A day in Girincs

Girincs is a tiny little village about an hour form my home town. We drove down there this morning to meet up with a nice family from our home church, Jenison Bible Church in Michigan. They came down to Hungary for a couple of days to gather some info and see the birthplace of their grandmother. She was Hungarian and lived in Girincs. I was their interpreter for the day.

A little shopping around

  We had a good day. After breakfast I went out to town to pick up a couple of things. I went to the English second hand shop where all the things are very nice and high quality but the prices are low. I found a couple of Christmas sweaters that fits my belly. I also went to DM, German drug store. All the products are beautiful, good smelling and sparkly. Love it! I got some hair color shampo which washes out in 28 washing. I love it.

Meanwhile the boys were busy.

At the bookstore we did a little reading and buying some Hungarian Angry Birds books for Christmas for Benjamin.

Then we visited our all-time-favorite gyros place. The food is incredible and pretty cheap. Wish I had it in Italy :)

If you see the band-aid on Benjamin's chin, that is covering his open wound which he got when he fell on the stairs on our very first morning here. We rushed to the pediatrician because it was split open pretty bad. But by the time we got there it was already closing up nicely. Fortunately she didn't think it needed stitches. Nice way to start our vacation. 

Not.

Selling SZALONCUKOR or christmas candy at AUCHAN. They are so delicious!! They are basically chocolate covered truffles with different kinds of fillings inside. Flavors I got: chestnut, coconut, cherry rum (alcoholic), marzipan and walnut.

Arrived to Hungary

My eyes popped open at 7 this morning. I got up and started organizing our room. Then I thought I didn't want to wake up the boys so I sat down to write some email instead.

After breakfast we decided to take a little walk in town. We wanted to see the (pretty) newly finished water-fountain square. (The impressive fountains are all covered for the winter)

They are setting up for the Christmas market

Many tasty choices

Lovely park newly finished

The "old Hungary" before Trianon in 1920. After WWII Hungary lost 2/3 of its land and never got it back. 

In front of the Reformed church

I stepped into one of the 9,999 bakeries of our town this morning. I bought six wonderful big pastries with cherries, poppy seeds and apricot jam and I only paid like 2 euro. I love Hungary!! ❤️

The last day

The last day before we are officially on vacation mode. I was with the "little ones" today in Sunday school in church.

Then after lunch we took off for Foggia, a bigger city about an hour south of us. We had a meeting with our mission. It went really well. It was the first time that I spoke in Italian in front of people!! And I even had a mike in my hand!!!!!! Scary stuff.

We got home at around 11pm and decided not to send Benjamin to school tomorrow. It's gonna be a preparation day for our trip on Tuesday. I'm getting so exciiiiited!!! HUNGARY here we come!! Weeee!!!  ;)))))

My secret Christmas list

This is my imaginary Christmas list. Enjoy!

Kepzeletbeli karacsonyi kivansaglistam. Lehet csipegetni. 

1. Solar powered window socket

Turns any window into an outlet

2. Cake cutter and server

3. Spider vacuum

link

4. Hand crank emergency cell phone charger

link

5. Wood dock for iPad, iPod, iPhone

link

6. Instant sanitizing kitchen-wand

Uses 254 nanometer light wave to destroy DNA and cell membranes of all microorganisms

7. Flexible tablet stand

link

8. iPod running bracelet with wireless headphones

link

9. Little Printer

link

10. See What You Print little printer

link

Sickness and Christmas

So here I am after a week still not feeling ANY better. This is one of the worst colds I have ever had. I think. Or at least it certainly seems like it. Ugh.
Egy teljes het betegseg utan meg mindig nem erzem jobban magam. 

On Friday I made these yeast rolls, Hungarian recipe. The best thing about them is that you can fill them with virtually anything you want. Savory to sweet. I stuffed cheese and ham in some of them, Nutella or jam in other ones. They turned out superb of course, as always. Fool proof recipe.
Penteken begyurtam egy adag sajtos kifli tesztat. Az a jo ebben a receptben, hogy sos es edes tolteleket egyarant lehet beletenni. Ugyhogy felet sajtos-sonkasra, masik felet nutellasra vagy lekvarosra csinaltam.

YEAST ROLLS

(Sajtos kifli)

1 dl warm milk

5 dkg live yeast, or a pkg dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

Mix gently and let it be for 5 minutes until the yeast gets foamy. 

Then add

2 eggs

2 dl plain yogurt

1 dl oil

70 dkg flour (more or less)

Knead, form 2 balls. Roll each one out into a circle, cut them up into 16 equal parts. Put filling on them, roll them up, brush with beaten eggs. 

Bake in HOT oven for about 10-12 minutes or until starts goldening on top. 

And here is my belly at 17 weeks. Some days it looks and feels big and full some other days it just looks like I ate too many burritos the night before.
Es itt a pocakom 17 hetesen. Neha nagynak es teltnek erzik es latszik, maskor meg csak mintha tul sok toltott kaposztat ettem volna elozo este...

Repurposing an old cassette case. Works as a perfect stand for my iPod touch.
Regi kazettatok ujrahasznositasa. Tokeletesen jo az iPod-omhoz. 

I gotta say...our tiny little town really did well in decorating for Christmas. They put up so many lights all over town and also a live Christmas tree in front of every little shop on the main street. Each shop decorates the tree as they want. The result: beautiful variety of colors, lights and decorations. Love it!
Meg kell mondjam...pottom kis varosunk igazan kitett magaert az iden a karacsonyi diszitest illetoen. Fenyek mindenhol, sot minden egyes kis uzlet ele elo karacsonyfat allitottak kulonbozo fenyekkel, szinekkel es diszekkel. Nagyon szep!!

Little Christmas market set up in front of Benjamin's school to raise money for each different classes. I made little christmasy cloth gift bags to sell and benefit Benjamin's class.
Kis karacsonyi vasar Benike iskolaja elott. Minden bevetel az iskola javara megy. En is beszalltam es keszitettem egy tucat karacsonyi vaszon ajandektasakot eladasra. 

20 things I miss from Hungary

It's official!!! We are going home to Hungary for the holidays!!!

Yay! We haven't been home for Christmas for 8 years!

Husband just left for Italian school and we are experiencing a little bit of a crisis with Benjamin, major meltdown over homework.  SO I put him in bed for a little nap, or to just calm him down I don't know. He still makes such a drama most afternoons about doing homework. You would think he'd get used to the thought eventually...but it is yet to happen, sadly. First he started crying about homework, then because he didn't want his covers on, then because he just remembered that a mosquito bit him in school...oh boy.

Anyway, I'm gonna use these few minutes while I wait for him to reminesce about Hungary a little bit. I put on some tea, 

    

Michael Buble is quietly singing about a wonderful Christmas day and I am taken back...back...into a magical world....called HOME. 

20 things (out of the many) I miss from Hungary

1. Snow [Ho]

2. Turo Rudi

 

3. Christmas truffles [Szaloncukor]

We put it on the Christmas tree as a decoration then we eat it. Flavors: chestnut, coconut, chocolate, marzipan, jelly... 

Felrakjuk a karacsonyfara, aztan megesszuk. Egyszeru. 

4. Riding the public transportation [tomegkozlekedes]

5. Poppy seed pastry [makos retes]

6. Cherry preserves [meggybefott]

7. Paper shops [papirboltok]

8. Bookstores [konyvesboltok]

9. Kifli

10. Curd [turo]

11. Curd balls [turogomboc]

12. Christmas markets [karacsonyi vasarok]

13. Speaking Hungarian [magyarul beszelni]

14. Marka soda [Marka meggyes "kola"]

15. Kuki

16. Efendi middle-eastern restaurant in my town

[Efendi etterem Debrecenben]

17. Poppy seeds [mak]

18. Strawberry yogurt tea [joghurtos eper tea]

19. Riding the bike everywhere [biciklizes]

20. Grandma's baking [mama sutemenyei]