My Hungarian Family

Erszi's younger son, Zoltan, & Girlfriend; Erszi's older son, Tibor

Erszi's Home, where we will stay

Erszi, Kitty, Mrs. Nagy

I can hardly believe how the time has passed since I started this blog! I started at 66 days and counting, and here I am at 25 days!!

I am still reading on the internet about the places we will be visiting, the customs of each country,etc. Grandaughter, Allie, and I are learning some Hungarian words. I am totally amazed that a 5 year old can absorb a new language like she does. I wish she could go with us! I wish Brody could go, also, because he has always been interested in history, and I know he would be amazed at the sights of Europe. Allie has asked, on 3 occasions, when I was going to give her the "map" of her family so she and her Mom and Dad could fill in the names (Family Tree Chart). So, I finally printed her a copy yesterday. I filled in some of it, with her help, to get her started. Of course, her Dad will have to help her with his side of the "tree". He's probably going to just LOVE his mother-in-law for that one!!

I've been going back and reading the emails I've received from my Hungarian family, over the past year, and I decided to add some of the pictures they've sent me, to our blog. Now you can put a face with the names I've been mentioning in my posts! Well, some faces, anyway... some of my emailed pics were not clear enough after I posted them, so I had to delete them from the blog. (Sorry Sanyi and Krisztina!). Also, each time I add a picture I never know where it's going to appear! :0) Sometimes I can move them around, and sometimes, not. Obviously, I still need to learn some things about posting pics to my blog. So if my blog pics are EVERYWHERE on my posts from Europe, don't be surprised!

I'm not sure, but I think my package has arrived at Erszi's home. Sometimes it is hard for me to understand the emails from Hungary because their sentence structure is different than ours, and we use words, in translation, that end up meaning different things than we intended. In Erszi's email, she says, "We have got your package on Monday, 6th of April 2009. We have not paid for it. We see you in our home gladly without gifts too." I hope she means they received the package, there was no customs fee, and we would have been welcome without sending gifts. I have emailed her back and asked specifically where the package is located, but haven't heard from her yet. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Here are a few more lines from Erszi's email, just to give you an idea of what I mean:

I hope that you will have a perpetual experience.

I hope that we can spend the time with you meaty and rich of programs.

I hope also that you will find our dishes fine because I think the Hungarian kitchen is very good.

From the looks of one of the pictures I wasn't able to post, we won't be losing any weight while we are in Rabapatona!! Evidently, the family was having a dinner, and the table was beautiful and full! Tablecloth, real plates (not paper like our house!), real wine and water glasses (not styrofoam like our house!), and platters full of all kinds of food!! Wayne and I are definitely going to have to watch our manners!! Allie and I have learned the word for "good"...Jo' (pronounced Yo), but I can't find a word for "yummy"!! Guess we can just rub our tummies and smile.

Happy Easter to everyone! We will be at Wayne's Mom & Dad's for Easter dinner and egg hunt. I'm sure we will have a very full and delicious table there, also, but it will be paper plates and styrofoam cups!! We are such "lazy Americans" in some ways!! But certainly not in all ways!