There’s nothing like starting young…
My mother also experienced this as she wanted me to start learning English at the age of 6 years. In 1986 the so-called Goulash Communism still blustered here in Hungary which was known as a liberalised form of the state sozialism (especially compared to its DDR-version), but the English language and the breeze of freedom conveyed by it remained still strictly forbidden even during this time. But my parents strongly believed that the communist regime can not last forever and the air of freedom will arrive to Hungary one day. My father had an old radio at home which was capable of transferring the broadcasts of “Radio Free Europe” from Munich. During the times of the Cold War “Radio Free Europe” was the voice of the western world behind the Iron Curtain. The broadcasting of the freedom’s voice was hindered by jammers of the countries of the former Eastern bloc. And of course, its radio broadcasts were forbidden to listen. However, my parents did it secretly and they floated often on the wavelength of the freedom… In the famous former Jewish town, Jánosháza where I grew up, there was a prestigious and liberal-minded secondary school which was closed during the communist dictatorship. A nice couple taught in this school and catered for the language knowledge of the pupils.
Obviously, they were forbidden to teach English for ideological reasons during the communist rule. Therefore my mother secretly agreed with Teacher Steven that my brother and I would take English lessons from him twice a week in secret. Of course, we were not allowed to talk about this to anybody. Otherwise both my parents and Teacher Steven would have got a nice punishment as “enemies of the system”. Teacher Steven recognised quickly my gift for languages and informed also my mother about it. Thus began my passion and inclination to foreign languages and it has been determined my whole life so far. In this manner the proverb “There’s nothing like starting young” fits me perfectly…
At this point I would like to thank my dear mother, Zsuzsanna Stankovics for her love, support, inspiration and her faith in me. Without you I wouldn’t be the person who I am today! Thank you very much!
And do not forget the nice proverb from the Roman age: TEMPVS FVGIT AMOR MANET which means something like: Times flies, but love endures. Fortunately! And forever…