permit process, we had to send a job description to the local employment office where it had to be posted for I think it was two weeks, before we were cleared for the jobs. I had forgotten about this piece until now. The employment office could have sent us a potential employee for our company even if they did not have the same qualifications that we did. We sweated those two weeks. In line with this, you have to produce all ORIGINAL diplomas, certificates, etc. that you want to be used to qualify you for your “company” job. They will not accept photocopies or transcripts, which is what we had with us. I had to fax all of our universities and get duplicated done since all of our originals were in storage. It was a nightmare. They also wanted one for every degree I received, which made it worse and very expensive getting the duplicates. They then have to be translated into Hungarian by a government authorized agency and notarized. Only lawyers here can be notaries. Since I am only at three pages, here is some info you have not asked for. There are low cost airlines moving into Budapest. Right now, there is Germanwings (one word) and is an offshoot of Lufthansa and Snowflake, an offshoot of SAS the Scandinavian airlines. Germanwings only flies from Budapest to Cologne at this time, but from Cologne, you can go many other places. These are similar to Southwest. If we had booked when we talked about it, we could have gotten a r/t ticket to Cologne for 19 euros or to Copenhagen for 49 euros. We waited to discuss it more and the flights sold out. We are however, leaving for Cologne tomorrow for 5 days on Germanwings. The cost was $145.00 r/t each. Still not bad, but could have been better. Ryanair and Easyjet are looking at Budapest, but I heard that Ryanair is going to start service out of Debrecen, Hungary in a few months. Debrecen is a three hour train ride from Budapest. Okay, I ran into page four and need to get some things done for a very early flight tomorrow. We will be back on the 29th, so mull over your answers, think of more questions and I will answer them when we return. Regards, Ryan

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FAQ - Moving to Hungary

We are asked questions about our move all of the time. We are happy to assist others. I am glad that Jean had the forethought to refer you to us. We will be more than willing to give you our take on things here in this grand city. Just for some info, we moved here in Dec. 2001. We had been here once before for less than a week at that time, while also traveling to the Czech Republic, Poland, Vienna, and Berlin. We left CA in August of 2001 with the intention of traveling for a year or so, then settling down on the Northeast coast in the Boston area. That was the hope at the time. Now let me preface all of the rest of this with the fact that Hungary will be joining the EU in May of 2004. All rules and laws will be different by then, but until then and most likely after that they will continue to change daily. When we arrived and still after the EU, U.S. citizens can stay for up to 90 days without a Visa. E.U. regulations are such now that U.S. citizens can only stay in the E.U. as an entity for 90 days every six months. That means after 90 days in any E.U. country/countries, we must leave for 6 months before re-entering. They are beefing up their inter-country passport control computers systems to make this much more of a hassle than it has in the past, Hungary included. When we came, we just crossed a border to have our passport stamped. This was not a problem at the time as we had U.S. friends living in Slovakia and Croatia, so we could take mini-vacations. Investigating things with other Americans and a lawyer, we were told that if we started a corporation here, we could be managing directors and not need Visas to stay. We found an attorney and did do this. The cost was $300.00 (at the exchange rate then, which was 280 Huf to the $). The day we had our last Notary stamp put on the papers, the attorney received a call from his office. His researcher told him that a law had just passed stating that we as corporation owners would still need Visas for staying in Hungary. Going from inflated to deflated in minutes, we then checked out that process, something the attorney said he did not do. We found an agency called Business Umbrella (since has gone out of business). They for a hefty fee, arranged Work Permits, which was necessary first and then our temporary Visas. At the time, they were the best deal cost wise around. We were constantly running around getting paperwork for them to submit our papers. The clincher was that the new law made it impossible to get your Visa without returning to the States. This was a cost that we did not want to deal with, but there was no choice. Up to January 1, 2002, you could go to any other country, go to the Hungarian Embassy and have your Visa issued. This right was taken away from Hungarian Ambassadors with a change in government. The law is now that you must apply in your country of citizenship for part of the process. Ron was newly retired in the States, giving us the time to travel, so he had to get a work permit to get a Visa. To get a work permit, you have to be accepted for employment from a Hungarian company. He found a language school to hire him as did I, but we both shortly thereafter, found university teaching positions. We flew back to NYC to the Hungarian consulate and submitted our applications. They were less than helpful and did not know the rules and laws that we were assured of from the agencies here. As public employees of universities, we did not have to pay the $50.00 fee for applying. We left with such bad feelings, that I was sure we would be denied and I was sick about it for weeks. Finally, they sent a letter to our NJ address that our Visa was ready. We had to UPS our passports to our friends in NJ who had to send them with a certified check to the consulate as if it were us doing it. The check was to cover certified mail to send our passports back to NJ. We were then in Hungary illegally during this time and without passports. Our friend then had to Fed Ex our passports back to us here. Unfortunately, the Visa was for less than a year due to some crazy system of how they calculate. Business Umbrella had since gone under during this time, but we followed our worker to the Ex-Pat Relocation Center (www.erc.hu) to finish the job. These darlings charged us $75.00 each just to register us with the local police, which is a legal requirement. If we had realized this ahead of time, we could have paid a Hungarian $20.00 to do it for both of us, but we were dumb in the ways of the land. We got along fine until this year when we had to renew it. ERC is just about the only game in town and the small others charged just about the same fees, so we bit the bullet and continued with them since they had all of our files anyway. We just got our bill and it was $1,700.00 for both of us. That was about 700. more than anticipated, but too late now. During the first year, we needed a physical for the Work Permit. Very simple, in and out. For the Visa renewal, we had to have a chest X-Ray for TB, HIV test, stool sample, Salmonella test, full physical exams. This was not covered by my Hungarian health insurance or Ron's stateside insurance. The jury is still out on how things will go next year when they join the EU. Although our Visa was renewed in June, ours expires the beginning of May due to the EU. No one seems to know yet if this will be more complicated or less. We do not know of any ex-pats who are living here without working for that almighty Work Permit, which is needed for the Visa. That is not true, there are some, but they are of Hungarian origin- children of Hungarian emigrants and the rules are different since they qualify for a Hungarian passport. Yesterday, I read in the Budapest Sun (www.budapestsun.com) that the law currently is that if you leave the country for 90 days, your Visa becomes invalid and then you must start the whole process again. The exception is if you have to travel for business and can prove that you needed to be out of the country for legitimate business reasons. This still has to be approved by the Ministry of Immigration. Now on to your specific questions: Are there any social groups for retirees? Although we have not looked, we do monitor the social events in the Budapest Sun weekly. There have not been any listed. I doubt that there would be a sufficient number of ex-pat retirees to make up a group. Being a gay couple, unless you speak Hungarian fluently, your gay options will be limited also. We do not have a gay network other than three friends who speak English. We are isolated from much/most of their social functions since we cannot communicate with the crowd and it is a burden on them to continually translate when they want to socialize. The gay scene is almost exclusively Hungarian speaking. There is one bar owned by an American (U.S.), but he speaks Hungarian. It is a drag bar, not exclusively gay, and definitely not our cup of tea. We rarely go to the bars. We did have an older friend who had been here for 4 years, he worked for the U.S. Embassy. He went to the bars all of the time and never had a good thing to say about them. He continued out of loneliness, but claimed that he never met one person there. We have built a community of friends, but mostly non-gays, non-Hungarian, or U.S. people here on Fulbright Scholarships, but they are all short-termers. Hungarians are very family oriented. It is difficult to get to know them well since they spend all of their free time with family. Even the gays are similar. Many gay men do not leave home until their late 20’s to early 30’s since they cannot afford to live on their own. Sharing an apt. or flat is not as common as in the States. We are interested in information about medical plans available in Budapest. The American Clinic offers a medical plan that costs currently 60,000 HUF a year (current exchange is 230 HUF to the $). This covers doctor visits, labs, and I think x-rays, but not for routine physicals. It does not include hospitalization. I know that you could buy Hungarian health insurance through the State, but I do not know the cost currently. It was around $150.00 a month. Doctors and nurse here are highly underpaid and you do not want to be hospitalized here unless you have someone to give “tips” to the doctors, nurses, aides, P/T, etc. If you don’t, you will sit in the bed and rot. I have heard this from a number of my students as well as Hungarian friends who have had experience. We have not, but we don’t discount the information. I have an Israeli friend who has insurance from London and pays 172 euros a month for the whole package. I am not sure what her coverage is, but do know that it covers hospitals. I think she has to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed with all services. Suggestions on good areas in which to rent with various services available, i.e., shopping, food, restaurants, etc. which one could walk to and from? If you like the Buda side, you are asking the wrong people. We are down to earth people and our experience is that the Buda side attracts mainly for corporate employees, embassy folks, and others with money to burn. The rents and cost of buying on that side are highly inflated and they get is since most ex-pats are being cared for by their companies and not paying out of pocket. If you are interested in the Pest side, we can discuss this further. As far as services go, we have 4 grocery stores within 2-3 blocks, a dozen restaurants, a post office, a department store, camera shops, bakeries, and an Indian clothing/food store. Within our one block, there are 3 convenience grocery stores, an Internet place, a dog groomer, a Spanish, Hungarian, and a Chinese restaurant., plus other assorted little shops. Businesses here come one day and are gone the next. The economy is not that stable for the Hungarians with the average salary about $400. U.S. a month. Within our block they are building a new apt. complex. www.center-homes.hu They are supposed to be finished in 2005. It is in Hungarian, but on the left, click on Akacfa and you will see the proposed project. We have a flat that is 114 square meters and was unoccupied for six months. Hungarians do not rent more than 70 sq. m. due to cost. If you are thinking of renting part of the year, you will need to think in terms of can you afford to have it vacant when you are not here. For foreigners to buy, at the moment, you have to have a corporation and the corporation has to do the purchase. This still has to have approval from some ministry or the other. We are buying our flat, but do not intend to rent it out for some time. There are no mortgages for foreigners, so if you buy, you have to do so outright. When they find out you are from the U.S., the price inflates, so it is best to have a Hungarian do the negotiating for you for renting or for buying. What would the average or range be for monthly living expenses in Budapest assuming we owned our own flat/condo? ADSL, satellite TV, cellphones service, gas, water, electricity, and other basic expenses. ADSL, IDSN, or Cable Internet connections are not available in all areas at this time. I have ADSL, but the only provider for this area was the phone company. I would have preferred Cable through the cable company since it would be cheaper. I pay about $50.00 a month depending on exchange rates, but the “business” pays it so it is a write off on Hungarian taxes. Mobile phone (cell phones is so American ; ) ) run us about $25.00 a month with a regular contract. To get a regular contract, you need a Visa or a corporation. The other alternative is a pay-as-you-go mobile. You buy the phone (you need a Hungarian to actually purchase it) and then you buy cards that give you talk time. It is now possible to do this through ATM machines. Gas has gone up twice in the last six months. It now runs us about $25.00 a month in the summer and more in the winter. We have radiators that are gas heated. Electric is about $30.00 a month. In our building, water is not metered, so we do not have a separate water bill. Every flat, whether you rent or own pays a “homeowners” fee to the building. In our building this covers water and building maintenance for the elevator, cleaning the halls, etc. We pay 10,000 HUF a month, but we understand that currently, it is 25,000 since they needed to do some work on the roof. In order to have a satellite dish, you have to have permission from your fellow building dwellers. No one in our building has one and we survive with BBC and CNN International and a few hours of Animal Planet in English. TCM is on at 9:00 pm every night in English. This is different depending on neighborhoods and cable companies. The company is pre-determined by the neighborhood. Our cable bill for our basic services runs about $9.00 a month. Phone bill is about $20.00 a month. You are charged the minute that you place a call and they answer, even for wrong numbers. There are no packages like the States. Most people hardly ever use their home phone and use mobiles instead. It is cheaper. Also, most people use SMS messaging on their phones since it is cheaper than a call on the mobile. Oh, I forgot the HYPERMARKETS. These are Au Chan, Tesco, and Cora. All of them need a car to get to, so we don’t get there often without a car. They are similar to Costco, Sam’s Club, etc. with the exception that they make the largest of these look like small potatoes. I have never seen such large stores in my life. The prices are supposedly cheaper, but you still need to comparatively shop around. Food prices have escalated in the time we have been here. It was normal to spend $10.00 for about 3 days worth of groceries. Now, $10.00 will cover maybe two days. After the E.U. I have my fears that prices will soar. Projections are that property values will too! This should give you some food for thought, but I am more than happy to continue a dialogue with you. One more thing…Ron’s monthly retirement income is more than most Hungarians earn in six months, but that was not considered when he applied for the Visa. I know in some countries if you can show self-sufficient income, it is easier. Here is was not. What happens next year is anyone’s guess. Regards, Ryan

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