Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

(Sarah dear, the "peace"and "joy" pictures are for you!)

I spent Christmas Eve bustling around my lovely little apartment making vanocka, going on a run around Diosd, putting hostess gifts together, cleaning, and listening to classical Christmas carols. It was wonderful. And then I had dinner at the home of Parker's close friends, some of whom I already knew from BFA and Wheaton days. I had so much fun getting caught up with them. And then I spent the rest of the night with my good friends from the school, Paula, Emily, Heather and Lisa A. We made cookies, told stories, did hand stands, put out a fire, and fell asleep to "A Christmas Story".

Hungarians celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. And then they take the next two days off as holidays, where hardly any stores are open, especially on the 26th. It was amusing to me how many of them were finally getting their trees on the 24th. I saw so many cars with trees on top at the last minute.

Budapest is certianly a beautiful city to be in around Christmas. I will have to post some pictures of the Christmas Market and the lights down town at a future point.

Merry Christmas ans Happy New Year to you!

guess I haven't missed celery

I was sitting down to a beautiful salad (a rare thing, unfortunately), topped with some delicious "seasonal dressing" that a student gave me for Christmas, when I realized that I haven't had celery since I've been here! In fact, I don't think that I have even seen it at the grocery store! I love celery! How could I have forgotten about it?

encounter with the police

Yesterday as I was driving home from church I had my first encounter with the Hungarian police. Every once in a while they have days or periods of days when they're out en force pulling cars over randomly to check papers. Well, I had been asked last minute to drive to church (I am one of the few among the new teachers who can drive a stick), and so I presumed that the papers and everything were in order. When the lights started flashing behind us and we pull over to the curb, I wasn't too worried, because I hadn't done anything to break the law, so I figured it was just one of those random checks. I asked Sarah, who was borrowing the car, if I could have the papers, but she had not been given the papers, and had never been informed of the necessity of always having those papers on your person when driving around Hungary. Oops. So we were searching frantically all over the car, while the four cops stood outside my door looking at my passport and international drivers license. None of them spoke more than very minimal English, and I haven't yet mastered Hungarian, so communication was rather difficult to say the least. Sarah did find some registration papers in the glove compartment (not a good place to keep them...kind of like keeping your title in there). So we gave those to them, and after 10 minutes they came back to say that the papers had expired back in September. We were basically driving illegally. Not to mention that I am basically an illegal alien, as I have overstayed my 90 days visitor quota. So all the worse case scenarios started to play in my mind, like we'd be taken in and interrogated and then beaten with barbed wire, and I would be sent home to America with orders never to enter Hungary again. Sarah and I prayed. We were so nervous. It was very likely that they would tell us to leave the car there, that we couldn't drive it anymore. Or that we'd be fined for driving an illegal car. That's happened before to others, apparently. But God came through for us and we were let off very easy, not even a fine! We were simply told to take the car home and leave it there until the papers were renewed...

two of my girls

Meet Sarah and Sol Ji, two of the sweetest girls to traverse this planet. Sol Ji is one of my students, but I enjoy hanging out with her outside of class, too. And although Sarah is not in any of my classes, she is just so quality that I wish she was! It's been so fun getting to know them this semester. More than anything their hearts for God are such an encouragement to me. As we all love cooking and baking, we're going to have a bake day at my apartment sometime before the semester is up.

Speaking of the end of the semester, it's just aroung the corner, and everyone is feeling the pressure of finals, including me, as I have to write them, and then write the study guides for them, and then not to mention grade them... It makes me very tired just thinking about it. And so I will stop thinking about it, and just focus on the fact that it is raining right now. It's December 9th, and it got up to 56 degrees today! It was beautiful, but rather out of place. You're not supposed to be able to run outside in shorts in the middle of December.

Thanksgiving

The Bible study that I am co-leading for our Senior girls has been going through Hosea (click on the picture to open it and you'll be able to read it a lot better). It's not a book frequently turned to for encouragement, but after reading it again, and again, and again, I'm not sure why it isn't. I have been so encouraged by it. It is ever a reminder of the great, unconditional love of our God who wont put up with our disregard for him, but wants so badly for us to look to him and love him. These two verses particularly speak of the love and care and gentleness with which he has dealt with his people. What a good God he is! I am so thankful for Him and His love towards me.

Thanksgiving in Hungary is quite different, I must say, than in the States. I ended up at two different feasts with two different American families and ate enough food for the next month. That should help my food bill. And although you cannot find canned pumpkin here, somebody at each feast managed to make pumpkin pie. I love it. I think they actually took a pumpkin ("Tök" in Hungarian) and pureed the inside to get the necessary consistency. All natural, the real way to do it. A lot more work, but all the more appreciated!

So, Thanksgiving has already come and gone, and I can't believe it! I only have two more full weeks of school and then exams, and then Christmas break! Only two weeks away! I finally get into the swing of things, and then this! Actually the truth is that knowing I get a break in two weeks is what keeps me going these days.