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Hungary, the kidney shaped country of Europe, full of sunshine, Vitamin C and paprika, is where we have been calling home for the last semester.

Hungary, the kidney shaped country of Europe, full of sunshine, Vitamin C and paprika, is where we have been calling home for the last semester. Amongst the Hungarians, or as they call themselves, the Magyars, we have been studying the Hungarian language, visiting preschools, learning European history and geography, and crossing our fingers hoping that the river Tisza does not flood this spring.

Szeged, the small city in the South of Hungary, has been a victim of the raging waters of the Tisza River more than once, with the flood of 1879 wiping out most of the town (only 265 of the 5723 houses remained afterwards). Since then, thankfully, the city has been rebuilt and is now where the 12 of us UW-SP students currently study and call home.

Szeged is also known as the City of Sunshine. Because of these rays, it is an ideal place for growing paprika, the famous pepper from which Vitamin C is extracted. Paprika is used to spice virtually every thing, from soups to pasta dish es, including the ever famous Hungarian goulash (com prised of pork, sauerkraut and sour cream). Another of the Hungarian specialty dishes is fish soup, complete with large chunks of the scaly creatures. It is a true Hungarian delight, one that I encourage you to try on your next trip here!

Our semester started out with an action packed trip in Hungary’s largest city, the beautiful Budapest. What once was two cities, Obuda and Pest, they were combined to form the capital of Hungary in 1873. Today, the city boasts many wonderful attractions and historical collections. It is an exquisite example of art nouveau architecture, with many buildings boasting the intricately decorated floral motifs of that time.

Among the other trea sures that Budapest houses is the antiquated Hungarian crown, identifiable by the crooked cross that sits atop it and the mummified hand of St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary.

After Stephen was canon ized, his hand was brought back to Budapest and placed in St. Stephen’s basilica. For a few 100 forints (about 75 cents) you can drop your coins into a slot and the jewel-encrusted box lights up so you can get a good view of the mummified “Holy Right,” as they call it.

Budapest also houses one of the largest synagogues in Europe and a collec tion of ther mal baths that are sure to offer some inter esting mas sages and relaxation techniques. Not only are Hungarians famous for their ther mal baths, but also for their excel lent wines. There are a number of regions within Hungary that specialize in both reds and whites- many of which our group has tested and approved of.

Another Hungarian spe cialty called Palinka, a fruit flavored (very strong) brandy, has been sampled by UW-SP students and deemed a favor ite. Miguel Campos, UW-SP student, when asked his opin ion on the Hungarian con coction stated, “Palinka is the equivalent of America’s 'white lightening.' AKA- moonshine.” In other words, good stuff.

While we have been liv ing amongst the Hungarians and learning about their cul ture and history, we were also invited to share the American culture with our Magyar hosts at the very recently celebrated American Night. American dance music was played at the local Szeged univer sity pub, and American pub games were also taught. Tasty American delicacies were pre pared for the event, including peanut butter and jelly sand wiches, chocolate chip cookies and rice crispy treats. While we were not able to offer rich wines or fish soup, the treats were graciously accepted and gobbled up quickly. The night was deemed a success!

With only one month remaining in the semester, we are trying all the food and palinka we can, and seeing as much of Hungary as possible. One thing is certain, we can all say that we are glad that we didn’t wait to get to Hungary.