I almost failed my final exam at the School of International Trade because of the hobbits. I enrolled in the school to improve my Hungarian – and out of a moderate curiosity about International Trade. I had no idea of the challenges of learning economics and law in Hungarian, but I had a lot of fun once I realized it. By the end of the two years, my Hungarian had improved significantly, but not enough for me to confidently discuss economics and law topics without memorizing them thoroughly. Three weeks before the final exam, I received “The Lord of the Rings” as a birthday gift. Intrigued, I questioned my friend why she had given me a fantasy book seemingly meant for children. She explained that it was not just for children and was one of the greatest fantasy books ever, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, a name I was ashamed not to have known until then. Her enthusiasm made me curious, leading me to read the book instead of studying for the exam. Ten days before the exam, I found myself with my mind full of hobbits and 700 pages of international trade regulations, foreign politics, and economics to memorize.
I asked her to help me out because she was the one leading me into the temptation and because she had a good understanding of law and economics terminology. While reading aloud, she interrupted me to ask whether the exam would be oral or written. I responded with “both”, to which she said that I was pronouncing the Hungarian word for “capital” – “tőke” incorrectly with a short “ö” instead of long “ő” in which case it means “testicles”. I can’t recall if I pronounced it correctly during the exam, but I do remember the three male examiners smiling occasionally as I presented my topics. I passed the exam with a B, perhaps due to my pronunciation. When the first edition of the Hungarian translation of Harry Potter was released, luckily, I wasn’t in school. To ensure that I wasn’t tempted, I gave the books to the children of my friends. Nonetheless, I watched the movie(s) – me, the seriously unserious adult. Infinite Laughs, Infinite Love.