Blue skies and communion...almost.

So, I have been in Hungary for two weeks now. It’s sort of hard to believe—it’s flown by on one sense, and yet I feel like I’ve been here for much longer. Being the emotional person I am, it’s hard to figure out how I feel about the two week thing. I think I am still in the honeymoon phase, but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. :)


Friday I was on total survival mode—get through my classes so I could get to the weekend and figure out what I am going to try to teach these kids. Plus, the exhaustion of the first week of teaching had caught up with me—I forgot how tiring teaching is! This weekend was pretty quiet—working on lesson plans, cooking every meal, and getting out of the apartment when I can’t take working or being inside anymore. Attempted to go shopping Saturday afternoon, but everything closes around noon, so Angie and I ended up going to Tesco in the rain. I got some more soup mixes, herbs, olive oil and things so I can cook more freely. I went to a pub last night with the three girls, which was lots of fun, and I really enjoy hanging out with them. The smoke was a little rough—I showered right when I got back, but my coat still reeks.

The Black Hole Pub

We started talking about where we want to go on our weekends and big vacation breaks, which is even more important now since this place shuts down for the weekend. We’ve been talking Croatia, Italy, and of course Vienna and Budapest... some of us are waiting for finances to be steadier so we can plan the big trips, but I think this weekend is calling us to Budapest, or at the very least Györ. I am going to start flipping through my “Europe on a shoestring” soon.

This morning I woke up to a blue sky that made me smile. I went to mass at Szent István, the “big church” in town. Literally, the church’s bulletin is called “Nagytemplom Hirek” or “big church news”. We sat in the back with the fabulous missal I stole from St. Mel’s, and the organ roared to life, filling the huge stone church with mediocre organ music and a cantor that needed a sound-check. It was pretty awesome. Somehow, we were surrounded by a bunch of people in various shades of blue with black folders, so I assumed they were maybe the choir, or maybe the teachers from the Catholic school next door, but we figured out by the end of mass that they were tourists... because when communion started, maybe two dozen people from all over the church made a beeline for the altar, but no one around us moved. By the time we realized there was no rhyme or reason to filing out of the pews and that none of the blues were going, communion had ended. Not even kidding, less than 10% of the people went to receive the Eucharist, and we totally missed our shot. It made for a good story though, and at least we made a valiant effort to go to church.

Szent István Katolikus Templom.
(for more photos, check out my facebook)

I came home, cooked lunch, worked on lesson plans, printed some stuff for tomorrow, and spent the evening watching Grey’s Anatomy episodes off my hard drive (stolen from the network at AUD) and coloring flashcards. I went for a jog to get some strength and happy endorphins going, because my mind and my heart were not at peace. I also went and played on the swings in front of my apartment, which was relaxing. I’m kind of a control freak, and so when things that are out of my control affect how I feel, I don’t handle it well—and being far away from home doesn’t help. It was just one bump in the road, and nothing worth spilling tears over.

As far as learning Hungarian, I haven't touched my CDs since I've been here. :(  I did go around my apartment and label things, and I'm starting to learn food at the grocery store. Taking little steps, but certainly nothing worth bragging about just yet. I still have no idea what the cashiers ask every time I go to checkout. I’m hoping to at least be able to have small talk with the librarian I eat lunch with everyday. As soon as the insane request for the year’s lessons planned by Friday is completed, I will definitely focus on learning some more Hungarian. We’ve all been swallowed by the planning this weekend.

Life certainly is interesting. Forrest Gump is totally right—you never know what you are going to get. Some mornings you wake up to a gorgeous blue sky, and it seems like nothing can ruin it.

...And it’s 10pm and I haven’t packed up my stuff for tomorrow. Haha. Have a wonderful week, everyone. May you find happiness wherever you seek it.

Bright shiny new day. I <3 blue skies.