Easter and other tales

The longer I am in Hungary, the more I appreciate certain things, and the more I miss certain aspects of life in the US. I miss my family, and I really miss being able to understand people. I'm still trying to learn Hungarian, and failing miserably.  But, life goes on, and here's what has happened recently.

Over Easter break, I spent most of my time sleeping, cleaning, and reading.  I read the Anne of Green Gables series, which was one of my favorite series growing up. It was nice to reminisce! Then, on Easter Sunday I went to Békéscsaba to spend the day with Szilvia and Lajos. It was quite nice! Szilvie made wonderful food and the company was superb. On my way to Békéscsaba I met a nice lady on the bus. I moved over so she could sit, and after she spoke to me for a while in Hungarian (which I didn't understand), she asked me a question. The question contained the word "magyar" in it (that means Hungarian for my non-Hungarian friends), and I replied by saying "Nem ertem. Amerikai vagyok" (which means I don't understand. I'm an American.). She began to laugh, said something in Hungarian, and then said IN ENGLISH, "Good girl." My day was made! She then helped me to buy my next ticket from Gyula to Békéscsaba, so I really appreciated it.

I am now on another break, from May 1st to May 7th. Tomorrow two of the classes, 13B and 12A, have a graduation ceremony. Then, on May 5th-7th, they will take their written exams. They also take speaking exams at the beginning of June, but in the month in between they no longer have to go to school. There will be optional study sessions for them, but that's it. I do find it interesting that they students have a graduation before they take their exams. When I asked students about it, they just shrugged and said they weren't sure. Oh well, I hope all of my students pass with flying colors! I'm glad that these students are almost done. I know that it is such a relief to reach the end of high school, and they all seem thrilled to be finished with this portion of their academic career.  It will also be nice to have a few free periods, and I'm planning to use them to learn Hungarian and help out with study sessions.

For the rest of my break, I'm planning to go to Vienna! I'm really excited; it looks like a beautiful city. I'll hopefully have many stories to share when I get back.