Mrs. Weakland

Eggs for Easter in the Hungarian culture differ a bit from Americans. After hollowing out the eggs, paint is put on and one egg can be kept for years until it breaks. Mrs. Weakland had a few that she brought back from Hungary that have last quite some time. Americans and Hungarians alike celebrate Easter with family members, food and egg painting. 

A lot of Mrs. Weaklands favorite meals are products of Hungarian traditions or from Hungarian cookbooks she has collected over the years. This is one of her favorite meals and it is a break cake that has poppy seed or apricot. 

Coming from a family of artist, Mrs. Weakland hangs her families masterpieces on the way to adore. Her grandfather painted this piece of his hometown in Germany. 

Mrs. Weakland's mother was an artist as well as her grandfather. The painting on Mrs. Weakland's wall is a duplicate while her mother's original painting hangs in a Hungarian art museum. 

A gift from her grandfather is a painting of a man that now hangs in her living room with her mother's works of art. 

Upstairs, Mrs. Weakland and Mr. Weakland had collections of many things. But in this nook in particular held Hungarian picture books and images of the past and family. 

On the wall to the right, is a portrait of Mrs. Weakland on her wedding day. Now it is upstairs with other belongings that hold a place in her heart. Dr. Weakland, her husband was a Ball State history professor. He is not a Hungarian but according to Mrs. Weakland he is a 'Hungarian fan.'

While looking for picture books of her hometown, Budapest, Mrs. Weakland shares that her daughter took pictures of Hungary when they went to go visit that now hang on the wall. The family grows in artist and according to Mrs. Weakland she wanted her daughter to keep taking pictures because she was so good at it. 

In the book are pictures from Budapest from the city to the outskirts of town, where she lived. The book took her back and brought smiles to her face every so often where she would remember exactly where everything was.

Mrs. Weakland visits often but she says traveling is too much work now and is not sure when she will return home to visit her friends and family that still live in Budapest. She shared that she travels when she cans and usually would have a three to four year break in between each visit. 

Dolls and artifacts from her hometown are upstairs in a cabinet in Mrs. Weaklands house. One doll was made by her sister and now it is showcased to anyone who wants to take a look. 

The living room could be a Hungarian artist museum if need be. Her mother's and grandfather's works of art are hung up around the room making her home in Muncie, feel like her home back in Budapest. After meeting her husband, he needed a place to teach and Ball State was open for the taking. After accepting the job, the Weaklands planted down in Muncie, Ind. 

Everything from picture books, to dolls, to artwork, holds a big part in Mrs. Weakland's life. She left Hungary with her mother when she was 14 and still remembers what it was like. They decided to come to the States because her mother didn't want to stay in Budapest. Mrs. Weakland said it was tough being in middle school just making friends and then having to leave them all. 

Mrs. Weakland likes Muncie, it s her home. Friends come to visit even during Hungarian holidays to celebrate together and have traditional meals and reminisce on live in Budapest. The Hungarians she knows are connections she had through Ball State and students and families that have stayed in the Muncie area.