Happy Easter!
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In this issue
Dear Reader, Spring is windy and cloudy. Although snow has melted, it’s still cold, sometimes
Ildikó invites you to the Adventure of Lent page 3
freezing. Spring is also the season of rebirth. The ground is covered by snowdrops which is
We all wish you a Happy Easter! with a wordsearch puzzle page 5
the ultimate sign for hope. I know it seems impossible to practice the latter type of thinking on a gloomy
Elizabeth shows you Little Miracles page 6
morning when you have a lot to do and the family is at home with a bad cold. Let me
Gergő tells the secret of a delicious Greedy cake page 7
help you with this month’s edition of English Tea Time!
Summer program idea page 8 Wishing you Happy English Practice:
Niki says: Keep your heart open page 9
Niki Kranz, Your Guide to English
Find out more about our new Contributors page 10
Tea Time
Impresszum A magazin összeállítója: Kranz Niki Minden jog fenntartva! A cikkek a szerzők szellemi tulajdonát képezik, nyelvi színvonalukért és információtartalmukért a szerzők maguk felelnelnek! A cikkek másolása részben vagy egészben kizárólag a szerzők hozzájárulásával lehetséges. 2015. március 11.
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The Adventure of Lent Did you know that the origin of Lent was really about spending 40 days contemplating and ‘choosing your own adventure’?
When I originally started thinking about Len, my first thoughts were, obviously, about what to give up for this Lenten Season, so, “What kind of food shall I give up now?” It was a had one, this time, because, I have done them all over the years: sugar, bread, meat, and sweets in general, you name it. Then, I thought, what it is for anyway? Honestly, I never felt the difference! I noticed that each time I, in general think, about Lent it is always, somehow, associated with giving up something that I like. I also noticed that most people I know tend to give up some kind of food that they consider unhealthy. I never really understood the concept, so, I started researching the history of Lent.
That’s what Wiki says – “The
Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus
traditional purpose of Lent is the
spent, before beginning his public
preparation of the believer through
ministry, fasting in the desert, where
prayer, penance, repentance of
he endured temptation by the
sins, almsgiving, atonement and
Devil. … During Lent, many
self-denial. Lent is traditionally
Christians commit to fasting or
described as lasting for forty days,
giving up certain types of luxuries as
in commemoration of the forty days
a form of penitence. [1]”
which, according to the Gospels of
Heavy words, ha? Though, the text mentions fasting and giving up luxuries, it does not say that Lent is meant to be about giving up a kind of food that you consider unhealthy, addictive or similar. We could argue that sugar was at some point in history, especially during war times, a luxury item, and so, giving up the luxury of having sugar might have been considered a way of showing our commitment to the idea of Lent. However, luckily, it has not been the case for quite some time now.
During my search, I also found this amazing article about the ‘origins of Lent’ by Nicholas V. Russo. [2] He says that according to history, especially pre Christian history, the idea of Lent – the word actually means forty – was about contemplating (praying and meditating) for forty days during which the seeker figures out what adventure he wants to turn to next in his life. “The early history of Lent is interesting and complex; it is something of a “choose your own adventure.”[3]
I might be mistaken but I doubt that suffering for forty damn days would bring me any closer to the realization of the adventures I wish to have next in my life.
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From another passage I also learnt that the (Lentes Season) “it is a season to ponder anew our own need for ongoing conversion.”[4]
From the above it seems to me that contemplation on how to start the ‘new season’, how to enter the anew with the intention to forever convert ourselves into the great person who we are at heart has turned – over the centuries – into a simple and rather mindless ritual of giving up some food as a token of our faith for 40 day. In case we assume that Lent is, originally, not about giving up something we enjoy in order to suffer some, rather about releasing all that would prevent us from renewing ourselves for the coming season, for the new spring, we could ask the question: ‘What do I want to let go of that may have so far prevented me from being happy and free?’
How about contemplating on giving up something that makes us miserable in exchange for blossoming into our greatness we inherently are: Pure Loving. On a practical note: ‘What shall it be then? What to let go of? Fear? Self-doubt? Procrastination?’ … Who is your greatest jailor that it is time to say good-bye to? What to choose to give up for this Lenten Season so you can enter your adventure revived when the forty days passed?
Sources: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent [2] http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/193181.pdf [3] http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/193181.pdf [4] http://www.morungexpress.com/public_discourse_public_space/128471.html
Photos by Kranz Niki
Kudlik Ildikó https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spiritn-ArtRecycled http://spiritinart.me/ http://snailfarm.me/
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Little Miracles I am standing in the sunshine, feeding the orphaned kid. He knows that milk comes from a blue bottle, but we had to teach him to drink from it. The other kids drink milk from their mothers, and no one had to teach them how. It is wonderful that kids are born knowing what to do. They stand on their shaky legs and search for the thing they know is there somewhere: their mother's milk. The new mother helps them by using her nose to push them into the right spot. She licks their wet coats to dry them off. She knows what to do, too. I am full of wonder at the miracle of life. There are twelve kids bouncing around in the sunshine. They butt their heads together, and they chase each other across the pen. The goats are lying down in the hay, chewing their cud. Sometimes one of the kids jumps on top of a goat and balances there for a few minutes. If there is something to climb in the pen, the kids will climb up on top of it - a log, a board, a goat. They are born wanting to climb. That is another thing no one has to teach them. NoĂŠmi milks the goats, and later we use the milk to make cheese. To me, cheese is another miracle. We start with plain fresh milk, and in a day or two we have cheese. The cheese is good to eat right away, but sometimes NoĂŠmi covers it with wax and lets it ripen for a few weeks. I also like making the parenica, rolling up the strips of cheese with salt and putting them on a tray. They are soft and white when GĂŠza takes them up to the smoker, and they are firm and yellow-brown when he brings them back down. Each day brings another wonderful thing. I close my eyes and turn my face up to the sun, grateful for its warmth. The orphaned kid butts my hand, telling me he wants more milk. His stomach is round, and the bottle is empty. I tell him not to be greedy, and leave the pen. When I shut the gate, I see that he is already playing with the other kids. They run and leap and kick their legs in the air. They seem as happy for the new day as I am.
Text and photo: Elizabeth Farquhar http://patronsaintofcheese.blogspot.hu/
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Greedy cake In our family everything has a story. This cake is not an exception from this rule. What’s more, it has two stories. First of all, it is a souvenir. Five years ago I took part in a baking contest organized by the parish where we belonged to. I made some Xmas cookies. I could taste all the participating masterpieces and I also got a book containing all the recipes. This is my favourite one. One of my friends made it. I often bake it and think of my friends then. Secondly, it is my special invention. I want my family to have plenty of money. So I have designed a cake which is tasty but cheap and is a symbol of wealth. This is how the below recipe has been formed. Ingredients: 1 mug of oil 4 eggs 2 mugs of sugar 3 mugs of flour 1 sachet baking powder 1 mug water grated skin of 2 oranges (optional) ½ l milk and some sugar to make pudding cherry Instructions: 1. Prepare the sponge first. Mix oil, eggs and sugar. Add flour and baking powder gradually, take it in turns with water. You can add orange skin. Bake it slowly. 2. Prepare the pudding accoring to instructions on the sachet. I used vanilla but you can choose your favourite flavour. When both the sponge and the pudding are done, pour pudding on top. 3. Decorare with cherry. The more cherries you use, the more chances you can have for becoming rich ;) There is always a good excuse for a cake. It contains no meat, so you can eat it during Lent. It looks beautiful, so it is a perfect dessert for Easter. Enjoy! Idea and photo: Kranz Gergő Text: Kranz Niki (the proud mom)
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A summer program idea – decide NOW! A summer camp is organized for women – girls, moms, wives, ladies and grandmas.
Time: 2-5 August, 2015 (3 nights, 4 days) Place: Szalonna, Hungary Language: Hungarian
30 women can participate, who are longing for having a few days’ rest, crafting and trying new things.
You can pay the price in two installments. First: 24.000 HUF for catering and accomodation. Due by 30 March, 2015. Second: 1000-5000 HUF, depending on the additional costs of the programs.
The list of the finalized programs and the account number for the transfer of the camp prize will be sent to you via e-mail.
Interested? Click here to check in!
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Keep your heart open! Can you imagine Easter without your gentelmen visiting girls and watering them for painted eggs? This year I will celebrate Easter away from my homeland. This may sound sad for the first reading but I must tell you: I’m really excited about it! I can hear new melodies (I will also try to learn some songs), see new traditions – probably also take part in them and taste new dishes, just like the one you can see in the picture. It is called Styrian Heart because it is covered with pumpkin seed. Besides being delicious and healthy, pumpkin seed provides the livelihood for the locals. As you see: tasting, watching, trying local specialities and customs gives you much more information about people’s collect from a pile of books. Other thinking than you would ever traditions and practices are possibly strange for first. But if you keep your heart open, you will be richer thanks to them. The same applies to learning a new language. You can say that the other language sounds strange. You can state that those people use much less colourful vocabulary. You can assume they are too simple because of using such simple grammar. You can look down on them for inventing awful holidays and spreading these around the world just to make more profit. You can do any of these, but only after giving a satisfactory answer to all of the following questions:
Are you sure your pronunciation is understandable? How many words do you know in the new language? Can you use their grammar correctly? Do you know all their holidays and the background to those?
If you are interested in learning a language, keep your heart open for it and it will tell you much-much more than word lists to be remembered and grammar to be practised. Once it finds its way to your heart, you will study these necessary elements more easily and will also be able to use them! So, the best way to study a language is: learn it by heart! There is a good reason why the English says that so! Kranz Niki www.yourguide.hu https://www.facebook.com/YourGuideKft
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Our contributors Kudlik Ildikó I have 20 years of experience in different educational and developmental settings in various parts of the world. I also run my own self-designed courses sharing my vast knowledge and experience in the fields of creativity and creative self-expression as an educator and coach with all those who wish to provide support for themselves, their children/pupils and/or colleagues. For the past 10 years, I have also been creating various products and artwork in collaboration with other artist and educators under the brand called Spirit’n Art©. As an environmentalist artist I create products that intend to inspire creative eco-living under the brand called Spirit’n Art Recycled©. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spiritn-Art-Recycled http://spiritinart.me/ http://snailfarm.me/
Elizabeth Farquhar I enjoy traveling and meeting new people. I have lived in the United States, Japan, England, France, and now Hungary. My great-grandfather was born in Kapuvár and my greatgrandmother was born in Isaszeg. My favorite animals are chickens, goats, and cats, and I love to make cheese! http://patronsaintofcheese.blogspot.hu/
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Kranz Niki
I am Your Guide to successful English communication and enjoyable nonstop language practice. You are most welcome to my online lessons which are accompanied by daily available online and offline practice, a useful weekly newsletterand now this monthly magazine. Join a 21-day English language challenge for FREE: www.yourguide.hu Get fun practice daily: https://www.facebook.com/YourGuideKft This is my project for nonstop teaching: http://nonstoptanar.yourguide.hu/enter/
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