A side comment, courtesy of Eddie Izzard

On the subject of European empires:

"And the Austria-Hungarian Empire, famous for f*** all!! Yes, all they did was slowly collapse like a flan in a cupboard."

Hee. I heard this while waiting for my parents in the airport, and almost died of laughter. Shush. You know I love you guys.

Family

Mine has safely arrived, settled into their hotel, and orientated themselves in Budapest. :)

Doggy love

I received an email from my family today, with the subject line "I wish I were coming too!" and this photo attached.

*sniff* That's just not right! What a beautiful baby... I miss them so much!

on novelty, hymns, and bus stops

I was standing on my balcony in the wee hours of last night with Lyla, letting the cool air blow across our faces and admiring the strange new things we can see outside this flat that we've lived in for almost a year, only because they cut down a few trees. Can you believe the year is over? Ha, no. And can you believe that at this time next year, we will be getting ready to leave? Yeah but that's a long time away. But just think of how quickly this year has gone. Wow. Yeah.

At my school's closing ceremony yesterday, there were rhythmic gymnastics demonstrations, cute little high school break dancers, and a man who could juggle a football for hours in interesting ways. And I giggled through them all, giddy with the beautiful blue sky, the knowledge of being cute in my dress, the sun on my cheeks, and relief over this week working out, well, exactly as I could have planned it. A colleague asked why I was laughing, and I answered, "Every day there is something new here. Every day I see or experience or do something new."

At the beginning of the ceremony, as the music swelled for Himnusz and I stopped talking and stood up straight, I thought about a lot of funny little things. That I know most of the words to that nationalistic dirge. That I'm starting to consider it pretty. That sometimes I miss the uplifting strains of American hymns, which are certainly much more optimistic. That less than 10 months ago, when I first had that song, I had no idea what it was, what was going on, what I was doing- while now, I can do practically anything I need to do. After the ceremony I wandered the school, visiting all the teachers that have actually helped me so much, giving the two kisses, and wishing a happy summer vacation. And I smiled that I have had a job that I love so much.

I've been lost for most of my time here. Literally, when street signs fail me, and nobody will give me directions. Or when they do give directions and I'm too proud to admit I didn't understand them! And figuratively, when I discover when walking into the staff room that the day's schedule has changed, was changed two weeks ago, but I was never told and have to make up a new plan right now. Or when I plan a great lesson, and simply can't explain it to the children in English. Or on the rare occasions when I find someone I simply cannot communicate with. Or when I need something very specific, and have to spend a lot of prep time planning, asking for words, printing pictures off the internet.

And yet, I feel myself. I feel my doubts, my pride, my successes and failures, my anger, and my love more clearly than I have in a long, long time. If ever. I feel myself here, and I grow and change and become new everytime I do something new.

I was looking for a bus with Balint the other day after he helped us out at the immigration office. As we wandered up the street, he asked if I knew where we were going. All I could say was, "Well, I know where I am." And sure enough, we soon found the bus.

Tomorrow my parents come, and they meet this funny little place that I love so much. I can't wait.

Oh, Hungary.

There is a man outside my flat on a cherry picker, cutting the dead branches off a dead tree. He is doing this with a cord, while weilding a giant chain saw with one hand. It's pretty much the best thing I've ever seen, and so... Hungary!

And that, I suppose, is as good a 100th post as anything else could be. Thanks for reading over the past ten months! :)

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.

Surprisingly Pleasant

First, a huge thanks to "Laopan" and his lovely wife for taking me to the Four Dragons Market, showing me around, and inviting me to a very delicious lunch. I was so happy to have your hospitality and knowledge, and you can bet that I will be back there very often!

On the subject of the Four Dragons Market, it's a really cool place. Inside. Outside it is a little bit scary, as there was a man wearing sunglasses clearly checking who went in. Next to him a large sign illustrated what was not allowed inside: smoking, cameras, dogs, or guns. Yay. Inside, though, were several clothes stands and in the back: food. Exotic produce, sauces, and spices. And several little stands in the back selling delicious food. I had noodles with meat and veggies with a delicious broth, which I made a complete disaster of with my chopsticks! I also tried chiled chicken feet, which were very tasty, if a little interesting at first. Anyway, it was a great lunch experience, and I was very happy to have had it, and very warmed at the hospitality of these two for helping some crazy girl who writes about her life on the internet.

As for the rest of the post, if you are very squeamish, maybe don't read it? I mean, it's safe for work or whatever, but... I don't know. Fair warning.




So this evening Lyla and I finally bit the bullet and headed to the gynecologist. Agi was going as well, so we felt pretty confident having a Hungarian with us, which wound up being a very good thing, because of course there were problems with the paperwork. Paperwork aside, though, this was my single best medical visit, ever, as a woman. The doctor was kind and personable. He listened carefully to my concerns and actually acted accordingly. The whole thing was treated as such a normal thing, without any of the shame that so often happens in America. No sitting awkwardly on a table in a paper gown waiting forever for the doctor, for example. I just went in when the doctor was ready for me, took off my clothes, and was examined. No stirrups, just shelves to rest my feet on. It was so much more comfortable and normal feeling, the whole thing, than anything in America.

Coolest of all though, instead of painfully poking around my stomach from the inside and out to examine my uterus and ovaries, they did an ultrasound. The doctor arranged the little screen so I could watch what was going on. I saw my ovaries, and then, suddenly, my uterus popped onto the screen, just the same shape as I'd seen it illustrated in books. And while I always knew this thing was inside of me, I actually gasped out loud at seeing it. I was just fascinated with the whole thing, with this, I don't know, capacity within myself. He printed off a picture of it for me, so I could take it with me. I'm thinking maybe I will put it on my closet door. How marvelous to be a woman.

1B, 2B, and 2C shows

1B says "ta-da!"

So for the past few weeks my life has been virtually consumed by year-end shows. You've already seen a bit of 1C's, but it was nothing compared to the great spectacle that were my other three classes' shows. These consisted of several musical numbers in both English and Hungarian, as well as several recited poems. Seriously, these 8 year olds can recite pages of poetry. I've included only one photo of each, primarily because it is actually rather difficult to get a non-blurry photo of children dancing.

Know, though, that the second graders performed both a musical play called "Tammy the Queen of Jams" (of the toast, not musical variety) and a modern Snow White. These taught them such valuable life lessons as that saying no to a King usually results in no trouble for you, and that if you are alone in NYC, going with a group of men dressed like the Monkees to play music in their garage is a great way to make friends. Know also that if you have a second grader punching a giant slab of styrofoam as part of your play, and have no way to rehearse this, the entire thing will be run into the ground when the thing snaps in half and everyone on and off stage starts laughing hysterically.

2C pulls Heni, aka Tammy, back and forth as the king and queen attempt to press her into jam-making slavery.

A Hungarian piece that I didn't fully understand, about a man who finds treasure and so is inspired to tie fish onto trees and thus trick his wife?

You make good pie?!?!?!

This blog post, co-authored by Lyla, is a dedication to one of the craziest, loveliest, most-trivia-filled, welcoming-est people we've met in Hungary.

We met Briggi at orientation but didn't really chill much. Then she invited us to go with her to Etyek for the first wine fest, and it all sort of went downhill from there. Because of Briggi, we've been to more than one lovely little town in Hungary, and been hosted by real Hungarians on several occasions. Unfortunately we've also been to Heves several times because of Briggi, but she makes it so much less hell-holey. Well, at least purgatory-holey. We've wound up swindling beer from tenth graders, making a bonfire with evangelical Christians, and lifted off our feet by giant magyar 20-somethings in a mostly-pitch-black bar blasting early 90s death metal.

Briggi chatters away constantly with random history and cultural trivia that we secretly appreciate while telling her to shush. She carries around a notepad that she relentlessly badgers Hungarians to write phrases in. She wakes up at around 5 every morning, often to bake for others, or at least to putter around quietly in our kitchen after a long night out. She often dresses like a boy, but is getting much better in that regard. ;) But she makes no apologies for who she is. She may claim otherwise, but we think Briggi knows that she is awesome.

Despite all her trivia, she can be naive, which leads to some funny situations, such as why she couldn't understand why Unicum should be marketed in America under a different name. Or when she sleepily confused Lyla with the main character of a much beloved television show.

Briggi is super enthusiastic about everything, and if not, can usually be manipulated into a fever-pitch of excitement anyway. She takes notes about everything, which she then promptly loses. The mention of anything even vaguely risque, such as when we mentioned "bust line" when discussing tops, makes her blush and giggle.

She's leaving this country that she loves more than most people love their dogs to go home to America and find a place in grad school for education. She wants to come back. We know that she will do whatever she wants to.

We love you Briggi and we will miss you on our bed, sillily requesting politely to drink a glass of water, more than you can know next year.

And no, I will never, ever delete the "Just Dance" video. You know what I mean.

Evening's Entertainment

So I got a text at work today from Balint. "There is something for you on the table in my room."

Intrigued, I darted down to grab the key, and opened up the room to find an otherwise umarked DVD with, literally, my name on it. I figured it contained his favorite cartoon, 2 Stupid Dogs (remember that, Dad?) and popped it in my bag.

But no! It contains obscene amounts of music. Well, "music." :) Such as the theme songs for Duck Tales and Dexter's Lab. Or a theme song about Tamagotchis. Copious amounts of Euro pop/techno of questionable quality. A few songs in honest-to-God Spanglish. (Nothing in Hungarian though, sadly.)

Lyla and I have been listening for a good long time now, cutting bunny ears out of poster board for 1B's performance tomorrow, and giggling nonstop.