So Close and Yet So Far

So I went to Tisovec to visit the other Americans for the weekend. It was a blast and especially nice to speak some higher level English (as always). I stayed at Lizzie B's and we had a grand ol' time watching movies, dancing, and causing general mayhem. On Sunday I had a nice 10-hour train trip to look forward to and, you know, the trip would only take 5 hours if I had a car. Bygones.

Anywho, my trip went surprisingly well and I wasn't even all that sick of sitting on a train by the time I got to Keleti (main station in Budapest). Can you picture it? It's the last leg of my too-long journey. It's 7:30 p.m. I had originally planned on dropping by Mickey D's for some dinner once I got to BP, but my train was late so all I had time for was a bite of my chocolate-covered trail mix-esque candy bar that David Fiala gave me (by the way, thanks David...it's delicious). I'm now sitting on the train to Sopron ready for take off. My seat back and tray table are in their upright and locked positions when suddenly, something strange happens. An Hungarian policeman walks through the train and makes a cryptic announcement (actually, it was probably pretty straight-forward but to a non-Hungarian speaker such as myself it seemed a little cryptic). Everyone starts filing off the train at a rapid pace. I step down onto the platform and see people deboarding off of all the other trains. What in tarnation????

I finally get up the guts to approach the policeman, who looks a little haggard after arguing heatedly with an older Hungarian gentleman. I ask him, "What's up wid da train yo?"

Not understanding ebonics, he looks at me quizzically.

I repeat my question in Olde English, "Doth thou knowest what hath happened on thy train-eth?"

His face now resembles that of a lost puppy.

Finally I stoop down to his Level O' Language and ask, "Train? What...is...wrong...?"

"Bomb Alert," he replies.

*gulp*

So that's why everyone is huddled at one end of the station! But wait, what if said bomb is located at that same end of the station????

Disaster!

Everyone immediately files out of the station into the cold, dark night. By this time it's about 8pm so I head over to McDonald's with all of the other American passengers, who can sniff out a fast food restaurant within a 5 mile radius...much like those bomb sniffing dogs the policeman is now leading into Keleti. The restaurant is chaos and there are mad reports and gossip flying across the dining area like paper airplanes in a badly managed classroom (but I wouldn't know anything about that).

I call my fearless leader, Rob, and he advises me to basically get the heck away from there and find a hotel room for the night. As of 9:30 pm hundreds of people were still anxiously awaiting the reopening of the station, standing just outside the front doors. Now, in such a situation, would you stand directly next to a wall of glass...especially if there was a chance of explosion?

The next morning it was as if nothing had ever happened. I have no idea how long it took for the incendiary device-smelling dogs to sniff out any possible incendiary devices, but by 9am all was clear and normal. By those calculations, I think it's safe to say it took less than 12 hours. All is well and I am still in one piece.

Oh the joys and adventures of public transportation in the 21st century.

Here's a picture of the soon-to-be frozen Mob O' Passengers...

Berzsenyi Ball

Ah, the biggest event of the year! Well, minus graduation, that is. But really the Ball is one of the biggest events of the year (at least that's how I see it seeing as how the American is actually invited to it, except for this year the American was not invited, a point about which I will try not to be bitter). Anyway I got past it and had one of the funnest nights I've had since coming to Sopron. Thank God Jenny was here otherwise I probably would not have gone, seeing as how I wasn't invited...bygones. But all of the students were delighted to see me there and I was asked numerous times to shake my bon bon with them on the dance floor, a request to which I happily obliged. I was trigger happy with my camera and now wish to share with you a whirlwind tour of the evening. (captions follow pictures)


There were 4 bands slated to play during the Ball and in between each set the senior class came in and performed traditional Hungarian dancing. Almost all of them are my students and it was fun to watch them. It's a very big deal to volunteer to perform these dances...a great honor for the students.


More of the traditional dancing. I was on the floor for this one with front row seats, to which I am eternally grateful as the view provided a most opportune Kodak moment


Ah, a flourishing end!


Jenny, Fruzsi (or was is Zsuzsi? I'm afraid I still can't tell the twins apart), and Fanni gettin' their groove on American style (and by American style I mean there were about 15 girls in one big circle wavin' our hands in the air like we just didn't care).


My first dance of the evening. Barbi said I was the best dancer, but she also admitted that she hadn't really danced with many other people at this point and so could not be an experienced judge. Nevertheless I will still take the title.


For the last set break, the seniors performed a modern dance. Each year they get to choose what they want to dance (past years have been the Dirty Dancing Mambo, Grease, etc). This year was awesome and, if anything, it looked like it was great fun to perform.


The dance incorporated many styles. i saw swing, a little shag-like dance, and this...a spin on the line dance.


These are some of my students performing in the last band, a jazz band. They were unbelievably good. The Ball was so much better than any American prom I've ever been too and a good part of it was the music. No two-bit DJs for them.


Just look at all the students dancing! Definitely a tribute to the good music. I don't remember this many people having a good time at my High School dances...then again, most of the were "too cool" to do anything as silly as having a good time dancing.


After the dance my students invited me to the Disco. The Ball lasted until 1 a.m. and the Disco closed at 4 a.m. I figured it would be a good excuse to go and experience a Hungarian disco seeing as how another English teacher was partaking of the festivity. Almost the entire school ended up there, which was pretty awesome. I remember the heirarchy of afterparties my school enjoyed after prom and they just don't compare to everyone boogie-ing down at a disco. I envy the students their closeness of relationships with one another. Makes me wish my school had been the same.

Sweet, Sweet Goodbye

Goodbye Alan Greenspan. I know you'll be sorely missed by at least one Elvis-impersonating die-hard fan in Shawano. Thanks for the memories...

Teaching Style

I'm way too soft as a teacher, I admit it. But how can I get angry at my students for talking in class if they're talking to each other in English? I actually think it's pretty cool to tell you the truth. Dare I hope we're making progress?

I also managed to shock my students into submission the other day (a different class). They were talking in Hungarian and not even pretending to pay attention. I just decided to stand up front quietly until they were finished to see how long it would take (I'm a patient punisher...waiting for the kill). Ten minutes later one of the girls noticed and shushed everyone. We continued our lesson. Later on she asked if I knew how to speak Hungarian. I said I wasn't very good at speaking it, but I could understand quite a bit. The rest of the class heard this and immediately got sheepish looks on their faces. Why? Because they were talking about some of their other teachers and classes (not always good things either). What they don't know is that I rarely talk to their other teachers, but they don't have to know that. Better to let them sweat it out. I had fun.

Here's what I'm missing in Hungary. Boy, I hope that glass was clean...



Isn't he cute? Babies are fun.

A Little English Lesson

I've learned that there's a difference between happiness and joyfulness. Happiness is something you create, something that you feel based on external (and sometimes internal) stimuli. Joyfulness is something that's given to you. You may not be happy or you may be down about something, but God gives you joyfulness anyway. I think it's best described by feeling happy and not knowing why.

Did anything special happen to you today? Did any outside factors contribute to making you happy (material possessions, people, nature, etc)? If none of these things were present, and you're still happy, then I think that's joyfulness my friend.

And I'm feeling joyful this week.

Short & Sweet

Let's see, what's new...

I'm feeling much better and am back at school although my ears occasionally pop once in a while. Is that normal?

The spring retreat is off much to the disappointment of every LCMS missionary in Central Europe. Apparently there are no funds. I think we should be allowed to take the week off anyway and travel to our heart's content. Or pick a city and come together on our own. The retreat would've been our last time to see each other again and it's really sad that we won't have it. Part of me feels really cheated.

With the retreat off, I'll have to wait until the middle of March until my first vacation. That's gonna be tough. Teaching takes a lot of my energy. I really love my students though. Every day they surprise me. Sometimes I wish I could be a better teacher...I feel like my inexperience and lack of training lets them down sometimes...like they could do better with someone else.

I'd love to see if Sopron has some kind of volunteer opportunities outside of school. I don't know how it'd work with the language barriers, but maybe if I asked one of my English speaking friends to join me. I've been invited to yoga classes, Tai Chi, downhill skiing (don't worry Mom, I'm NOT considering that one), and such but I don't feel that I'm being put to full use here. I want to do more...something where I can physically see the results of my labor. I don't know. It may happen and it may not.

I'm kind of counting down the weeks until summer...is that bad?

Mono....what???

So the word's gotten out that, psst!... the American is sick! Actually the word's been out since Tuesday morning (via The Loose Lips Express. Doesn't take long around here...train stops everywhere). I had to make the trek to the library to return some books that were due and I totally expected to see a newsie on the street corner hawking a broadsheet about my incapacitation (is "incapacitation" a word?). "Buy me last pape guv'na?" a la Little Les Jacobs in 1992's smash hit "Newsies."

Laura tells me she was diagnosed with Mono to which I reply, "Exsqueeze me? Bakin' Powder? (gotta make a shout out to Wayne's World whenever you can get 'em) Do you KNOW how many germs we likely swapped on our questionable 'vacation' to Ireland, my friend?"

But me having mono would make sense. No wonder why my doctor-prescribed drug cocktail is not really having any effect. And no wonder why I woke up at 9am today and was completely exhausted, slept until noon, read a bit, then became exhausted once more around 2pm. Yeah. I can't imagine what it'll be like going back to work with my depleted energy stores on Tuesday. Should be fun! Can I just go home and retreat in miserable solitude whilst setting up camp on my couch, channel surfing to my heart's delight? No? Okay...

Oh, I almost forgot...another shout out, this one to a few of my lesser-known (but not less talented) acquaintances:
www.kynosis.com
www.myspace.com/kynosis

Did I already make a shout to them once before? I can't remember. And I'm sorry I can't come to the door right now, but in my weakened condition I could take a nasty spill down the stairs contributing to further school absences...(name that movie)

I Title this Work: Ireland

Taken only moments before we found ourselves behind police lines. Why do such things always happen when Laura and I get together???


Gasp! Has Mandi been decapitated?!?! Oh, no why she's just kissing the Blarney stone.


I'm not a witch I'm your wife, but after what you just said I'm not even sure I want to be that anymore!


Ah, the Saints & Sinners pub in Dublin, Ireland. So which one are you?

Long Time Coming

In the words of Jonny Lang, "Yeah, it's been a long time coming..."
How was my holiday break? One word: Interesting. You know, as in when someone asks you what you thought of the horrible new music they just made you listen to and you answer, "Um...it was interesting..." Yeah, interesting.

At this time I don't really feel like talking about Christmas, the better parts came in Ireland. Laura and I arrived in Dublin and the very next day we set off for Cork City, Cork, Cork, City (sung to the tune of "Bear City" from SNL). In Cork we both got nauseatingly sick and it wasn't just from watching the "No, I love YOU more Schmoopy!" couples walking around. We managed to spend a few hours in Blarney, walking around the Jim Henson-esque woods waiting for muppets to pop out from behind the trees, and of course kissing the Blarney stone. Then we spent the rest of the day feverish and delirious. Well, I did anyway, I don't know about Laura.

The next few days in Galway were pretty much the same although we tried to muddle through it and just pretend we weren't sick. The highlights of Galway were getting my hair cut by an Irishman named Patrick (I mean, really...do you HAVE to so adequately fill the stereotype?), finding ourselves somehow behind the police lines at a crime scene, and drinking some Guinness at the King's Head (because Guiness in Ireland tastes so much better than anywhere else). The lowlights were trying to fall asleep at night pondering the pros and cons of going to a hospital for treatment. Pathetic, eh?

Lastly, we went back to Dublin for New Year's Eve and a rockin' New Year's Eve it was! We went from a compromise of just going down to Temple Bar for an hour to ring in the New Year, to admitting to ourselves that we probably could only count on making it as far as the hotel's bar....and finally we ended up in our beds watching the fireworks in London on TV whilst giving each other a pathetic New Year's High Five. But hey, at least we were in Ireland?

After 2 agonizing flights getting me back to Hungary, spent in massive amounts of pain due to the lack of ear poppage, I called in sick and went to a doctor. The doctor promptly told me I shouldn't have waited so long to see a doctor (no kidding) and put me on a cocktail of drugs to take care of my "Middle Ear Infection" with a side of "Conjunctivitis." Welcome 2006.

I emailed the folks telling them this is the sickest I've ever been in a long time and that I was telling them not out of a need for sympathy (although that helps), but more because it seems a milestone I need to share with someone.

Thus endeth my winter break extravaganza. Boy was it fun.