Sieve!

You know what really makes me homesick? Sports. Or lack thereof.
NCAA Hockey kicks off this weekend and I will miss it. In fact I will miss the entire season. And it may just be the best season in WCHA history, but if you really want to put a finer point on it...what could top last season? Unless the Gophers took home the title. That would top it for me. And this year they have the best recruited class in the country. Makes me homesick, people.

In other news: It's finally here. Cold Weather (insert dooms day music here) I'm not a fan. To which you would reply, "Um, then why did you go to Europe?" Well, my friends, because Europe is fun. That's why. So eat it.

I'm starting to plug 'n chug as far as teaching goes. I really only have one absolutely horrible class, but that's being taken care of as we speak (as I type?). I have one other class that's borderline terrible, but I'm bringing out the whip and chains and we'll see how long that lasts. I've found that if you just utter the word "examination" they sit up straight, quiet down, and pay attention right away. Must be a Pavlov's dog kind of trained mechanism. I need to explore this further.

I'm starting to think that there's more to life in Sopron than just teaching. Perhaps the Kollegium needs an English Discussion group? Or a Bible study? Although I must admit that I have my doubts about the success of a Bible study. The students are not what we would call religious, and religion in general is not practiced overtly here. Remnant of Communism I'm sure. Maybe I could be sly and start an English Club for the students and then work the gospel in every week...hm..."Below the Belt Evangelism" I mean, "Underground Evangelism" that sounds good.

In Unrelated News: So I had originally wanted to go to Romania to see Transylvania, but now will cancel those plans. Ex-nay of the Bird Flu-ay. The suspicious side of my nature finds it odd that both Romania and Turkey are stricken with cases of Avian Influenza whilst both are in the bid for acception into the European Union...need I mention that both countries, Turkey especially, have met resistance in their bids from other European Union countries? I could see a good Tom Clancy novel of sabotage take form from such a coincidence. It's just odd that Romania and Turkey are the only 2 countries in Europe with cases of Bird Flu...

Back to more related matters. I'm sick. But not seriously. Just a little case of a cold, if not Bronchitis. I hope it's not Bronchitis. I'm keeping an eye on it for the next week or so to see how it progresses (or hopefully regresses) but I know that for sure I've been exposed to Bronchitis and that after my 6 month bout in college that I am susceptible. So let's hope it's just a cold.

Did I mention the initiation? So yeah, apparently American High Schools are not the only places where freshman (or 5 years and 9 years as the case is here) are subject to humiliating moments of initiation rituals. Here it's much like Dazed and Confused where the school and the entire community condone it. I found out about it by answering the knock on my door last Tuesday. Two of my 9 year girls (clad in swimsuits, sunscreen noses, flotation devices around their stomachs, and flipflops) grabbed my hand and told me they needed me to speak Hungarian in front of the entire school.

Um. Okay.

So we ran the 1/2 mile to school (in less than 3 minutes I must add proudly) and they taught me to say "Mit suc kes zsogy" at least I think that's the spelling...without the accents. That's what I think the Hungarian spelling would be for the way it was pronounced anyway. Am I making sense anymore? No? Then I'll continue.

Apparently this was part of an elaborate Truth or Dare game between the 5years and the 9years. I went up on the stage, said my bit, recieved a thunderous applause from my students, took a bow, and left. Ah I feel accomplished.