We had such a busy first day: meeting with the US ambassador to Hungary, meeting our partner teachers, teaching our first classes, and touring through Buda. The meeting with the ambassador in the morning was both informative and inspiring. She shared her impressions of Hungary and of the current political situation in the US quite candidly. The opportunity to meet with a member of Obama’s team within a week of Trump’s election allowed us an eye into the inner workings of foreign diplomacy as well as the art of domestic diplomacy. The ambassador remained positive and upbeat as she spoke of her accomplishments in her current role as well as the plan for the transfer of power to the new administration. In her talk, she mentioned that part of her role was to support Holocaust education in Hungary and to support the government in pursuing their prosecution of Holocaust deniers. I asked about the potential conflict between supporting Hungary’s laws on this issue and our own American understanding of freedom of speech, a topic that my students and I have discussed often. The ambassador explained that her role was to support Hungary’s efforts to commemorate the Holocaust and the laws they have in place to do so.
Meeting my first Hungarian students in the classroom felt very comfortable. Their English was excellent, and they all seemed warm and eager for discussion. One of the most striking things for me was that when I asked what brought each of them to the Lauder school, they mentioned many of the same things that my own students at CESJDS would say: strong academics, excellent art and music, as well as the bonds between teachers and students. I am looking forward to forming some of those bonds as I get to know more of the Lauder students this week.
