kínos

This means awkward. And this is me.

Back to work. Edit has been missing from school for several weeks due to a family emergency and only returned today. For several weeks, 1B was mine. I taught the whole class together, took them to breakfast, fed them myself, taught them how to get their own drinks and bread at breakfast, fetched them from places, and all without speaking any Hungarian! Twice Bálint subbed and took half, but even then I mostly got to decide the things for them. Granted, this means I had to spend a large part of my time with day going "Children! Children! Why do you talk??" Yesterday I was very excited to have Edit back, to be able to have my half class in the little fortress of solitude again, to have more opportunities to do hardcore English work, especially pronunciation, with them again. Today though, I returned to the role of "secondary teacher." Their instructions were given to them in Hungarian, which is quicker, yes, but it takes only a minute and some gestures to explain to them what to do in English. Their drinks were poured and individually handed to them. I had nothing to do, really, besides be the little novelty teacher again. And this was frustrating.

And I KNOW that my specific role is that of little-novelty-teacher. I know this. I exist to teach them idioms, show them that you have to stick your tongue out to do the "th" sound, and really just so they can listen to me since all their curriculum is in freaking British English. I know. But for awhile I was seriously appreciating taking care of my babies, forcing them to listen, forcing them to ask their silly little questions (which I usually understand in Hungarian by the way, but this is a secret to them and to most of my colleagues) and breakfast chatter in English, forcing them to hear only English. And I'm a little sad that it's over. Being the silly secondary teacher is certainly a lot easier but it's also a little annoying.

In case you did not know, I have also gotten a second job at a college. Remember that in Euro-English this means a school for between highschool and university. My students are primarily Iranian 20-somethings who are studying English in order to attend international medical/dental schools. My colleagues there are very accomplished (I've mistaken more than one for a native speaker!) and friendly. They are really going out of their way to be welcoming. The "kids" (most are older than me, actually) are also very sweet, very smart, and talkative. AND THEY SPEAK ENGLISH. I can't even express how exciting it is to teach in actual sentences. Not that I don't adore my babies, which are truly the little loves of my life, but sentences! Sentences are so underrated in your own country.

I walk around full of anecdotes that I want to share with you all, and now I am sitting in front of an actual computer and find myself with so little to say. I'm a little sad because it was midafternoon when I entered the internet cafe and I know when I leave, two brief hours later, it will be as dark as night. That is one really lousy part of Budapest.

I guess, Rome. Rome is beautiful. I managed to see most of the sights despite having only 42 hours in the city itself. Things weren't too bad on the kínos front either, just sort of sad. I did have a really fantastic meal, though. The first course was seafood: octopus with potatoes, salmon carpacchio, seafood salad, raw oysters, fried little fishes, two cheeses, bread, prosecco. Next was a fish ravioli, a large one, with a four cheese sauce. Next the main course: fresh salad with homemade dressing, prawns, shrimp, calamari, and a perfect dorado filet. Next dessert: a giant platter of perfect, fresh fruit, and lemon tart. All with a bottle of semi-sec white and fizzy water. Was one of the best meals of my life, to be sure, and in all honesty one of, if not the, favorite things I did there.

I want a pet. And to move to a nicer flat. I think both of these things are possible.

I'm also giving two private lessons. One to a colleague's 10-year old, and the other to a very sweet 9th grader at one of the international schools.

Also! Bálint is coming to Thanksgiving! Whoo hoo. We have a very strange working relationship, where we either talk too much or just sort of nod at each other in class. It's strange, and since I spend my whole day following him around, I would much prefer if it were more normal. And being me, normal means being friends. So I invited him to Thanksgiving, fully expecting that he would make an excuse, but he actually said yes. So hopefully that goes well. Gergő is coming as well, which is also super exciting because he's such a nice kid, and really good at English, and full of funny little colloquialisms. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving a really abnormal amount.

And I'm spent. Night, all.