My name is - Balázs -

[ˈbɒlaːʒ] - and yes, it is ludicrously hard to pronounce, but I let you have some fun! It is a hungarian name, and as our language is amongst the most complicated ones in the world, we do not hesitate with names either.

My last best image at a wedding in Moldova.

Let’s start with the basics: I am here ‘cos of my buddy @adventureevryday /https://steemit.com/blockchain/@adventureevryday/you-can-help-refugees-get-access-to-blockchain-based-banking/ who got me some serious exposure recently by telling part of my story and that how crazy I am about my project: Taqanu - a bank for all. www.taqanu.com
(PS as he promised, he really did pass on the money to Taqanu) and this is how the idea came (and serious peer pressure) to write here on Steemit and share the journey.

But before digging into how we are setting up a bank for refugees at Taqanu let me tell you who am I.

I am: Hungarian entrepreneur, architect, sailor, liberal, foodlover, sustainability advocate, travel maniac, coffee lover and somewhat weirdo.

I was born in the year when the wall came down and Europe reunited. I did not experience how it was before, but growing up, I was often reminded that “bezzeg az én időmben” that would translate to “oh but in my time” everything was different. Sure, in the Socialism life was definitely different.

I am a sailor, and no Hungary do not have access to any Sea. I grew up sailing on the Hungarian Sea (Balaton - the biggest lake in Central Europe) and on Lake Velence that is halfway between Budapest and Balaton. Back, when I started sailing, i was about 9 years old and my parents wanted to get rid of us, kids, so they found us a sailing school nearby our weekend house. After the second season (I was 10) the trainer asked my parents if I would like to join and become a competitive sailor as he sees potential in me. They went with it. This has drastically changed my life. I ended up spending all my free time in the sailing club, including entire summers, training weeks and almost every weekend. It might sounds crazy but this all made sense because we all wanted to be there and get better and better. Now, looking back it is crazy to imagine that I reached the 10.000 hours line by age 17. Through my career as a competitive sailor some of the biggest achievements as the member of the Hungarian National Sailing team were the opportunities to sail in a European and a World Championships.

This is me with the Hungarian National Sailing team outfit. Sick huh?

Since then I moved away from competitions and have been enjoying sailing in unconventional ways. While in Norway, where I met @adventureevryday, I became a trainer in the local sailing club. It all happened following my move to the city by the fjord. Norway offers infinite amount of opportunities for sailing. Settling by the water in the capital made me miss sailing. Three weeks after my first visit to the local harbour I was asked to replace a trainer as they had a rough night the day before. After that things just speeded up and a year later I was asked to lead the Laser class trainings of the Royal Norwegian Sailing Club. (I never became the coach as I was already focusing on Taqanu)

After a competition with the little ones in Oslo.

One other, yet very different and a lot more crazier opportunity was a sailing trip to Arabia. To be precise, we sailed into the all 6 GCC countries with the BRAND new flagship of the Oman Navy: Shabab Oman 2! A tall ship that lengths 85m and close to 58m tall. The voyage started and ended in Muscat, the capital of Oman. It ended up being one of the best 5 weeks for the 9 of us invited from all over the world. The trip took place along with the sailors from the Navy as part of the first international maiden voyage of the ship. We made extensive amounts of videos and photos and the outcome can be seen here:

Love at first sight: R.N.O.V - Shabab Oman 2, our home for 5 weeks.

Bird's eye view selfie:

Always time for some fun.

the Crew.

And our video of how we have fun

I am also an architect. Before applying for uni I was either going to be a broker or an architect. After finishing architecture school for 6 years in Budapest and The Netherlands It became clear that I got discouraged with the opportunities the field has to offer. The biggest and coolest project I took part was the redevelopment of the square I was living next to. https://dailynewshungary.com/renovation-of-szell-kalman-square-is-complete-photos/

A design we did for a light competition by Velux. A Smart booth that emits Wi-Fi and can be used for private calls

Boosted sketch of a house. I made it in Holland but not really sure why It was necessary to make it look so cool

Because LEGO is not the only thing we built at school

I also Co-founding a startup festival CESA - centraleuropeanstartupawards.com that just became a huge hit in the region and now has global ambitions.
Developing the most villainous alarm ever was one of those fun project that we did not take seriously and we ended up reaching 1/5th of the hungarian population with NOTHING spent on marketing- https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241820

I also love coffee and food stuff. Love to eat, make, take, bake, shake & share.I believe that eating is among the best things I can pamper myself and others. We often have brunches or dinner with friends just so that we can enjoy a piece of homemade awesomeness. I only can suggest to everyone to bring friends together as often as possible and share a good meal with some wine and have fun without the intent of going crazy. This love for food came from my parents who always cooked at home and so I learned how to bake cakes early on.

This post is just the start. A start of some stories that is worthy to share. See you soon!

Best,
Balázs