here's where I've spent a big chunk of my summer so far

So somewhere I had the brilliant idea of holding swimming lessons for the missionary families that are also staying around for the summer. I think I was missing my old gym job and all the crazy things I would get into over the summers in Chicagoland. So, with the help of a couple moms, I struck a deal with a guy who owns a campground 5 minutes away. I guaranteed him business if he would give me a reduced entrance fee for the kids. He was really nice, and I think happy to have this exposure. This campground is one where you'd set up your camper on the back of your truck, not one where you would pitch a tent. It's right in the middle of the next town over, but obscured by lots of trees and parks. Anyway, it has a decent sized pool, really perfect for the swimming lessons. The first day I was really nervous, because I hadn't actually been in the pool, hadn't checked the depth, but I had hear that it was really cold and too deep for most kids. Sure enough, the first day was a flop. I froze for 2 hours, and none of the kids really wanted to be in the pool. It was the end of the cool season, it had just rained, and the pool had just been filled up. The water was below 80 degrees, I'm sure. Nobody wanted to be there, me included, and the little beginners couldn't do anything other than hold onto the edge anyway. I was so miserable and felt like the whole thing was a huge failure. It was a time of helplessness where I had no power to change things, but knowing a God who does, I went to Him. And sure enough, in His goodness he brought about a great success in the swimming lessons. We had only perfect weather from then on, which warmed up the water nicely and made it actually desirable to be in the pool. I bought some water noodles for the beginners, and they were my saving grace for not being able to work with them one on one (I had average 4 kids per class). They felt totally confident with these noodles to be on their own so we could work on the various skills all at the same time. And the moms loved the proximity to home and the opportunity to hang out for a bit by the pool and socialize.

I certainly have been enjoying this preoccupation, in spite of the work that it turned out to be. I'm recognizing more and more my tendency to have big ideas that I think would be so easy to implement, but then as I attempt to make them a reality I realize sometimes it takes so much more than originally thought. I once told my parents when I was 8? that we needed a pool in the backyard in Grand Junction, CO. They didn't think I was serious. I got frustrated, because, really, how hard can it be? Just did a hole in the ground, line it with cement, and fill it with water? When I told them that they just laughed. But I still think like that. Really, how hard can it be to hold swimming lessons in the summer? ...at a pool I'm not familiar with owned by people I can't communicate with, at a pool where kids can't touch, when subject to weather, to kids of so many skill levels, when I have to contend with the crowd of campers that want to swim, too. Because I'm deficient in thinking everything through, I'm so thankful for people that help me think through things. Izabella, Anne, and Jennifer were three moms that were a big help. Two heads are better than one, that's for sure! Sometimes four heads are even better.
Anyway, like I said before, it's turned out to be a big success, thanks to God. It's been fun to get to know these families more. And I forget how wonderfully cute little kids are! I love high schoolers, but it has been refreshing to be with these little kids. They actually listen to what I'm saying! And do it! =)

Night at the museum, cont.

I'm so glad I did it. I was so exhausted when we were finished, at about 1am. It was nice to have free public to take us between the museums, but they went in the most inefficient routes, where we could have walked back to the car and been half way home by the time the bus finally brought us around to our stop. I could have organized it so much better... =).

Okay, so, what we DIDN'T see were Ben Stiller or Owen Wilson. Sad.

What we DID see:
The mirror image art museums, one modern, one more traditional. Both overrated. There's so much modern art that should not make it into museums that you would have to pay for. And the other museum was filled will more frescoes and madonas and pieta's and annunciations. I have seen so many of them that I'm afraid they've lost their fascination. I acknowledge their beauty and the amazing skill behind the works, but I would rather spend my time elsewhere. Is that so sad? I still loved the musuem, however, for it's beautiful architecture and detail. It's a beautiful building. It's a work of art in itself. And then the Modern Art Museum held my favorite exhibit of the night. It's a "project" by Hungarian artist Antal Lakner, and it consists of these devices that you can use to stay strong and healthy in our convenience-ridden society. For example, he made a device (comes with a carrying bag) that you attach to a subway holding post and stand on a stationary surf-board, so that you basically surf your way to work on the metro. It could work! I got to try the prototype =). It's just ridiculous, which is his intent. The picture of a guy in his suit coat doing this on a metro with a totally serious look on his face was hilarious. He also developed "elevator stretching", pictured left. But my favorite was a portable pommel horse that you would place on the escalator and do hand stands and other pommel horse exercises as you were passively taken down to the next floor. So funny.

We also saw the transportation museum. Lots of steam engines and motorcycles from the past. I thought of Grandpa and Great-Grandpa Blomquist. We saw the natural history museum, which would make for an ideal venue for a Biology class field trip. And we saw the House of Terror, the museum set up to comemmorate the time when Hungary was reigned by Hitler and then Communist Russia. This museum is a hard one to go through, but there's so much documentation and footage of all the horrors that went on that it makes it much more real and personal, not just something of the history books. It is appalling, the capacity for evil that exists in man's heart. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your work of renewal!

Over all, it was just such a beautiful night, and there were bands playing and fire twirlers attracting crowds. Everybody was out. I expected to hear a lot of English, but surprisingly (or maybe not so) I heard mostly Hungarian. Good times.

Of course

Of course the clouds give forth a torrential downpour an hour after I water the plants outside... We haven't had rain for days, and the plants were looking pretty pathetic. They really needed water. And so I did, filling up a 2 liter plastic bottle and running back in to the house every 3 min. to fill it up again. I did that at least 6 times. And then an hour later it pours. Wish I had gotten that rain memo.

At 10am it was already close to sweltering heat, easily in the 80's. And I'm sure I haven't seen the worst of it. I remember Paula telling me how miserably hot it was to stay in Budapest over the summer, but I'm hoping and praying that last year was just an exceptional summer.

night at the museum

I haven't been sleeping well recently, and I'm sure it's in part due to the fact that I was dog-sitting for this adorable little white ball of energy, who slept in the same room as me (she wouldn't have it any other way). Even though she stayed in her cage, just knowing there was another creature in the room and one that was noisy allowed only for light sleep. Not to mention that she would wake up at daybreak, 5am. And so I would wake up then, too. In fact, even though last night I was luxuriously back in my own bed in a quiet house with the curtains drawn and a pleasant breeze blowing through the open window, I woke up at 5:15. It's Saturday. I'm on summer break. I can afford to sleep in. I was mad and so stubbornly tried to make myself fall back asleep, but to no avail. I generally enjoy getting up early to get a head start on things, but not when I could really use the sleep more than the productivity. And not when I'm planning on staying up until midnight or later tonight.

Last year Budapest started an annual "museum night", where all the museums are free from 6pm to 2am. They provide shuttle buses to cart you around the city between museums. I feel like I have been to many of the museums already, but there are many more to see, apparently. So I am joining up with Justin and Michelle Custer, the other members of the science dept. at ICSB, and a fellow runner that I met recently, Jen, and we're going to check this out. I'm excited, but I have heard the lines are terribly long...we'll see.

I have to say, the good thing about getting up at 6am is that I can get so much done and it will only be 11am by the time i'm finished. With Paula and Heather packing up and moving out and me living between two places, there was a lot of chaos that I came back to after dog-sitting. But I have already cleaned up so much and organized so much and just about everything is back in its rightful place. I feel much better about myself.