Those pictures were great. Looks like the kids had a ton of fun with the dogs.
They have done a lot of work there and the place looks great.
Those pictures were great. Looks like the kids had a ton of fun with the dogs.
They have done a lot of work there and the place looks great.
Bill, yesterday i grilled this ukrainian duck and thought about you 
i wish you there will be only such ducks in your life 
In reply to bmw88rider :
With a great pleasure
What's about pecipe borsh - i promice that i'll do guide "Cooking borsh" as soon as possible
Today cooked it but there was no possibility to make photos to understand the process
and what's about authentic - every housewife(or homeowner) cooks in her(his) own way with her(his) own nuances
But the main thing in it is the required ingredients
In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
About crepes - yesss, i know it of course - i love it
in russian version it says "blini" or "blinchiki"
in ukrainian "nalisniki" or "nalistniki"
It better tastes with soure cream or cottage cheese or minced meat
"blinchiki" by Vikki
In reply to bmw88rider, stuart in mn, 84FSP, Beer Baron, DarkMonohue, Tuna55, AngryCorvair, TRoglodyte, and to everyone who donated or who helped or who are helping:
Really. Thank you all for making that possible. 
It looks like there was another person out that day who wrote a little on facebook about the event. I thought I would share it with you guys so you can see it from the eyes of another person:
Dicsiphoto said:
Ever since the war broke out in the neighboring country, I wonder how I could help. But I didn't want to send a package somewhere, to anyone! Then I found out that not far from us the Mayor of Kisgörb ő crossed the border to do something! A village of just 150 enthusiastic transformed its unused school with stormy speed and exceptional community collaboration. Now 30 people have received shelter, but today new barren families will arrive, for example, an old mama with her 1.5-year-old grandchild... My colleague and I sat in the car today with some donations, with the help of my camera and an interpreter (who volunteers there on Tuesday and Saturday), we asked who we could help. The Mayor, Gábor, tries to make the time spent there colorful, so today @zalaikutyasuli (The therapy dogs) visited the temporary home, with this they got happy, self-forgotten minutes for the children. I’m still under the influence of this morning. Looking at my family- being together, thinking about home, my job, my friends. I have got it all! They have next to nothing. The Wi-Fi code was written off in almost 20 places, because keeping in touch with the family members "left behind" is their support.
The next event at Kisgorbo is scheduled for next Thursday, and it will be Easter egg coloring. Unfortunately Mrs. Hungary and I wont be able to attend, but Katie will be in attendance. GRM is going to send some chocolates and other sweets with her when she goes as our way to participate.
VikkiDp said:In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
About crepes - yesss, i know it of course - i love it
in russian version it says "blini" or "blinchiki"
in ukrainian "nalisniki" or "nalistniki"
It better tastes with soure cream or cottage cheese or minced meat
"blinchiki" by Vikki
Yess!!! "Blinchiki" is what they called it. From here on, I'll call it "nalisniki" though
They are delicious though. I normally eat mine with apricot jam, or cottage cheese. I dont think I've ever had one with sour cream or minced meat. I might have to try that one day.
VikkiDp said:Bill, yesterday i grilled this ukrainian duck and thought about you
i wish you there will be only such ducks in your life
oh that looks DELICIOUS!!!!
I really can not wait until cooked ducks are the only ducks in our lives.
On that note, our big trip this weekend was canceled due to supply issues. There are some tourniquets and hemostatic bandages we ordered that haven't arrived yet. As those are some of the most needed items, we thought it best to hold off on the delivery until those were received.
The other big difference now though, is that GRM wont be delivering to Warsaw, Poland but instead to Lviv, Ukraine. This will have the effect of essentially cutting the Hospitallers supply chain nearly in half and will allow them to get the supplies we deliver to where they need to go that much faster (for us, it's just an hour difference in drive time). I'm already in contact with a representative from their organization who lives in Lviv, and Vikkidp has already helped with getting the required paperwork for the border crossing. Should be interesting.
Here's some photos of some of the stuff we were able to gather so far though:
I know it doesn't look like much but that medicine box is way deeper than it looks, and we Tetris'd the heck out of those supplies. We're trying to utilize every square inch of what we can, and along the way we're taking inventories to print and attach to the boxes to make things easier on the receiving end. With the extra time, the local community is heading back out to the stores to add some more stuff to their donations, so there's plenty more on the way.
Speaking of "plenty more on the way", Mrs. Hungary is still working with the medical supply store and has about 450,000huf of stuff on order, and another 150,000 huf worth of suture materials coming in as well (600,000huf total).
Since I've been on day shift, I have the kids in the evenings (Mrs. Hungary works second shift now) but I've been waking up early like I usually do to sneak some garage time in around 4am or so.
That was taken this morning as I was changing the oil. I was also was checking fluids and tire pressures in anticipation of the run to Lviv. All four tires were 10psi (0.7bar) low, which kind of explains why the truck felt a bit down on power. When I pumped those back up my little 12v compressor melted my cigarette lighter wires (so I fixed that too). All the fluids were good, though. I've still got that oil leak to track down, and I still have to re-torque the heads, and I still have the alignment issues, but it looks like I have an extra week or so to take care of those now.
We've been driving the wheels of this thing, and I want to make sure I use this down time to sharpen the saw, as it were. Keep it reliable so we can keep making our runs
I wanted to post something positive before the weekend:
When the first refugees arrived, Mrs. Hungary and I were quickly overwhelmed with support and donations. To better organize our community's efforts, we created a "Papa Refugee Support" page on Facebook.
Papa is host to an English speaking international school. Papa's international school had a sister school in Ukraine. When the fighting started, the two schools worked together to get the students of the Ukrainian school to a third school location in Bratislava.
Well for reasons unbeknownst to us, someone got left behind.
Remember the three students that were staying with a local American family? One of them (Anna) volunteered to pick up the effort, which had been in work since March 8th, and spent her time working as an English/Ukrainian translator.
As a result of that effort, the staff member who could not cross the border not only crossed the border but was reunited with her daughter last night.
Photo shamelessly screenshot from the person who posted it (who is an amazing human beeing)
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:
Is this with the Tungsram LED sealed beams?
I noticed in other pics of the 4runner that it didn't appear that you had time to install them yet, but I didn't want to pester about it knowing you are obviously quite busy!
Thanks to your help, I have been very happy with mine. If you haven't put yours in, I can say they are well worth sneaking into your morning wrenching opportunity.
gumby said:Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:
Is this with the Tungsram LED sealed beams?
I noticed in other pics of the 4runner that it didn't appear that you had time to install them yet, but I didn't want to pester about it knowing you are obviously quite busy!Thanks to your help, I have been very happy with mine. If you haven't put yours in, I can say they are well worth sneaking into your morning wrenching opportunity.
Unfortunately, not yet. I was just looking at those today too.
One of the mounting screws is corroded solid, and I had flashbacks from last winter's stripped screw/bolts incident 
I plan on pulling the truck back in the driveway this weekend. Maybe I'll give it another go
Mayor Kozma said:Dear helpers, supporters, volunteers. All the good people!
The moment came when our refugees calmed down a bit, their agenda settled, relations and customs emerged in Kisgörbő Shelter!
On many surfaces and areas, I have already thanked for all the help and support you have given to both the building renovation and operations, and the daily care of the residents. Sometimes you need money and supply, other times you need a swing for the kids or some volunteer work at the shelter. The paint doesn't jump up on the wall on its own, just like no cupboard goes away if we tell them to go. Providing three meals every single day is challenging for that many people. Organizing programs, sorting clothes and stocking supply. Taking refuges to the asylum office or to a medical check. I could continue the list so long.
To celebrate all this effort, on the 14th April 2022, our refugees at Kisgörbő shelter want to give something back from what they received from you. We will organize some Easter related activities for children starting 9.30 am, then later that day, our dear refugees will prepare with a meal for us!
In this occasion, I kindly invite you, in agreement with our Ukrainian friends, for a bowl of food, and a drink starting at 4 pm. Please honor us and accept this small gesture.
Due to the language barrier, our Ukrainian friends cannot express their gratitude verbally. I feel this challenge every day. But gestures and smile on their face have always been unmistakable, whatever nation they are coming from. I don't know what you fixed in the shelter, I don't know how much money you sent, I don't know what you painted or packed, welded or stacked. I don't know which toothpaste you brought or what you cooked for them. But this time with a drink, a Ukrainian dish, a smile, we will recall these moments, because that's why you did it, for them and for your soul. Don't expect a big meal, there will be no waiters, no chocolate fountains, no sunbeds, and no string quartets. But there will be you, me, and them, waiting... bol'shoye spasibo
Gábor Kozma, mayor
If anyone wants to attend this Thursday, you have officially been invited. I have a spare car and a spare bedroom, you're welcome to both
Cheers everyone
I donated last month, and I didn't really even miss my donation in terms of my budget. I cooked at home for several meals instead of getting take out for the family.
That's privilege, and I'm grateful for it. Not just in terms of the Ukraine effort, but for my life overall.
I'll be donating again.
Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:I donated last month, and I didn't really even miss my donation in terms of my budget. I cooked at home for several meals instead of getting take out for the family.
That's privilege, and I'm grateful for it. Not just in terms of the Ukraine effort, but for my life overall.
I'll be donating again.
Well said, Brett. We normally live pretty cheaply so there isn't much margin in the budget, but there's a mess of parts in the garage I'm never going to use. Given a little time (and I suspect this will be an ongoing operation), some of those parts can probably be converted to cash and sent on to Bill.
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:Mayor Kozma said:Dear helpers, supporters, volunteers. All the good people!
The moment came when our refugees calmed down a bit, their agenda settled, relations and customs emerged in Kisgörbő Shelter!
On many surfaces and areas, I have already thanked for all the help and support you have given to both the building renovation and operations, and the daily care of the residents. Sometimes you need money and supply, other times you need a swing for the kids or some volunteer work at the shelter. The paint doesn't jump up on the wall on its own, just like no cupboard goes away if we tell them to go. Providing three meals every single day is challenging for that many people. Organizing programs, sorting clothes and stocking supply. Taking refuges to the asylum office or to a medical check. I could continue the list so long.
To celebrate all this effort, on the 14th April 2022, our refugees at Kisgörbő shelter want to give something back from what they received from you. We will organize some Easter related activities for children starting 9.30 am, then later that day, our dear refugees will prepare with a meal for us!
In this occasion, I kindly invite you, in agreement with our Ukrainian friends, for a bowl of food, and a drink starting at 4 pm. Please honor us and accept this small gesture.
Due to the language barrier, our Ukrainian friends cannot express their gratitude verbally. I feel this challenge every day. But gestures and smile on their face have always been unmistakable, whatever nation they are coming from. I don't know what you fixed in the shelter, I don't know how much money you sent, I don't know what you painted or packed, welded or stacked. I don't know which toothpaste you brought or what you cooked for them. But this time with a drink, a Ukrainian dish, a smile, we will recall these moments, because that's why you did it, for them and for your soul. Don't expect a big meal, there will be no waiters, no chocolate fountains, no sunbeds, and no string quartets. But there will be you, me, and them, waiting... bol'shoye spasibo
Gábor Kozma, mayor
If anyone wants to attend this Thursday, you have officially been invited. I have a spare car and a spare bedroom, you're welcome to both
Cheers everyone
This makes me smile!
In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
That's great. Too bad I'll be near there but a week later. Can't wait to see all of the greatness that is Hungary.
In reply to Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) , DarkMonohue, and Woodie:
You guys are seriously awesome for all you are doing, and I am absolutely honored that I am able to act as the vehicle to deliver your efforts.
bmw88rider said:In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
That's great. Too bad I'll be near there but a week later. Can't wait to see all of the greatness that is Hungary.
Dude! Need details! When? Where? How? Why? Do you need a car, I have an extra!
Mrs. Hungary stopped by to check on our guests today. We still only have three families in town, but we wanted to stop in at least once weekly to drop off some fresh fruit and to see if they need anything. A member of our Dutch contingency saw our GRM funded stuffie delivery service and added some more to the mix.
Mrs. Hungary reports that eight stuffies were delivered today
Not directly "refugee" related, but as it is now public information I can finally share it.
Check out the tail flash on that jet around the 10:25 mark:
Those aint carrots we're loadin
Here's some more photos that I've been sitting on (all officially released through the proper channels)
Our little program out here has done a lot since we started in 2009. This was far and above one of the most satisfying days I've had at work. I hope everything went to where it needed to be, I hope it did what it needed to do.
In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
Unfortunately it'll be a quick trip this time to Bratislava (I know not Hungary but close) I am meeting with my development team there for new product roll-out schedules and feature prioritization.
Then I'm looking to go to Budapest for my birthday weekend (July 1st) since I'll already be in Vienna that week. I may stay a few weeks and work remote. Still deciding there.
bmw88rider said:In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
Unfortunately it'll be a quick trip this time to Bratislava (I know not Hungary but close) I am meeting with my development team there for new product roll-out schedules and feature prioritization.
Then I'm looking to go to Budapest for my birthday weekend (July 1st) since I'll already be in Vienna that week. I may stay a few weeks and work remote. Still deciding there.
Dig it! I'm 1.5 hours from Bratislava, and 1.5 hours from Vienna (2.5 from Budapest). If you find yourself needing anything, be sure to let me know
Kisgorbo is in the local news!
You can see the original article in Hungarian here: https://www.zaol.hu/helyi-kozelet/2022/04/mar-lelekben-is-megerkeztek-az-ukran-menekultek-kisgorbore-video?fbclid=IwAR3i__bapjR1yfno8sPqjF4o2EMwj6v93KKA55UhsHWf7u0xizq-LRM5jCo
Ukrainian refugees have already arrived in Kisgorbó
Nearly thirty Ukrainian refugees are provided with accommodation by the municipality of Kisgorbő. Organized by the mayor, Gábor Kozma, they provide their full benefits from donations. On Thursday, we visited their ever-beautifying accommodation and talked to some of them about their fate. Tears welled in their eyes only as they recalled moments of war and how grateful they were to their supporters.
The school closed in Kisgörb in 2004, the municipality tried to use its building as a tourist hostel with more or less success, and now it is inhabited by Ukrainian refugees. Thursday morning there wasn’t much hustle and bustle in the shelter: by the time we got there, several people had already gone to work, such as gardening for casual work, but there were those who were hired to a car repair shop, another housekeeper.
In the building, the final touches are made on the bathrooms and restrooms. One classroom has become a playroom, the other living rooms, separate for each family because it seems to need to be arranged for a longer period of time and intimacy is very important. The large kitchen is shared and the yard is spacious.
The property is owned by three municipalities and has been essentially vacant since 2004. I thought it was a sin not to take advantage of it when the refugees are crowded elsewhere - said Gábor Kozma. - Immediately after the outbreak of the war, we set about repairing the house, making it habitable for 20 days with 20-30 volunteers a day.
"There was no heating in the building, the radiator immediately turned off the electricity meter, the boilers were limescale, the coverings were worn out," Gábor Kozma continued, emphasizing that everything was created from donations to those fleeing the war. - We bought fifteen climates that are also suitable for heating, so I first asked for help from friends and acquaintances. We threw in three million forints in 3 days, and 12 professionals quickly installed the air conditioners free of charge. Following their example, many began to donate. Renovation of the building is now 90 percent complete.
When the former school became habitable, the mayor went to the Ukrainian-Hungarian border in Beregsurány, and already that evening he returned to Kisgörbő with 17 refugees.
- We got home the night of March 13th. We offered refuge to people I met there through an intermediary who introduced them. This established trust, but understandably the refugees were very upset and frustrated that night. We have communicated with Google Translate. Already on the way back, we have created a Facebook group for the currently 870 refugees in Zala, on which we always post what help is needed at the moment. On this page, everyone who supports refugees in Zala can also keep in touch with each other. The offerings began to arrive, and even if there was room for improvement in the donation culture, everything was needed.
Gabriella Kuszka and I opened the kitchen of the shelter in Kisgörbő. The music teacher from Zalaegerszeg is from Transcarpathia, she is of Hungarian nationality and speaks excellent Ukrainian and Russian. She volunteered to interpret for Kisgörbő at least twice a week, she also helped us.
We sat down for the first time with Angela, 37, who was a fitness trainer in Kiev. She is surrounded by her little daughter, next to her husband, 37-year-old Michail, who worked in the trade. He quickly took the word from his wife, who could not recall what they had been through without crying.
“On February 24, when the war started, we moved to the basement where we spent 8 days. When we heard they were bombing nearby, we decided to leave town. It was all inconceivable, we could hardly believe it was not a dream but a reality that it could happen in the 21st century, Michail said.
From Kiev, a train carrying refugees traveled to Lvov, where acquaintances helped them reach the border. Michail said goodbye to her family at the border and went back to Ukraine to get relief from conscription due to her knee problems. They met again in Budapest, followed by Győr, where the 12-year-old son of a talented football player was admitted to the football academy with great pleasure.
- The whole family fled Ukraine. We came to Kisgörbő because we heard that our two kittens can be brought here as well. We are very grateful to the Hungarians for being accepted. We will want to go back to Ukraine, because that is our country. In the meantime, we want a job, we're happy to do any manual work that doesn't require language skills, Michail added.
Olga, who had worked as a laboratory doctor for 30 years before retiring, offered her a coffee with a nice smile. She came to Kisgőrő with her husband from Irpiny, close to Kiev, who was hit by fierce fighting.
"My daughter, her husband and their children have left town before, they are in Uzhgorod, but we wanted to stay." We fled to the basement from the bombings, we were down for five days. Once the noises stopped, we thought it was over. We came up and saw that the Russians were busy. Our daughter called that the only option left was to leave the green corridor and we did. The bridges were bombed. Under a bridge, on a collapsed crossing, Ukrainian soldiers handed us out to escape. I will never forget, it was all awful. They told you to go, it would be easier to shoot the Russians. They took us to Munkács by bus, registered us, and asked if we were going to Hungary. We said yes. Those who remained in Irpiny were not so fortunate, many people were killed, and water, electricity,
He tries very hard to keep himself, he justified his apparent calm, but tears welled up in his eyes when he spoke of how grateful he was to those he had helped: "fate has brought together all good people in Hungary."
"My husband got sick yesterday and had pneumonia." He was cared for in the hospital where Gábor took him, even getting the drugs. As long as the war lasts, we want to stay here when it’s over, we don’t know how to proceed. Irpiny was mined around by the Russians until they could clean up the area.
Also called Olga is the woman who escaped from the Donetsk area, 20 thousand Lima, who was also brought from Beregsurány by the mayor. A woman running a bakery in her homeland came to Kisgörbő with two small children.
- We started evacuating our city a week ago. When a bomb attack hit a nearby settlement, Izjum, that was the last straw for me, we set off. It was all awesome, the sound of sirens hissing in my ear for a long time. I came with my 13 and 7 year old children. They understand what the situation is, they know there is a war. They didn't say anything, they just came, they did what they had to. I want no country to go through what we have had to go through. I don’t know what will happen to us, where we will go back. And how long does all this take? For three months? For one year? Up to two? He asked the unanswered questions.
In Kisgörb, the care of refugees is provided on weekdays by public catering, which is also a donation, the residents cook for themselves on weekends, or someone, such as a family or organization, offers to cook for them. They also get a lot of help from the villagers. The municipality is seeking state support for the care of refugees and settling their status.
- Some have a biometric passport, which allows them to stay in Hungary for a longer period of time, while others have to arrange their status, but there is dumping in the asylum office. Everyone has to show up in person, and there are those for whom I only got an appointment for April 27, said Gábor Kozma. - Until they have official refugee status, they cannot take a job or travel for free. Education for children and health care also need to be addressed, which also requires status, except in emergencies. Another big task is finding a job, which is also not easy because they don’t speak the language and write in Cyrillic letters, which is a particular difficulty.
Why did the mayor take up the matter? - the question arises in many people, as for some time every day has been spent supporting refugees and managing their affairs. He even had time to make a dryer and a swing for the yard, and he brought land to a high bed that the residents could plant. It also puts refugees busy, which helps them get through the difficult period mentally. It is not easy for them spiritually because they have not been in need of anyone so far.
"I was a professional military officer for seventeen years, visiting Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo," the mayor replies. - I have learned that in a situation like this, there is no time to hesitate, to step in, to help. I think the biggest achievement is that now the refugees have arrived in spirit, they have started to plan and organize their future. No matter how much we welcome them, integration is still difficult. They need to be given a sense of security, and even though I thought we would only accept families for a few weeks, this was overwritten by life.
Finally, Gábor Kozma thanked the donors for the offers. He stressed that he is embarrassingly making sure all donations reach their destination, urging donors to even establish a personal relationship with refugees who are allowed to communicate with their homes by providing the internet. And since running a shelter is an ongoing task and an expense, they are still waiting for offers because, as the mayor said of the beneficiaries, their journey is not over yet. The number of the support account created by the municipality of Kisgörbő: 11749053-15432508-10030008.
Thank you everyone.
In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
I'm seeing a lot of orange diamonds on those pallets of support...
Reading those individual stories is a little heart breaking. I am hoping these families can find peace in their world as soon as possible.
Hi, guys! How are you?
Bill, how is your truck?
i'm so so, since last weekends the situation became harder
A lot of refugees from Kharkov, Mariupol and Donetsk region arrive in our city
We are very close to the front line
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