Hungarian language class in Kampala

Mónika L. Novák was given a chance to introduce the Hungarian language and culture to the students of an international school in Uganda, globoport.hu wrote. (Read more about Mónika’s adventure in Africa here!)

Mónika has held a lecture in the school which her kids attend, and although most of the students were born in Africa, their mother tongue is English, and students have the opportunity to learn other languages, such as Chinese, French, Suavely, or German. The Hungarian language is something special, and Mónika was asked to be a guest lecturer to introduce Hungary and Hungarian culture to the students.

The notion of multiculturalism is not simply a word in Africa: people really accept those who came from another culture and have different social or cultural backgrounds. They help them to integrate into their society. The majority of the Africans are extremely nice, kind, and open, and they are thirsty for knowledge.

The African-Hungarian Union provided a DVD about Hungary, which was narrated in English, and that helped Mónika a lot on the “journey.” Students were amazed by the famous sights, natural wonders, museums, lakes and rivers of Hungary. They could virtually experience how colourful the seasons are, saw the stalagmites and stalactites, the thermal baths, and the national parks. The kids were fascinated by the Hungarian folk songs and folk dances, and the wonderful embroidered folk costumes.

The Hungarian alphabet contains much more letters than the English one, and the students were stunned by the pronunciation of the words. They learnt where Hungary is, they know that Mónika is “magyar” (it means Hungarian in English), and by the end of the last class, they learnt to say Hi, ask for something, list their body parts, and buy basic foods in Hungarian.

At the very end of the brief language course Mónika and her son sang the Hungarian hymn, and were moved by how much the students learnt, and how they enjoyed every minute they spent talking about the Hungarian language and culture.

Photo sources: globoport.hu

Copy editor: bm

Source: globoport.hu