FAYETTEVILLE — Just 18 years old, Boglarkia Palko has already traveled throughout much of Europe but is on her first visit to the United States.
She’s seeing things in northwest Arkansas that are somewhat puzzling to her — the churches, for example. So many of the buildings are modern-styled or somewhat small and there are denominations she’s never encountered before.
Palko is a Hungarian exchange student, living for the current school year with David and Brenda Servies and their three children in Fayetteville. The Servies, parishioners at St. Joseph Church in Fayetteville, hadn’t planned to have an exchange student this year but when they learned Palko wanted to live with a Catholic family, they opened their home and their hearts this fall. Just a few weeks after their initial meeting, Boszi, (pronounced “bos-zee”) as she’s known by friends and family, and the Servies family seem to be a perfect fit.
“We have older churches” in Hungary, Palko said, although that may be just in appearance. Even churches built within the last 10 years are usually of a Gothic or cathedral style. She’s also more accustomed to hearing an organ in church than a piano.
Palko lives with her parents and brother just outside Budapest. Masses are said in both Hungarian and German, but Latin Masses are also common, she said. And while she understands the language (“I learned Latin in seventh and eighth grade”), she’s not thrilled to attend Mass in Latin because it seems “weird” and somewhat “boring.”
Her English skills are very good, but she’s still a bit hesitant and looks for the Servies to help her out with an occasional word. She’s already visited St. Louis with Brenda Servies and the couple’s daughter, Alyssa, on a visit to St. Louis University.
Brenda Servies notes that Palko wasn’t impressed by the city’s size until they got to the top of the Gateway Arch and she could see the urban sprawl. Then, Brenda Servies said, she decided it really was a large city.
The spunky red-haired teen attended a Catholic high school in Hungary for three years before transferring to a math and language school. She’s already completed what most Americans would consider a high school education and her friends have moved on to universities as freshmen. Palko stays in touch with her friends and professes to being a bit envious they’re making new friends in college.
But she’s hoping to bring back an American diploma from Fayetteville High School since the English she and her friends learned was “UK English” — the British form of the language spoken in the United Kingdom. All Hungarian students must pass an English test and Palko wants to be tested on the American version.
Palko is attending Catholic Youth Ministry activities at St. Joseph and she recently took part in the second annual Northwest Arkansas Catholic Youth Rally at St. Vincent de Paul in Rogers. She was amazed that the rally included a session on chastity.
“I don’t remember ever in my life” hearing a similar discussion at church, Palko said, still seemingly surprised. “You speak with your parents (about that) but not at church.”
Palko’s parents are both teachers — her mother at a dual-language elementary school and her father is a math teacher. She’s traveled throughout Europe, including to London, Paris and Ireland.
“I have to say to my parents thank you” for the trips because that helped her learn history, and Palko said she won a national history award in Hungary.
She’s too young to remember the days of the Cold War when Hungary was part of the Soviet bloc of Eastern European countries. Soviet influence kept people of working age from attending religious services, but older people and children could still attend, Palko said.
“My grandmother sent my mom and my aunt to church — they always went to church” when they were growing up, she said.
While she’s in Arkansas, Palko is participating in the junior varsity pom squad at the high school. She’s a dancer and said she would love to teach her new classmates the native dances of Hungary.
