Lately one of the most popular destinations for young Hungarians seeking a better life is England. Many of our friends moved to London to try their luck and we who stay wonder if it was worth it.
One of these friends is Krisztina who recently gave us the great news that her life took a turn not even she had hoped for: she is head over heels as she got married three years after she moved. Her wife is Natalie, a Briton. We took the opportunity to ask her about England.
Thanks for being here, Natalie. Can you introduce yourself please?
I'm Natalie Hughes, I was born in Manchester but when I was six my mum moved us to the sunshine coast in Eastbourne East Sussex. My wife is Krisztina Hughes who is from Hungary. We met through a dating site and within a year we were married (when you know you know). Now Krisztina and I live together in Eastbourne by the ocean.
I work with young people in care who have come from very troubled backgrounds and need help and support for their well being and future. I love my job. Krisztina has recently started working for the NHS as a nurse assistant and loves taking care of patients.
In the summer our favourite hobby is to head to the beach with a couple of beers and a BBQ. We are both so grateful that we live by the ocean and love sitting on the beach together watching the sea.
That’s nice. But it’s not always warm and you can’t always swim, so how is it generally to live in Eastborne as an LGBTQ+ person?
We are very lucky here in England and with our home town Eastbourne being so socially acceptable. We can hold hands in the street and even have a cheeky kiss if we are out and about. We recently got married at the Town Hall in Eastbourne and had all our family and friends present to share the most wonderful day of our lives.
In addition, we are going to be trying for a baby in the new year. We are so excited! We will be using a donor and have the support from all our family and friends.
Wow, sounds awesome. Good luck with that! Can you say a couple of words about lesbian* social life in Eastborne?
Once again we are very lucky living in Eastbourne. 2017 was the first gay pride of Eastbourne and it was a wonderful outcome with lots of heterosexual people attending the event along with their friends and family. We are looking forward to it happening again in July 2018.
We live near Brighton which is the gay capital of the UK and every year when its Gay Pride the streets come alive and there are thousands of people from all over the UK coming together and having the best time. We only have one gay bar in Eastbourne which has been their for a long time. It would be our dream to open up a bar here in Eastbourne and we would call it the Lemon Tree.
Haha, you need to explain why Lemon Tree.
When I was about eight years old, my Mum had a friend called Linda and my friend and I thought she was a lesbian. We used to call her Linda Lemon.
When I finally came out to myself, I told my mum I thought I was a lemon. She had no idea and asked again what I meant by this. I told her once again I thought I was a lemon. Eventually my mum understood and told me she would love me if I was a lemon, an orange or an apple.
You know, I like bananas. But, following your mum’s words of wisdom, lemons are equally just fine. Thanks, Natalie, for the interview. Thanks, Krisztina, for bringing her into the qLit Family.
Next month we are going to Belgrade, pack your bags!
