New members of the Hungary forum, introduce yourself here – 2016

Hi,
I am French, 66 year old, residing in Hungary, since 2005 and would like to know French people from Budapest, having contacts in Austria, Slovakia....telling one technical project of cruising hovercraft, to serve as a river taxi on Danube. Interested by sponsors, also.

Hello everyone!

Am Patrick from Ghana. I am currently in the process of applying to the FAO/Hungary scholarship to pursue MSc. Agric. Biotechnology in Godollo (Northeast of Budapest).

While it will be an honour and pleasure to experience life outside Ghana; and in a land am already getting fascinated about, am quite skeptical about being a total alien in Hungary....This is the reason for joining this group....Really hoping you guys help me out.

Thank you. Counting on your consideration.

We will try to  help you if we can, good luck with your new adventure in Hungary.

Hi Patrick,
Foreigners. Touchy subject. Tough to forecast the minds of people you haven't met yet.

You have something going in your favour, your English is very good!

Hungary's younger generations seem to be more open minded, have travelled to different parts of the world and know and understand different cultures and traditions.

What I find in most places in the world, stereotypes go out the window when you meet people first hand, introduce yourself, build relationships, and get to know individuals.

EXAMPLE, us living in France; I hardly ever meet garlic smelling Frenchmen wearing berets, scarf loosely around the neck flapping in the breeze, casually riding their bike through our village, sporting a blue and white striped nautical shirt with a baguette under arm, OH and he's heckling women passing by in a strong Toulousain accent. If I get two stereotypes together it is a lucky day indeed!

France is know as a xenophobic society, and we were warned by many, that we would never be accepted, would always be outsiders, but here we (Hungarian/Canadian family) are strongly rooted in our tiny French village and loved. It is not always easy, and yes we experience prejudice from some long standing locals from time to time, but there are all kinds of people in this world. We remain true to who we are. Open, loving, learning people. 

You cannot always believe the media. Try not to let outside influence make up your mind for you before you arrive.

MY ADVICE is to enjoy the food, enjoy the culture, learn the history, understand where these people have come from, and while you are at university learning about agriculture, don't forget why you are there. Education.  And on a scholarship no less! You must be a smart kid.

And that will be your common ground. Hungarians respect intelligence.

Good luck!
Eva

Thank you Marilyn....

Hi Eva!,

I had a broad smile lining up from far-west to far-east across my face whilst reading your message to me. You are good with words apparently. I appreciate the time taken to write back to me...I really loved reading it.

I would keep your advice to heart. Earnestly looking forward to life and education in Hungary.

Stay safe and stay blessed.

Warm regards!
Patrick.

Hi everybody. My name is Zsolt Kotró and I am a Hungarian house painter and decorator .

Hi all,
My name is Santana, my partner  an i (and 3 grandkids ) have been giving some thought to moving to Hungary as our UK landlord lives there on an off but soon to be permanent he would like us to join him out there.
Any advice on what  is needed e.g do we have to have so much money etc.
My partner whilst there last august with the grandkids did find a property she liked.
look forward to hearing from you

If your moving to Hungary from the UK it shouldn't be too difficult since the biggest hassle is immigration services.
As a EU member those for the UK don't have to go through that at least.
Money of course is good to have anywhere but the UK is only a few hour flight away so lucky you.
There seems to be allot of ex pats from the UK living in Hungary.
Grandkids living with you in Hungary though may be a different story with schools and language.
Schools for foreign speaking children are on the pricey side.
Putting them into school in Hungary will be a bit rough on them as classes are held in Hungarian.
They may fall back with their schooling and get frustrated.
Home schooling may be something to think about.

What a fabulous idea! Hungary is far cheaper than so many other countries to live and your retirement money can stretch farther.
We are considering money back as well with our children and we are looking at the French immersion school. We are from Canada but are living in Capestang France and the kids are being educated here and I would want to continue. 500€ per month it costs per student and I think the second has a slight discount. Makes it far more affordable than the 1000€-1500€ counterparts in the International sector; American and British Private Schools. But it is very important, because what kind of future does the Hungarian language have, although it is a shame because my entire family speaks Hungarian as we are of Hungarian descent. 

We are going back in May to explore the idea further and to visit the schools and looking at properties close to the French school to rent at first and buy later.

What are your plans for housing?

Hi Everyone,
My name is Don and I live in NYC.  I will be retiring in 4 or 5 years and am seriously thinking about establishing residency in Budapest.  I have been there several time and love the feel of the city, have no desire to retire in a "sun and sand" locale, and believe my retirement dollars will go farther in Budapest then, most certainly, New York, NY.  Anyone with any input on retiring in Budapest, establishing residency, your experiences etc. would very much be appreciated.

Allot of things can change in 4 or 5 years as one ages.
Just stay healthy, I can tell you from experience, it is no fun to get older and find yourself in a hospital where no  one will speak to you in your language. Hurt, depressed and under what feels like attack.
Just one issue, stay healthy.
Another is politics prices etc. can change in 4 years time.
Just keep an eye on what is going on in HU food prices seem to be rising and slowly everything is costing more.
By the time you retire and buy a home in HU or rent, you may find even what seemed like a good retirement income being eaten up by risings costs.
We retired early, very early in HU, just live for now on my husbands SS income, when I receive my SS monthly we may move away from HU for the sun and warmer weather, as one ages, honestly the warmer weather makes those old bones feel so much better, the long grey chilly winter months in HU get dull if you don't make plans to escape during the winters.
I suppose it does depend on what your used to though, I am from Cal and lived for years in Hawaii, I do miss the sun and surf.
Lived in HU now a good 10 years off and on, seen allot here but do know that overall aging in HU is a drag, people and activities are not geared for the retired, we went to a few senior events with older local Hungarians and they might as well of been sleeping, just not much to offer if you are an active senior. You must speak HU or you will find yourself alone with time on your hands.
Don't misunderstand me, HU is beautiful  but visiting and living somewhere are totally different experiences.
I mean seriously, I moved away from Maui. Different locals for different times in ones life, would die to live on Maui now, was boring as  a youth, now it seems just perfect.
I personally think you should rent if you do retire here, if you should pass away it is somewhat of a hassle to leave property as a foreigner to relations living outside of HU.
We own property in HU, my husband is a HU citizen and so is our son. Son lives in the US and it would be more of a hassle for him to care for this flat then if we sell and just leave him cash.
He has no interest in ever living in HU again.
My husband knows people in HU for over 60 years, they have changed and so has he, don't expect to find many friends in HU if you are old, most older HU do not wish to go to concerts, dance to rock music or do anything that might make the neighbors question their sanity.
In other words it is not easy to be a individual here as the society has preconceived ideas of how older people should act, mostly they don't want to see you,reminds them that they will age too.
Better to live around other active fun seniors then to be the old people down the street.
This is probably why in the US at least most older people tend to live in communities together.
In HU most, not all but most older people are repressed and care more about what the neighbors think about them then caring about enjoying themselves, most grew up in a totally different political times and are used to keeping themselves to themselves.

Maybe this is contentious but as a member of the over sixties club I have noticed that I am far more young at heart, and seeking new social experiences than my Hungarian contemporaries. To me they seem old before their time.
However one good thing is that you can go out wearing any old rag in this country and nowadays I never have to stretch beyond smart casual wear.
I am sure just that will save me a fortune in the long run.

The deal is Ann, most men over age 65 in HU are either long time married, drunks who live on the streets or taking up space in the graveyard.
There seems to be more older ladies then older men in HU.
Since we have lived in HU 5 of my husbands old buddies died, 3 from booze habits. They were all a couple years younger then my husband and single at the time of their deaths.
Of course there has to be a few older single men still kicking it in Hungary but they are few and far between.
I tell my husband that if I should check out early,he is a HOT commodity in Hungary, cute, owns property, has income from the US and rarely if ever drinks, can dance the classics like nobody and is smart as well.
Dang, I had better make sure I take my vitamins,don't want to leave him alone for those old cougars!!!
I know you have the energy of a person half your age don't often find people over 60 in HU that want to get out there and mix it up.
We went to several senior dances a couple years back with our elderly HU neighbor.
The older men were outnumbered about 8 to one, I don't do those classic dances and just love to watch my husband dance with a  partner who also can dance well.
After a while I had to force him to rest, those old ladies were wearing him out.
poor gals, had to dance with each other, just not enough older men around.

Yes both the men and the women seem to be old before their time. I have made quite a few Hungarian friends who are forty and under. Also in the international community you do find a lot of people who are broadening there horizons by travel. Young or old if people want to sit at home and watch tv that is there prerogative or preference but that lifestyle bores me to death. It exists in many countries. For example when I lived two minutes walk from a beautiful beach in Dorset my landlady at the time told me she had not visited the beach for four years.

Yes, we have friends who live in Honolulu who have not gone to the beach in years, too busy trying to pay the bills to enjoy where they are living.

Hi!
My name is Erika.
I speak enough Hungarian to get me by but it's hard to keep up living in California with no family.

My parents were both from Hungary and my mother passed in 1993 and my father passed in 2009. My father had a house in Hungary and I am finally in the process of getting it on the market and taking care of his personal items. It's been a tough process since I can only read at a very basic level and not really write. Even English legal words are hard to understand.

Glad I found this group. I love Hungary and wish I had a lifestyle where I could visit more.

Thank you in advance for the help!
~Erika

I'm Annie.  I am an English Teacher just north of Budapest.

Hello

I am Fekadu from Ethiopia,currently living in Miskolc,Hungary . In Hungary I am attending as a research student in Miskolc university in the field  of materials engineering . Now I am seeking a job to work as a part time  worker in Hungary. My profession is Textile engineering but I can also work any kind of  job that does not require any professional experience . 
  Thank you in advance for the help!
  Fekadu

Hello! I hope you are all well. I will make this as brief as possible. I'm a US citizen and have a BIG mixed family ethic background. I graduated from University Of Wales. I'm a 26 year young ironman passionate lover - marathons, ultra and so forth.

I've been to over 25 countries and lived in 6 so far. I am teaching English in Kuwait (Yes you must all say money is better there) but to be honest I never made money my motivator with the aspirations I hold high in my life, money isn't the frist priority as long as I make enough to live decent, nothing luxury I am looking for.

I'm single and I am about to embark on a rather different journey, having lived in Sweden for more than half a year and in Poland - I somehow love Europe/eastern europe for many reasons I cannot explain here.

I may get a teaching job in Hungary with paid accomodation and work permit done and health insurance with a salary between 600-800 I believe USD.

Out of curiosity can I live decently? I understand it all depends on ones expenditure but nevertheless there are always critics and then some positive people out in the world. I'd appreciate the positive yet realism! Thanks!


Yours Sincerely, Malik.

Having paid accommodation makes everything else affordable.

That was a short yet effective reply. Thanks ann!

Nice idea you have over there.  Give it a try.

Greetings for all expats in Hungary !

I am Magdi an experienced and licensed private tour guide in Budapest.

Hi, I'm new here. I'm currently living in Poland but considering moving to Hungary. Need some time to think it over. Wish me luck!

Nice. good luck

You made a good decision ! Good luck !

I would like to thank you for allowing me to become a member of your expat community.

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to expat.com but not to Budapest. My circle of friends has drastically dwindled and it's high time to make some new acquaintances. I'm 53 years old but don't let that scare you off; I look younger and I'm young at heart. Drop me a line.
Grant

Hi Erika,
My name is Jim. My wife Valentyna and I live in the Santa Barbara, CA area and are seriuosly considering moving to the Zala area in the spring. Keszthely or Hefiz. Where are you in CA and are familiar with Zala? Thanks!

Well I thought I was tesponding to a post but I guess not!! Now Im responding to myself! Anyone with info on Bskaton, contact me please. Thanx!

Hi I'm a charter boat captain from Key West,Fla.,been here a year in Szekesfehervar,speak hungarian fluently and travel to BP. often,sometimes on my bike.

Hi Grant

Let's not discuss age!

We're planning on moving to the Hefiz/Keszthely area in the spring. Are you near? I'm certain we'll visit BP after we get settled.

Jim

Hi all !

this is Alex, planning to have some working adventure in Budapest. in this regard, any not trivial suggestion is welcome.
I also wanted to ask: is there any kind of craiglist in hungarian where to search for houses, language classes, etc...?

Thanks!
Alex

Hi my name is Peter
I am a native English speaking guy from Sunny Essex, England. I moved to a small village just north of Szob called Ipolydamásd which is on the Hungarian Slovakian border on the great Danube bend at the beginning of April of last year some 19 months ago. The village boasts a lovely river that passes the back of the town to this is the back end of a river covering 144 miles along the slovaikian Hungarian border as it soon joins to the Danube at Szob. And is a great place for walking and Canoeing.
My decision to stay away from Budapest would soon change as I met my wonderful Girlfriend in April this year it was not long till I found myself spending more time with her and less time in the north as I moved in with her. We live in the east of the city just around the corner to Árkád shopping centre. great for going shopping at Ikea. Hehe.
I moved here to set up a small Business of teaching Outdoor education teaching Kayaking and Canoeing, Archery Teambuilding walking and Survival skills. So if anyone wants to do any of these activities then let me know as I am always looking for like-minded people to do these things with for fun.
As part of my past history before teaching outdoor education. I use to teach jujitsu. Part of the teaching the art of self-defence meant I started to go in to a state of mind called ZEN state which means that you are more spiritually aware of people I was defending myself from an I wanted to know more about it, leading me into in the Spiritual side of it all, the yin and yang.
l soon was looked at the world of Reiki, and was hooked. I Became a level 2 therapist and soon started up a small business of going around treating people. I was already teaching and helping people to grow so thought this was a natural step for me to take.
I was soon treating people with all sorts of problems from: emotional, mental to Physical sport injuries. As well as people who just want to relax without the physical part of a massage. It was an amazing time to see the difference in people and the changes in their lives
I am looking into going back into the world of Reiki open up therapy sessions here for anyone that wants to have Reiki done in Budapest. For those people who wanting a bit of me time. Unblocking Chakras and giving people more energy to deal with life.

We I mean me and my better half often go out in Budapest as it is such a wonderful city have a meal a walk around and share a lot of first times together. We also meet up with different groups from InterNations as we are both members. It is a good way to meet a lot of multi-national expats. There is so many groups and events I would recommend joining to anyone that wants to socialise and have fun.

Well welcome it all sounds good.  I trained in reiki on the south coast uk and I do miss the monthly reiki share sessions that practitioners  set up and attended.  Kept it all alive for me.
Like you I spend some time in the countryside and some time in budapest.
Regards Anns

Hello
there is a reiki share on wednesday nights not far from me about 5 min away. starts at 5:30 till 7:30. in the city if you are ever around this way
Reguards
      Peter

Hello everyone! I am Jaycel from the Philippines and I have this plan of moving to Hungary for academic purposes. I am planning to do my PhD in Hungary, I am currently finishing my master's degree here in the Philippines on Population Studies. For now, I would like to meet people from Hungary so I could ask around and avoid so much culture shock. I believe that this site could help me a lot in my journey. I am also looking for good scholarship offers in universities in Hungary, I have heard from a friend that there are universities in Hungary which are open to students like me. I also have a special friend from Hungary who is one of the reasons why I wanted to take up my PhD in the said country. He was the one who actually found this site for me. Looking forward to meet people from here. I would love to meet Filipinos from here, too. Thank you and see you around


Cheers,
Jaycel