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  • Lauren at ELAW: We miss you already, Agnes! I'm so glad you enjoyed your time here in Eugene. You are welcome back... (2010.03.17. 16:54) last Sunday of the Fellowship
  • Cassie C.: I've been to Portland several times, but have never had such an adventure there. I guess it's too ... (2010.03.12. 01:50) short visit to Portland
  • Cassie C.: My "reliable source" came from National Weather Service & Underground Weather :) (2010.03.05. 19:31) Week of the PIELC
  • taktim: I just want to remind you that EMLA office in Budapest also has a very special atmosphere: sedativ... (2010.02.26. 14:55) 15/2/2010-21/2/2010
  • Cassie C.: I am glad that you like the Chinese New Year Celebration:) (2010.02.16. 22:14) the 6th "7"

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sign of life

2010.03.20. 16:46 agnes.g

Dear Lauren and my Readers in Eugene, 

I also miss you all (y'all? :)).  

I neglected to tell you about my last week in Eugene, the journey and my first week in Hungary in 2010; now, I shortly try to make up for being late. During the last week I had many tests and examinations at the AEI. Although all the results of my tests were around 95 percent, the final outcome was not so favourable because I missed the tests during the PIELC's week... and those zero-result decreased my grade.

On Friday, the ELAW staff organized a "bon voyage" lunch for me. We were sitting in the living room of the ELAW house and spent a pleasant hour together. In the afternoon, after the grammar test we had an "American Idol"-like show with my classmates and with our teacher. The Chinese guys as well as Robin sang for us in Chinese. One of my friends surprized us with his artistic talent when he showed a portait he had drawn of me... it was awesome... 

On Saturday, I packed in ... baggage weighed.... overweight.... packed out and in again... overweight.... I weighed myself... overweight... doing excerscises.... giving up the packing until afternoon... I baked a cake (Bboci szelet) without real quark - it was replaced by something which was called quark (sour crem in real). In the evening my great classmates, Ai and JiYoung organized a dinner in the house of Ai's hostfamily. Cassie, the host-mother baked chicken-pie and sweet potato; and my friends ordered a tiramisu cake from the SweetLife with flowers.

The Saturday night was quite hard for me, I couldn't sleep because of the anxiety from the journey; and the night was shorter because the clock was changed. In the early morning I wrote in the ELAW-guestbook but I hardly ever remember what about....

In the morning, the guys arrived to the ELAW house at 5:30; and we were waiting for Robin, Ai and Ji Young. Although they were a little bit late, it didn't cause any inconvenience. They all escorted me to the airport and helped to check in and to convince the staff of the airport that my baggage didn't weigh more than 44lbs. They tried to discourage me from leaving Eugene and them :) but I was strong and said "good-bye" (or rather "see you later").

The travel was very exhausting again. I couldn't sleep at all on the airplane, but I slept twenty minutes at the airport in SFO... and in Frankfurt as well...

My mother and brother took me home from Budapest to Zirc. On Tuesday, I was sleeping so much like a baby. On Wednesday, I came back to Budapest and began to work.

My dear colleagues warmly welcomed me, the chocolate and the salt water taffy I brought them.

The little choir, which I am member of, seemed to be happy to meet me. On Thursday, we had our regular rehearsal. These weeks we are preparing for our coming performances at Easter. 

tbc.

Agnes


Szólj hozzá!

last Sunday of the Fellowship

2010.03.11. 07:21 agnes.g

Dear Reader,

now, in the middle of the last week and before the final exams at the AEI, I tell you my last Sunday.

I broke a fortune cookie one hour ago and the prophecy said that “An interesting musical opportunity is in your near future.”  … but the message of the oracle (or rather the Chinese restaurant) had been already fulfilled before the cookie was broken: on my last Sunday in Eugene I saw a musical performed by children and teenagers. I had been looking forward to that because I like theatre and music very much. After I entered the theatre (the studio), the "Sunday Afternoon Fever" almost made me  dizzy, because excited children and their more excited parents were bustling round me until the matinee began.


Both of Bern’s daughters had roles in the play which was about how a little orphan`s, Annie’s miserable life changes because a billionaire adopts her. The story is set in the USA in the early ‘30-ties. While Annie finds a new family, the USA also gets solution to the depression; namely President F. D. Roosevelt introduces the New Deal.
We saw sad and humorous scenes, complications and a great denouement; there were nice solos and cuddly little children who loved to be on the stage. Tatum (Tessie) was one of the orphans (she didn’t seem nervous at all!) and Harper, who was in the role of Mrs. Pugh, looked like a real lady in her costume and with her serious bun.

The children did very well; even if some of them were nervous, they always were able focus on the next sentence, scene or gesture. It was so sweet that even now makes me smile when I am thinking about some of the scenes.  


After the performance I had dinner from the “Impromptu Kitchen” that provides brand new approach to combining spices, fruits and vegetables … O Pioneers!


Maybe continued


Agnes

 

1 komment

few days in Seattle

2010.03.09. 16:40 agnes.g

Dear Reader,

charmed by the sunshine and the Columbia River we continued our trip toward the city of Seattle. Our hotel, where we stopped first before 6pm, was pretty comfortable and nice. After refreshing ourselves, we went to have a dinner together to Eileen’s and her husband’s house. We found warm welcome and met lawyers from Seattle who also are working in the field of environmental law; I learned many interesting cases not only from the U.S. but from Ghana and Liberia, too.


Eileen spent one year in Hungary and the taste of her strudel was very similar to ours… I missed the Hungarian tastes so much and this week I had the opportunity to eat a great, Hungarian-like beef stew made by a professor from India, who is living in the USA (well done, dear Sriram :)), and a delicious apple-cinnamon-strudel baked by Eileen (thank you again for your kindness).
I spent the next day in the city, walking around the downtown, the Pioneer Square, the Pike Place Market and the Seattle Center.


At half past noon I was waiting for Kwesi and Francis in the front of the Seattle Art Museum, at the “hammering” statute where I met many homeless people and I had very interesting discussions with some of them.
Maybe you are surprised why I talked to strangers, aren’t you? First – of course – they wanted money. After I gave one or two dollars, they usually wanted to hug me or shake hands but I refused their approaches and we began to talk… two of them had very interesting stories about their lives.


An old woman told me that she had a boy-friend from Turkey and she used to live in Europe for years. She was really amazing, she explained her experiences about Europeans, and I partly had to agree with her. We have (or had in the ’80-ties) more stereotypes and stronger prejudice (I am sorry, dear Reader in Europe, if you don’t have these thoughts, but maybe you are the exception … and that is why you are reading my blog!)
Later a homeless guy also tried to tell me about his life. His speaking was not as clear as the earlier woman’s, however I understood almost everything. He had been addicted to drugs for ten years, he lost his job and his family and everything he earned. He spent all his money to gain the daily ration. Although he stopped to that with the help of a charity, he never could return to his earlier life. His wife and children don’t keep in touch with him. I asked why he didn’t try to find a job and his answers became more ambiguous. He seemed to be angry about the American employers and politicians, but I couldn’t figure out, why exactly…   


After twenty minutes I rushed alone to the harbor and participated in one of the amazing Argosy Cruises. I saw the amazing skyscrapers, the mountains around the lakes, the house of the “Sleepless in Seattle”, the vessels of the “Deadliest Catch” as well. Later I ate crabs soup on the waterfront, bought gifts for my family in a little store and went to the Seattle Center. I travelled with the Monorail to the Space Needle; I saw the sunset from the top of this futuristic building.  and after that I rushed back to the hotel because I don’t like wandering alone in the street… I mean, after dark (there is a song about this, isn’t it?... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG0qv9s0VNo&feature=related)
In the next morning, Kwesi and I took a great walk in the downtown again, while Francis stayed in the hotel. We figured out how we can go to the Amtrak Station.


Travelling by train through the States… I loved that. The train was very comfortable, I slept maybe one hour after counting (not sheep, but) coaches, wagons and trucks. Once we saw a train with more than 120 wagons pulled by five, large engines running across the US...
O you youths, Western youths,
 So impatient, full of action, full of manly pride and friendship,
Plain I see you, Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost,
Pioneers! O pioneers!
” (W. Whitman)

In the late evening we arrived in Eugene and my only desire was to sleep.
 

To be continued with “Annie”


Agnes
 

and my photos:

http://cid-afa13623274e9e16.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Mitnekemamerika
 

Szólj hozzá!

short visit to Portland

2010.03.08. 22:53 agnes.g

Dear Reader,

On Wednesday we (Jen, Merab, Kwesi, Francis and me) departed from Eugene in the early morning and arrived at 9am in Portland. The Pioneer Court Building, where the Ninth Circuit usually holds its hearings, is very fancy. We were waiting in a neighborly room in that we could follow the previous hearings on a plasma screen. 

The first case was about a crime which happened in the Indian reservation (criminal intent, influence of being drunk on intent, who remembers and what they remember). The hearing we were interested in, was the fourth issue on the agenda. The case was about forestry (prevention of fire in the Deschutes National Forest by thinning the forest) vs. protection of the northern spotted owl’s habitats. It began around half past eleven and was very exciting. The judges reminded me about the examination committee of my final, administrative law exam (when my classmates were crying in the lobby after they passed the exam!).

One of the hearings was a little bit exhausting; the concept of bankruptcy in English caused a strong headache for me that is why we hurried to the hotel and said good-bye to Merab (and again: have a nice trip, Merab :)!) and Jen who drove back to Eugene.

After the little, painful intermezzo we (Francis, Kwesi and me) started to explore Portland. The directions were perfect; we found the Powell’s Bookstore in 18 minutes as it was written on our paper prepared by Maggie and Cassie. Before entering the City of Books, we had lunch in a restaurant nearby.

Although I love books, I left the guys in the store continuing my walk towards the Chinese Garden. We were agreed on meeting at 5 pm, even if we never knew what time it exactly was. Kwesi was the one who had a watch (which showed the time in Ghana… so we should always deduce the Oregonian time…).

The weather was pretty good; the sky was cloudy but it didn’t rain. First I wanted to visit the Chinese Garden in Chinatown but everything was so grey in there… and I had only 73 minutes until our meeting in the bookstore… thus, I wandered in Chinatown, in the Old Town and in the Pearl District.

I popped in a hippie-boutique :) for ten minutes. I bought two little patches there (“Peace” and “The Hempire Strikes Back”). After giving the local hippie community that little financial support, I looked around in another store (Avalon Antiques) which was full of beautiful old-fashioned and antique accessories, hats, jewels, boots, and evening-dresses from the thirties. I didn’t buy anything; however, I regretted not doing that. I always wanted a belt with an eagle-buckle and I found a buckle but it was without belt… later I had a new belt made in Seattle in the Public Market.

Kwesi, Francis and I were walking later in the cultural district which was much nicer in the evening lights (the Center for the Performing Arts, the Oregon History Museum, the Portland Art Museum…)

I couldn’t sleep very well in Portland. I woke up before 6am and started to gain more experiences about the city. I met an old lady who wanted to help me, regarding that I was looking at my map with a puzzled expression on my face. She was a volunteer in the Oregon Historical Society and guided me around the cultural district. The dawn was gone already when I bought my coffee (in the Starbucks, of course) which I drunk in a park… sitting on a bank, eating a cinnamon roll and looking at the people, the park, the buildings.

Later I walked to the Old Saturday Market (yes, on Thursday) and went back and forth the other side of the city across a bridge (which was full of weird, homeless persons who were treading bananas onto the pavement - dear Reader, if you want, once I can explain why they did that!).

I discovered a tiny part of the other side of the city. I found a great bookstore with old magazines published from the ‘50-ties until nowadays (about Marilyn Monroe, Shirley McLain, Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn…). I spent half an hour there and rushed back to the hotel.

Rita arrived at 11:09am. We checked out and departed to Seattle. The way to Washington State also was beautiful. We stopped to visit the Multnomah Waterfall and later the Vista House. (Actually, I am not able to describe the landscape from there, please, see the photos which illustrate my notes.)

To be continued with Seattle

 

Agnes

1 komment

Week of the PIELC

2010.03.03. 08:56 agnes.g

Dear Reader,


I promise I’ll abstain from poetry this week although I have beautiful new experiences… the last week differed from the previous weeks. This week was the time of the Public Interest Environmental Conference.


… but first…


Because Cassie’s reliable source told her that the 22nd February would be the brightest day between the 1st January and the 14th March in 2010, we chose this day to go to see the Pacific Ocean.
The source wasn’t wrong, indeed; we spent a great day in Yachats. After collecting shells, talking to local people, discovering the rocks, we took a walk in the town and ate seafood in a very pleasant little restaurant. We also visited the Heceta Head Lighthouse and later almost hit a wolf by the car (somebody told me two weeks ago there weren’t wolves any more in Oregon…hm).


By Tuesday, my dear colleagues, Kwesi (from Ghana), Francis (from Liberia) and Merab (from Georgia) arrived and they also participated in John’s and Svitlana’s classes. The ELAW staff organized a welcome lunch for all the fellows in the ELAW House’s living room.
On Wednesday before having lunch in John’s and Svitlana’s home we (I mean the ELAW fellows) participated in the weekly meeting of the LL.M. Seminar. The international students warmly welcomed us; we had a great discussion about what being public interest environmental lawyer means in our countries.

The dinner was also very pleasant; John told us about their travels and guided us round the rooms. I recognized some of the photos (Matterhorn) where I also were...
After dinner we discussed about the environmental law of Ghana, Liberia, Hungary, South-Africa and the USA. John and Svitlana are the authors of a new book about constitutional rights and environmental law, and there is a decision of the Supreme Court of Hungary in the book as well :) I liked our conversation very much.
That evening was the first time I saw the photos related to the case which Kwesi is working on; and I really felt how many things we have to do in this world… the whole PIELC was dedicated to announce the harmful effects of the mankind on the air, the mountains, the rivers and my beloved ocean! Our suffering environment was represented in all the panels and in the keynote speeches. The PIELC was truly unforgettable, touching and encouraging… my poetry again, ‘xcuse!


On Thursday evening there was a reception for Rizwana Hasan from Bangladesh; we met Steven Donzinger and Jeff Kent as well; I was talking to many environmental lawyers who arrived because of the conference. On Friday, I was in a panel with Svitlana and Merab which was about public participation (Giving the Public a Voice).
On Sunday evening, we had dinner in Bern’s house (first time I ate thai food) and I met two of the keynote speakers, Marc Ona (http://www.goldmanprize.org/2009/africa) and Rizwana (http://www.goldmanprize.org/2009/asia).


Favourites of the week:
-    case: Ecuador vs. Chevron (Steven Donzinger)
-    speech: closing keynote of Rizwana Hasan
-    panel: The Epicenter of Climate Change
-    movement: Stove Team International
-    place: Yachats
-    exercise: running from the waves
-    scene: birds at the coast having fun … where the river meets the ocean


T.b.c. from Seattle


Agnes

 

1 komment

15/2/2010-21/2/2010

2010.02.22. 07:14 agnes.g

Dear Reader,


the third Monday of February was President’s Day when the USA celebrates the birthdays of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Although there was holiday, I followed my “mondaily” routine. The President’s Day doesn’t have influence on the AEI’s schedule. So, I attended my English classes and I spent hours in the Knight Library reading about US’s environmental policy. I like this library so much because of the pleasant atmosphere; it has large rooms with huge windows which look onto the park of UO. (A little illustration: Being lost in my thoughts, suddenly I happened to hear little, scratchy noises from outside. While I had been reading inside my books, two grey and well-fed squirrels began to have their lunch on the window ledge.)

On Tuesday and Thursday, in John’s class we were talking about the system of water pollution permits. Many regulations in CWA on effluent limitations are applicable on point sources and all the pollution sources must have a permit that is why we focused on the definition of “point source”.  


Svitlana’s class was about the three flexible mechanisms described in Kyoto Protocol and the obligations of the Parties. We tried to evaluate its terms against the negotiating framework of the Berlin Mandate and considered how the Protocol relates to the Convention. We analyzed functions, authorities, and responsibilities of the Parties as well as the role of the US in the negotiations.
On Wednesday, I attended a court hearing with Cassie and Lauren. It lasted more than two hours and was very exciting. The courtroom was pretty large and the arrangement of the desks and seats was quite different from ours. The big difference came from the setup of the jury’s section on the right hand side and the tables of the parties were on the left side. I think the hearing was less formal than in Hungary, but there were many other differences. The hearing and the discussion with the attorney of the petitioners’ provided me great insight in the function of US’s jurisdiction.


This week I was in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art visiting the Korean, Chinese, Japanese and American exhibitions which are part of the Asian Celebration (organized this weekend).


On Saturday, I was hiking with Eve Montanaro, her friend, Chris and his dog, Rosie. We talked much about the activities of our organizations (Eve have been working for the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council for several years. http://www.mfwwc.org/index.html) and we had a gorgeous day. First we wanted to hike with snowshoe but after arriving we decided to walk without that.
The cloudless sky was bright over the enchanting Odell Lake and the snow-covered mountains. The bushy forest seemed to be very enigmatic; only our steps on the path and the babble of the stream in the valley broke the silent of the trees. Sometimes we saw eagles and little birds searching for something edible. While we had been coming back to Eugene we stopped in Oakridge and had dinner and I tried the real American burger with real Oregonian beer of a local brewery.


 Favorites of the week:
-    scene: listening to the testimony of the witness in court
-    cultural experience: Japanese Exhibition in JSMA
-    out-door program: hiking near Odell Lake
 

T.b.c.

Agnes
 

2 komment

the 6th "7"

2010.02.15. 06:43 agnes.g

 

Dear Reader,
 
On Monday - after my English classes - I attended the Work Session of the City Council at the City Hall. The three items on the session’s agenda were safe streets through access management, federal surface transportation program and the Police Auditor’s report on taser case involving a Chinese student. (A Chinese student was tased by a Eugene policeman in September. The officer reported that he had fallen to the ground – we don’t know why -, and the student was coming at him, but he couldn't see the student's right hand which was covered by a blanket. The officer says he told the guy to get back then stood up and shot him with the taser when he wouldn't comply… the student didn’t understand the warnings because he didn’t speak English at all.)
 
On Tuesday in class Environment and Pollution we were discussing the state water quality standards and comprising the rules on federal facilites pollution control in CWA (Sec. 313.) and in CAA (Sec. 118.).
In Svitlana Kravchenko’s class we talked about the national plan which was prepared by the Clinton Administration to address climate change based entirely on voluntary incentives and measures. (The plan was criticized as having no chance of achieving ’90 levels of emissions.) Finally, we tried create arguments that the U.S. was out of compliance with the UNFCCC.
On Wednesday we had a very interesting discussion with Jen about land using. Next week we are going to attend a court hearing. I am looking forward to that… the case is related to the regulations on land using and zoning in Eugene.
This week I also met Scott Altenhoff who works as an urban forestry technician and offered his knowledge and connections in defense of urban trees.
 
On Saturday evening I was at the Chinese New Year Celebration with Ji Young and Ai (my classmates). The party was organized in the EMU’s Ballroom and it was amazing … and sometimes quiet funny. The traditional as well as the contemporary dances were the most enjoyable performances for me; the music was really catchy and I liked the traditional costumes of the performers.
 
Favorites of the week:
  • topic: “Measure 37” and “Measure 49” (land using)
  • book: Environmental Law by Jeffrey Gabba
  • room: living room in ELAW house from where you might see a nice grove of bamboo-trees
  • building of UO: Knight Library
  • dessert: ice cream with cheesecake at Dairy Queen
  • day: Friday
 
Happy Tiger’s Year!
 
Agnes

 

1 komment

The Fifth Amend... I mean The Fifth Week

2010.02.10. 07:18 agnes.g

Dear Reader,

On Monday (the 1st February) after my English lessons we (the whole class including our teacher, Robin) went to Sakura (a Japanese Restaurant near the campus). After the other guests were sent off by the noise we caused and left Sakura looking for more peaceful restaurants, we had a dinner in a quite pleasant environment. 

Although I like my Chinese classmates, I shouldn’t have sat among them. Despite the fact that we strongly asked them to speak English, they were talking exclusively in their first language. Thus, I told them different things in Hungarian. After three minutes our conversation became really boring...fortunately, the sushi was delicious.

I attended John Bonine’s (Environment and Pollution) classes on Tuesday and on Thursday as well as Svitlana Kravchenko’s class (International Law and Climate Change) on Tuesday. (maybe you are curious about this: http://www.law.uoregon.edu/academics/docs/0910springhours.pdf)

The Environment and Pollution classes were about the best practicable and best conventional control technologies for existing sources (we analyzed several sections of Clean Water Act). We talked about nationally uniformed effluent limitations and primarily focused on the question whether these limitations should be based on environmental quality, technological feasibility, or some balance of costs and benefits. On Thursday making easier to understand other legal problems, John gave us an overview of the federal legislative process as well.

The language of UNFCCC was the object of our analysis in Svitlana’s class on Tuesday. I was more familiar with that, because at the end of the third year at university I wrote my final paper about international treaties on climate change. At the beginning of the lesson I shortly introduced the activities of EMLA and our cases. After the class Svitlana asked me to write a summary about my cases against coal-fuelled power plants.

On Wednesday I met Rita who works for ELAW and gained many experiences in practicing U.S. criminal law, thus, we discussed the similarities and differences between our criminal legal systems with special regard to environmental crimes, environmental criminal trends and the practice of sentence.

I wouldn’t like to write too much about the 5th and 6th February because the photos uploaded can tell those days better than I could.

I didn’t take photos of Friday evening when we (Maggie, Keith and me) were on the First Friday ArtWalk (http://www.lanearts.org/communityarts/firstfriday/). It was the best ending of that sunny and beautiful day. We saw impressing pictures and funny sculptures which looked as if they were pictures… or pictures which looked as if they wanted to be sculptures….

On Saturday I attended an excursion which was organized by AEI. We were at the Hoodoo Winter Carnival. (http://www.hoodoo.com/) Our busses departed at 9:30am and we arrived in Eugene 9:30pm. We (my Korean friends and me) can’t or didn`t want to ski, that is why we rather chose tubing, live country music and bonfire at the Hoodoo Mountain.

Favorites of the week:

- class: International Law and Climate Change

- theme: criminal environmental law of U.S.

- cultural program: First Friday ArtWalk

- day: I cannot decide… Friday or Saturday

- food: sushi in Sakura

- other activity: tubing

 

T.b.c.

Agnes

 

3 komment

My life between the 24th and the 31th January… in a (coco)nutshell

2010.02.01. 08:33 agnes.g

Új bejegyzés

Dear Reader

last Sunday I didn’t have the luck to enjoy the sunshine; however the showers couldn’t decline the splendors of the exhibition “Amazonia”. It was organized by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art; very impressive photos of animals in rainforests have been shown there since few weeks. I was at the museum with Cassie. She wanted to avoid the photos of snakes, I wanted to avoid the photos of monkeys, but we couldn’t leave out them, of course. However both of us loved the pictures of butterflies, birds, parrots, leopards and alligators. (www.jsma.uoregon.edu)

On Monday, after (and instead of) my English classes I participated in Jen’s class about Energy and the Law, it was very interesting. Similarly, John Bonine’s classes about Environment and Pollution on Tuesday and Thursday were fascinating. I borrowed the required and recommended books. It is exciting that I may gain knowledge of U.S. environmental law as well as the Law School.

This week I began the preparation for PIELC. I am going to participate in the panel on procedural rights. I think I will talk about legal-procedural questions of public participation in Hungary - based on EMLA’s cases.

I won’t bore you, dear Reader, with all the details of my life, but I would like to tell some of my experiences from this week.

The main topic of the English reading/writing/grammar classes is nutritionism, so - not surprisingly - at the end of the lessons we always are very hungry.

On Tuesday we (three of my classmates and me) decided - following our beloved Korean classmate’s advice - that we try kimchi, bibimbap (or bimbipap?!) and bulgogi. These traditional Korean foods were a little bit spicy for me, but the conversation about differences and similarities between the Korean, Japanese and Chinese cuisine was  interesting.

I think I found three experts of the topic, because they all love their own national meals and are open-minded enough to try something different. Of course, I could not participate in the discussion, because of the lack of similarities, but I told them about the basic Hungarian meals (pörkölt - stew, gulyásleves – gulash and Gundel-palacsinta – Gundel pancake) and our drinks (wines of Tokaj and “pálinka”, which is made from plum).

On the next evening we ate sushi with wasabi… I liked it, too. Wasabi was really “touching”.

Friday evening I saw the movie “Sherlock Holmes” in Springfield and had to realize, that they made a tiny mistake: … Sherlock Holmes was left out from the screenplay. I like Robert Downey jr. (since the film “Restoration”) as well as Jude Law (because I am a lawyer… khm, sorry!), that’s why I enjoyed this film. However, the title is not suitable, it doesn’t agree with the theme; I would suggest the producer to change that, because the film certainly will be continued. Thus, my suggestions are: ”Street Fighters for Old Britannia 1.” or “Good boys speak in fragments 1.”

Saturday evening I was at the Robert Burns Scottish Music Festival. The music and the dances were charming; the dinner was great and the original poems were very hard to understand. I discovered what “Lassie” and “Laddie” mean (woman and man), and I saw (but didn’ taste) the traditional Scottish “Haggis”, which is a kind of sausage (you know, it is like our Hungarian “hurka”).

This Sunday morning I wanted to summarize the past seven days, but since I have typed, the weather became beautiful. All the clouds were gone and now the sun is shining, I must go out there. I will come back.
I took a walk in the Hendricks Park. There are rhododendrons which were blooming and the air was balmy and sweet.

This evening I had dinner with Bern and his family in their pretty house of which terrace fronts onto one of the beauty spots of Eugene.  I found a warm welcome, all they were very curious about Hungary, moreover we had a lot of things to talk about and I enjoyed our conversation very much. The dinner which was prepared and cooked by Bern and Hillary was delicious. We ate spring-gulash (chicken and vegetables) with croutons, salad with many kind of cheeses and cookie. The latter was baked by Harper. Finally, Tatum played us the piano, the song was “Somewhere over the rainbow”. I felt great, I was talking without pause.

Oh, and Sandy, the dog understood what “Ül a kutya!” means.

(I am afraid I made them all tired out :))

Good night, and I wish you all in Hungary “Jó reggelt!”

 

3 komment

16/01/10-22/01/10

2010.01.25. 06:53 agnes.g

Dear Reader,

Thank you very much for the “Nameday” greetings on Thursday. I celebrated it with (self-made) pancake and maple syrup, ‘because I did not find moules-frites.

The third week began with sunshine, but the weather became cloudy and rainy soon. Actually the rain can’t annoy me, if I always keep moving, thus I don’t feel cold. J The weekend’s theme was “walking in the rain as much as you can”.

The Mount Pisgah Arboretum and The River Path System are the best places to get exercise after a week you were sitting in your office or in a classroom… and the Sweet Life Patisserie is the best place to recompense (the homepage can better explain my feelings: www.sweetlifedesserts.com).

On the weekend I was in the Fern Ridge Reservoir, too. I think I surprised my new friends at ELAW how I arranged my excursion to the lake. They told me they had never known anyone who had been there with bus. I had to confess, I hate driving and I used to travel with our well-organized public transportation in Hungary… ahem :) … obviously.

Anyway, travelling with LTD was a valuable experience in getting to know people of different social strata. Later, after visiting the reservoir, I had been on the verge of hitchhiking, because I had been standing by the highway, waiting for the bus over one hour, but the bus arrived at last… I felt reborn when I arrived in the ELAW house.

In our weekly discussions with Jen we focused on nuisance law, because it is the basis for many environmental and land use cases. She said, stigma cases had been tried first as nuisance cases: toxic waste dumps stigmatize one’s land if it is nearby, decreasing the marketability of the land.

On the weekdays mostly I spent my time at the university, as usual. This week began the elective course (academic vocabulary) as well as the working in the new oral skills class.

I uploaded some new pictures…

t.b.c.

Agnes

 

7 komment

The second week (from Saturday afternoon)

2010.01.17. 22:27 agnes.g

Dear Reader,

I had returned from skating in the afternoon when Maggie called me and asked whether I was in the mood for going with her and with one of her friends to the cinema in Springfield. We saw the new film of Hilary Swank, Amelia.

Sunday I was in the Hult Center at a concert of the Oregon Mozart Players. The performance’s title was South of the Border, and the repertoire were set up from symphonies of contemporary Mexican, Brazilian and Argentinean composers.

On Tuesday I got up early in the morning, because I went with Jen and Cassie to Salem to a public hearing of a bill. On the way Jen was talking about the grounds of Oregon’s legislative process and about the bill, which would allow individuals to put solar panels on their roofs, generate electricity and sell it to the local utility at a fair price.

The hearing took two hours from 8:00 am. According to the committee’s agenda some other measures had been introduced and referred until the public hearing of the mentioned bill began. I was listening to all the testimonies, but sometimes it was not too easy to understand everything. We arrived in Eugene 30 minutes before my class, so I had to hurry to the university.

I have English classes from 10:00 (or 11:00) am until 16:50 (or 17:30) pm with a break in early afternoon, that’s why weekday evenings I rarely attend facultative programs. This week I also chose elective classes (academic vocabulary), thus I will have plus three lessons.

Wednesday morning I met Mark and Meche again. This meeting became a weekly discussion which aims to strengthen scientific arguments of our cases. That morning we were talking about the harmful effects of noise.

To discover the countryside of Eugene, Cassie, her friend and ex-roommate (whose name – I am sorry! - I cannot spell) and me were hiking today (Saturday) morning in the Mt. Pisgah Arboretum near to Springfield.

I uploaded some pictures to illustrate my blog, hopefully the homepage I have chosen to publish my photos will be available:

www.indafoto.hu/agnesg

Tbc (I mean, "to be continued")

 

Agnes


 

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The first days

2010.01.10. 07:41 agnes.g

Dear Reader (you, who know who I am),

I arrived in Eugene on the 2nd January, at 1:00 am and needed rest and relaxation after that travel (more than 16 hours on board, delayed aircraft, horrible headache during the flight etc.). Until Saturday evening I slept off all the inconvenience of the journey and got knowledge of the most important points of interest (the university, supermarkets and bus lines, hiking opportunities).

On Saturday we took a walk with Maggie on the campus and had lunch in a Chinese buffet. The University of Oregon is one the most important employers of the city, it was established in… khm, perhaps… 1876, as far as I remember. (To get some impressions of the campus see the photos.)

The Testing and Orientation Week at AEI begun on Monday. First we checked in, got the schedule for the whole winter term and in the afternoon we wrote the English placement tests /reading, vocabulary, grammar and writing/. For me it was weird that only pencil was allowed to use to fill the tests, and I did not have pencil, of course… I have not used pencil since I left the secondary school. However my new Chinese friends could lend me two.

Our listening and oral skills were tested on Tuesday morning, and after that we attended the New Student Orientation Luncheon which was organized by the AEI. The director who greeted us told that there were students from 24 countries and four continents were represented in our group.

That lunch was a beginning of long-standing friendship between Hungary, Pakistan, China and Saud-Arabia… I guess. In that afternoon I also met the ELAW staff, informed them of our activities at EMLA as well as my plans for the next ten weeks I will spend in Eugene.

On Wednesday my case against a power station was discussed in details with Meche and Mark who – as scientist – could give some useful arguments to oppose the given investment and offered their support to me and to the scientist of our client.

In the afternoon we, I mean, the new AEI students met the Student Health Center staff and went on a tour to get to know what and where to do if we need their service.  

On Thursday Jen – staff attorney at ELAW – introduced me to the law system of the U.S. and on the following day we set some deals of our work for the coming week.

On Friday I attended the Immigration and Safety Meeting at UO, which was rather useful than exciting.

The efforts of ELAW and of AEI staff to keep me busy are successful; I am never bored and always have something interesting to do. Today (on Saturday) I was skating with another AEI students… later I will upload some photos of my first “steps” on the ice-rink. One of my classmates, Nassar from Qatar took more than 500 photos of us today (including my first falling down). I tried to keep the balance, but the force of gravity always won… after I fell to my knees I finished my career as a skater… but don’t worry, I’m fine!

… and I did not mention yet, that I have twenty English lessons a week… so I hope I can improve my English skills and hopefully I also will be able to correct later all the mistakes I made on this blog.

To be continued…

 

 

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