The adjustment to village life has not been so difficult but I have found the quiet that exists in this small village to be both comforting and alarming. There are no sirens going by, no trains, and only the occasional car or bus or tractor that passes down the street in Magyarmecske. In many ways, a welcome calm. There are cocks crowing randomly throughout the day and if you walk around you will see chickens pecking in people’s yards, likely hear geese and ducks honking and quacking, the occasional pig snorting, sheep baaing, and dogs barking. All welcoming sounds of life. But at many points during the day there seems to be an absolute quiet--in the house, in the garden, walking along the road, or near the fields. Just Quiet. Now this is the part that is sometimes alarming to me and makes me never want to go anywhere alone. But I think it is something that I will just get used to.
Magyarmecske
During the day there is usually some kind of group of people gathered in front of the small store talking, but other than the animals, the occasional group, bus, or car, there is not a whole lot going on. There is also not a whole lot to “do” in the village. In all the places I’ve lived there has always been something to “do” on the weekend, usually meaning going to a store, going to a restaurant, sporting event, ect., basically participating in some kind of commerce. If you think of these as the only things as something to “do,” then there is nothing to “do” here in Magyarmecske on the weekend. The store closes at noon on Saturday and isn’t open on Sunday (as is also the case with many things in Pecs), so get your shopping done early, and after that there is the library (which hasn’t provided me with too much happiness yet, other than being in the presence of so many books, since I can’t understand enough at this point), and the “bar,” which I am avoiding...
With some of the girls who live in Magyarmecske
Kitti (2nd grader) we made a jack-o-lantern
So if I am not on my way to Pecs on a Saturday morning, I have had to find new ways of “doing,” which has involved a variety of things from playing with children in the village to helping someone with English to just hanging out with Livia and Simon to reading or having a few friends come over. Whether I am with Livia and Simon, with children or families from the village, or even enjoying some quiet time alone, I have found the pace of life to be much slower and simpler, and have had to find more seemingly quiet ways to “do” things. This has been fine and in some ways has relieved a kind of pressure to always be doing something or going somewhere.
Sometimes we play poker...
And Sirius wishes he could play too...
In the same way that slowing down has helped to relieve some pressures, living here for these first few months has also made me appreciate and think back even more fondly on when I was living in Cambridge and could just walk down to Porter, Harvard, or Davis Square, meet some friends at a café, sit for hours just talking, or head into Boston or some other neighborhood and just explore, always being in the midst of many people, cars, buses, and trains. But one thing about living in the city that I really missed was the stars. Some nights it would be somewhat clear, but many times there would be that city light ambiance, blocking the vibrancy that the stars have. One night as I was walking with some other people down the street in Gilvanfa I looked up and was struck by the stars. I realized how infrequently I actually look up at the night sky and was happy to be able to experience such a clear black sky with so many stars dotting the canvas.
Hanging out in Gilvanfa
Before I close my entry on village life I think something must also be said about village gossip. Word spreads quickly. Especially via teenagers. I don't have much of a gauge on what people think about us, especially in Magyarmecske, but I know that the people in Gilvanfa (with whom we are closest to) are quick to find out about our every move. For example one Saturday Livia and I bought boots in Pecs with one of our new friends from Gilvanfa and on Monday when we were at school and again in Gilvanfa after school all the girls knew that we had bought boots and wanted to see them. People here are also very up front about asking how much something costs and it seems that anyone and everyone will ask you how much something you bought cost, as well as ask you how much money you make, ect. This was kind of startling at first, coming from a place where people are usually private when it comes to money. But such is the life here!
So the village ends up being both a blessing and a curse, but for the most part a good place to be, a new experience, and a new way of "being."
Simon!
Livia!
That's me!
My parents sent me a package with a great Halloween mask, little spider, and little turkey (the spider and turkey both make sounds!). Simon, Livia, and I modeling the mask!
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