Report on Fieldwork 9-15

Report on Fieldwork

I am doing quite well, having enjoyed a productive summer and a good start to the fall. What follows is a not very systematic series of reflections on my work this summer, both in Hungary and in Romania.

The main event of the summer was the intensive language course in Debrecen. It was a joy to finally study Hungarian with other students. After a year and a half of one-on-one tutorials, it was a pleasure to share with others the ups and downs of working with this fascinating and frustrating, compelling and confounding language as a second language. I learned a great deal, and forged several promising relationships with students and faculty.

In addition to the contacts I have made with faculty in the Nationalism Studies department at Central European University in Budapest and professors in the Anthropology department at Babes-Bolyai University here in Cluj-Napoca, I am reaching the point where I now have too many people to contact to discuss my work. This is a very good problem to have, and I am enjoying the “embarrassment of riches.” I am glad that I have time here to pursue these potential relationships further.

The joy of having an extended period of time in which to do fieldwork is that I feel like I don’t have to “push” conversations to be about my research topic. I can let relationships develop relatively naturally, letting conversations flow onto and off of topics that directly relevant to my research. I have noticed that people will bring up issues related to the Csíksomlyó pilgrimage without my having to do it. People want to talk about this pilgrimage. And I hope that this is a sign that I am onto something interesting. For instance, the other evening, I joined a prior acquaintance for dinner. On the way to the restaurant, we ran into several acquaintances of his, who then invited us to join them for a drink at an outdoor café. Two of them turned out to be sociologists, working on minority issues at a government think-tank here in Cluj.

At one point, during a lull in the conversation with this group of sociologists, one of them turned to me, unsolicited, and gave me his “unprofessional analysis” (his words) of the Csíksomlyó pilgrimage. I have to say, it was hardly “unprofessional.” He put into words what had been lingering at the background of my own attempts to describe the pilgrimage in my research proposals. As you know, I wrote two different proposals when applying for funding – one about the emergence of Csíksomlyó as a “popular” event, an example of mass culture and consumerism that can best be approached through the “heretical” Marxist analyses of mass culture generated by scholars working in the Frankfurt School for Social Research. The second proposal was about the development of Hungarian nationalism in Transylvania after the political changes of 1989 and relations between Hungarians in Transylvania and in Hungary proper. And both nationalism and consumerism cannot be separated out from the complex of religious devotional practices that take place at the event.

Unsolicited, this new acquaintance described to me his sense that Csíksomlyó is a complex event that interweaves exactly these three elements – the devotional, the touristic/consumerist, and the nationalist. His comment crystallized for me why it is that I was able to write these very different proposals while talking about the same event. What is more interesting to me is that I did not have to ask him about this – he offered this information to me on his own accord. Being able to be “patient” about my work is one of the best parts of being, finally and truly, “in the field.”

As for the details of my life here so far, I feel relatively settled into my apartment here in Cluj-Napoca. After being on the road in Hungary for most of the summer, it feels good to be unpacked, finally. Today was the first day of school here, and the streets were filled with parents taking their kids to class. I weaved in and around them to the offices of my local research supervisor, a church archivist named Molnár Lehel. We have met three times since my arrival into Cluj-Napoca. Lehel is well known amongst clergy and religious leaders throughout Transylvania, and his far-reaching network contacts will be immensely helpful. By temperament, Lehel is utterly apolitical. My impression is that he gets along well with everyone and stays out of all political and interpersonal pitfalls – a very useful personality trait for me. He is eager to help me however he can, and I am sure that by the time I am done here in Transylvania, I will owe him more than a lifetime’s worth of personal and professional debts. He is also simply a nice guy – he has invited me to have dinner with him and his wife Ennikő (a scholar of Finnish philology) next week, which I am very much looking forward to.

Before I left Boston, I wondered to myself several times whether it was smart to start out my work here in Cluj-Napoca, and then afterwards to move to a smaller city or town where I would truly “base” my study of the Csíksomlyó pilgrimage. I now feel like this was the right decision, to start out here. The connections I am making with faculty members will, no doubt, serve me well in the months (and perhaps years) to come.

Of course, life here is not without small difficulties. Now that the weather is turning slightly colder, I am beginning to realize, truly, that I will not be going back to Cambridge this fall. I have felt twinges of homesickness now and again, since I arrived in Romania. I have had doubts about whether my language skills will be sufficient enough to generate the kinds of conversations that I want to have with people. I wonder how I will keep myself entertained during the long and cold winter nights that lie ahead.

However, by and large, the summary of this report is “so far, so good.” I am excited about the future and, generally, feeling optimistic about what is to come. Please feel free to write with any questions, specific or general, that you may have. Thank you for your help through all of this, and take care!

- Marc

Arrived in Romania

I have arrived in Cluj/Kolozsvar just fine - no problems. I'll write more later. Heading down into the city center for a walk just now.

Heading to Romania

Sorry for the delay in posting. After 2 weeks of dedicated traveling - finding my way to 3 different countries and numerous different cities. After finding laundry services and showers more rarely than I have liked, I will be moving into my own apartment tomorrow. I am so excited about the prospect of my own place to live. Honestly, I have never lived truly alone in my life. Ever since I left home at 18 for college, I have always shared public areas with others - bathrooms, kitchens, etc. For the firs time, I will have all the rooms of my home to myself. Amazing. What am I going to do with all this freedom?!? :-)

I will be traveling on an overnight train to Cluj/Kolozsvar, through Arad. After not getting much sleep last night, this might be a challenge, to switch trains at 3 in the morning. But on the bright side, I am being met at the train station by my kind new landlord, Marc Pillich-Wright. He's going to take me to my new place and help me get settled in.

Then there is a Unitarian conference on Tuesday evening. I'm hoping to crash the party a little bit, and just show up to some of the events. There are a couple Unitarian folks who I knew from HDS who will be there, and I would love to hang out with them a little bit.

I was looking through my list of people who I know in Cluj/Kolozsvar this morning, and I had a momentary pang of fear, fear of being lonely in this place and without any institutional aid in meeting people. I am hoping that this worry doesn't pan out - worrying about ending up being isolated in this city without a way to really get integrated into a social network somehow. We'll see.

That's all for now.

Back in Budapest

Only a short time for a post: Arrived back in Budapest last night from Debrecen. Slept until noon this morning - Excellent! It feels like it's been forever since I actually got 8 hours of sleep.

Overall estimation of the experience - I had a great time!!!! Did I learn as much as I could have? Probably not. Did I succeed in making a lot of new friends and expanding my contacts in Hungary and Europe. Most definitely. Did I break out of my uber-bookworm Harvard shell and rediscover what it's like to dance like crazy three nights in a row until 2 in the morning? Yes, most definitely. Did I push myself past my own fears of attachment, did I remember what it's like to care, to be attentive to someone else's ups and downs? Yes, most definitely. A great experience.

In Budapest for a couple days, then on to Croatia for a wedding. From there it's to the beach for a week, to Slovenia to visit a new Debrecen friend, and then to Romania.

Brake a Train

Woke up this morning singing this song, inexplicably.

Here's the chorus:

Brake a Train (Cliff Eberhardt)

And my heart feels just as caloused
As some old breakman's hands
Been on the job for years
He still don't understand
Why the towns fade away like lovers
His life has let him down
You can brake a train you can break a heart
But you never learn to like the sound



The lyrics are perfect, I think. It is true: I have never learned to like the sound.

Last week in Debrecen

I'm sitting down to write a few lines before I head to sleep, after the regular dance party at the Tent tonight in Debrecen. I'm tired. I haven't slept well for 2 days. I'm still figuring out where I'm going to stay in Budapest after things end here. I've got a test on Thursday. But these things should come together. I'm excited about the Croatia trip at the end of the month. That should be fun. Otherwise, all is good here!

Ady Endre

Status Update

I had a great day in Oradea (Nagyvarad). I got sunburned. I went to a strand. Hung out in some hot water. Chatted with some locals. Had the feeling of being in Romania again, and I liked it. The stray dogs. The bad communist era hotels. The gigantic factories spewing pollution. The cheesy balkan super-pop. Romania feels different from Hungary. And I had this strange feeling of being nostalgic for Romania during this brief visit. Interesting.

And I'm still confused. But trying to enjoy it all in addition. Lots of "rhapsodic voices" running around in my head, as one friend emailed me about the current situation. But that's not a bad thing I guess. I'm just pushing the boundaries of the life I've been used to in the States for so long.

Fesztival Képei és Másik Képek

Some background information to go with the pics: The picture of my in the red t-shirt boogeying down is from the festival, grooving down to Kerekes Band with Séverine, Fabian, and Maja. These pics are courtesy of Maja. I stole them off of her facebook page.

Me in the black shirt - that's from Monday night dancing at the post "tánc ház" disco. We had folk-dancing lessons, that then turned into a great '80s music disco. Amazing! Only in Eastern Europe! I'm dancing next to Marta, from Poland, who is in my class at Debrecen.

Sitting in the chairs: I'm sitting next to Sarah Louise, graduate student in the French program at Columbia. We discovered after a week of hanging out here that we both went to Staples High School in Westport, CT. 5 years apart. But we had some of the same teachers, and hung out in the same small part of the Staples cafeteria. Amazing! A small world.

The "tánc ház" folk dance instruction included a great deal of "egy két ticky tak," which took me right back to that night of dancing Hungarian style in my kitchen, late into the night after the Hungarian class buli this spring. An experience that will stay with me forever!

The Most Famous Dancer in Debrecen

Apparently, I am now famous around the summer university for my dancing.

I went to a music festival last week on Thursday with some of my classmates and we saw this great band, "Kerekes Band." I am now totally smitten - I've never seen a group lay down an amazing groove, totally danceable, with hypnotic psychedelic overtones, using Hungarian folk-tunes as the lyrical and musical basis. The instrumentation is amazing - penny whistles, flutes, and recorders, lutes, a violin, bass and drums. And man they rocked!!! It was so great. I danced my butt off.

And of course one of my classmates recorded me on her camera, and then showed some other folks the next day. And now I'm the most famous dancer at Nyari Egyetem. I don't mind really, but it's a little strange.

Here is the link for Kerekes Band: www.kerekesband.hu/

My favorite thing about the site: their tag-line:

"The tunes preferred by 9 out of 10 betyars!"

Amazing!

Attila's Revenge

I came down with a bit of stomach bug yesterday. I'm a little bummed because I had to miss the end of the week "dance" and then the trip to Budapest and Kecsekemet this weekend. I basically stayed in my room most of the afternoon and evening yesterday and today. Among various other symptoms, I had the chills, cramps, and a fever - I had this strange experience of being really hot on a hot day and not sweating at all. And then when I took an advil, I would suddenly lose the fever and start sweating profusely. Needless to say I've been keeping myself well-hydrated.

Really, all I've wanted to do was sit around and read a good fantasy novel. Luckily I have one, thanks to the recommendation of Adam Schive. (Props to you!!!)

I'm feeling a little better, thanks to a prescription of Cipro that I was lucky enough to have recommended to me by the travel nurse at Harvard before I left.

I think it is because I have been drinking the water served at the cafeteria since I've come to Debrecen. I usually have been very careful about drinking only bottled water when I've been around these parts. But for some reason I thought perhaps the water they would serve here would be filtered for us "foreign guests" at the university. Unh unh. So, bottled water from now on!!!

Debrecen Reflections

I've been in Debrecen now for 4 days - finished my fourth day of classes at the Debrecen summer university intensive Hungarian course. It's been a very interesting experience, so far. Like so many experiences I've had traveling, I've been thrown together with a totally random bunch of people, with little to no rhyme or reason why we should all be here together, besides the purpose of learning Hungarian. And really, that isn't much of a binding force that should help us become a community. But what is interesting about this Debrecen summer university is the fact that there are repeat attendees here who make this feel a bit like coming to an actual university setting. They've been here several times, know the staff, know the city, can reflect on how bad the food is and how it has seemed to have gotten worse since last year. (A common topic of conversation).

I feel like I'm learning a lot in my classes. And it's a real pleasure to be studying with other people who are my level. It's just a pleasure to be studying with anyone, after 1.5 years of mostly doing my work alone. Hearing Hungarian spoken in a variety of European accents is fascinating - there are Italian, Polish, French, Swiss, German, and Belgian people in my class. Fascinating stuff. It feels very European - y'know, the "new" Europe where there is less local loyalty and everyone at least tries to make an effort to be functional in everyone else's language.

Yesterday and today, though, I've felt like I'm almost regressing in my ability to speak Hungarian, but I think that's because we've moved beyond the well-trod topics of "Why are you here?" "Who are you?" And "Why are you learning Hungarian?" I have an easily prepared answer to those questions, but to questions like, "Why do you think it is important for someone to be honest in their everyday life?" Well, that is another kind of question. I'm pushing the boundaries of my conversational abilities, and that is good, but of course challenging.

This weekend we're going to Budapest and the a village called Kecskemét for an excursion. There's a famous pálinka factory in Kecskemét and we'll stop there for the night, and for some pálinka tasting. That should be fun.

All is well!

More pics from Budapest

Me and Ági

Me and Ági at Gödör. A club in Pest. Later we went to a sörkert (beergarden) and ate some Rudi (??). I think István is supposed to know what that means, and its significance. I have pictures of the Rudi, too.

1st Day in Budapest

I promised to write more yesterday about my journey and arrival. Here goes:

I'm sitting at a kávéház on Bartok Béla út, down the street from the apartment that I'm staying at. It's blistering hot outside today. I walked around some this morning in the neighborhood - the other times I've been here, usually I've stayed over in Pest, so I haven't really gotten to see this area (Buda side of the river). But I couldn't walk too far - too hot. The sun felt almost like what I remember from Taiwan - so hot you run for the shade as soon as you can. Whoo. So I retreated back to the apartment, and ate some lunch and then took a nap.

Last night I had dinner with two of the folks who live in the apartment - Gergő and Csicsi. Gergő plays in a reggae band and is off to a festival in Slovakia this evening. Csicsi works at a store not too far from the apartment (a "Magazin," she said). They made a wonderful pasta and pesto dish, which we topped off with some excellent watermelon. Like so many folks I've met here, they were eager to chat about Hungarian grammar and linguistics, about which they both knew alot. Csicsi especially, since she has a Masters degree in teaching Hungarian. I met very briefly Istvan's friend Marci, who is my "official" host in the apartment. Except that Marci went off for an extended camping trip last night. I might see him again later in August. I hope so - Istvan has told me so much about him, I'd like to get to hang out with him more. I'm also eager to get in touch with some of the other folks I know here - Bogi, Gyuri, Ági, etc.

As for my trip and adventures in Zurich yesterday: I took a train from the airport into the city (only 10 minutes!!! - compared to the 90 minutes it takes to get from JFK into Manhattan). I walked for five minutes, following a route suggested by a tourist guide. I was at a scenic spot in the old downtown, when I overhead a woman explaining to a group of touristy-looking young people about the history of a church she was pointing to across the river. During a lull in her explanation, I asked her if she was from here and if she could repeat to me what she had been saying. It turns out she was from Zurich, and was showing a group of friends around her hometown, who were in town for a wedding. I ended up joining their group walking around Zurich, getting on a boat ferry, going out into the lake, and then having lunch with them until I had to get back on a train to the airport. It was a totally fun and utterly serendipitous little adventure. I met some wonderful people and had some interesting conversations - they all worked in the International Community sector - for the UN, the EU Commission on Human Rights, etc. A great way to start the trip - the gods are shining upon this journey at the start - way cool!

Arrival, all is well!

I have arrived safely and soundly in Budapest. Found my temporary lodgings without a problem. All is well. Had a wonderful short trip into Zurich during my layover there. I will write more later.

My Hungarian Class

I can't say enough good stuff about the folks in my Hungarian class at MIT. They made the spring semester a lot of fun. They made learning Hungarian a blast. I learned so much from them (and of course from Istvan and Olga, in particular). I'm so grateful. You guys will have a place to stay in Transylvania for as long as I'm there!

(From left: Mia, Istvan, me, Matyi, Amy)

Before and After

The Haircut

Breaking into Hysterics

I had one of those "language" moments last night that bring both pleasure, confusion, and amusement.

We were talking about the Hungarian translations of the astrological signs in class yesterday, and then continued the conversation during the going away party cook-out on Amy's porch. At that point, one of my classmates asked how to say, "What's your sign, baby?" Crucial information, of course. (This came right after Matyi introduced me to the word "csajozni" - literally translated as, "to go chick-ing.")

I volunteered the only word I knew for "sign/symbol" - "jel." As in "Mi a jeled." And reduced both my Hungarian teacher and his friend to absolute hysterics. I mean, they could not speak for, like, 5 minutes. He was holding his throat because it hurt too much from laughing. We all kind of sat around for a few moments, waiting for their laughter to subside.

Finally, he explained the, in kindergarten, when little kids aren't old enough to write their names, they are given a "jel." And so to ask, what is your "jel," is basically to ask this question of a woman at a club: "What was your sign in kindergarten?" The juxtaposition was apparently beyond hilarious.

Chalk another one down to amusing cultural/linguistic mistakes.

Back from New York

I got back from New York City late last night. This was the first trip/visit that counted as "saying goodbye." Or at least that's the description that seemed to fit best. Weird. Scary. Sad.

Am I being over-dramatic, I wonder. I mean, I won't be that far away. And I won't be gone forever. I have an overdramatic sensibility sometimes. Perhaps even maudlin. I had a conversation last night with my friend Julia about the dangers of being slipping into the "traveler's maudlin" tone. That is, the tone in which the good parts of a trip are romanticized and the bad parts of the trip are romanticized. A balanced portrait of an experience isn't simply provided by portraying both good and bad, but by striking a certain kind of tone. I'm not sure what that tone is, really. But maudlin and romantic isn't it.

I've been reading blog posts and facebook updates from a bunch of friends about going to GA, making feel a little sad to be missing that event. But I guess I'll drown my sorrows in preparations and work around these parts.

I think I found an apartment for September, and that has put me into a good mood.

Hmm...But now back to work...still lots to do.