Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Oh Waiter!

Tonight we were given the opportunity to taste a little of what Croatian and Hungarian food will be like. The culture professors, as well as Professor Jaffee, were quick to point out that this will not be the trip for losing weight. For example, Hungarians enjoy heavy soups and fish dishes and the desserts are supposedly "to die for".


Conversation flowed easily and we are shaping up to be a "tight" group.


We also learned about some of the cultural differences between the US and the two countries we'll be visiting. There will be no free drink refills and no wait-staff checking on your satisfaction every two minutes. For those who miss home, Croatia has McDonald's and Coca Cola.


Next week, we'll be covering the Croatian economy and learning some more Hungarian.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Szervusz! En Heather Vagyok.

As you can tell, we've had a few language lessons. The above is Hungarian and hopefully reads "Hello. I am Heather." I could follow these statements up with "En nem Magyar vagyok" (I am not Hungarian). The students are doing well with the language and culture portion of the class. When you talk to them next, quiz them on what they've learned so far.

This week's culture class will be over a country-specific dinner. The IMU will be preparing traditional foods from Croatia/Hungary, Korea, China, and Ghana. This will be a great chance for the students to get to know others going on the trip as well as get a taste, quite literally, for the cuisine we'll be having in March.