Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
1. Personal characteristics
features, personality traits
the typical man and woman
the ideal man and woman
fashion, trends, cosmetics
beauty care, cosmetic surgery
unnatural that its just sad to think that they were really this insecure. I think in
most cases the insecurity is not cured by changing one physical attribute.
I have a few close really good friends but Im not very good at nurturing
relationships, I should invest much more effort in maintaining my friendships. I
still have several friendships and sort of friendships but they are not as important
to me as the really close ones. Generally I consider myself easygoing and
friendly, I get along with colleagues and fellow students but Im not very outgoing
and I require some private time every day. If Im at camps or festivals or travel
with other people, or when I lived in a dormitory, after a few days Im getting
frustrated because of the lack of private time and silence. This is why I havent
settled down with a stable partner yet, Ive tried a few times but after a week or
two I always felt that it was an invasion into my privacy. That said I like getting to
know new people and go out to big parties, I just need the other side too, for my
balance.
I used to go out a lot in my previous workplace and I still meet sometimes with
my ex colleagues from there, and remember the good old times. In my current
workplace there is less wild social life, and it seems a more of an adult, or
perhaps old or responsible place. My current colleagues seem to live in a different
pace, they still party but some of them have families and they dont seem as free
spirited as we used to seem four-five years ago.
I see alienation every time when a person tries to express their individual values,
instead of just reflecting what they see in their close environment. Most of the
time their desires are not accepted and they end up alienated because they are
different and they were not afraid to express it. I think we live in a very uniform
world where every subculture has its place but people are not allowed to behave
or appear different than their subculture. Of course, they are free to move but if
they feel outsiders they probably have to change their circumstances because its
unlikely that others will accept them.
3. Family
family models
alternative forms of cohabitation
demographic trends
division of tasks within the family
bringing up children
generations living together
old people
The traditional family models which have been present in our culture for
thousands of years include a father, a mother and children. Some cultures allow a
man to have more than one wife which I think is a sexist practice, granting men
more freedom than to women.
These days couples often dont get married for a long time, sometimes not even
after the kids are born. Though most cases after the first child arrives they do get
married. But the average age in which people get married is much higher than it
was a hundred years ago.
The state takes care of several social allowances which is covered by tax money
paid by people. I think pension and unemployment benefit are present in most
countries, so people have to pay for them in form of taxes, and the state has to
provide them, while health insurance is only obligatory in some countries. In the
US there have been big debates recently about the proposed changes in health
insurance, I think the president wants to make it obligatory, similar to how it is in
Hungary.
The political system here is a democracy with several parties and elections held
every four years. The parties need to get a certain percentage of votes to get into
the Parliament. I try to stay outside of the campaigns because I find them all fake
and a blunt way of manipulation. They try to appeal on peoples emotions instead
of making rational claims. I dont have a TV and I generally avoid the news
because every time I see or read a newspiece I find it manipulative and fake.
That said, the country is in a touch situation, and fighting unemployment and
inflation at the same time is very hard. New and more taxes kill every initiative,
and no wonder that eight or nine in every ten new small firm fails within their first
year. And while the government talks all kind of smack about multinational
companies, they still provide most of the employment for the country, and the
government doesnt seem to help Hungarian firms with these tax regulations.
5. Social problems
privileged vs. disadvantaged social groups
the rich and the poor
living on the periphery
role and prestige of the intelligentsia
unemployment
aging population
conformists and deviants
public safety
crime and criminal investigation
migration
You can experience the huge gap between the rich and the poor every day.
Especially here in Budapest the streets are full of homeless people. There are
some places for them to go but its still not the same as a home. I think for one
part if you want it enough and work hard enough you can have success, but on
the other hand many people start their lives with serious disadvantages or
handicaps that is too much to overcome. Many of us support some charities but
there have been so many scandals around them that I think you really have to
double check to make sure that your donation really goes to those in need, and
doesnt get stolen in the meantime. I rarely give people money anymore because
of these trust issues, but when someone asks for food and I see them often then
by the next time I go there I buy some food for them and give it to them.
The country is in a touch situation, and fighting unemployment and inflation at
the same time is very hard. New and more taxes kill every initiative, and no
wonder that eight or nine in every ten new small firm fails within their first year.
And while the government talks all kind of smack about multinational companies,
they still provide most of the employment for the country, and the government
doesnt seem to help Hungarian firms with these tax regulations.
I hear all kinds of stories about people getting attacked on the streets, and public
safety decreasing, but I personally never experienced such a thing, I often walked
home in the middle of the night, and nobody ever tried to attack me. However
my flat has been broken into, a bit more than three years ago.
children so its possible that I may change my mind later but I cant imagine
myself living outside the downtown, I love it here.
9. Free time 1
free time activities
trends
they make no sense at all, totally twist the intonation and the tempo and pretty
much every aspect of the spoken language. I only went there once and never
returned, it was terrible.
14. Sports
sports facilities, sporting activities
mass sports/sportsmen
extreme sports
dangers of sports
the role of the state
15. Health
characteristics of a healthy lifestyle
healthy and unhealthy diet/dishes
prevention, healthcare
16. Illnesses
common illnesses and their prevention
addictions (alcohol, drugs, smoking, shopping, computer, TV)
stress, psychic diseases
alternative treatments
the challenged, the disabled
the role of the state
17. Services
catering facilities
banks
repair of consumer durables
emergency services
18. Shopping
buying consumer durables
19. Transport
public transport in the city
intercity transport
individual transport
public transport problems
individual transport problems
transport of the future
I live in Eger bla bla. I go there by train whenever I visit home. Its a bit longer
than going by bus but much more comfortable. The buses are always packed full
and they dont allow you to bring your luggage with you, but the luggage
container is always full so its very uncomfortable. Also in Eger there is no
possibility to buy your ticket in advance so you can never know if you miss your
bus because it just got full before you could get in. The train is much better, it
takes half an hour longer to get there but its worth it for me. I dont have a car
and I dont plan on getting one because public transport is good enough and I
wouldnt use a car. Also traffic jams are terrible, I see people every day sitting in
their cars and making a couple meters progress in half an hour, I wouldnt want
that.
Ive never been to a business trip, unfortunately, but several colleagues have. In
certain positions you can really travel a lot, sometimes to migrate a work activity
that used to be done abroad, or a conference, meeting, a customer visit, or if you
are an auditor your job includes travelling from one place to another and get in
touch with the locals and check their work. It must be a great experience and I
hope that one day I will end up in such a position.
23. Telecommunications
telephones
computers
e-mail
Internet
24. Science
scientific developments
technical developments
medical treatments and alternative medicine
gene technology
space research
25. Hungary
Hungary as a destination
major tourist attractions, main places of interest
tourism as a factor in the economy
perspectives
Hungary is very popular among tourists, probably also due to the lower prices but
it also has so many attractiones. Tourists find us friendly and helpful, and they
enjoy the night life and the sights offered by both Budapest and the countryside.
Sometime Im surprised how well informed they are about cities in the
countryside and that my foreigner colleagues take the effort and go to visit some
cities on the weekends. I live in Eger which also has several tourist attractions but
it doesnt have such a brimming and active life. Compared to Budapest, there are
very few job opportunities, no good shops, few shops with high prices, and the
streets are usually empty after 7 pm. The castle and some of the historic places
are amazing, the churches really beautiful and full of artwork, and the theatre is
good, also the park is lovely, but its only nice as a place to visit sometimes, not
to live there all the time.
I think tourism plays a big role in the economy, especially around thermal waters
and the Balaton, but there are hotels and hostels in every major city, lots of
restaurants and attractions. More and more people speak English, too, which also
helps to make the country a tourist friendly place.