Budapest. Now. Oh, And I Went to Rome.

Budapest is amazing. Of course everyone loves it. Now

It is easy to maneuver, manicured and renovated. I love the things that have evolved and I love that more people are realizing what a jewel this place is.

Don't get me wrong. It has always been breathtakingly beautiful. 

But... As I've said so many times this week, I loved Budapest even before it was so lovable. I lived in Budapest for 4 years, a few years back. 

I loved Budapest when you were met in the shops by grumpy grandmas who did not value customer service and no one spoke English.

I loved Budapest when things were not as clean as they are now and when you had to have a ticket before you got on public transportation though there were few places to buy them. 

I loved the city when there were less cafes, less visible creativity and less tourists. Even with despair, more evident then, etched it more faces. Though it is still evident in many and apparent in some areas more than others.

10 years ago, I came to Budapest, an idealist. A very ordinary person, but full of hope, desiring to share it in some small way. And as it so often goes when you purpose to give, I received more than I ever expected or even knew to want. I met local and international people who helped me form a more complete picture of the world. I forged friendships that helped form me; aligning my perspective more closely to reality.

I have many reasons to think fondly of this beautiful place, and the memories I created here I will always treasure, but besides those I can still feel like a kind of unnatural love for this city. It feels almost like someone planted it deep within me. It is something I cannot explain. 

Things I noticed coming back from the desert. And arriving in Hungary.

Cold Water

I love washing my hands in cold water. The choice of water temperature feels luxurious. When I left Kuwait hot water was my only choice. Hot water to wash clothes. Hot water after working out. Hot water in the toilet. 

Less is Not Always More

There are some things where less is not more. For example, when it comes to clothing. I am revelling in the freedom to wear sleeveless tops and shorts. But. I have been a bit shocked. To say women dress more modestly in Kuwait than in Hungary, is an understatement. A few years back, Europeans didn't wear shorts (or only with tights underneath them). My how things have changed. 

Less is not always more.

What a Sweet Sound

The Hungarian language sounds so sweet. It seems like everyone is talking to a small child. (Edes, nyugi, nagyon jo). It contrasts with the way some other languages are spoken. Where they seem like everyone is always yelling at each other.

I Will Miss You When You're Gone

They are slowly renovating the only metro lines. There is a bit of a gloomy, sad feeling in parts of the city, especially on Metro 3(blue). They still use the same Russian cars that were installed during communism. I will actually miss them when they are gone though. Even the way the doors slam. shut. I will always have the panic of them slamming shut, on me, to remember them by though. And the memory of how I had to call out for help because evidently it wasn't apparent I wanted any. (I am stuck in between the doors people!)

But I Like Paper Towels!

Recycle, reduce and reuse are back in my vocabulary.

I should be congratulating the environmental consciousness of Hungarians, but I miss paper towels.

Don't forget to weigh and sticker your produce, but do it yourself, unlike in Kuwait.

Oh yeah. AND I went to ROME!

Observations of Rome.

-The city is easy to get around. 

-The metro is crazy packed. Crazy.

-Smelly bathrooms and toilets without toilet seats abound. There is garbage everywhere, too.

-Air conditioning is rare. 

-There are cafes and flowers everywhere though. And also people. everywhere.

-The buildings are colorful. 

-There are no Starbucks or chain coffee shops in Rome. But they do coffee, and food pretty well.

I went with my good friend Misha to visit the capital city of Italia! I did enjoy experiencing this famous place, but perhaps you can see when pairing Rome with Budapest which one remains in the foreground. Both of us agreed the Colosseum was our highlight (overwhelming when thinking of all the history, but we also went to Vatican City (my 27th country) and other places. Italy was the 26th country I traversed to.  

SO MUCH HISTORY. 

In summary, Rome is a one of a kind experience.

**I didn't take any pictures, but, in Budapest, I also went to two ICFB gatherings, IBCB, Golgota and Rezkigyo(twice). I enjoyed reconnecting and catching up with many good friends and I made some more special memories.

And now it is time to say goodbye to Europe. I will miss you. America, looking forward to seeing you soon.

Photo Dump

Photos I've taken here and there. Last post from Kuwait for a while.

It's puzzle time.

I've been on a roll.

We have this option, as well as a 10 Items or Less line, in the grocery store.

View from Kuwait City's new park. See those brown, maybe lights, things?
One fell on a friend's foot and...

And this happened. Broken in 3 places.

A mosque close to where I live.

A goodbye outing.

I went to pick up a purchase from a departing teacher and she gave me
the french press and the pictures for free.
Made my day!

Iconic Kuwaiti water towers.

A sign behind our apartment. Especially amusing because pork is illegal here.

I snagged this one off of Facebook.

Power Outages at the End of the Year

Our Future's so Bright


I love sunglasses. Really, who doesn't?

I'm shocked that after our last graded assessments, some students have just stopped coming to school. It's sad. There are 2 more days of school left and I only have 17, of my 25 students. I hate it. We are celebrating what we have learned, laughing about what they have already forgot I taught, sharing favorite things from each subject and complimenting each other's successes. I am doing my best to get them to enjoy learning and school. Not to mention we are having a crash course in how to write in cursive.  Many students have just stop coming without saying goodbye to me or their peers. In some cases, they haven't even taken their personal supplies or interactive student notebooks. In fact, I have a handful of students that have missed over 30 days of school this year.

They didn't like the handwriting worksheets, because "It's too hard!", not because they are boring (which I think they are). But, they really want to know how to write their names in cursive, so they press on.

Happymaking acrostic posters.

In revision, someone missed the overuse of 'fun'.

You can say that again! In America, there is also, probably, too much packaged food in kids lunches. But Kitkats, jumbo store-bought chocolate muffins (gross-I don't like packaged baked goods), potato chips and (AND not or) Nerd-like candy is an everyday occurrence with at least 30% of my students. For the record, I do have a couple healthy eaters, too

We have a jokester.

Yes- Nn-oi-zee. 

I think we ate outside only 3 times because, "I'm sorry, but your teacher will melt." 

Surprising find- 10 minutes of the Kratt Brothers show is a strong motivator for just about anything. 

Fun spiral, math, multiplication game.

Quiz, Quiz, Trade is another activity we love.

Happymaking flowers.

Producers and Consumers

A few weeks back, we had our grade 3 Business Fair. It was great. It complimented out Social Studie's business unit. Each student could spend up to 20 real bucks to get supplies to create a product. They made a business plan, a mission statement, a marketing poster, yada, yada. Then on the day of the Fair, they sold their products for the price they set and they got 10 fake bucks to buy other's products. They counted their revenue, subtracted their expenses and if they met their goal, reveled in their fake profit. The goal was to make a profit.

Teacher's also got 10 fake dollars to purchase products. One student made boxes with the teacher's and administrator's staff pics and created these. Lol.

A lip balm producer making a sale with fake money.

Soccer bookmarks.

A bottle with beads. The poster reads, "I like stuff that glow and glow beans glow in the light and I think you like stuff that glows." This friendly student loved his product and made quite a few sales.

Homemade soap.

Power-outage

Just in case you are in the mood for a worksheet, because "I'm in the mood for a worksheet", said nobody(ever), here:

Name_________________                   Date __________

Read the following clues below and determine what they all have in common. 

-One of the wealthiest countries in the world

-The hottest gulf country (and the coldest, in winter).

-One of the world's largest producers of oil

-Recipient of multiple power outages over the last few weeks.

Fill in the blank with your answer.  _______________________________

(If you choose Kuwait, you are right. If you were correct, give yourself a pat on the back.)

Unknown Effects 

Effects of a power shortage, that you may not think about:

1. Some exhausted educators may have just rode 30 minutes in the oven broken-AC-bus in 120 degree weather. They may not have fully recovered and thus the loss of AC and puzzle building light may push them over the edge.

2. Some, over the edge, teachers may have packed away their flashlight, candles and battery operated fans (I brought one with me after I became psychologically attached to it during my Haitian summer) for an upcoming move.

3. No electricity means no elevators. Someone could get stuck in one of those (fortunately I have never had this experience but it does happen in our teaching community) or have to walk up multiple flights of stairs to get to their apartments. Did I really choose to move to the 11th floor next year?

Well, they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I am more thankful for air conditioning now and, for the time being, I'm not taking it for granted.