A story by Nina Begesh, a communications and administration professional and a holder of the Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship. Nina is of Hungarian origin on her father’s side and she has been living in Hungary since 2023. She strongly identifies with Hungarian culture, traditions, and values, and supports the mission of Hungarian communities across borders to preserve cultural identity and build meaningful connections within the global Hungarian network.

Being an international family is not always about big cultural differences. Very often, it is about small everyday moments.

In our family, we speak different languages, celebrate different traditions, and bring different experiences into daily life. But somehow, living in Hungary helped all these parts come together naturally.

What I especially appreciate is how family-oriented Hungarian culture is. People spend a lot of time with relatives, children are truly included in family life, and holidays still have a warm family atmosphere.

I noticed this very quickly after moving here. Parks are full of families, grandparents are very involved in children’s lives, and many everyday activities are done together. There is a strong feeling that family is important.

For us, this environment feels very comfortable.

We also try to keep traditions from different backgrounds in our home. Sometimes we celebrate both Orthodox and Catholic holidays. Sometimes we cook food from different cultures for the same dinner table. Instead of choosing one identity, we try to create our own family atmosphere from all the parts of our lives.

Of course, international families also face funny situations. Sometimes languages mix together in one sentence. Sometimes cultural habits are different. But over time these moments stop feeling strange and simply become part of family life.

Now, raising our child in Hungary, I understand even more how important this experience is. Our son will grow up with several cultural influences at the same time, and I think this is something beautiful.

Because in the end, family is not built from nationality alone. It is built from love, respect, and the everyday life people create together.

by Begesh Nina