Budapest I

March 14 - March 19 Lotte in Budapest

I was visiting Hungary to teach Lindy Hop. It was a great trip, with lots of nice dances and lovely people (3 American teachers plus me, 2 Finish students on exchange and everyone else Hungarian) in a beautiful city! Here are some stories.

In this first photo I am having lunch. Very tasty pancakes and a huge cup of ice tea :) I just remember the man who sold them to me. Well, I remember his hands really. His hands were small with big fingers that looked like they had done hard labour all their life, because they were not the frail pink colour of many unlaboured hands in the world. Those hands rolled up the tiny thin pancakes.

My American friends could not believe he did that without wearing plastic gloves -- which is custom in the States I believe. I did not care, because these hands rolled up my little pancake with so much care, they must taste good -- and they did!

See below my 'big-but-careful-hands-pancake-friend'!

Chagrijnig, Sacherijnig, Sjagrijnig

My CV tells me I am fluent in Dutch and English. Sure -- why then, do I find myself so often sitting behind the computer in a frozen position searching my brain cells for words or the spelling of words in either one of those languages?

These situations are not too bad though, because I just open another window, google and wikipedia around a bit, and find the spelling or the word I was looking for, and the frustration disappears as if it was never there. It is worse though when it is in a social situation and I get stuck, or the worst (and funniest at the same time) when I use the wrong word and the meaning shocks my friends! Anyway, today, when I found the spelling of the word, I was pleasantly surprised and found myself thinking: "what a word".

"What a word" -- I should write a post about it! So here is the word:

Chagrijnig
It means 'grumpy'. I like the word grumpy, it feels like the right word for the feeling that is describes. The word 'chagrijnig' though seems weird. I am sure it looks strange for the english speaking, but I wonder if the Dutch speaking, who don't speak english everyday, also think this is a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary word? It is certainly a tricky one for the Dutch, because I found lots of debate about the spelling of it online. I then discovered there are two correct spellings of this word! The other one is:

Sacherijnig

Why?? Why do we need to have two correct spellings?? Is that just so that the chance you get it right is higher? Or because people got it wrong so often it just got generally accepted?

There is another version, which I suspect is not officially correct, but I am not sure about that:

Sjagrijnig

Dutch is difficult I have decided. It is not for nothing there are websites dedicated to tackle problem words in Dutch language (aimed for native Dutch speakers that is). Here is an example:

Probleemwoorden

Now, all you english speakers must wonder how to pronounce it? Well, spelling is one thing... pronounciation is a totally different story. I think this word will give you an interesting pronounciation challenge! Give me a call :)

Pleasure becomes work!

I seem to have just found myself a job! After months of job hunting and job applications without getting anywhere I had an idea....let's check out punting!

A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting refers to boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole.
Punts were originally built as cargo boats or platforms for fowling and angling but in modern times their use is almost exclusively confined to pleasure trips on the rivers in the university towns of Oxford and Cambridge in England and races at a few summer regattas on the Thames. (Wikipedia)

Punting is a very popular leisure time activitiy in Cambridge and I have gone punting a few times already. Not as easy as it sometimes seems, but very fun and I always enjoyed it as you can see on the photo.

Now, this might be where you will find me most of the time in the near future-- on the river Cam taking the tourists along the colleges, punting and talking away.... They refer to Tour Guide Punters as 'Chauffeurs'.

First I have to pass a 'test' though, which I think just means taking my boss on a tour to see if I am good enough for the real tours yet. I will have to fill 45 minutes of tour talk AND, even more challenging, get this 12 person boat up and down the river in 45 minutes while I am talking, help!

So, over the next week I am studying 8 pages of information on Cambridge bridges and buildings and Cambridge University. I will also practise punting the 12 person boats. Those are bigger than the 6 people punt boats that I have been going on. When I feel ready I will do the test and my 'Chauffeur' career can kick off!

(I was told that my boss fell into the river 7 times in his first year. I will have to leave a spare set of clothes just around the corner at Matt's office I think, haha!)

Lotte's Avatar

Avatar -- I like this word. It has many meanings and the following one is why I got to add this word to my vocabulary:

Avatar (icon), the graphical representation of an Internet user.

I only learned this word a few years ago when I made my first avatar. There was just a website that allowed you to create avatars by selecting all sorts of facial details, hair styles and colours and backgrounds. It was fun and easy to create and I still like the end result -- it is me :)

I especially like the windmill in the background. Very appropriate for this Dutchie! My hair is not so red at the moment, but I think it will be soon. I have got this cheap 'intense red' hair colour product that I might use soon. My hair is too long, but I refuse to have a haircut in England. So, while I am waiting, why not fresh it up a bit? I will look more like my avatar!

Strange world -- Lotte who is going to look more like her avatar instead of the avatar looking more like her!