An Adventure, a Reunion, and a Mishap

Yesterday I went to Budapest! I saw on Facebook that one of my professors from Bluffton (he currently is a professor in Bath, UK) was in Budapest with his oldest son Aaron, so I decided to meet them for the day. At 6:45am I left Sarkad and took a bus to Békéscsaba, and from Békéscsaba I took a train to Budapest.  It all went very smoothly! When I arrived in the train station, Dr. Boehm and Aaron were waiting for me. It was so nice to see them!

While in Budapest, we toured Parliament, went up to look at Buda Castle and its courtyard, ate lunch at a pub which had delicious goulash and this paprika spread that was phenomenal, looked at St. Stephen's Cathedral, laughed at a group of dancers in front of Heroes Memorial (while wishing they would leave), admired the synagogue, drank some coffee in a nice cafe, and overall had a wonderful time.  Budapest is full of incredible views and beautiful buildings! I can't explain how breathtaking it is.  I would definitely list it as one of my favorite cities!

In the courtyard at Buda Castle

I made it back to the train station with no difficulties, bought my ticket, and settled in for my 2.5 hour train ride.  I was really thankful to have my iPhone so I could listen to music and reread Jane Eyre on my Kindle app.  However, the real excitement began when I arrived in Békéscsaba.  I unthinkingly didn't check what times the bus would go from Békéscsaba to Sarkad at 9pm on a Sunday.  To my dismay, there were no available buses, and when I asked in the train station, they informed me there were no more trains going to Sarkad either! I was immediately distraught.  I tried to use my Hungarian phone, but it wasn't working (I soon realized I was out of minutes). I did have wifi on my iPhone, so I sent Szilvia a message on Facebook on the off-chance she would check it before she went to bed.  I decided I would try to find a phone, so I walked up to an older couple and asked if they spoke English. They didn't, but their son did, and he let me borrow his phone. I tried to call Szilvia, but for some reason her number didn't work on his phone.  I then called Hajni (the CETP director), and informed her of my situation. She quickly found a hotel in the area and was preparing to send a taxi when Szilvia called me on my Hungarian phone (I could still receive calls) and offered to drive me to Sarkad even though it was 10pm on a Sunday night. I was so happy she was willing to help. I know I have mentioned how thankful I am to know Szilvia, but she has been such a blessing. She has been so kind and helpful, and I really enjoy her company!

I'll try to share pictures of Budapest soon! I'm hoping to go somewhere this upcoming weekend for my 22nd birthday, so I should have more stories to share in the near future.  Ta-ta for now!

Békéscsaba and other assorted tales

This past Sunday, February 16th, my day started with a lot of tears and irritation. The cause of all this emotional turmoil was a book! Kati, one of my English teachers, lent me a book by Toni Parsons, titled Man and Boy.  It was a great book, but really emotional! However, once I finished I was feeling really depressed about life, so I decided to message one of my students, Zora,  to accept her offer to accompany her to Békéscsaba.

While Zora was getting ready to go, she sent her mom to pick me up at my apartment since the train station is pretty far away.  I was waiting for her to show up when I saw a car that matched the description Zora had given me.  I started walking towards it when I realized there were two people in the vehicle, neither of which looked like they were correct age to be her mother, and then the two women exited the car while giving me the hairy eyeball.  Needless to say I backed away feeling foolish.  A few minutes later, Zora's mom showed up, I got in the car, and she took Zora and me to the train station.

Once we arrived in Békéscsaba, we started off by eating a pastry (which was delicious, but gave me a stomach ache since I'm lactose intolerant). Then we visited the Csaba Center, which is the mall in Békéscsaba, and wandered around.  The mall was nice and I had fun window shopping. We ended the excursion by attending a high school concert where students of different skill levels played guitar.

On the ride home, I made a comment to Zora about how cemeteries are different in Europe as compared to the US.  She promptly replied that people in the States rudely stand right on top of their loved one's, while in Hungary they can kneel next to the concrete slab that covers the grave.  I immediately started to laugh and couldn't stop for at least five minutes.  It's always funny to hear how others perceive cultural differences!

On Wednesday I went with Szylvia to the immigration office to submit all paperwork so I can receive my visa.  To our surprise, the immigration office was closed! So, I went with Szylvia to her house, which is lovely, and we drank coffee and talked about school, books, differences between university in the States and Hungary, as well as other things.  It was very nice, and I had a lovely time.  She also let me borrow a few books! I'm looking forward to reading Sherlock Holmes during my free time.

The immigration office was open on Thursday, so Szyvlia and I returned.  I had my finger prints taken for the first time, which was cool!The encounter went smoothly, but we need a few more forms.  I'm excited to have most of that completed! Paperwork and `sitting in offices is a bit stressful, so I am happy I won't have to go back for a while! In all honesty, I have no room to complain. Szylvia and other people at the school did all the work and were so unbelievably helpful.  I'm so glad I have met so many kind and lovely individuals in Sarkad!

I'm hoping that I can visit Gyula this weekend for a day.  It sounds like a really cool place, so I think it will be great! My 9C students taught me how to purchase a bus ticket, so hopefully I can say it correctly!

Well, that's all for now.  So long!

Week Two: I survived!

As the title of this post suggests, I survived my second week in Hungary! And I love it! My students are seriously so kind and fun to be around, the teachers are funny and nice, and Sarkad is peaceful.  Life is good.

A Valentine's Day Gift from one of my classes! 

Some of my friends and family from home are interested in hearing about the differences between American and Hungarian high schools.  First, please realize that I am only describing my experiences at the school I am teaching at in Sarkad.  I don't know if all Hungarian schools are set up in the same way. Secondly, I might get a few things wrong anyway because I am still trying to figure things out! Half the time I am confused, so bear with me.

In the States, teachers stay in one classroom and the students move from class to class.  In Hungary, the students have a classroom and the teacher goes to them (there is one room for the teachers where we each have a desk and a place to store things, etc.). This sounds relatively simple until you take into consideration that the classes are split in half based on students skill level or what they are studying, so half of the students will go to a different classroom and the teacher will meet them there.  This practice has been challenging at times when I forget to look at the schedule and don't know where I am supposed to be, or when I do look at the schedule but apparently I am supposed to go with my students somewhere else.  However, this is all fine, and I am getting more used to it.

Another difference is the time in between classes. In the States students have five minutes or something to go to their locker, switch their books, and change classes.  In Hungary, there are ten minutes between classes! Having more time is so helpful.  It's nice to recharge and mentally prepare for the next class.  I wonder how my high school teachers managed to be ready in so little time!

In terms of the students themselves, classroom etiquette is a bit different.  I remember when I was in high school (and college for that matter) my teachers would ask a question to the class and someone (a lot of the time it was me because I'm weird like that) would answer.  In Hungary the students seem unused to that and don't answer unless you directly ask them a question.  However, I think we are getting used to each other, so when I ask if they understand most students will nod or shake their heads accordingly.

Part of the school grounds

The main school building

Now for a funny anecdote! Grocery shopping has been the most difficult part of living in a culture where I don't speak or understand the language, so when I buy things I tend to look at pictures and just wing it! Well, I was trying to buy cooking oil, and accidently bought vinegar instead! Face palm! I laughed pretty hard at the situation! I'm sure I will have more embarrassing/ entertaining stories to share once I start travelling around Hungary more.

Well, that's all for now.  I hope to visit Bekescsaba tomorrow, so I'll share more when there is more to tell! 

Welcome to Sarkad

I left Columbus, OH on February 2nd, flew to Chicago, and then flew to Dusseldorf, Germany. My flight to Germany was AWESOME! There were only around 70 people on the flight, so I had two seats to myself. I actually was able to sleep! 

Once I arrived in Dusseldorf, I took advantage of my 9 hour layover to see a bit of Germany. I found a place to rent a locker so I could leave my bag at the airport, and then went to find a train ticket into the city.  The man at the desk told me to buy a ticket at the machine by the train tracks, so I followed his instructions to realize that it was all in German.  I asked a businessman if he could help me, and he turned out to be an Australian who lives and works in London! He was in Germany for business, so after he helped me get a ticket, we talked about London and he gave me a few pointers on what to do in Dusseldorf.  I would have had a much more difficult day without him! Dusseldorf itself was a bit unimpressive. I went to a church, walked by a few stores, and stopped at a coffee shop and tried some sort of pastry I had never seen before. It was delicious, needless to say, and it was much better than sitting in the airport! 

I made it back to the train, and the airport, without getting lost (considering how jet lagged I was, that was quite an achievement!), found my luggage, and re-entered the airport.  I had to go through security again, and they found an extra thing of contact solution in my bag. I got to stand around for a while as they decided whether they should throw it away or not, and then the security guard found a keychain in my bag that is used for self-defense (my Uncle Collis got one for my sisters and I, and they basically look like devil skull things where you can put your fingers through holes and punch someone with the horns if they won't leave you alone).  I hadn't realized it was in my bookbag, so I was really surprised when she pulled it out of my bag! The security guards spent a lot of time punching each  other with the keychain and laughing at me before letting me go into the airport. They decided to let me keep all my stuff, so that was nice of them! 

So, I finally made it to Budapest! I was picked up in the airport by my program, and dropped off at a really nice hostel. After 21 hours of travelling, I was thrilled to shower and go to bed.  The next morning I was driven to Sarkad, which was about a 3 hour trip.

On February 4th I arrived in Sarkad, Hungary. Sarkad is a small town of about 10,000 people. I am teaching English at a small high school with around 400 students.  So far everyone has been kind and welcoming, and I am really excited to be here! I survived my first week (it was a struggle), and I am feeling fairly settled.  Although I miss things like peanut butter and American coffee (the coffee here is much stronger), I think I can be really happy here! 

I was thrown in immediately and started teaching my second day there. I was still really jet lagged and didn't have anything planned (I thought I would have a week to observe classes), so that was interesting to say the least! My students are fun, energetic, and asked me a lot of questions! I have been brainstorming various activities for them to do to practice speaking English, and I think it's going to be great. Plus, to make things even better, my apartment is amazing! It is so nice, much larger than I expected, and was fully furnished! The school was so amazing helping me with this, and I am so lucky. 

Since Sarkad is a small town, there aren't many people here who speak English, so I'm so lucky that CETP provided a contact person! Szylvia has been amazing, and I would be lost without her! She took me grocery shopping (I can't read the signs or labels on food or talk to the checkout person), helped me use the ATM, and has really helped me adjust to my schedule in the school.  I hope I can learn Hungarian, because right now it is really weird not being able to read signs or understand what people are saying around me. It's a bit lonely, but also kind of relaxing; it's a lot less stressful when there is background noise that you don't have to pay attention to. I'll need to start listening so I can learn the language, but right now I am working on settling in and feeling comfortable, which has been largely successful.

Today has been pretty relaxed. I have been unpacking my remaining clothes, FaceTiming my family and giving them virtual tours of my apartment, attempting to learn Hungarian (trust me, it's an uphill battle), trying to figure out the washing machine (which is in German), and trying to catch up on sleep. I'm so happy to be in Hungary, and I hope there are many amusing and interesting anecdotes to share the longer I am here!