Classes

• Political Economy of Global Energy
  Actually, one of my most interesting classes so far. We hear about foreign oil and gas all the time in the news, but there are not too many of us who actually know what's going on. This class has been very good at putting concrete figures on a complicated energy economy. Energy security, oil cartels, NOCs, resource mercantilism--oil politics 101.
  
• Human Rights & Biopolitics
  In the beginning, I thought I was going to like this class best because it combines several areas of interest for me: science, law, policy, and ethics. It has since shaped up to be what I expected, but somehow less interesting and intensive as any similar class from Cornell.
  
• Space and Science: Power, Networks, and the Circulation of Knowledge in the 16th-19th Centuries
  This class is right up my alley (my small, obscure intellectual corner that is the history, sociology, and philosophy of science). So far it has been underwhelming; maybe I'm spoiled because I have taken so many other classes with similar themes. But it is increasingly interesting to hear about European knowledge production in, well, Europe.
  
• European Governance
  Coming here I knew I wanted to take a class about the European Union. This is a fun class about the structure, history, and politics of the EU. It's taught by Péter Balázs, a Hungarian diplomat who had been a EU commissioner. Lecturers are often punctuated with personal anecdotes, which has been both refreshing and fascinating.
  
• An Introduction to Central Europe: History, Culture, and Politics
  "Central Europe" is an area that is both exotic and familiar; it has also been an area many of us don't know much about. Most of my follow students at the Central European University are from surrounding countries; they have grown up with the conflicts and the communist legacy. This class definitely helps to fill in the gaps. What is "Central Europe"? And what does its future hold?
  
• Beginner Hungarian
  Hands down, Hungarian is one of the most difficult languages in the world. Although lacking in general practical use, I do want to learn some Hungarian so that I could get around in Budapest. It's good to be able to order a coffee at a cafe without having to gesture at the menu; or to be able to answer simple questions instead of staring blankly at the people who just spoke to you; or to be able to shop at a grocery store and actually buy the right thing. (It took us 10 minutes to find butter at a supermarket and when we got home, we found out that it wasn't really butter!) I'm sure there will be many future posts with me ranting about how crazy Hungarian is.
  

Hello, Goodbye

In Hungarian, hallo means "goodbye"; I can't help but think that there's something deeply symbolic about that. Like maybe everything might just start where it ends. (Or maybe symbolism only belongs in novels, poems, and movies.)

I brought one of those tourist guide books for Budapest. In the section about Hungarian cuisine, it reads "Vegetarianism is slowly, ever so slowly being recognized in Hungarian restaurants; many establishments now offer a vegetable plate entrée, usually consisting of seasonal steamed and grilled vegetables, or cheese plates. Hungarians look on vegetarians with suspicion, regardless of their nationality." (That last bit sounds like my dad.) Okay, makes dieting easier.