Here is another post that focuses more on my reflections after the Balaton trip:
In addition, if you are interested in reading more about McDaniel students’ adventures in Balaton and other study tours, here is a link to the other blog: https://studytoursmcdaniel.wordpress.com/
While I was studying abroad in France, one of my friends from Ukraine immediately raved to me about Lake Balaton once she discovered that I was studying abroad in Hungary. So, with her small introduction, I was already looking forward to the school trip to the Balaton region. When we received the itinerary for the trip, I immediately googled each location and site listed and read some of the historical points in order to gain some basic knowledge. And while I enjoyed every minute of the trip, there were two moments/excursions that were exceedingly remarkable for me.
The first “most memorable” moment took place when our professor led everyone to a monument dedicated to a group of people who perished in Lake Balaton (Pajtas tragedy). I passed by this monument earlier that day and it instantly impacted me because of the striking visual of a hand reaching out of the monument. However, the first time I passed it, I was not able to understand the meaning of the monument because of the Hungarian description. When I visited the monument again with our professor, the story behind the monument was even more forceful. Our professor explained that this monument is dedicated to the individuals who drowned in 1954 and that the communism system at the time covered the tragedy; citizens could not discuss the event. Recently, there has been an increase in discussion and monuments are in the process of construction in order to assist in the creation of a shared memory. Our professor mentioned that Hungarians in general are not accustomed to talking about these tragedies because silence was such a habit; with much effort and organization, there have been initiatives to foster dialogue and discussions throughout the country.
The topic of memory and constructing a shared memory is an immense topic that has such controversial and differing ideas- how does this process begin? In my Holocaust and Memory class, we discuss the construction of memorials and monuments and it was interesting to see the depth and reach of this topic. It was also fascinating for me to compare this idea to the American perspective and culture where discussing feelings is more often than not encouraged and even expected at certain times.
The second event in our trip that I found memorable was our trip to the Herend Porcelain Manufacturer. This unique experience enabled us to see each step in the porcelain making process- from the basic molds to the elaborate painting. Before this trip, I had absolutely no idea about this delicate process and I could not help myself from gaping at the immaculate details in each piece of porcelain. This tour gave me an entirely new respect for the artists and the porcelain manufacturers. Although the art pieces were well beyond my financial means, watching the artists paint was a priceless experience.
After each excursion, I was able to reflect about these events on the bus ride and I could analyze each experience with the beautiful scenery as a backdrop. I can truthfully say that each site we visited enabled me to learn something, whether it was a piece of history or insight on culture.
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