LAST month, the Star ran a feature on Angela Murray, the Garswood girl who has just left for Hungary where she is due to spend 12 months doing community work with disabled people.

And the 22 year old from Elgin Avenue promised to keep in touch with Star readers through regular 'Letters from Hungary' to keep us updated on her experiences while working for the Bethel Foundation in the town of Bekescsaba.

And true to her word, here is the first 'Letter from Hungary' by Angela Murray...

"When I left Garswood train station on Thursday, September 14, the enormity of my task had not yet sunk in.

"Now I am settling into my new home and life but the journey has not been easy.

"My year got off to a good start when a lady from Garswood gave me a St Christopher pendant. 'I was given it on my wedding day', she told me. 'It's worth nothing but it has brought me happiness in my life and now I pass it on to you.' Although I felt apprehensive, from that moment on I knew I had made the right decision.

"The following day, myself and my fellow volunteers arrived in Hungary, tired, wondering why we had brought so much luggage and overwhelmed by the task ahead of us.

"That weekend was the first time I experienced the friendly and hospitable nature of people here, as a Hungarian man welcomed us into his home for the weekend. I have since been invited to family parties, dinners, days out and even holidays. I have realised that life is quiet back here. To my own inconvenience I have discovered that the only thing which runs on time in Hungary, and often even early, is public transport.

"I also didn't realise quite how difficult the language barrier would make even everyday activities. At first I felt very isolated and lonely and my new town felt like a hostile place. But now, as time goes by, I am getting to know people and my knowledge of Hungarian language and culture is improving. I no longer feel like an alien in a strange land.

"Until next time, Szia! Angela.