Something From Nothing

Over 3 years ago we made friends with Chris Dietz who was managing EDS Corporation Hungary at the time. One night over dinner, I was moaning about the lack of computers at the university while stating that if I had some, I wanted to create a Peer to Peer Writing Center. Chris managed to get EDS to donate 10 computers and monitors. These were IBM computers and Dell flat screen monitors. I thought I had died and went to heaven. 


My department head had a vision of having a journalism program. It would be the first journalism program in English, in Hungary. Guess who became responsible for it? Well, a journalism program was born. It was a challenge, but I loved it.


BA students enter the specialization in their 2nd year. In their 3rd semester of the program, they have to do an internship after I have made contacts with the local English newspapers and magazines. Many where resistant to interns, but some places I was able to twist an arm here and there. Sometimes being a Frommer's author has a bit of power. 


One of my students from the 1st group to go through the program, Gabriel Mero Santucci, landed an internship with Time Out Budapest magazine. Time Out is published in over twenty-two cities around the world. At the end of his internship, he was given a monthly column of his own. Each month, he writes about dance performances or interviews choreographers. As the first star of the program, I held him up as the example for others.


Yesterday, I received this note.


Dr. James,
Just to catch up with you very quickly; I finished my internship at Where this month and I got paid to write the feature article for the June issue, which you can also read online here:

http://www.wheretraveler.com/classic/intl/hu/budapest/fe/feature.html?dest=FE0000010463/article.html

I had a great time at the magazine and Nick said that I am part of the team now. I can pitch up ideas for feature articles in the future and write them as a freelance writer. My next one will probably appear in the November issue. He also said that he would really like to have a new intern next year so if you could urge the second year students to apply, it would be great.

Have a nice summer, 

Peter Mészáros


I don't need kids of my own. I have had hundreds in my 25+ years of teaching and never had to pay for braces for any of them. 

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Mark and Chris

Well after many false starts, Mark and Chris are REALLY leaving to go back to the U.S. We had heard this story so many times, we never thought it would happen. They will leave this coming Friday. We will both miss their company, but it will be a great loss for Ron. He really enjoyed having the buddy in Mark to hang around with. We are going to dinner with them tonight.

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Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut...

and sometimes you don't. If you remember that slogan, you are most likely American who saw the ads for Almond Joys and Mounds. I am paraphrasing it to sometimes you feel like a slug and sometimes you don't. I am not sure I can say I have been a slug lately, but certainly not interested in sitting at the computer for productive reasons. Non-productive reasons have drawn me to the keyboard, admittedly. My other excuse is that I have blogs for each of my Ethnicity, Critical Thinking, and Gender Issues in Film classes, which also keep me busy. We went to brunch with Chris and Mark at Eklectika, the favorite restaurant of all of us. They make great omelets and the service is usually the best in the city. Three topics dominated the conversation: Crocs, London, and their leaving. I had bought my first pair on Crocs while on vacation in Cape Town. It was an impulsive purchase, but they felt comfortable and I have problems with my feet bones. When I came home, I realized that they were the most comfortable shoes I have worn that are not Birkenstocks. Then the dilemma of how to get more. It was then that I had noticed Chris and Mark both had a pair that they bought here in Budapest. It turns out that Crocs are from Boulder, Colorado. They have them at the Overland stores here, so this was a highlight of conversation while eating. www.crocs.com Chris and Mark are leaving for a long weekend in London this next week. They are going to see Eqqus with "Harry Potter" Daniel Radcliffe. http://www.equustheplay.com/cc/daniel_radcliffe.php The boy wizard will be doing a nude scene, so this kept us chattering for a time also. I am a little green with envy they they are doing theater at all in a language we all understand. I remember, but did not see the original Broadway production of Equus with Anthony Perkins, many moons ago. The third topic of conversation was not as upbeat for Ron and I. Chris and Mark know they are leaving Hungary, most likely at the end of summer or the beginning of fall. They are not sure if it will be back to the States or somewhere else. The two of them have been a boon to our social life, but Mark especially has been a godsend for Ron. For the first time in a long time, he has a 'buddy' to pal around with. They discuss museum things and meet for coffees, giving Ron a social outlet he has long needed. Their leaving is going to be traumatic. We really need to make more friends. Well actually there was a fourth topic, but primarily between Chris and I. Chris is trying to donate through his company, ten computers to the American Studies department at our university. Sadly, our current campus with thousands of students only has a computer lab with twenty computers, but ten of them are now working at any given time. The English department has their own computer lab through some special grant, but will not let any other department use them. No one in my faculty seems to be motivated to look for grants, so Chris's offer is a dream come true. Now it is a matter of getting his people to speak to my people to make it all happen and happen before he leaves. I hate being in the middle of things like this. I would not like losing face on either side, but it would be worse if I lost it with the university not following through. My contract is up for renewal in August; this may be a boost, though I do not think I need one.

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