I want to ride my bicycle...

So, on Saturday I finally (FINALLY) got my bike fixed. Since then I have been tooling around Zuglo and the 13th district as well, with a brief foray today all the way to the center-side of city park to avoid biking onto a highway. And it is, in a word, lovely. I'm still quite nervous to be hopping on and off of the sidewalk as it appears and disappears, taking advantage of the scant bike lanes and trails. I got one or two baszmeg bicikli!s thrown at me today, (f off, bike!) and was coherent enough to shout back, Baszmeg te! Thanks to Agi for explaining to me how to properly invite someone to take a short walk themselves right back.

Generally, though, the experience is lovely. The breeze, the speed, the smog burning my lungs... well, maybe not the last one...

Today was my last day with the kiddies for the school year. I mostly hung out with 1B and just sort of played games, colored, whatever. It was nice. They are most definitely my favorite class, just all sweethearts and general joys to be around. They were also my very first lesson way back in September (or was it nine years ago...?) so it was a nice bookend to the school year.

I will be sort of working this week, just darting in for three hours every morning to "finish." I'm already finished with everything I personally have to do, after last week's sort-of-work week, but I'm sure I'll find people who need help taking things off the wall. Or some such thing.

As of Wednesday we will be moving all our stuff to the new flat. I also have a nice visit to immigration to look forward to, as I renew my residence permit. So all together it will be a really crazy week.

I spent all day yesterday laying on Margit Island with Lyla, playing games. I finally got her to play cards! Then Mate, his lovely friend Dori, and some others showed up, and we continued to play and relax in the sun. It was truly lovely, and, I think, just what I needed to be ready for this insanity of a week!

My family arrives here in Budapest on Sunday and I am very excited to have them, to see them, and to show them my new home, my new me. At the same time it is so strange. I have been looking forward to their visit for so long. And it's finally here!? Time is funny. I want to catch it in a bottle.

I think my goal for this week will be to actually live it, despite the craziness. I hope to also let some people know that I will really, genuinely miss seeing their face every day over the summer. I'm really lucky to have these people. I need to remember that I'm not too cool to tell them so.