Hungarians and Feet

Ok, I don't often rag on Hungarians. I love them. I love them in all of their hard working, extremely hospitable, resilient, amazing food-making, community minded glory. I also don't want this blog entry to somehow place all Hungarians in some arbitrary "box", although many of my previous posts have done nothing less than that. Goodness knows I can't stand it when people place all of America in the "stupid, fat, and gluttonous" box. With that said, I just can't hold this feeling in any longer. I'm finding myself becoming grumpy at and resentful of Hungary for this issue that is causing me great pain on a daily basis (particularly when the time comes to get ready in the morning somehow). I am hoping that simply getting this issue off my chest will somehow comfort me and get me through the coming weeks until this seasonal issue is no longer an issue. The issue: feet. Seriously. If you would have told me a a year and a half ago when I decided to come to Hungary that the cultural difference I would have to grapple with most (sad, but true) would be feet, I would have been like "Psssh. Whatever". Yet today, I sit here writing a blog that makes me grumpy just by typing it. First of all, let me explain some of the cultural ideas surrounding feet and footwear in the United States....just so maybe I will seem somewhat rational to my Hungarian readers. Like the people of the United States, American's feet thrive on the idea that they are free, both physically and psychologically. This means that you can really wear whatever you want on your feet without judgement from others (aside from Crocs and Uggs...it's just a crime). What I'm REALLY getting at is that you can wear what you want, regardless of what time of year it is. Because we love our feet to be physically free as often as possible, we choose to wear shoes that expose our feet to fresh air and sun rays as often as possible. This means that it could be a sunny day in January in Alaska, and there are bound to be a couple people sporting flip flops because gosh darn it (Sarah Palin accent included), it's sunny! And even in February, when it's still chilly and snow storms are inevitable, our sense of everlasting optimism creeps up and tells us to start wearing sandals and flip flops because well, Spring is really just around the corner, so why not? Now, it could have been 85 degrees out today here in Hungary and I would have worn flip-flops. Was it 85 degrees out today in Hungary? Nem. No. Cut that in half and you're about right. But that's beside the point. IF IT WERE 85 degrees and I had worn flip-flops in March, I would have gotten stared at and asked several times if I was cold. I'd get extra points if someone politely warned me about a uterus cold. I finally started wearing my flats (not flip-flops...flats...toes are covered, people!) without socks this week. I wear pants. Yet a square inch of my skin pops out from underneath and people wonder...aren't you cold?!?! By the way, the whole time I'm being judged, there is a teenager standing next to me wearing a mini-skirt and boots...but she has on nylons. She's safe from uterus colds and the like. I can hear the feet of Hungarians screaming out from under their layers of boots, socks, AND tights: "Help me!!! I'm suffocating!!" But alas, they stay there until the officially accepted date (last year it was May 1st) of being allowed to sport sandals without judgement. SO fine, I will wear my socks for a few more weeks (unless the temperature gets above 55 again, so help me God...), and I will only start wearing sandals a few weeks before the officially acceptable date. I will also, on my honor, try my darndest to stop complaining about Hungarians and their need to wear "proper" footwear at all times. But if I were to see a single Hungarian break this rule (rules are meant to be broken, right?) and show their feet in the coming weeks...I might stop (and first make sure they are really Hungarian) and hug them for coming over to the dark side.

3rd Graders Have Hearts

On Wednesdays I don't have any lessons at the school here in Gyor, but I go to a little village called Kunsziget (pronounced like Koon-see-get). It's such a treat because the kids there are wonderful. I'm considered to be somewhat of a local celebrity at the school (I'm not bragging...it's true...and actually very awkward). The celebrity status is really just a rite of passage for any native speaker going to teach at a primary school. Since it's Valentine's Day on Sunday, I decided that at the expense of the boys' enjoyment, we would all make Valentines for someone important in our lives. Since last year most of my boys responded to the words, "Today we are making Valentines" with grumpy faces, I waited for the response today, especially when preparing to make Valentines with my 3rd graders. True to their gentle and sweet spirits though, these boys managed to not only not complain, but actually be excited to make Valentines! They colored in the lines, they worked very hard, and my cute story comes in amongst all of this attentive work they put in. Little Adrian came to me and kept asking the perfect spelling for every word he wanted to say. He sat and colored and made sure it was perfect. Then he came and whispered to me out of earshot of the other students that his Valentine was intended for Niki, a very cute girl in the 2nd grade class. Gosh, what a sweet boy. After class, he asked me to come with him while he waited for the 2nd graders to go play outside so he could swoop in and put it on her table. This isn't even the best part of the story...my next lesson was with the 2nd graders, and I was able to watch as Niki walked in to find the cute Valentine from Adrien on her desk. A HUGE smile swept across her face and she was beyond giddy the whole lesson. I hope that we can all take a little time this Valentine's Day week (even if it is a holiday more or less fabricated by chocolate and greeting card companies) to do something for someone that will leave a big, goofy smile on their face for a whole afternoon. P.S. while my example Valentine isn't really in good enough shape anymore to send to its intended receiver, I may as well say it here...Happy Valentine's Day, Mom! I love you!

Braving the Blizzard

So Hungary is one of those places where the weather can be a certain way in one place, yet totally different just a matter of miles away. Alvin and I decided a few weeks ago that we would celebrate the one-year mark of our beautiful relationship in the exact place where we started dating (or rather, where after weeks of meeting once and constant flirting through the internet, Alvin tipsily exclaimed to a whole bus, "I have a crush on Hanna!") If you don't know how the story went after that and you're interested in being nauseated from cheesiness, please refer to all posts following the date of January 31st, 2009 :-) Anyway...back to the weather...we ventured out from Gyor Saturday morning where the weather was not bad at all. I noticed 2, maybe 3.5 flakes of snow fall as we left the train station. As we ventured farther east however, I noticed that more snow was falling, and there was more snow already on the ground. Oh, dear. After one delay in Budapest which forced a visit to a McCafe, one very serendipitous run-in with a Hungarian friend who read a story entitled The Desolation of Man (persze...) to us for an hour on the next train ride, and a slippery taxi ride later, we finally arrived to our castle in Eger. No kidding. The castle walls were just outside our room... Luckily, Eger has an abundance of activities to do inside while there is a blizzard going on outside. That abundance of things includes wine...lots of yummy wine. When in Rome, right? After too much wine, just enough palacsinta, and some wet and cold toes, the Anniversary Weekend was a success, and I was only slightly grumpy when I had to return to the scary world that we all call Monday...

Győr

Anyone who is not Hungarian or lives in Hungary who pronounces that correctly on the first try gets a huge cookie. Seeing as how my own family still can't get it right, let's just make it easy and say it's pronounced like "jury"...but without the y. Even then, a Hungarian would probably look at you like huh? So yes, here I am in Győr, living and teaching in an old factory building. Yup, no lie. If you were to walk up to my place with me and watch me cheerily open the door, you'd want to take me home from this prison immediately...post: haste. When you walk into the door however, it's a different story. My apartment is arguably the nicest apartment of anyone in my program. I have seating (real seating...not table chairs or stools) for up to 6 people. I have more storage than anyone should have in their life. A bathroom that looks like it has never been used. Yes, be jealous. Oddly enough, I don't have a washing machine or microwave in all of this amazingness...whatever. But otherwise, I'm living like a queen here. I'm also a convenient 40 minute train ride from my wonderful fiancee...which might be the biggest treat of all. Did I mention I have a beyond wonderful fiancee? Oh yea, I guess I did...I am still just thoroughly enjoying referring to him as such :-) More on adventures from Győr soon(not, I repeat NOT pronounced like "gee-yor", "jor"...just give up now...it's a lost cause. :-)

Back to Magyarorszag I Go!

Yep, the States could not keep me hostage for long...in one week I will be on my way back to beautiful Hungary. I'm excited to spend 6 more months in this place I love so much before it's time to buckle down and go to graduate school where I won't have enough money to go to Nebraska let alone Europe. I will definitely be missing my family after the wonderful few months I've had with all of us in the same place though. It's been glorious bonding with my ever-extending family! I will have a change of location as I head back to Hungary as well! I loved spending my year in Budapest...but I'm excited to be spending the next 6 months in a smaller city called Gyor, located in northwest Hungary. There is an elementary school and vocational high school there that I will be teaching at, and I can't wait. Enough of this though...let's get down to the real business at hand! Literally, the business on my left hand... Yup! I have officially been fiancéd! Not to be confused with fianceed. Yes, through getting engaged, I have learned that there is a difference between how the man and woman are addressed. Us ladies get one e with a fancy accent above it, whereas the boys get two. There's your little fun fact for the day! Anyhoo, yes...my partner in crime who has appeared in numerous blog postings and who I waited four months to hug proposed at the airport when he arrived in Denver. The guy didn't waste any time...and I'm ok with that because I can't think of anything else I'd like to do but get married and spend the rest of my life with this wonderful, wonderful person. Well, the actual MARRIAGE part will have to wait awhile, but I'm thoroughly enjoying knowing that regardless of the ceremony that will ensue at some point, I'm hanging out with this cute guy for a LONG time. Needless to say, my New Year is starting off better than anyone could ask. I can't wait to see what it brings as it continues!

Two Europes Becoming One

I thought this day would be fitting to write a blog about something that I consider to be one of the most significant events in our world's history. Today commemorates the 20-year mark since the Berlin Wall officially came down, ending communism in Europe. I remember going to Berlin a few years ago and taking a walking tour through a place with so so so much history. I remember being enthralled the whole time my tour guide spoke as we walked from the Holocaust Memorial, to the spot where Hitler's bunker used to be, and then to the spot where part of the Berlin Wall still sits. Throughout the city, you can see a curvy line of bricks that marks where the Wall once stood. It's amazing...the line goes through what is now streets, parks, buildings...like it was never there. I was only 4 years old (almost 5!) when the Wall came down, and of course I don't remember a thing about it. After studying the time period extensively in college, and after living in a country which was once part of the Communist Bloc, I have grown to have a deep fascination with this part of our world's history, which effected so many people (I vividly remember a time in college when I realized I'd be Student Teaching during the Fall semester. I was legitimately disappointed and considered putting it off because this era in history is always taught in the Spring. Darn it!) And this day marks an anniversary of a day which would change the course of history in a huge way. While living in Hungary, I could see so many ways in which the communist era still has a great effect on society and culture. Along with that, it's overwhelming to see how far former Soviet countries like Hungary have come in rebuilding and restoring their own history and culture. The New York Times has a great little section on their website today with a couple of articles and pictures of the events commemorating this anniversary...I'm putting a link here to something I found most powerful on the website. It's a gallery of pictures taken by individuals both during communism and after the wall fell...take a look!

The Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

My nephew, Camden's first Halloween