Past Events 2006
U.S. Embassy Operates Information Tent at Sziget Festival
On August 15, 2006, Chargé d'Affaires Philip T. Reeker joined other Embassy officers in promoting travel and study opportunities in the U.S. at the Sziget Festival, a week-long series of concerts and cultural events on Óbudai Island in Budapest.
In an effort to educate young people about the world of diplomacy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sponsored a tent at the Festival called the "Island Embassy," which featured various educational presentations and guest speakers, including Foreign Minister Kinga Göncz earlier in the Festival. During the U.S. Embassy's program, Chargé d'Affaires Philip Reeker participated in a dialogue in Hungarian with an MFA press officer and Hungary's ambassador to the United States, András Simonyi, about life as a diplomat and about travel, study and life in the United States.
In addition, U.S. Embassy representatives answered questions about pursuing higher education in the United States, responded to concerns about visas, and even informed a few Americans about careers in the Foreign Service. Approximately 80 people also tested their knowledge of American history and culture by taking a multiple-choice quiz. Quiz-takers were rewarded with U.S. Embassy pens and pencils for their efforts and were entered into hourly raffle drawings to win assorted prizes, including books on American culture, gift pen sets, and U.S. Embassy mugs.
Separately, the Embassy also distributed 300 brochures with information on its upcoming commemorative conference on the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Revolution. The conference, co-sponsored by seven other Embassies and three international humanitarian organizations, will take place September 28-29, but related exhibits and documentary screenings will be available from September 12.