family day gauntlet, Tata, and bagels

I worked a week. It was a long week, and I was tired and cranky by the end of it, exhausted by my lessons, my difficulties with my one class's ability to learn (or lack thereof), outside stress, going off my allergy meds for the winter, and expat difficulties.

Yesterday was a family day at the school, which means we all got to head in and spend several hours of our Saturday playing with small children. Which can be frustrating in concept, but once again the family day did not disappoint in its absolute ridiculousness. Kids jumped bare-footed into wooden barrels of grapes which they smashed into a thick juice, which older kids filtered and everyone then drank, grimacing slightly at the concept of kid feet. Songs were sung in which children were encouraged to act as if they were drunk and lazy and fall asleep at the job. Children formed a row and passed each other down the line, while other children crashed into the supportive children with metal loops. Meanwhile, kids wielded sledgehammers, trying to crush walnuts being dropped down a tube and onto a rickety log while other children crouched nearby without eye protection. The food, beside the foot-juice, was bread spread with fat and topped with onions.

At one point Balint wandered over and I commented that literally nothing that was happening in the school yard could ever ever happen in an American school. Asked if that was a good or a bad thing, I could only laugh. Last year's family day, when I saw children doing similarly insane activities, was my first big "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!" moment. I'm glad that this country continues to baffle me.

Afterwards, Lyla and I darted to the train station to catch a train to Tata, where Carla was hosting a sort of informal teachers' meeting so we could all exchange lesson plans. That was helpful, and the evening was as fun and cathartic as always, to meet with all the other American teachers I enjoy and blow off some steam.

Upon arriving home today, Lyla and I made bagels. This was my first time making a bread from scratch. They turned out a little bit flat, but delicious and honest-to-goodness bagelly, for only about an hour's work. We will certainly be making them again.