https://youtu.be/4GzAk60SIS4 I know I give the country a hard time and talk (way too much) smack about it, but when I listen to something like this, it actually makes me proud to be Hungarian. Hungary – along with its citizens – has plenty of fields, but lack in performance talent is not one of them….
Pearly-haired Girl – explaining the Hungarian essence
Hungarians party in tears goes the old saying. And to be perfeçtly honest I forgot about that for a while. Until a Polish friend mentioned in passing that her father had just heard the song on the radio, in Hungarian. He thought it was beautiful, but he didn’t understand the lyrics. The song rang a…
Something of Yours in a Music Video
https://g.co/kgs/DmwsFJ It’s no secret, I’ve always loved Finland. Ever since Mr. Winter read us tales from Kalevala (presented to us as tales of the forest) in second grade, I was hooked. When I read an ad by a Finnish girl in Smash Hits when I was fourteen, I immediately wrote her. I wanted to go…
Tribute to Romy Schneider – who singlehandedly redeemed the Heimatfilm genre
As with my love for coffee, and my identification with the Roma community (who were my first “contact” when it came to finding people like me, because even the ones who had settled had a cultural history of belonging nowhere, and for a child it was nice to see she was not alone), I blame…
The Vampire Mania
For someone who’s not into vampires, I sure read, post and talk a lot about them. From the time I was ten, there was always someone talking about Dracula. Usually a kid my age. But there were a lot of Dracula spoofs, and the legend was somehow always there. Dracula scared me. I think it…
Don’t You Be My Neighbor (Country)
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/articles/these-hilariously-rude-maps-show-europe-according-to-europeans/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=ad&utm_campaign=06302017rudemaps My mother once spent the better part of the morning on Christmas Eve in a sex shop talking to three elderly men, the owner and two of his friends. Their subject of conversation? The mutual distrust their country and hers have for Russia. One of the four conversationalists (my mother) justified it with, “we…
The Colossus of Rhodes – art steps in where economy fails
An old blog post, edited a little. It would be impossible to discuss megalithic statues and not mention my current favorite (for the record, Genghis Khan in Mongolia is at No.2). Enter the Colossus of Rhodes. In one sentence, it is an idea of pure, simple and utmost genius to bring it to life again….
Larger than Life – statues to rival the gods: a treatise on megalophobia
Which would be one explanation why every time I see one, I (nearly) jump out of my skin, barring the Statue of Liberty and actually not much else. But even though they scare the life forces out of me, I have a not-so secret fascination with these megalithic statues. And by megalithic I mean anything…
Friends – Phoebe’s Unmitigated Tragedy (that could have been)
https://www.indy100.com/article/friends-theory-phoebe-marta-kauffman-7797051 Spoiler alert!!!!! They’re saying Phoebe was a Crystal Meth addict (and has always been), and the show is basically her biggest, most heartfelt desire projected onto our TV screens. I have no problem whatsoever with this. In fact, I really wish that were the premise of the show. And I can guarantee you that…
Finland vs. Hungary – round 1: compassion
When it comes to the debate of which country to choose – and remember I still haven’t made that commitment – one question that comes up frequently (at least with my Eastern European conversationalists) is, which country is kinder? The idea being, where are people more helpful? I find this impossible to answer if…
hkibp 