Let me first say that I have hated May with children for years. It is close enough to the end of the school year that kids are "done". They are wild in class and just don't want to work. By June they seem to settle down a little and there are lots of field trips and other events to break up the instruction time.
Well, Hungarian children are no different and might be a little worse. Everyday my classes come in and ask to "play" because school is almost out. I tell them the same thing each time; "I am paid to teach you english and you don't learn any by playing Heads UP 7 UP!" I taught them this game because it is American (I think) and ensures that at least for a couple of minutes they will be quiet!
So, on with my story of the 6th grade girls. I chose to walk to the 2nd bus stop and get on there yesterday. That way I don't have to wait with lots of crazy children for the bus to come. As it pulled up some of the windows were open and I could hear this racket. I looked in before boarding and saw a pile of my 6th grade girls right in the front of the bus just screaming and laughing. Well when they spotted me getting on they made a beeline for the back where they clustered and continued their rowdy behavior. I followed them although it would have been easier to just sit in the front and ignore them. When I got there, I got no attitude, just whoo, hoo party type stuff. They respect me enough to have quieted down enough so that I could give them the "You represent our school and right now you are embarrassing me" speech. They quieted down a little and just tried talking with me about how they couldn't help it that school was almost out and they were too excited. (Mind you, school is NOT out until June 15). "Oh but you love us anyway, Mrs. Holmes" one of them said to me. I looked each one of them in the eye and said, "Yes, I love you, but sometimes I don't like your behavior!"
We all got off the bus at the same stop. They were going to the complex of flats on the right and ours is more on the left. One of the girls that I found to be more challenging in the fall than the others, but who has come around did not veer off with her friends, but instead walked side by side with me. I had seen her go toward the complexes on the right before, so I knew that she was taking a slight detour. When I asked her about it, she said, "Are you trying to get rid of me?". "No, I like talking with you, I was just curious" I replied. We continued to walk and talk for another block. I knew that she had a hand ball competition over the weekend, so we talked about that. When it came to the point where I should cross the street, she said goodbye and took a hard right. Her body language said I am too cool to want to spend time with my teacher even though she had just made an effort to do just that! Gotta love 6th graders because by the 7th grade the peers always win over adult contact!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Transitions
""During my teaching career at home, beginning in early August I would start having dreams of school. A usual theme was of walking into a classroom and finding that I had the class from hell. I always figured that was the way I was preparing on a subconscious level for my summer to end and the preparations for another school year to begin.
Last night I dreamed that I was in the Portland airport and was checking my wallet to see if I had enough money for the taxi. When I opened it, all I could see was colorful currency (the forint is quite colorful) but no dollars. I must be preparing for the transition home.
I have been observing that besides being tired to the bone and yet not sleeping well (it's currently 2:54 AM) there are some things which are really annoying me. These are not new, I have been tolerating them for months, but now they have become annoying. Our flat is the first one on the left side of the hall, so that our bathroom wall is where the hallway ends. There is a heavy metal fire door there. You can shut this door quietly with a little care. Sometimes (like when the kid down the hall blasts through it) it slams so hard that the walls in our flat vibrate. It seems that no one is taking care to shut it quietly lately and that is really bugging me. The toilet seat is too small for the toilet and has begun to shift to the left. If you sit down too hard, it will jerk and slide. I am tired of that. Our glorious spring weather has gone to sh@%!! It has been raining hard for several days and the weather forecast shows more of the same this week. The paths where I walk the dogs have turned to mud holes and when the rain stops, the mosquitos quickly rise in the woods. It has been so unpleasant that there was no dog walking session all week. It is as if Budapest is telling us that it is time to go home.
On a lighter note. On Thursday, I returned to school late in the afternoon for a private tutoring session with a couple of kids who do not go to our school. My classes at KFAMK had ended for the day several hours earlier and I had turned in my keys to the porter who speaks not a word of english. I don't have a classroom, so my classes are held in different rooms throughout the day and each time, I have to fetch a key from him.
He is always pleasant and smiles but that is the limit of our conversation. I was not in need of a key because we meet with these kids in Jack's classroom and were issued keys to that room in the fall. I was preoccupied as I walked by the porter's station, going over my plans for Tundi and Balasz. I had passed his window without even looking in to greet him. Just as I got past I heard "Koti" which is how Hungarians usually pronounce my name. He had never called me by name before. I turned around and returned to his window. He gave me a smile. "Kolch"? (not the correct spelling, but that is how the word "key" sounds to me). I think he thought that he was saving me a return trip down the stairs to retrieve the key to the classroom that I use the most often. I shook my head, "nem" and showed him the key ring with the key on it. "O.K." he replied. At that point I felt more like a true member of the staff than ever before.
Last night I dreamed that I was in the Portland airport and was checking my wallet to see if I had enough money for the taxi. When I opened it, all I could see was colorful currency (the forint is quite colorful) but no dollars. I must be preparing for the transition home.
I have been observing that besides being tired to the bone and yet not sleeping well (it's currently 2:54 AM) there are some things which are really annoying me. These are not new, I have been tolerating them for months, but now they have become annoying. Our flat is the first one on the left side of the hall, so that our bathroom wall is where the hallway ends. There is a heavy metal fire door there. You can shut this door quietly with a little care. Sometimes (like when the kid down the hall blasts through it) it slams so hard that the walls in our flat vibrate. It seems that no one is taking care to shut it quietly lately and that is really bugging me. The toilet seat is too small for the toilet and has begun to shift to the left. If you sit down too hard, it will jerk and slide. I am tired of that. Our glorious spring weather has gone to sh@%!! It has been raining hard for several days and the weather forecast shows more of the same this week. The paths where I walk the dogs have turned to mud holes and when the rain stops, the mosquitos quickly rise in the woods. It has been so unpleasant that there was no dog walking session all week. It is as if Budapest is telling us that it is time to go home.
On a lighter note. On Thursday, I returned to school late in the afternoon for a private tutoring session with a couple of kids who do not go to our school. My classes at KFAMK had ended for the day several hours earlier and I had turned in my keys to the porter who speaks not a word of english. I don't have a classroom, so my classes are held in different rooms throughout the day and each time, I have to fetch a key from him.
He is always pleasant and smiles but that is the limit of our conversation. I was not in need of a key because we meet with these kids in Jack's classroom and were issued keys to that room in the fall. I was preoccupied as I walked by the porter's station, going over my plans for Tundi and Balasz. I had passed his window without even looking in to greet him. Just as I got past I heard "Koti" which is how Hungarians usually pronounce my name. He had never called me by name before. I turned around and returned to his window. He gave me a smile. "Kolch"? (not the correct spelling, but that is how the word "key" sounds to me). I think he thought that he was saving me a return trip down the stairs to retrieve the key to the classroom that I use the most often. I shook my head, "nem" and showed him the key ring with the key on it. "O.K." he replied. At that point I felt more like a true member of the staff than ever before.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The School's 25th Anniversary
Karinthy Frigyes school celebrated it's 25th anniversary on Saturday. The festivities started at 10:00 and the entire community had an open invitation to come and partake.
It started with a Brazilian drum band which led us on a circuit around the building. This had a real latin feel to it and I found myself marveling at the fact that Hungarians could appreciate that beat as well. These guys knew how to work the crowd! Pretty soon a few brave women started a conga line! I could have listened (and moved) with them for hours!
After the steel band finished there were activities all over the school including a play (which looked to be some sort of fairy tale or folk story based on the costumes), a May pole where messages could be written, different entertainment centers throughout the building, a slide show with 25 years of memories on a constant loop, kids displaying their artwork and what I found to be really interesting, a human foos ball game. If you look at the picture which I have included, the kids are tethered inside an expandable "cage" and they attempt to get a ball into the goal of the opposing team. When I asked some of my students why the kids were clamped onto a rope, they explained to me that it was supposed to be a living (insert Hungarian word here). They loved it and I remarked to Jack that we could use such a system in our classrooms for the kids who always need to be moving!
The party went on for hours, we stayed for two, and were given a souvenir book and t-shirts with the school name and logo imprinted on them. It was a fun time for all and demonstrated that Hungarians can organize a big event when they have to because in our experience, and we were told this by our Hungarian trainers in August, organization is not a strength for them!
It started with a Brazilian drum band which led us on a circuit around the building. This had a real latin feel to it and I found myself marveling at the fact that Hungarians could appreciate that beat as well. These guys knew how to work the crowd! Pretty soon a few brave women started a conga line! I could have listened (and moved) with them for hours!
After the steel band finished there were activities all over the school including a play (which looked to be some sort of fairy tale or folk story based on the costumes), a May pole where messages could be written, different entertainment centers throughout the building, a slide show with 25 years of memories on a constant loop, kids displaying their artwork and what I found to be really interesting, a human foos ball game. If you look at the picture which I have included, the kids are tethered inside an expandable "cage" and they attempt to get a ball into the goal of the opposing team. When I asked some of my students why the kids were clamped onto a rope, they explained to me that it was supposed to be a living (insert Hungarian word here). They loved it and I remarked to Jack that we could use such a system in our classrooms for the kids who always need to be moving!
The party went on for hours, we stayed for two, and were given a souvenir book and t-shirts with the school name and logo imprinted on them. It was a fun time for all and demonstrated that Hungarians can organize a big event when they have to because in our experience, and we were told this by our Hungarian trainers in August, organization is not a strength for them!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Jack Botsci
We took the subway into Budapest last night for dinner. We were sitting facing a couple who had a young boy in one of those slings where he was facing out toward the world on his dad's chest. He was about 22 months old and really checking Jack out. Pretty soon I heard him say, "Botsci " which means uncle and is a term of respect that the kids at school also use when addressing the teachers. So, if we had chosen those terms, they would be calling us Jack Botsci and Cathie Neni. We started with Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, but some of my kids get a kick out of calling me Cathie Neni. Anyway, I heard this little guy say Botsci and I said, "Igen" (yes) and pointed to Jack. Then I pointed to myself and said "neni" and he repeated it. His parents were beaming as we had this little exchange with their son. He kept repeating and Jack and I would just crack us up and I am sure it was a fun game and reinforcing for him. It was quite sweet.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
American treats from home
When I saw my brother and his wife in February I mentioned to them that I hadn't been able to find chocolate chips anywhere here and how much we were missing chocolate chip cookies.
So, yesterday there was a little notice in the mailbox (all in Hungarian of course) that we had a package to pick up at the post office. I went by today. Thankfully there is one woman in our local branch who speaks passable english. I handed her my slip and in exchange I received a box from Oregon. I left the post office and immediately tore into the box. Low and behold inside was a box of graham crackers (which I have really been craving), the Costco size package of Nestles chocolate chips and some super sized Ghirardelli chocolate chips. What a treat!! As soon as I find some vanilla I will make our staff some cookies. Thanks Kevin and Kim!!
So, yesterday there was a little notice in the mailbox (all in Hungarian of course) that we had a package to pick up at the post office. I went by today. Thankfully there is one woman in our local branch who speaks passable english. I handed her my slip and in exchange I received a box from Oregon. I left the post office and immediately tore into the box. Low and behold inside was a box of graham crackers (which I have really been craving), the Costco size package of Nestles chocolate chips and some super sized Ghirardelli chocolate chips. What a treat!! As soon as I find some vanilla I will make our staff some cookies. Thanks Kevin and Kim!!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Slovenia
Okay, Lake Bled speaks for itself in pictures. It really looks like a postcard. We stayed in a pension on the Lake, so that if I sat on the window ledge, I could look out at the lake and castle. It has been settled since the Stone Age.
What I am choosing to write about is a day trip we took into the mountain villages. Since we had a car, we decided to explore the area. The Alps are looming, so you can't lose on a clear day. At one point we could see a church up on a bluff. Jack asked if I was up for trying to find it, of course, I said yes. So we began to make our way up the winding, narrow rode. Suddenly, Jack said, "Oh no!" and I got a glimpse of a yellow motor bike sliding toward us at high speed. Then I heard it hit the car, scrape along the side, and nothing. We jumped out of the car, praying that the bike and driver were not under our wheels! Thank god, he had slid beyond the car and was laying in the rode. As we ran to him, he was pulling the bike off of him. "Are you okay?" we asked. He nodded. As he stood up I saw that he was in a uniform including a yellow helmet with the postal logo on it. His pants were torn along the hip where he had slid on the rode and the bike was leaking fluid, but other than that, he seemed okay. However, he spoke only slovenian. He said something to us that sounded to me like "police report", so I nodded, yes. He pulled his bike out of the rode and got on his cell. We had to wait about an hour for the police to show up. Meanwhile, we helped him put dirt on the spillage on the rode and nodded and smiled. The cops showed up and luckily, they spoke some english. Both Jack and the postman were given breathalyzer tests. The cops and the postman did lots of talking which was weird because we had no idea what they were saying and if we were being blamed for the accident. An accident report was filled out along with a diagram of the event. I picked up no blaming body language from the postman or the cops. We replied that it was an accident with no one at fault. When the official proceedings (measuring, sanding the skid, etc.) were finished, the cops told us that we could go. The postman came over, offered his hand and said, "Sorry". It was a touching, human moment for me.
The lucky thing is that Jack had decided to buy the additional insurance on the car when he rented it. He usually passes. So it only cost us 200 Euros for the damage to the rental.
What I am choosing to write about is a day trip we took into the mountain villages. Since we had a car, we decided to explore the area. The Alps are looming, so you can't lose on a clear day. At one point we could see a church up on a bluff. Jack asked if I was up for trying to find it, of course, I said yes. So we began to make our way up the winding, narrow rode. Suddenly, Jack said, "Oh no!" and I got a glimpse of a yellow motor bike sliding toward us at high speed. Then I heard it hit the car, scrape along the side, and nothing. We jumped out of the car, praying that the bike and driver were not under our wheels! Thank god, he had slid beyond the car and was laying in the rode. As we ran to him, he was pulling the bike off of him. "Are you okay?" we asked. He nodded. As he stood up I saw that he was in a uniform including a yellow helmet with the postal logo on it. His pants were torn along the hip where he had slid on the rode and the bike was leaking fluid, but other than that, he seemed okay. However, he spoke only slovenian. He said something to us that sounded to me like "police report", so I nodded, yes. He pulled his bike out of the rode and got on his cell. We had to wait about an hour for the police to show up. Meanwhile, we helped him put dirt on the spillage on the rode and nodded and smiled. The cops showed up and luckily, they spoke some english. Both Jack and the postman were given breathalyzer tests. The cops and the postman did lots of talking which was weird because we had no idea what they were saying and if we were being blamed for the accident. An accident report was filled out along with a diagram of the event. I picked up no blaming body language from the postman or the cops. We replied that it was an accident with no one at fault. When the official proceedings (measuring, sanding the skid, etc.) were finished, the cops told us that we could go. The postman came over, offered his hand and said, "Sorry". It was a touching, human moment for me.
The lucky thing is that Jack had decided to buy the additional insurance on the car when he rented it. He usually passes. So it only cost us 200 Euros for the damage to the rental.
Condensed events
Yes, I have been remiss in my blog entries, but I have great excuses. Things have been quite interesting here lately. My aerobics teacher, Ilona, will be coming to spend September and October with us in Portland. We are really looking forward to hosting her and she is ecstatic for the opportunity to be immersed in the language that she wants so badly to master.
Now, I know that my family reads this and I don't want anyone to be concerned. I have decided to include this without lots of details: I have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. This means that I have had to go to hungarian doctors (who have proven to be very thorough and caring), make a trip to a hungarian hospital for some diagnostic tests, and am taking meds for the condition. The hospital visit was a challenge because not only were there no signs in english, but I dealt with no one who spoke a lick of english. When it was over, I felt as though I had really accomplished something difficult. THEN, I had an allergic reaction to the thyroid meds. I have include a picture. Never been so uncomfortable. I itched from my arches to inside my ears! So now I am on meds to control the meds. Will review my options when I talk to my doctor at home.
Okay, for the good part . . . we had spring vacation last week. Due to my health issues, we were unable to do much preplanning not knowing if we would be able to leave town or not. So we ended up renting a car and decided to drive down to the Dalmatian coastline of Croatia and then to Lake Bled in Slovenia. We had no reservations and not much itinerary, so we just drove where our inclination took us. We stayed in sobes (rooms in people's home) in Croatia. In Senj, we were approached by a middle aged man who spoke a little english. He asked if we needed a room. We told him that we would look at it. So we followed him to his home where we were met by his wife who smiled a lot, but spoke no english and his daughter who told us she was studying engineering at university and spoke excellent english. The room was clean as was the bathroom. What impressed me the most was that the sheets had obviously been ironed, because dryers are rare and I know what our sheets look like in Budapest after we take them off the drying rack. We told them we would take it and paid them 30 euros (about $45).
The next morning we just started driving the gorgeous coastline and saw signs for the ferry to the island of Rab which we had read about. We looked at each other and said, "Want to check it out?" So we did! It was such a beautiful place with medieval buildings and the remnants of a wall which used to ring the city we decided to spend the night and began our search for a place to crash. It is a resort town where lots of Germans and Italians stay so we knew that the motels were going to be spendy, so we decided to search for another sobe. We discovered this one above a restaurant and found it to be just as clean and well cared for. From the little balcony, we even had a partial view of the Adriatic.
Then, on to Slovenia!
Now, I know that my family reads this and I don't want anyone to be concerned. I have decided to include this without lots of details: I have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. This means that I have had to go to hungarian doctors (who have proven to be very thorough and caring), make a trip to a hungarian hospital for some diagnostic tests, and am taking meds for the condition. The hospital visit was a challenge because not only were there no signs in english, but I dealt with no one who spoke a lick of english. When it was over, I felt as though I had really accomplished something difficult. THEN, I had an allergic reaction to the thyroid meds. I have include a picture. Never been so uncomfortable. I itched from my arches to inside my ears! So now I am on meds to control the meds. Will review my options when I talk to my doctor at home.
Okay, for the good part . . . we had spring vacation last week. Due to my health issues, we were unable to do much preplanning not knowing if we would be able to leave town or not. So we ended up renting a car and decided to drive down to the Dalmatian coastline of Croatia and then to Lake Bled in Slovenia. We had no reservations and not much itinerary, so we just drove where our inclination took us. We stayed in sobes (rooms in people's home) in Croatia. In Senj, we were approached by a middle aged man who spoke a little english. He asked if we needed a room. We told him that we would look at it. So we followed him to his home where we were met by his wife who smiled a lot, but spoke no english and his daughter who told us she was studying engineering at university and spoke excellent english. The room was clean as was the bathroom. What impressed me the most was that the sheets had obviously been ironed, because dryers are rare and I know what our sheets look like in Budapest after we take them off the drying rack. We told them we would take it and paid them 30 euros (about $45).
The next morning we just started driving the gorgeous coastline and saw signs for the ferry to the island of Rab which we had read about. We looked at each other and said, "Want to check it out?" So we did! It was such a beautiful place with medieval buildings and the remnants of a wall which used to ring the city we decided to spend the night and began our search for a place to crash. It is a resort town where lots of Germans and Italians stay so we knew that the motels were going to be spendy, so we decided to search for another sobe. We discovered this one above a restaurant and found it to be just as clean and well cared for. From the little balcony, we even had a partial view of the Adriatic.
Then, on to Slovenia!
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