Move from Canada to Hungary: Zalai Hirlap newspaper

Guest blogger my mother:

It is about the time we, Giselle, (our daughter with Peter Rakobowchuk, my ex-husband) and I moved from Canada to Hungary. The local paper wrote an article about me, the “Canadian” artist, born in Hungary, moving back home so she could paint there..

Szabo Agota finished high school with excellent marks. She wanted to be an artist but her parents sent her to a university of medicine…she “defected” as it was called those days…she herself doesn’t know why Italy attracted her… Later she lived in Canada, Switzerland, but now she wants to paint here, back home…”

 

“…she became director of the fashion department…She sent models to large magazines to present their clothes. It is memorable for her that Michael J. Fox, who became a great star later, was among them. (Agota) Agi’s career broke in half when she married a radio reporter and they moved away. But something new started for her when their daughter (Giselle) Gizella or Zsizsi (Gigi) was born.

“…when she grew up a little Agi took out her old dream, painting. She studied from books. Her daughter is studying at Sagvari in first year. Her mother tells about the difficulties she has with her study materials. Though Gigi (Zsizsi) speaks the colloquial Hungarian (besides English she speaks French, German and now learning Italian)…”

 

“…I had exhibitions by then as I did become a painter. With the help of my Italian contacts I visited the famous Italian painter Pietro Annigoni with my paintings. He encouraged me, trusted in my talent . But I kept thinking of going to university to take art. They (at the Art Department looked at my paintings and asked why I wanted to go to school when I was already a professional artist.”

 

#Throwback Sunday : Giselle Facebook posts still waiting for answers

Having lived in Zalaegerszeg some years ago, I was questioned as to my truly being Canadian. Some “prominent” members of the city had rumors that stated otherwise. Some other people like Toth Laszlo, posted this odd poem on my facebook page. Not very uplifting. I would like answers to these as I would like to have my mother’s and my defamation cleared up by the Canadian Press at long last but all the response I get is to “forget my father, my identity and my past” as it is very inconvenient for the media my father works so proudly for. I don’t know all the lies which went on in Hungary behind our backs and but I am certain Peter Rakobowchuk and Pat Enborg his second wife had every reason to start them and spread them.
The following conversation in Hungarian with Sandor Denes “the Young” of Zalaegerszeg ran thus:
Sandor: “So then basically your English is as good as mine”
Me: “Well not exactly as English is my mother tongue:
Sandor: “Well you seemed pretty self-confident yourself…ooooh English? sorry…where did you come from actually?” (after me explaining I was Canadian) “well then naturally my English is not as good as yours…somebody from Fidesz told me you were Ukraine, or something like that… (…) well then somebody had half-information that gave it to me as full information…typical”