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Dance Is a Puzzle

Petra Varga

I think there’s no people on earth like Hungarians, who know exactly what their predecessors danced. In the early twentieth century, ethnographers started to discover the dance and traditions  of Hungarian villages and regions with the lead of Martin György and Pesovár Ernő. Thanks to these archive films that we have preserved, we are able to learn every move and gesture of Bözsi néni from the 1930s.

First, you try to learn the foot moves one by one. Every village has their own dance, maybe it only differs in a few details, but there’s always a special editing of the moves, dance morals… etc. After you learn the foot moves, you have to examine the play of the upper body. In some villages the people gave more of a role to their upper body than their feet. When the moves are ready, you have to master their morals.  I think that this is the hardest phase of learning a dance, because you can identify with their morals or not. Somewhere the dance of the women is more dominant; it’s like a show. You can play with your hands, use asymmetric moves, whatever you want. And somewhere you have to strictly adapt to the men and stand straight without any playfulness all the time.  Last but not least, you have to shape all the previously learned steps to yourself.

Dance is a puzzle. You can put pieces together, but it will only show an image if it fits. Fits to you.

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Puzzle Diary

Gréta Tóth

Friday, 5 March 2021 – 5 p.m.

Today was the most interesting day at university. One of my students finally interrupted my lesson with an amazing question! Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching mathematics to university students, but in the past few years I felt as if I were giving lectures in kindergarten. At first, I always believed that at some point someone was going to raise their hand and ask something crucial about the proofs or the new theorems or about a practice exercise. After months, no, years of waiting I simply lost my faith in this generation. Apart from the cliché topics like: when are they going to write the exams or is it possible to reschedule, I never heard anything worth responding to.

The last time one of my students asked me something was around 1992. I remember that whole class just as if it were yesterday: the topic was statistics with a class of future economists, about a hundred of them in the second-largest auditorium on campus. There was this one student, Adam; he got a scholarship after high school and proceeded to keep up the good work during college as well. He passed all his exams with the best grades, but when statistics came around in his fifth semester, he miserably failed the exam twice. Before retaking it for the third time, he asked me why he always got a different result in every problem during practice, and it turned out that the battery of his calculator had been running out for the past couple of weeks and certain buttons simply refused to function.

But today, during my third lecture (by the time I was tempted to just give my students a whole page of exercises to work on by themselves), someone raised their hand, and I was beyond shocked when the girl started explaining a strange puzzle that she had found online the other day. It went somehow like this:

“Suppose there are four people trying to cross a rather dodgy rope bridge in the middle of the night.

Only two of them can cross it any one time, and they only have a single flashlight between them. For this reason, one person of each pair must return to help the others get across.

But time is limited; they are being chased and need to get across within 17 minutes total. Sounds simple enough, except each person can only cross the bridge at a certain rate.

One person takes 1 minute to cross the bridge. The second takes 2 minutes, the third 5 and the last person 10 minutes.

Each pair can only cross as fast as the slowest member of the pair. How can they all cross the bridge in time?”

I decided that it might interest other students as well, so we went through the text together multiple times and started debating and trying to crack this brain-teasing riddle. Eventually, the lecture ended and no one could come up with a solution, so it made me even more curious. On my way home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I was eager to get home and set myself to work. I will update as soon as I finally solve this mystery; this sounds like an amazing way to spend my otherwise lonely weekend!

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 6 a.m.

This puzzle is probably the trickiest one that I have ever seen. I almost stayed up all night trying to find a possible solution. Even the odds seem promising: as far as I was not mistaken last night, there are about 14 arrangements. I have already excluded 7, so I will probably be done by noon.

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 1 p.m.

All the calculations are done, but I still wasn’t able to find a solution. At this point, I am considering if this puzzle is really possible or not. If so, I need to prove the opposite. Either way, I need to hurry; I’m having dinner with my mother at six.

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 5 p.m.

Still nothing, though I feel like I’m on the verge of cracking it. Fingers crossed!

Saturday, 6 March 2021 – 6:15 p.m.

I canceled dinner with my mother. I couldn’t possibly have a normal conversation while the only thing I’m seeing is bridges and people. As far as I can remember, I am on my fourth cup of coffee today, but I need every cell in my brain to focus.

Sunday, 7 March 2021 – 4 a.m.

I am questioning everything. The puzzle? Well, that too, but mainly my job as a university professor. I am highly considering my retirement after this weekend, since this puzzle was totally made for elementary school students. Truth is, I always thought that there was a problem with this generation, but now I am convinced that it might just be me. Afterall, everyone in that class has probably solved it by now. And me? Well I am sitting in the middle of my living room, on the same spot where I have been sitting for at least six hours by now. All I did this weekend was procrastinate over a puzzle given by one of my students, while I had tons of assignments to correct. I think I should quit.

Monday, 8 March 2021 – 9 a.m.

UNBELIEVABLE!!! Today started off as a usual Monday, except that I was determined to quit everything or at least skip university for a week. I decided that the first option would be it, so I got ready to visit campus and hand in my retirement application. I was already on the bus, when a family of four wanted to get on the vehicle. They had huge suitcases and bags, and while the mother helped the children, the father loaded the packages into the already crowded bus. He moved fast, climbing the small stairs up and down, just like one would the bridge from the puzzle. And it all hit me; I did  recalculations again and again, searching for the mistake, but there wasn’t any. I got 17 minutes. During my first lecture with the same class, I presented my solution and it was in fact 17 again. Maybe a key to a puzzle like this is to take a step back and observe it before jumping to conclusions.

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Make or Break

Erika Szántó

“…Aaand welcome back to our favorite game show, ‘Make or Break’ where you make or break your relationships and friendships, depending on what you think their social cues mean! Today’s anonymous contestant is G! Hi, G! How are you feeling today?”

“Hi, Quizmaster. Actually, I’m kind of nervous and–”

“Perfect! Now let’s start with our first scenario today.”

You are talking to one of your acquaintances about a special interest of yours. They are slightly smiling and have been staring at you for a while now. What are they thinking?

  • A. They are bored and only smile for the sake of being polite.
  • B. They are interested in the topic, but this isn’t the best time and place for this conversation, and don’t know how to change the topic or leave the conversation.
  • C. They are giving you the death stare in order to signal you to shut up finally.
  • D. They are just listening intently.

“I- I think I’m gonna go with, uhm, C? No, A. Yes, final answer A.”

“I’m sorry to inform you, but you’re WRONG! The correct answer is: D! Now they think you are a bit weird, since you stopped talking for no reason and haven’t spoken a word in minutes! Now, let’s see our second scenario with that same person.”

You and that same acquaintance attend a school competition. In the end, you are ranked 3rd, while they are ranked 4th. They come and congratulate you, but their expression is unusual. What might that mean?

  • A. It is genuine, you’re just overthinking.
  • B. They hate you now, just won’t say it to your face.
  • C. They are sad and expect you to comfort them a bit.
  • D. They are tired and just want to go home.

“This is tough… Well… Let’s go with C. Final answer C.”

“Wrong again! The correct answer is actually A! Now they think you are strange AND a prick! They will never speak to you again! In today’s episode of ‘Make or Break,’ yet another acquaintanceship was ruined permanently! Thank you for watching, and see you tomorrow!”

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Puzzle Without Rulebook or Guide

Lídia Szabó

In our world one of the greatest puzzles and mysteries will always be ourselves, human beings.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always enjoyed observing people and their behaviors (and I’m certain I’m not the only one, obviously). Imagining how they would think in different situations or how I would act if I were in their position. Just for starters, humans are so complex and there are so many different sides to observe when we get to know someone. Which emotions are dominant when they talk in different situations, what kind of opinions they have in certain matters, if they can express their thoughts very intensively and profoundly or are better at showcasing their judgment and viewpoint through action. I also enjoy surrounding myself with people who are very different from me but who have an attribute or a thought that has made me want to learn from them. Usually people think that certain happenings determine and guide our lives and get us to places where we have to be. But in my opinion, that could never happen without other people being involved, and if the action stood by itself, without other people getting involved in your life, it wouldn’t make much of a change. Every single person entering our lives is there to teach us something, whether it’s about the world, human behavior, or even ourselves.

It gives us joy (at least to most people) to be around others, and just one smile from another could make us thrive with happiness as well. We love to listen and talk to each other, learn about each other’s behavior, get to know what we love and what we dislike and why.

I think human beings are one of the most complex puzzles in the world, because they don’t have an ultimate solution and they’re always changing. There is no guideline or rule book for a human brain, heart and soul. And that is why I find it one of the most exciting and entertaining puzzles of all time.

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The Pointlessness of Puzzles

Gergely Sülye

I don’t like solving puzzles. They aren’t really a game as much as just an assignment that has been thought up, already solved by its inventor and only serving as a test for others. Because eventually anybody can solve it, but those who have already done so can feel a sense of superiority, albeit one that doesn’t last long because the solution will either be revealed or others will solve it by themselves in just a matter of time. And is reaching the truth even worth it? A puzzle can reveal a picture or a hidden meaning, which most of the time isn’t anything serious, just a plaything. One real application of puzzle-solving is perhaps uncovering the secret clues left behind by a particularly playful criminal, which doesn’t happen frequently but of which there are examples. Or deciphering messages sent by an enemy in times of war. In any case, despite the relative frequency of these cases, they don’t happen often. Outside of the cases where the solution serves an actual and important purpose, I think solving puzzles is not rewarding enough to be worthwhile.

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Almost Completed

Eszter Klára Szabó

When I think of a perfect puzzle, our class comes into my mind immediately. Every member is a single piece that, when coming together, can complete a beautiful picture. In ninth grade we didn’t know what the picture would look like yet. We’re all different colors and shapes; some of us may have thought that we would never fit together. But eventually, as time flew by, we all found our pairs.

Or did we? These things can be pretty tricky if you ponder them long enough. Sometimes you think you have found your people – your matching pieces if you will – but then you get into an argument or just simply lose interest in each other. When these things happen, do not panic! It all happened for a reason. In time everyone will need to find their own group, the one that fits both their color palette and their figure. Some pieces are closer to each other, others are further apart, but they are all equally important in order to see the breathtaking end results.

I believe that during our three years together we have our story, our own puzzle almost completed. It may have some minor changes in the future that we can not see yet, but I am not worried about it. I am certain that in the very end it will look even better than it does at the moment.

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Puzzle Piece

Nóra Katona

A few years ago, it was my mother’s birthday. When I got home, I gave her the flowers and chocolate that I had bought the previous day. She seemed happy and really appreciated my gift. Later on during the day, I realised that something seemed off. She wasn’t really talking much, but I knew she wasn’t just having a “bad day.” My father was out in the garden, doing his things, having a good time. When I put the pieces together, I realized that my father had forgotten my mum’s birthday. She knows very well that he always forgets literally everything, but of course she felt sad, because it was supposed to be a special day for her. I quickly ran and informed my dad. He bought some presents and said sorry to my mum. It definitely wasn’t her best birthday, but nowadays we just laugh about it.

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Your Imaginary Puzzle of Life

Eszter Aletta Hevesi

Finding logic in everything that happens in your life is a very complicated thing to do. At each moment you have plenty of pieces to put in your giant puzzle, but there are special pieces that do not have places just yet. But will they ever have a place? Will it be one giant puzzle that represents your whole sequence of life?

If you think about it, you are basically always in the moment, and there are two cases when you are at your final moment. Either you realise that that is it for you and you die with that type of consciousness, or you don’t even recognize the second of your passing because it happened so quickly. Will you have time to finish your imaginary puzzle of life? Will you carefully choose a designated place for each piece of the puzzle?

Will your lifelong series of butterfly effects have a grand final outcome? Yes, they will. Your passing. At that place, time and state of mind that you will be in. Will you have time to figure out why everything happened? Probably not. You don’t need to. You don’t need to know about your purpose because you are not here for only one purpose. You have dozens of purposes in life, and they cannot be put in one overall puzzle.

I think everybody is a series of finished puzzles. Some people have only one finished puzzle, but others may have hundreds of thousands. It depends on you. Let life guide you to new pieces of puzzles in your life. Leave a beautiful series of puzzles behind you at the end of it all.

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All You Need

Zsófia Szabina Gávris

I firmly believe that every person has been told the sentence “All you need is…” in their lives at least once. The missing essential can be money, love, a partner, a job, a car and infinitely many other factors. But what exactly is that we need?

Let me bring situations of human life parallelly with a puzzle. During the different phases of a person’s life the missing piece of the puzzle changes. At a young age humans are not conscious about their actions, preferences and needs. The objects children identify as their needs are usually toys, food and other materialistic values. However, at an older age people tend to stand for intellectual values and needs.

In my opinion, the great change starts at around age twenty. By that age most people discover the importance of the effort put into themselves. After people realize they only have themselves throughout their whole life, and start to prioritise and invest in themselves, a lot of things change.

The way I see it, in order to improve and grow, we have to find the missing piece which is nothing else but ourselves. Being on good terms with ourselves can lead to success and further development as well. Finding ourselves can mean several different things. It can mean the acceptance of our features, abilities, talents, in one word: who we are. Moreover, finding ourselves can mean changes our hobbies, everyday life, circumstances and career path too. Also, finding ourselves consists of returning to our past-self after a harsh period of our life. Of course it can have many-many other perspectives, differing from person to person and story to story.

In conclusion, sometimes the missing piece of the puzzle we are/have been looking for is right there, in front of our eyes. It is myself, yourself, himself, herself, themselves … just in a phase that it has not grown into yet.

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The Mysterious Carrot-Thief

Lili Forgács

10 December, Wednesday
I can’t believe it. Snow is falling in Florida! It hasn’t snowed for about three years. Thus not a surprise that, when I arrived home from school, I built an enormous snowman in the backyard. It became really pretty with its long, orange carrot-nose and black pot-hat. I even put a striped scarf around its neck. I can see it out of my window, standing in the middle of the garden with a friendly smile made of walnuts. I hope it won’t melt away tomorrow.

11 December, Thursday
Thank God, the snowman is still alive! However, it lost its nose. In the morning, I went down looking for it, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find it, and due to the new layer of snow, I couldn’t see footsteps either. As there was no other solution, I asked for a new carrot from Mom. Anyway, I named the snowman Shawn, as its pronounciation is really similar to snow.

12 December, Friday
The case is getting more and more interesting and mysterious! Shawn had no nose in the morning, and I still can’t figure out where the carrots are. Mom gave me another, but she said it is the last one. I decided to stay up during the night and check on the snowman with my telescope.

13 December, Saturday
The plan failed as I fell asleep after 11 p.m. It seems Shawn remains noseless for the rest of his life.

14 December, Sunday
The mystery has been solved!  Tomorrow in P.E. lesson we will sledge in the yard of the school, and we were asked to bring sledges. My sledge is kept in the carport. I was looking for it, when I heard a fumbling noise. I thought it was nothing, but when I told Dad, he became really scared. “What if a mumbler lives there, and destroys the cables of the car?” he said. This is why we went back and followed the sounds. It came from a box full of clothes. Fighting off all my fears, I looked into that box, and found the culprit. The carrot-thief was nothing other than a little cutie hedgehog. It was so cold inside the carport, I couldn’t let that little guy just stay there during the winter. With Mom’s permission, I created a home for it in my room in a cage, and according to our arrangement I will set it free when the weather becomes warmer. (I hope it will never happen.)

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