Interview with German Bernardo

who is a 34 year-old Spanish mathematics teacher in Herman Ottó Secondary School

by Viktória Kondás

Question: How long have you been living in Miskolc?

German: I’ve been living here for 6 years. I moved to Miskolc in August 2010.

Q: Why did you choose Hungary?

G: There is a teaching program for Spanish teachers, which is financed by the Spanish government. It includes Eastern and Central European countries and the whole program covers 6 years. I wanted to try what it was like to live in a different country. I applied for this program back in 2010 and finally they chose Hungary for me, so It wasn’t me who chose it, but in the meantime I have chosen to stay in Hungary. However my program finished the last semester, I have just signed a new contract with the school and you see I am still here.

Q: How did you feel when you moved to Hungary?>

G: My first year was amazing. I miss that feeling, you know, when you move to a new country, a new place and everything is waiting for you to explore. Every day I felt the necessity to post something on Facebook, sharing with the people what just happened to me in my new life.

Q: The first few months must have been difficult for you, especially the language. How have you been coping with it nowadays?

G: Yes, lots of people still can’t speak English in Hungary hence I am trying to acquire some Hungarian, but it is a very difficult language. In my first year I didn’t really care about it, but now I speak somewhat Hungarian. People keep talking to me in Hungarian and I am trying to learn it.

Q: What do you like about this country?

G: I really feel home, here in Hungary. I think I am quite settled. I don’t know what makes me feel in this way. I believe that it is because of Hungarian people and their hospitality. It has always been easy for me to make friends. The other reasons are that I like the Hungarian culture, the delicious food here: goulash, trotters, ratatouille, and stuffed cabbage. I like fine drinks: Hungarian wine, borsodi, palinka, and, of course, I like Hungarian girls.

Q: What do you like about Miskolc? What are your favourite parts of it?

I like Miskolc a lot. It is an affordable and a convenient city to live in. It is not too small, not too big. Everything is close. There are lots of events and festivals. If you search hard there is an underground culture or movement too, where there are special people. You don’t need to live in a big city to be happy.

Q: What did you do back in Spain?

G: I was a teacher as well. I was teaching in different secondary schools. In Spain, when I started my career as a teacher, I was supposed to teach in different schools, to substitute other teachers, so I had temporary jobs. When you are a beginner it is quite normal in that country.

Q: What are the differences between Hungarian and Spanish people?

G: Well, there are a lot of differences. One thing is that Spanish people are more spontaneous and easy going, while Hungarians tend to be a bit pessimistic. The traditions are different, or for instance our customs are related to meals. The times of the meals are not the same but their functions are also different. In Hungary meals are mainly about eating and in Spain they are social events, where the members of the large family come together and they also last longer.

Q: Do you miss your family and Spain?

G: I don’t really miss my family, because I get to see them very often. Either I go home for a weekend every month or they come to Hungary for a quick visit. I also spend my whole school holidays in Spain. As for Spain, I miss how we cook the meat, and, oh, of course. I miss the authentic sea fish, the seaside and sometimes Spanish people. Probably the Spanish Sundays are what I miss the most.

Q: What is special about Sundays in Spain?

G: Sunday is a very special day in Spain. On the weekends we have lunch around 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. On Sunday mornings everybody goes to the pubs to socialize with each other, including every generation. In my village back home the population is 500, and there are 5 pubs. We often go from pub to pub and end up meeting different groups of friends and relatives, where we enjoy each other’s company. In the pubs we normally have small glasses of beer with pinchos/tapas, small snacks, eaten alongside with the beer or other beverage while hanging out in bars and pubs. They are usually free.

Q: When you are in Spain for a long holiday, what do you miss about Hungary?

G: When I am back home I really miss my Hungarian life. You know, I am more independent here as I have my own daily routine. Somehow I feel free to do whatever I want to do. I like the fact that I am in the central of Europe, and Hungary is surrounded by different countries, so it’s quite easy to travel. Sometimes I am just like, oh, let’s go to Kosice or Budapest for a day trip. I even like going to Slovenia, Romania, or the Czech Republic. I also miss my Hungarian friends.

Q: Do you have many Hungarian friends?

G: Yes most of them are Hungarians. In fact I also have got some foreign friends too, who normally stay 1 or 2 years and move to another country. People just come and go, you know. Even if I have lived here for a few years, things and people keep changing around me

Q: You are a teacher, what do you think of the Hungarian students?

G: I think they are very nice and clever. They are polite too. I don’t need to spend extra energy to keep them quiet and make them listen. In Spain they are completely different. They are hard to be disciplined. I often meet my Hungarian students after class and organize a so-called Spanish club, where they have the chance to speak Spanish with native speakers.

Q: What do you do in your free time?

G: In my free time I like going out as I have made many friends through the years. I like attending different events. During school holidays I make trips to various cities and even countries. I am very interested in organizing theatre activities for my students and I also magic too.

Q: Why do you like magic? I know that you used to put on magic shows as well

G: I have been interested in magic for a long time. In Spain there are lots of magicians and magic shows so it grabbed my attention as well. Anyway, I do magic with cards. I have noticed that here magic is not as popular as in Spain, thus I like to see the faces of the audience during the show that reveal their first expressions about magic. As for the shows I haven’t had enough time to prepare for them.

Q: Can you imagine staying in Hungary forever?

G: Forever is like a long time. I don’t normally plan so long ahead, only a few years, but I think I will be here the next two years too. At the moment I am having a good time here and I am not looking for anything else. We will see what the future holds in store for us. But one thing is true: Spain is where my family is, and Hungary is where my home is.