How to be happy as an expat in Hungary

New environment may require new habits. Which habits did you have to implement to live a good life in Hungary?

I enjoy looking at buildings more in the city. I find Budapest far more interesting than other cities in that respect.
Im also learning more about the countryside, trees,  plants, insects and animals.
In every other respect I remain much the same but I have become more self sufficient and  more self contained.

How do you keep stress in check? Which activities or mantras help you in that regard?
Im always busy. Especially when i am engrossed in my art work.
Its a shame I cant travel as much as I have been able to in the past but like everyone I adapt as I need to

How to form meaningful connections and create a support system in Hungary on which you can rely on

Ive made a few good friends here and some i will keep in touch with even though they have left Hungary.
Mixing with different cultures is always tricky. I have learnt to avoid superficial people but thats part of the learning process.

How to track your goals and achieve them without feeling overwhelmed?
I just live day by day.

What did you learn from Hungarians about the notion of happiness and how does it inspire you?
No inspiration gained ha ha. But occasionally I meet naturally happy people.

Hi Anns,
Try to join festivals with friends such as flower festival in Debrecen on the 20th August, wine festivals in Tokaj or Etyek which is about 30mins from the capital. As far as I know the next festival in Etyek is next week. I love thermal bath a lots you can find in capital or if you want you can join further (Heviz, Gyula, Hajduszoboszlo etc.)

There's a fish festival down in Balaton southside 12 June.  Easy to get the train directly there.

What was it John Lennon wrote?, "Happiness is a warn gun" I suppose that means it is fleeting and only lasts a flash of time.
Living in your own "happy" place is up to each person and depends on their situation .
That is always changing too.
Relying on other people always leads to trouble even if you were thick as thieves at some point.
Just have to look at the dirvoce rates to prove that.
Some people are happy going to bed with a full stomach while others seek fame and fortune and admiration to be ,"happy".
Some are only happy when they have pulled one over and others are happy to serve without praise or glory.
Me, I'm happy enough wherever I find myself, this place ( life) is only temp. anyways, can't take it with you nor would I want to.
You bring your problems with you wherever you go so most happiness is just in ones head.
New Habits, not really doing anything much different then I would if I were somewhere else.
It's all good.
I take most of my sage advice from my mother and her native sayings," you weren't born to be happy but to do your best everyday to find peace and be true to yourself". What else can anyone really wish for? She also had a habit of asking why we were not happy,if we were not happy enough she would find some work for us to do.

Some people are guided by religion and some by personal achivements.
Some through their children and some from their own love of self.
Depends on who you're speaking to and where they come from.
It's not about a person , place or thing(s) that make one happy.
I've found myself the happiest after facing a difficulty and coming through it, with praying and meditations and faith.
Some peple need others to reinfoce how happy they are while some find it within themselves.
We all know this stuff ,just lost connection to what is really important with so many distractions.
Enough serious talk, time to play.

Indeed very much depends on what you expect of life, sitting on the terrace with wine and cigarette in the company of my wife and our dog(s) is already good, a shame that some of our cats do not join, but there is a corner in May where birds raise their youngsters (AMAZING). Of course I can (and do worry) on where the world is going, but I am an egoist. I have worked and saved and am now enjoying (the only drawback perhaps I did not save enough). But my pleasures are simple 5 star holidays were in the past and 2 star holidays (? I prefer to stay at home)

cdw057 wrote:

Indeed very much depends on what you expect of life, sitting on the terrace with wine and cigarette in the company of my wife and our dog(s) is already good, a shame that some of our cats do not join, but there is a corner in May where birds raise their youngsters (AMAZING). Of course I can (and do worry) on where the world is going, but I am an egoist. I have worked and saved and am now enjoying (the only drawback perhaps I did not save enough). But my pleasures are simple 5 star holidays were in the past and 2 star holidays (? I prefer to stay at home)

There is nothing wrong with wishing to enjoy things you have worked hard for.
As long as it was an honest gain that is.
I know several cases of US/HU people returning to HU who are living high on the hog who gained their fortunes by illicit means.
I mean if scamming, stealing and even being part of an insurance scam that caused the deaths of people count...Or at least knowing who killed who and never infoming . Actaully there were a few of those deaths for insurnace scams in the past.. ne was just revenge.
No matter, we stay clear of thes people, have for decades mostly.
So many invites that were turned down.
Actually the less I know about their activites the better off I am.
Just second hand news anyways but still...?
I often wondered why I ever even knew these people, they always made a chill run up my spine when we were at an event and saw them.
My,"spider sence"?
We like simple things as well.
We actually are uncomfotable being served meals in restuarants. I lose my appetite seeing servers running here and there, always feel like I should get up and pitch in.
I have a feeling a big change is coming our way soon.
Either a move back to the US near the beach or a move somewhere else.
Hopefully not a move to ,"Potters Field"!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
I have a feeling a big change is coming our way soon.
Either a move back to the US near the beach or a move somewhere else.
Hopefully not a move to ,"Potters Field"!

I'm hoping our big change will be a lottery win!

I read somewhere they were digging up Potter's Field or one of those other places on the islands around NYC.   

I think it was the one with the plague hospital on it - Hart Island.   

You can see it on Google maps. 

Sometimes cruising around Google Maps brings up all sorts of interesting things to look at!

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
I have a feeling a big change is coming our way soon.
Either a move back to the US near the beach or a move somewhere else.
Hopefully not a move to ,"Potters Field"!

I'm hoping our big change will be a lottery win!

I read somewhere they were digging up Potter's Field or one of those other places on the islands around NYC.   

I think it was the one with the plague hospital on it - Hart Island.   

You can see it on Google maps. 

Sometimes cruising around Google Maps brings up all sorts of interesting things to look at!

My mom's mother was buried in a Potters Field during the depression.
My other grandmother was buried around the same time but with a huge family she was able to be placed in a Greek Orthodox Church in Conn.
I've seen photos of her grave while my other granny was dug up to put in a freeway.
Sad, my mom was only 13 and unable to pay for a proper funeral on her own.

Yes, we've looked at our former homes with google maps, it's interesting.
Our little brick house in Conn. was turned into a huge complex with it being at least doubled in size over the years. Still have the address burnt into my brain, just like the old phone number at my mom's house, never will forget those numbers.
We were looking at a home here in Hungary with google maps.
I knew my husband must of made a mistake with the address because the neighborhood was to nice.
I was right he was looking in Rose Hills when in reality it was a small town with one ABC store downtown.
What a let down.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

.....
We were looking at a home here in Hungary with google maps.
I knew my husband must of made a mistake with the address because the neighborhood was to nice.
I was right he was looking in Rose Hills when in reality it was a small town with one ABC store downtown.
What a let down.

If I look at my house on Streetview, I can see it as it was 10 years ago.  It's completely rebuilt and looks totally different.   I can also see my car parked outside the place we used to live in.  People tell me my house looks old fashioned.  Well, they got that wrong!

I quite like looking at these places with border anomalies.  Canusa Street is interesting here and this library is fun here - border runs right through the middle of it!

It is a bit depressing to see places we can buy outright but then know our boy is not here and why the heck should we ,"upgrade" if he is not interested.
I really do not care that much as long as I have my internet and a full tummy and hot water where I live these days.
Once in a blue moon I do regret us selling our S. Ca. home.
It was sweet..
Now it is worth a ton of cash on top of it.
I should of fought more to stay in our house.
I was going through my,"princess phase" and refused to work to keep it running.
How stupid I was!

Cheryl wrote:

What did you learn from Hungarians about the notion of happiness and how does it inspire you?

Basically..... Zero.

After 25 years, I have to say, sadly, currently Hungarians have a rather morose culture. 

They may give a smile to the tourist (a facade), but once they get to know you, they start to unload on you from their hang nail, to family issues, to regional and national politics.... There is nothing too small not to complain about for some.... Sad.

Of course, in American culture, if your house just burned down, you if asked how things are one would simply say "just fine". So my comment is based also on my culture. Just saying. For perspective.

Yes, we Americans do tend to brush things off fairly fast.
It's a good survival method for sure.

As for the last post, I do not believe in friends (one or two real friends can exist in my view (doing all they can do for me in time of need (definition of friend))). However I do believe in good acquittances and some of them are actually Hungarian (I am Dutch myself) (on top of that I only speak Dutch, English and German, yet they seem to accept us).

To me it is easy to get along with people in Hungary, however Hungary is getting expensive, just look at base salary increases over the last 6 years (it works through to normal cost of living)
Everybody complains and even me (from time to time), bottom line there is not really something to complain, we breathe, drink, eat, smoke, go to .... (Luxury life).

cdw057 wrote:

As for the last post, I do not believe in friends (one or two real friends can exist in my view (doing all they can do for me in time of need (definition of friend))). However I do believe in good acquittances and some of them are actually Hungarian (I am Dutch myself) (on top of that I only speak Dutch, English and German, yet they seem to accept us).

To me it is easy to get along with people in Hungary, however Hungary is getting expensive, just look at base salary increases over the last 6 years (it works through to normal cost of living)
Everybody complains and even me (from time to time), bottom line there is not really something to complain, we breathe, drink, eat, smoke, go to .... (Luxury life).

Fuel is definitely up.   

Maybe a year ago it was 300-320 HUF and now it's past 410-425 HUF a litre.

cdw057 wrote:

As for the last post, I do not believe in friends (one or two real friends can exist in my view (doing all they can do for me in time of need (definition of friend))). However I do believe in good acquittances and some of them are actually Hungarian (I am Dutch myself) (on top of that I only speak Dutch, English and German, yet they seem to accept us).

To me it is easy to get along with people in Hungary, however Hungary is getting expensive, just look at base salary increases over the last 6 years (it works through to normal cost of living)
Everybody complains and even me (from time to time), bottom line there is not really something to complain, we breathe, drink, eat, smoke, go to .... (Luxury life).

The only true forever lasting friend anyone can hope for is their Mothers love.
Everyone else is good for different purposes and everyone always has an agenda.
I've had friends over the years who were like sisters until they weren't.
Left me in a bad situation to save their own skin or did something to put my safety at risk.
2 of my long time friends from ages 12 and 15 passed within these last 18 months or so.
Both were loyal in different ways.
Once, long story in the 10th grade our little group of around 6 to 7 friends were having serious issues with a gang of grils that were low riders. Half oof this group didn't even go to our school, they were kicked out of normal school and went to Juvie school across town from our high school.
They for whatever reason were always hanging out on our campus to visit their friends who attended our school.
They were forever shoving, calling names and treatening us on campus and after school when we walked home. ( Yes the school knew what was going on, may phone calls from our parents ect. Their solution was to allow us to use the teachers private WC so we wouldn't be jumped in the WC!)
I had a huge fist fight with 2 of them outside our school one day when they jumped me from behind, hitting me over the head with a 4 inch thick history book. So embarrassing to fight like dogs in the street when you're 17 but hey, what could I do, never run away not my style.
Ok, everywhere we went in town one or two would be around, if the numbers were at least 4 against one then they would act up, if the odds were even of course they slunk away and wouldn't say a word.
Well, one day my BFF's mom came to our campus to give us a ride home. Somehow she heard there were about 40 to 50 lw riders waiting near our school to beat all of us up.
They for some reason thought we were a gang not just a small group of skinny little 16-17 year old school girls.
Well, most all my friends hit the road out the back gate to avoid the conflict.
MY BFF's Lisa's mom asked her and i t get in her car t keep us safe.
No way, Lisa and I had enough of the bullying and told her mom we were going to take care of it right then and there.
We walked towards our doom with her mother watching from across the st. with her baseball bat and change to call the police. She had already called my mother and mom  had my siblings in the car and grabbed her bat and was on her way too.( Her mother was ex-US Navy from WW11 so not afraid to go into action if needed, my mom, well, she never ran from a fight even if it was against a man)
Well Lisa and I went up to the gang, it was serious, many people were much older then us, adults who thought we were some threat which of course we weren't.
We told them we would take everyone on but wanted a fair fight, one on one. Of course even those idiots could see how stupid it all was and they got in their cars and drove off, after telling off the chicks who started the whole thing.
It was almost like something from west side story, beat down at the Dairy Queen ice cream shop!
That is a loyal friend who was willing to fight with me and for me.
I sort of lost respect for all my other friends because they didn't have the nerve to stand up for themselves. The other who passed was one who ran but she was a peace freak no matter what.
Even the last time I saw Lisa in Vegas, about 4 years ago, she stood up for me without a second thought when another semi-old friend went insane on us, another story really.
There was a period when we had no contact for maybe 20 years but it was all good. You know who your friends are and don't have to get approval every day. I trusted Lisa with my life.
Now, yes, I know people but really have no real friends.
Except my husband and  one sister of course. Don't even really trust most of my living family to be there in my hour of need. Proved themselves in the past already...
Even family can turn on you so finding a freind is a rare thing if you want true friendship .
I guess I'm a loner overall and so was Lisa but that doesn't mean loners can't have friends.
Small town with crazy problems, no wonder I ran away soon after all these went down.