Things happened in 2007, too.
Sziszi found a new workplace. After 22 years spent with Concordia (Organisational Development and Leadership Trainings) and 2 years spent as a freelance consulant he joined ICG (Infora Consulting Group). This small company with an Austrian background has grown with quite a few new colleagues this year, among them some old friends of Sziszi which made it easier for him to find his place here.
In June Sziszi spent a week in Portoros (on the 50 km long Slovenian beach) on a company meeting, where Cili and the Belly has followed him by train. We got to know many people at ICG, and after the meeting we made long walks on the steep allees of the tiny costal towns.
Slovenia and Belly
Cili finished her graphical studies in June. (By the way, it seems she finished ALL her schools - even the university after 12 years.) She enjoyed the art studies a lot. In this small school she could work among ideal conditions, in a fantastic studio and workshop, in a 8 member class, with great teachers. The last months she worked through with a growing belly and in a special chemical mask, but without any problems, thank God. Her "title" is "graphic artist" but of the oldest graphical techincs: etching, litographie, serigraphy, etc. She works with quaint materials such as soot, wax, resin, tar, FeCl, turpentin etc, and would like to build up a workshop at home, too, for further graphical work. Her graduation portfolio was a special series of portraits, which can also be seen on this blog, among older posts.
A classmate and the workshop
In work...
Dani has started an (almost) self-sustained life - he has moved to Budapest with his girlfriend Anett, to a tiny, quiet flat. They have made it very cosy. Dani is studying economics, Anett is into environmental studies. Dani, beside university, is helping young people to find work after school, Anett is working at the magazine "Természetbúvár" (environmental issues). We don't see them very often... but it seems they are enjoying independent life with its sads and glads.
Szalay boys
In August Sámuel Mátyás has finally come out of his hiding place. Sziszi and I basically spent every day of August with saying every morning: he will surely come today. But he waited till the end: 28th August. He was born in our home, in the log house in Telki, among very peaceful, calm circumstances, quickly, smoothly - if a birth can be described in such way. During the weeks before his birth we often discussed with him that it is soon time to come out, and how he can help Cili to give birth. And it seems he really listened as he was really very skillfully turning and wriggling out.
For a long time we could not decide about his name, in the end we even made a poll among family members and friends... Finally, Sámuel and Mátyás has won over Jonatán, Ármin and Bonifác.
A month after Sámuel's birth the midwife who helped us was prohibited from assisting birthgiving because of the death of a baby. She (the midwife) has been assisting homebirthes since 15 years and this was the second such case (which is a much better statistic than that of hospitals). Also giving birth at home has been banned in Hungary. So we were one of the last lucky ones - at least for a while. In Hungary the law for "homebirth" is under construction, but as it seems now, it is going to be a uselessly strict law which will basically make it impossible to give birth outside a hospital.
Sámuel has started around 3kg and 30g. Now he is over 7kgs, at 4 months... In his face there is really something Buddha-like, as if he really came from India... In the first weeks he was not much interested in the world around, he "arrived" quite slowly, cried a lot especially when met new placed and faces. Around the end of the second month he "looked around" and since then he became a curious little fellow, very much interested in faces and people. He is a calm and smiley baby and talks a lot. Since a little while he can grab things, just now he is trying to unwrap the Christmas presents...
Every Thursday Cili and Sámuel take a bus and go to Székesfehérvár to visit the grandparents and the 2 year old cousin Ákos (Kati's son), and spend some time with friends. Thursday evenings they go to the reherseal of the Bástya Choir. The Christmas concert was on the 28th Dec, Sámuel has slept all the way through.
With Grandma
With Grandpa
With aunts, uncles, grand- and great-grandparents
We spent less time in the orphanage in Székesfehérvár (sadly). However we had the children for a weekend spring trip in Telki, and in summer we spent 2 weeks in a small village Kincsesbánya, beside a lake. We enjoyed it just as much as the 14 children who were with us there. The camp was focusing this year on developing cooperation in their group. They got many tasks to carry out in group, without our help. They suprised us by managing much better than we thought they would...
More or less this much... We would be so glad to hear some news about you, so please write!
Lots of love and all the best for 2008!
Cili, Sziszi, Sámuel
