Messzelátó Egyesület

Hello to all!
My name is Bradley Horton and I am the new intern for Messzelato for the summer of 2009. I came here with the assistance of the Bard-CEU summer internship program, and they helped me to find work with Messzelato.

I arrived in Budapest, Hungary on May 26th and have been here ever since, living on the edge of Vorosmarty Ter near the Danube river front in the center of Budapest. Getting to know this city and its people has been a real adventure so far, and I can only expect to learn more!

When people ask me why I chose to come to Budapest, I generally cannot think of an answer for them. They ask why I didn’t go to Paris, or London, or Prague, or Vienna, and still I have no answer. They ask why I didn’t stay in the United States, where I am from, and find a job or an internship there, and once again I must answer with an “I don’t know.” The only real answer I can think of is that Budapest simply feels like no other city on Earth. It is not Beijing, or London, or Washington D.C. It is its own unique city, a jewel set apart from all other cities. Every day when I leave my apartment and walk down to the water front and see the towering Buda hills, or take the metro line over to the majestic Hero’s Square and stare up at the statue of Archangel Gabriel, it feels as if I am in a fairytale world, but it is all quite real. I was here in Budapest for a day and a half last year around the same time, and when I was here last something about the city charmed me, and I knew I wanted to come back. And so, when I saw the Bard-CEU summer internship offer, I could not say no.

Living and working in the city takes some getting used to at first, but it is quite simple, once you know the ropes. My first task was getting food to eat. I found a grocery store near my apartment, a short five minute walk away, which is quite convenient. Next I needed to find out how to get to my work, which again was fairly simple, once you know the metro lines and tram stops. All of this I learned in about a week’s time. Thankfully, younger Hungarians know some English, so it is not so difficult to find your way around and ask for directions; knowing some Hungarian, though, definitely helps, both in getting around and in making an impression on the Hungarian locals around you. If you’re working for an NGO like I am, ask if they offer any Hungarian language courses. They help!

Finding cheap food to eat is somewhat difficult to do if you live near a tourist square like I do. Expensive restaurants and eateries line the water front of the Danube. The food is wonderful, but if you are going to live here for more than two weeks (try two months like me!) then you need to find something less expensive, or learn to cook for yourself. Local grocery markets can be found many, many places here if you know where to look, and ingredients can be bought cheaply enough. Some bartering helps, but it isn’t required.

Thankfully I had a good real estate agent that got me a fully furnished apartment with brand new furniture and appliances for $675 per month plus living expenses. If you are going to live in Budapest, make sure you have a good, trusted real estate agent, and make sure the place you are buying is really the place you are getting. Not many real estate agents try to trick you, but it is good to be cautious, just like any other real estate deal. Thankfully, for me at least, when all of these factors of food, easy transportation, and a good apartment are put together, they make for a very comfortable living in Budapest.

Working with Messzelato has been a fun experience so far. The staff people here are incredibly nice and truly believe in what they’re doing. The office is small but homey and quaint, and can be easily reached by tram and a walk. Messzelato deals heavily with other green NGO’s in the area, and most of my work has been centered around helping where I can. I recently finished transcribing a film on the non-violent protest methods of Mohandas Gandhi for Greenpeace Hungary, and also assisted in Messzelato’s ongoing participation with 350.org, a climate change awareness group. 350.org and Messzelato together have been working on a traveling exhibition called the Baobab tree, meant to promote a cooperative effort on reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change, and all of this in my first two weeks of working here! With two more months to go, I look forward to working on even more projects with Messzelato and her sister organizations.

As for me, I look forward to exploring Budapest even more, and finding out about its little hidden treasures. Szia for now!