Homesick in Hungary

You know how you have those days? You, know, THOSE days? I’m having one of those WEEKS, and its only Tuesday. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps the honeymoon period of loving Hungary is over. Perhaps its mid-October, which is always a LONG month for teachers. Perhaps its exhaustion and stress. Perhaps its being overworked and unpaid. It’s really probably a big ugly culmination of all of the above. Sigh.

Yesterday, I had an okay day, and actually got a big package from home, which is always so awesome. This one was particularly awesome, because there were things I requested, things I needed, things I forgot about, and a few surprises. A non-fritzy power cord for my laptop. An AWESOME “Maid of Honor 9/4/11” Tshirt. More squirrels. Several pairs of decent nylons, thick winter tights, a few ComforTemp beanies, YakTrax for the ice/snow. Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations. Pumpkin spice and caramel apple Kisses. Chai Tea and Apple Cider mix. A Romanian language book (for my upcoming trip! We’re going to try to tackle Transylvania on our own!)

The weird thing was, the box made me SUPER homesick. Or at least, I got super homesick after getting the box. Dumb, yes. Exhaustion, probably. It was like, hey, your family loves you and wants you to have a wonderful time and sent you all this stuff to help--oh crap, you miss them.  Yes, there have been several things at home lately that I feel like I should be there for, but I am so clearly not. I was miserable all evening and actually even spilled a few tears. Some Grey’s Anatomy venting to friends (and Mom), Mexican leftovers, and a bubble bath helped a bit. Sleep was good.

Today, I confiscated 3 cell phones in 7^th grade this morning. I LOVE my 7^th graders. They are funny and smart and good kids. Not perfect, but good. Today, I took 3 cell phones out of their hands while I was teaching. I should mention there are only 8 students in the class. You’d think they’d figure out to put it away after I confiscated the first one... or maybe even the second one. I mean, really?

In between schools, I stopped and got TWO pastries. No, it’s not even Thursday, my usual treat-myself-to-a-delicious-pastry-to-make-everything-better day. I figured if I was having a not-so-good day, a pastry or two would at least be tasty and give me a moment of bliss. I’m sure that’s healthy. ;)

I was trying to be optimistic and positive, and was in fact actually looking forward to teaching 10H today because they were supposed to be presenting their family trees, and I thought it would be nice to get to know them (and their language ability) after being irritated by them for 5 weeks. No such luck. ONE out of 16 students did the assignment. So, I reassign it, adding 10 sentences for next week, and move on. Only I can’t get them to shut up. Or stop making out. Or stop popping each other’s zits. Or stop shooting each other with improvised guns. Or throwing paper wads. Seriously. It was like a scene out of a horror movie, the kind of day that would make some cry. I gave them a written assignment (so much for the conversational aspect of this Conversational English class) and demanded silence. They make my Tuesdays miserable normally, but today, they even ruined my appetite. I ate half of my soup and brought home all 3 cinnamon rolls (the entrée? Hungarian cafeteria lunches are interesting). That would bring the pastry total to 5 for the day.

My washer machine won’t open. It’s running just fine, but I can’t retrieve my clothes. I rushed home from school to meet the repair man at 3....  It’s a beautiful sunshine-y 60 degrees out, and instead of going out, getting exercise and enjoying it, I am waiting for the washer repair man... So of course I open my windows—only to have the noise, exhaust, and allergy-inducing pollens from a lawnmowing gardener outside. Of course.  He never arrived. At 4, I learned he wasn’t coming, but he had a suggestion for how to get it to open, which in fact worked. So I went for a jog. I ran 3 laps around the nearby track, (plus several speed-walking and jogging) in 50-degree weather. For an asthmatic who has never run, I thought it was quite impressive.

The rest of the week was still a roller coaster, but I tried to take things one at a time, one day at a time, etc. I know that I can do this. The homesickness/mood swings are completely uncontrollable. One minute I can be teaching a class or sitting with friends planning the Thanksgiving program for the school, and the next I have this awful feeling in my gut and can’t quite get it to go away. It's annoying really. I don't do well with lonely, since at home I was always surrounded. I have tried very hard since I have been here to bug my neighbors whenever I feel blue, to socialize and laugh and have a good time, but this whole week everyone was a bit blah---even my Hungarian coworkers. Definitely not helpful.

So, I dunno. Please just send happy thoughts my way, if you wouldn't mind. tell me a funny story. Suggest a funny movie. Whatever it takes to lift my spirits a bit. Thanks.