language barrier

I have recognized a sense of uneasiness and insecurity ever since I've been back in Budapest, and I think I've pinpointed what was causing it. I am living in a culture that I know and love, but I still can't understand the words on signs or 95% of what is being said around me. I was reading in my journal the yesterday when I recorded the trip my parents and I took to the Czech Republic, and I cited how I felt so at home there, because I knew the people, the places, and I UNDERSTOOD what was being said; I could communicate. I wasn't left in the dark. I had anticipated (in my ignorance of Eastern European history) that Hungarian to be somewhat similar to Czech, and that I would have an easy time picking it up. But that is far from the truth. The closest language to Hungarian is Finnish, both being from the Finno-Urgic family of languages, neither of which are at all closely related to the Indo-European family. Anyway, I hate being left in the dark, being on the outside not able to tell what's going on. It's frustrating. But it's fueling my determination to learn Hungarian this year.

10 Best

10 Best things about Summer 2007, in no particular order

1. Spending time with my family, whether over meals, while building a fence, or at the coffee shop
2. Being captivated by lil' Joshers; hanging out with his parents was pretty cool, too
3. Playing with Petey in his soccer league
4. Visiting Claire in DC, where we refused to back down in our tennis game due to some petty rainstorm. We got soaked.
5. National Spy Museum. I loved it. I am newly inspired... You THINK that I'm in Hungary just as a teacher...
6. Coffee, pool, pilates, spin, and running with Nat
7. running and walking by my Lake
8. KU's Dog Days! I LOVED those workouts...such a great idea
9. Actually relaxing while watching a movie. I learned It's OK not to be productive from time to time. (Except I wasn't exactly relaxed watching Gladiator for the first time)
10. Having lots of time to read my Bible and "Experiencing God". I've come away so refreshed.

10 Best Things about international airplane travel, in no particular order

1. You can watch Blades of Glory 3 times in a row.
2. You get an excellent trapezius workout carrying a 5olb. backpack around the terminals
3. You might get lucky and not have anyone sit next to you so you can spread out. I said 'might'. It only happens 2% of the time, but it's the hope of it that makes it one of the best things.
4. the sunrise
5. the moonrise
6. Every overhead announcement is translated into at least one if not two other languages
7. Flipping through the SkyMall magazine and seeing what ridiculous thing they've come up with now, like the stroller for your dog (!), or the attachments for your trees that make them look like they have faces
8. Sudoku
9. You can say things like, "Oh yeah, I've been to London". Just leave out the fact that you were on a 3 hour layover and didn't see beyond the tarmac at terminal 1, or else it wont sound as cool.
10. You never know who you might end up sitting with. It may be a guy who has this really cool flight simulation software on his laptop that he is so excited to show off to you, and shows you all the incredible missions he's flown on it, and while he's at it he'll show you pictures of all the cool places that he's travelled to with his buddies and his wife and for his top secret assignments, and before you know it he'll have kept you from 2 solid hours of sleep. And who wants to sleep on an 8 hour flight?


And finally, the 10 Best things, so far, about being back in Budapest, in no particular order

1. Kerek edgy capuccino?
2. My 4 mile running course in the hills of Diosd
3. Being with my good friend and roommate Pauuuuuuuuuula, who will kill any spider for me
4. Having such sweet landlords!
5. IKEA only 10 min. away
6. the drier, cooler climate
7. My coworkers - they are so amazing
8. that we start our workday off with prayer and a message from the Word
9. my house is aweswome- I have a queen sized bed! I've NEVER had a queen- sized bed.
10. I already KNOW this place. It's familiar territory for me. That makes such a huge difference.

pictures of my new place in BP

oohooh! For a virtual tour of my new place next year, please visit Paula's blog. I'm so excited!

Kenosha

I will miss my Lake, the ideal walking and running venue that it has been for 10 years now. I will also miss my Common Grounds coffee shop, the cute and quaint reading/hangout spot that it is. These two places have bred such great hopes and inspiration and discussions and reflections. I am a better person have spent time here =).

This may be Goodbye Kenosha for good, as my family will most likely be moving away this Fall. There is so much up in the air to know anything definite. But two things are for sure: you can now see the floor of my storage closet, and I am many sweaters lighter than I was at the beginning of the summer. In anticipation of my parent's move, I went through all my stuff to thin it out and pack it up. It amazes me how much I have accumulated over the years. It feels so good to get rid of things and SIMPLIFY! I am more nostalgic and pensive than anything about leaving Kenosha. My true home is heaven, so I've only always been "just passing through" this place. And so, as I sit in my room on my last night I just wonder where God will lead my parents this year, and then where in the world will I end up next year. TBD, according to His will. And because it will be according to His will, and because He is SO GOOD, I am excited.

my blogging world grows

I just added a new link! It's my seester Sarah's new blog of her family, including more pictures of the Joshers! Do check it out. In fact, go there to see the promised pictures of Joshua, because she's already done the work of uploading them. It's great.

here's a preview

He's adorable even when he's tired!

I'm back! (back to blogging, that is)

I've been reminded how I need to keep this blog updated. I don't know if it's because the novelty of it all is gone, or if I just got lazy with it, but one way or the other, this means of communication is too valuable to let slip away. And so I'm back! with a determination to update far more frequently than has been the habit of late. So please stay tuned!

Coming up:

Pictures of the Adorable Joshua

DONE!

I don't know who feels more triumphant, the seniors or we the teachers of ICSB. The seniors can certianly claim this as more of a milestone, as it marks the end of their high school career. But it has been a milestone year for me, too, in so many ways. I SUCCESSFULLY completed my first year of real teaching. The fact that I was successful is huge, in that I feel like I did a good job in spite of the overwhelming challenge that it has been for almost the entire year. I have had a great first year here, having met so many wonderful friends and families and students. I am certainly feeling at home here. But I am also lonely! I miss my family and everybody back home! I can't wait to see you all this summer.

Below are some pictures of a few of my seniors I caught during their reception post graduation.

Erin will be joining her sister in Ohio and will be taking classes at a state school for her first year.

Han Jing will be going to college in Boston.
Joeleoleol will be close to home, attending Trinity!

Sarah L. is going to Taylor! And she's going to play lacrosse (right, Sarah ;)? )
Marjorie Marjorah is off to PBU!

It was such a whirlwind time that I wasn't able to catch everybody to get pictures with. And then it hit me afterwards that that was probably the last chance to say goodbye in person to many of them. It's so sad. But many of them will be coming back to visit family over Christmas break and such, so I have hope. One last picture:




Michelle is not a senior, thank God! She is one of the many that I have to look forward to next year! I'm excited. This is a standard self-portrait that the students love to take. Michelle is a riot, as you can see, and I'm so looking forward to next year with her.

an especially stellar moment =)

Allison and I in an especially stellar moment. We are in the new gym awaiting the deidcation ceremony to begin, and making faces at a camera was a nice preoccupation. Our responsibility at the time was to make sure our students behaved and weren't goofing off...

So the new building is at last officially open and dedicated, and we had all the big names behind the project present to dedicate it, including the mayor of Diosd, and Larry Thompson, the key player who put the idea of the school into a reality. It is incredible to think how big this place is now, in numbers and in structure, compared to the handful of students that began it 14 years ago. In our weekly devotional meetings we've been hearing lately from board members of the missions represented here at the school, and their message to us as teachers is one of encouragement as they tell us how key the school is in order for the families to stay on the field here in Hungary. May the Lord continue to be praised and glorified and served through this center of education!

a rare moment

I know I know, it's about time I posted something on my blog! I have been back now for a month??? I can't believe it. And so much is going on these days with end-of-the-year activities almost every day. It's actually somewhat sad, as the year pulls us with our feet dragging to the end. This means good-byes are going to have to be said soon. That makes my heart so heavy, because a lot of these good-byes are for good. Thank God for the hope of heaven.

So, fortunately Mary, my roommate, is somebody that I wont have to say good-bye to. But as it is, I hardly ever get to say anything to her at all. She and I are generally like two ships passing in the night. So, it was close to miraculous that we ended up in the same hallway at school at the same time, wearing almost identical clothing, AND I just happened to have my camera in my bag! You better believe we documented this moment. I'm so glad you're coming back next year, Mary!

It came!!!

My long awaited visa arrived at 10am this morning, thank you God!

The Waiting Game

When will my visa show up? Who knows. So now we wait with great anticipation. It could come in two days, it could come in ten days, it could come in twenty days. One way or the other, there will be great rejoicing and cartwheels when it comes at long last.

(By the way, I love this picture of my 11th graders. It characterizes them so well. I love that class.)

My nephew fix

The Blomquist family has been blessed with three strapping young men added to the family in the past 3.5 years (4, according to Jake). Joshua is my sister's son, and Jacob and Noah (pictured right) are my brother's boys. As I have had to come back to the US for my visa, I've taken advantage of the time I have to visit these adorable nephews of mine. I had been feeling like I was missing out on so much of their cuteness, knowing that they change so fast at this age, and so I took the opportunity to go and visit all three of them this past week. Can I just share some of their cuteness with the world? My sister and brother-in-law and my brother and sister-in-law are all very adorable, too, but somehow I didn't get many pictures of them. Sorry, guys! I really enjoyed my time with you, too!

A tribute to Paula

Paula Hardy is so cool!

You should check out her blog (click on the link in the right margin).

Paula, thanks for fending off the police on my behalf! What were they after me for this time? =) By the way, we need some more pictures of us. Thanks for being such a great friend! Don't have too much fun without me!

This will all blow over

What will? Oh, just my apartment complex. At least that's what it felt like a couple nights ago, when the wind blew so hard that the curtains over my CLOSED windows were moving. And every crack in the doors or windows created a nice high-pitched wistle that woke me up every 20 min. in the night. I don't think they have sealant over here... We have these roller shades that we can roll down over some of our windows and over our balcony, and so we put them down over the balcony in hopes that it would cut down the wind that was blowing through our closed windows. But they didn't help a bit. The next morning as I walked two steps forward and blew one step back all the way down to school, I was nearly blown over by the strength of the wind. It was taking tiles off the roofs. Kind of dangerous, if you ask me. When Mary and I got back to our appartment our shades over the balcony were completely torn about and off the tracking system. They are apparently not strong enough to withstand 70mph wind. After great struggle and much time I was actually able to fix them, so they are back to functioning, but just not in the great condition they were in earlier. Oh, and this is the day after 1) I dropped my jelly jar and scattered glass all over my feet and the kitchen floor, 2) Mary fried our vacuum cleaner (it started on fire and has been rendered useless), and our shower hose tore, so we have little pressure and very erratic shower streams. When it rains it pours. When it blows, lean into it.

Ok, so yes, there were two allusions in the last post, one intentional, and the other was just an attempt at humor, but I also immediately thought of Amelia Bedelia as well. I LOVED Amelia Bedelia books when I was little, so I guess she has influenced me in ways I don't even realize! I'm so proud of those of you who recognized the mark. And then the quote from Bambi was just so appropriate, as snow is such a rare thing these days in Budapest.

"What's all that white stuff?"

I woke up this morning thinking it was going to be yet another overcast day based on the lack of light penetrating our curtains. But once I drew the curtains (I used compressed charcoal on recycled paper) I was shocked to see a white world outside. Right now it's just a thin layer, but it is still gently coming down. At last! We are getting the long-anticipated Budapest winter. I'm excited, as I love snow. I just hate being cold...

(...do you recognize that quote?)

Lisa in Pisa

These are my good friends Joni and Shannon, with whom I met up with over Christmas break. I was able to spend a most fabulous time trekking through Italy in their company for a bit. It was so great to see them again. It was great to see Italy, but I think I mostly enjoyed just kicking back with these awesome women of God. This was actually taken at PFO last June... I'm really bad at getting pictures, so Joni and Shannon, if you have any of the three of us, please send it my way!

I think the person taking this picture was a little thrown off by the tower, as it is not completely level =)

Roman forum ruins
you should recognize this one

O sola mia!

the "streets" of Venice

charming Sienna
Florence's Porte Vecchio

My homemade Vanochka that I never got to taste

I made two of these traditional Czech Christmas loaves, as this sweet bread is simply my favorite. Spread a little slice of butter over it, and it tastes heavenly. I am proud of myself (if you couldn't tell by the picture), because I was working with foreign ingredients and a risky oven, AND because I have only made it once before. I was quite relieved to see they came out of the oven looking spectacular. How they tasted I will never know, alas, as I took them as hostess gifts to some social gatherings, hoping that we would cut into them while I was there, which we didn't. I missed out on my vanochka... I would throw the "Christmas tradition" label aside and make it again if it didn't take 2 plus hours...

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!