In retrospect, would you move again to Hungary?

One thing i dislike about Hungary is that they show almost all USA sports! I never thought that would be the case! We did not watch NFL, NBA or NHL in the USA so it is annoying that they are on here. More Hungarians at the bars talk about NFL than they do British Premier League or Bundeslegia. Many times Hungarians will say "I watch NFL you should also".  Hungarians really love USA things which is annoying as many things i did not like about USA they really embrace greatly here.

I have not seen this to be so strong in other European countries i have been too.

Felicia, love your new photo!

I don't watch American sports preferring futball. Luckily, it's easy to find matches.
;-)

fluffy2560 wrote:

USA ...  are pretty bad at small high performance diesels.

Given the VW emissions scandal, it appears so are the Germans. 

In other words, it is not that the USA is "bad" at these types of engines, but rather these types of engines usually can not pass the more strict EPA emission requirements (without additives) -- no matter who makes them. So American engine manufacturers simply do not bother spending R&Đ money trying to be top in this market.

My reference to vehicle designs was only in relation to racing. I know they have F1 but  most of their classes of car racing are unique to USA.

America is force over finesse. It's assembly line McDonald's over precision meals.
It's all you can eat buffets over one exquisite portion. Quantity over quality.
McMansion housing over right-sized housing.
America is extremes.
Nascar -- A bunch of over-tuned cars doing circles for 200 laps.
F1 - Engineering marvels with twists and turns.

It's not that the Americans are less impressive, but they are impressive and successful for different reasons.  Some prefer one type, some the other, both are great strategies.

Only in a very few areas would anyone admire the American system in its entirety. And only with a few caveats would everyone else say the European way could not be improved upon. It's a great yin and yang...

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

USA ...  are pretty bad at small high performance diesels.

Given the VW emissions scandal, it appears so are the Germans. 

In other words, it is not that the USA is "bad" at these types of engines, but rather these types of engines usually can not pass the more strict EPA emission requirements (without additives) -- no matter who makes them. So American engine manufacturers simply do not bother spending R&Đ money trying to be top in this market.

Haha, touché. 

Glossing over that small anomaly in Germany engineering.....let's move on....

Actually there ARE plenty of diesels around in the USA, they are just great lumps in trucks and industrial equipment.  None of them have the finesse (to use the phrase from other posters) that the smaller diesels in Europe have.  And emissions can be controlled these days - Euro standards have particulate filters.   I've had plenty of diesel cars (including one right now) and I've also got a US car with a big petrol lump in it with California emissions package in it.  Which one is better up the autopalya?  The diesel of course - it's small engine capacity, faster, quieter, more fuel efficient, better handling and has considerably better performance - higher torque etc.  Doesn't handle like an armchair on the end of a spring.

As for NFL, pffff....surely this has to be a joke. I don't know anyone here playing USA "football" let alone watching it.  Everyone is playing real football (erroneously termed "soccer").  NFL is just not anyone's radar .....surely?

fluffy2560 wrote:

diesels around in the USA .....
As for NFL, pffff....surely this has to be a joke.

Annnnnnd ..... going over the off topic cliff. So moved reply to:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 14#3611820

Without a shadow of doubt!!

Toby

We're moving to HU this summer. I have sold up in UK and we have an apartment (v small) in Bp and a large property in Kapolcs which will be our main base. Really going to miss England and Tunbridge Wells; the shops, the availability of good food and produce, the pubs, the landscape, the language.....we will come back to visit but it's not the same. We plan to have a trip each month to look forward to even if it is a weekend at Héviz, a night in Vienna or a longer trip to Croatia. We have great friends in Kapolcs with dual nationality so English is spoken and my Hungarian is now to the level where I can make myself understood (mainly) but that means the locals think I will understand everything they say back to me!
So, would I move to Hungary again? Ask me in 5 years time!

Yes I think the missing your home country is something that creeps up on people. I'm fortunate that I still have a home in the uk and return frequently.

If you are living here maybe study hungarian. We will not accomodat to foreigners, foreigners should accomodate to us.

Tomi HU wrote:

If you are living here maybe study hungarian. We will not accomodat to foreigners, foreigners should accomodate to us.

That's a bit black and white.

Hungary (and many other places) has been invaded by many groups over the years and as is  always the case in these matters, the  invaders and the invaded inevitably  have a cultural exchange, modifying both groups.  And the same occurs for people visiting.

Why not embrace the good parts?

I agree it's a cultural exchange. This is an expat site and members do get nostalgic about their original country and it is natural to miss familiar things and ways of operating. I also appreciate things that are better here  such as the cheaper public transport system.

Tomi HU :
If you are living here maybe study hungarian. We will not accomodat to foreigners, foreigners should accomodate to us.

This type of attitude is what makes expats NOT enjoy Hungary! Anyway that is here should respect the culture and people this it totally agree with! But anyone living here is doing whatever things that are required to legally live in Hungary so it is wrong for Huns to expect an expat to beg or bow to them. My father and i are here due to meeting the legal means to live here every single of our usd goes to help Hungary and we get no welfare or handouts which i feel is true of many other expats so all of us here does help the country. IF Huns really dislike expats then vote in different people that will make it illegal for expats to live here!

That said do i miss my home country, usa? NO!

As i said many of the things i do dislike about Hungary is it simlar culture and social things to the USA. People have some of the same attitudes and prejudices in the same way as i saw in usa so that has been a dower. But on the other hand it is something we are used too so it makes it easier to get around. he hee

Would i move to Hungary again? Yes Moving to Hungary serves a purpose.

FeliciaOni wrote:

.... IF Huns really dislike expats then vote in different people that will make it illegal for expats to live here!
....

Hit the nail on the head there Felicia. 

But why not expand that out to any and all foreigners, refugees and asylum seekers or in fact anyone and then apply de-humanisation manipulation techniques to ensure political gain and create a wave of nationalism.  Sound familiar? 1930s Germany?  2017 USA?

I'd say the TomiHU (the OP) has been reading too many HU newspapers and reading too many street posters.

I am glad we moved here for various reasons.
Not sure if I will live out my last days here or not but that's just my nature, we change our lifestyles every decade or so.
My husband is Hungarian so that was the no. one reason that Hungary even came to mind as a retirement place for us.
I personally am getting a bit tired of the city life .We will either buy in a more quiet place in Hungary or just move back to the US for good.
Still up in the air with that, can buy here for a fraction of what our city apt. cost us but to our minds money doesn't matter, why have a nice place and not be around your lived ones?
Perhaps our son will move back to HU someday, he is a citizen of Hungary and we wouldn't mind leaving him a little something over here for his old age.
Hard to make long term plans though, never know what can happen next week let alone in a decade or longer.
Yesterday the nurse told me to not even bother to learn Hungarian when I told her I should learn, not sure  why she said that to me. Perhaps it is becoming a more one world in every way, one language on the planet in the future? Hope not that would be boring.
Actually I almost want to move out to a small village so I would be "forced" to learn Hungarian better. In some ways I enjoy not really knowing what is going on, get to live in my own bubble where things are good all the time.
I also have family roots here as well as my husband's side of the family, I feel it is my natural homeland in some ways even if I am always looked at as a outsider.
I leave all major changes in my husbands hands, without him I probably would run home to the US in a min where I have family still living.To me being around family is more important then where I am actually living on the planet.

"If you are living here maybe study hungarian. We will not accomodat to foreigners, foreigners should accomodate to us."

I accept the fundamental point, immigrants should integrate.
However it should also be recognised that expats do (& so they should)  contribute, particularly economically & socially.

Studying Hungarian (which we are) is part of that process but fortunately it is recognised by most Hungarians as being difficult. Living in the city many Hungarians do speak English & when they can they frequently insist on doing so, often so that they can practice a language that will take them anywhere in the world or at the very least help them in their careers.  We have noticed that our (limited) use of Hungarian is highly appreciated, even though it is not expected, as we are, by sight obviously English!

We must also remember that the original comment mirrors much of the brexit sentiment commonly expressed in the UK - so we should not be surprised when, just occasionally, it comes back the other way!

Having said all that I have to emphasise that our experience with Hungarians has been completely delightful, in every circumstance.

LiveinBuda wrote:

"If you are living here maybe study hungarian. We will not accomodat to foreigners, foreigners should accomodate to us."



Studying Hungarian (which we are) is part of that process but fortunately it is recognised by most Hungarians as being difficult. Living in the city many Hungarians do speak English & when they can they frequently insist on doing so, often so that they can practice a language that will take them anywhere in the world or at the very least help them in their careers. ........obviously English!

Does it actually help  that they recognise their language is difficult? One of the biggest problems I found when I was trying to learn Hungarian was that people seemed unable or unwilling to try and make sense of my imperfect pronunciation. In some cases the sound I was making seemed to me identical to how I had heard a word pronounced by Hungarians but they still did not understand me. My experience with people who do know a bit of English has generally been quite different to yours. Far from being eager to practice their English they usually try to hide their understanding of the language but will change to speaking English if they think they will get some personal gain, such as a sales commission. I realise Budapest is quite different to other parts of Hungary so it is to be expected that our experiences will differ. I don't think British people look much different to Hungarians so I'm not sure how they are identified before they speak!

A little bit cynical I think. If you work in a sales environment your job is to sell and your pay depends on it. If by speaking a foreign language you can help that process fair enough - although most of us would normally prefer to converse in our native language.

I can usually spot the English a kilometre off!

LiveinBuda wrote:

...
We must also remember that the original comment mirrors much of the brexit sentiment commonly expressed in the UK - so we should not be surprised when, just occasionally, it comes back the other way!

Having said all that I have to emphasise that our experience with Hungarians has been completely delightful, in every circumstance.

Really?   Not everyone voted for Brexit on the basis of being anti-foreigner if that's what you meant.  That's certainly not the case at all.  A large significant portion voted for other reasons. UK has always had a long history of immigration and has been diverse forever - even the Vikings settled down there.

I wasn't allowed to vote myself - been away too long - but if I had voted, I probably would have voted for Brexit simply on the grounds of not liking the way the EU operates.

In my line of work, I meet with some of these people regularly and without over generalising, they are not the sharpest knives in the drawers. As for policy...pfff...what policy?  For some of them, it's just a massive gravy train.

And they do some really stupid stuff.  Look at the Schengen passport check nonsense going on now! Queues of 4+ hours.

Not all the HU people are delightful (e.g. Mrs Fluffy and the Fluffyettes) but most of them are perfectly ok and normal (exception: politicians).  But the key is language knowledge.  If you can communicate, then it works fine but that's the same anywhere in the world.

I didn't say everyone voted for brexit due to an anti foreigner sentiment. I have also worked with EU people (that's how I first came to Hungary) & found them highly progressive, effective & hard working, putting much of the British contingent to shame.

Actually lots of UK people are hardworking, progressive and effective. Myself included. There is good and bad in all societies and we can all learn new ways and attitudes from each other.
I don't know how this thread turned into a slagging  match. All societies have their preferences and we should respect that.

I have been lived in UK, Germany, Russia. I speak russian, german , english. It is difficult for me as a Hungarian to learn other languages.

I'm sorry, but this is my country, my culture. You are a guest. If I visit the USA, I speak English when in Germany, then in German, if in Russia, then in Russian. Americans think that they should be as foreign as they are in the USA. Most of the Hungarians are against the American lifestyle. Hungary is not an African colony. We do not live here to serve the expats. If you live here, feel good, become a useful member of the Hungarian society.

Tomi HU wrote:

I'm sorry, but this is my country, my culture. You are a guest. If I visit the USA, I speak English when in Germany, then in German, if in Russia, then in Russian. Americans think that they should be as foreign as they are in the USA. Most of the Hungarians are against the American lifestyle. Hungary is not an African colony. We do not live here to serve the expats. If you live here, feel good, become a useful member of the Hungarian society.

Actually it's not your "culture", There is no specific base HU culture.  Like everywhere else, it's just a bunch of other cultures which have been absorbed over the centuries to form what you see now.  I say, embrace the change and enjoy it.

Move to the village, no one speaks in English, you will soon learn in Hungarian. Deep Water :-)) Yes, it's a difficult language, but it's a challenge to learn.

LiveinBuda wrote:

I didn't say everyone voted for brexit due to an anti foreigner sentiment. I have also worked with EU people (that's how I first came to Hungary) & found them highly progressive, effective & hard working, putting much of the British contingent to shame.

No, I know you didn't say that.  I also came to Hungary through another organisation similar to the EU.  I am thankful I didn't come with the EU - all too small scale and small minded.  I prefer them to stick to something useful than try and muddle through on underfunded and underscoped projects.

As for the British, if you look at other international organisations and elsewhere, the British are everywhere.  We've always exported our expertise overseas. Not all countries have those work practices.

Tomi HU wrote:

Most of the Hungarians are against the American lifestyle. Hungary is not an African colony. We do not live here to serve the expats. If you live here, feel good, become a useful member of the Hungarian society.

Many? Some? Most? expats are not interested in personally adopting a Hungarian lifestyle. This web site is not a political site. We expats are not at this web site to serve non-expats. If you comment here, feel welcome, and try to become a useful member of the expat community.

Just showing how anything can go both ways, and that anger and commanding people to conform unilaterally under your terms is not really useful, helpful or sociable. There are better ways to, let me say, *nudge* some expats toward seeing things more internationally.

After all, being a good host also helps make for better guests.