Well my computer says it's 6:03 pm, but that is true in Dallas. I'm now in Hungary where it is 1:00 in the morning!
I arrived on Saturday morning (Hungary morning, that is), after about 16 hours of travel. It really wasn't so bad other than the fact that Delta decided to show Mr. Bean's Holiday as the featured film on the way over. If you haven't seen it, don't worry about it! I can also tell you the life story of the guy who sat next to me on the plane. We even discussed his spiritual journey (which he started to discuss after realizing I was reading a book called The Year of Living Biblically: One man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as Possible... simply hilarious- you must all go buy it now). After he found out I was a Christian, he was upset with me for not correcting him when he cussed earlier on the flight. woops?
The flight over really was wonderful though, and arriving in Budapest was a breeze! My luggage was some of the first on the belt. In other words, I claimed 4 out of the first 8 pieces of luggage! Believe me, I got some pretty strange looks when I just kept pulling them off! Customs was a few Hungarians looking at me pushing a cart with four pieces of luggage, not really wanting to speak English... so I just rolled on through to the exit. I found about 80 people outside waiting- who I amused with my obscene display of baggage- two of which were... MY PARENTS :) We hugged, and of course mom cried while patting me for about 10 minutes. I'm sure you're surprised that I didn't mind one bit! (Who doesn't like being loved on??)
Driving out of the airport parking lot Dad impressed me with his knowledge of Hungarian numbers! He paid with such ease; I thought he was near fluent :) Then he and mom laughed while explaining that was the smoothest it's ever been. Whatever they say, I'm still impressed! Our drive to Pecs was uneventful except for the light snow and my nap :)
Pecs is an AMAZING city. I really love it here. The apartment is in the middle of what you could think of as downtown Greenville (the European equivalent). We are on a walking street, where barely any cars come (except for us, of course, when we had to unload the 4 enormous suitcases). There are two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom with a shower, and a separate toilette room (this comes in handy with multiple people, and one bathroom). The ceilings are high, and the rooms are painted a soft peach color (ish). It is very pleasant, and come complete with a potted Christmas tree! (Which already has some presents with mine and Mary's names underneath!)
Our first dinner was as a restaurant just down the block. We walked there in the snow (yay!) arm-in-arm...in-arm... because it was FREEZING! Dad and I tried to split a pizza, but we somehow miscommunicated this fact (language barrier?) and ended up with a one big pizza each! Thank goodness for "to-go" bags!
I slept through church on Sunday, and mom and dad were already back by the time I finally rolled out of bed. (Keep in mind, this was about 4 am Dallas time!) We had a fun outing to the mall, where I saw a robot-type Santa climbing up and down a rope from the first to second floor! It was pretty awesome. I'll take a picture next time. We went on a grocery store run, which is located in the mall. I swear I saw some vegetables I've never seen in my life. I think we would be willing to try them, but we have no idea how to cook them! ...I think we'll stick to the bananas and peppers :)
Dad and I ran errands today, and I must say I hate being completely helpless with communication. I feel like an idiot when someone speaks to me, and I respond by making a face that says, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're saying. I wish I did, but I don't! I don't speak Hungarian. If only you spoke English or French! Please don't think I'm a dumb American!"... It's a pretty intense face.
(If she's read this far, Mary might be the only person who laughed at that.)
So... to the important part. I went to school tonight with mom and dad for their Bible Club that meets on Monday nights. We brought brownies and some little stockings for the students because we were sup
posed to have a Christmas party tonight. One of the most interesting things to me is that teenagers are the same everywhere! These kids are spunky, and fun, and they're laughing, and just having a blast together! They respond the same way to meeting people as teenagers in the states do, and they respond the same way to adults! They like to couple-up and hold hands with whoever they're dating that week, which shows they're not afraid of pda. Most importantly- they love Clista and Glen! They all light up when they see them, and they love to practice their English. Sometimes we'll be walking away after trying to speak, and one of them will shout back the English phrase they just remembered. Some of the students are AMAZING musicians, and you can tell they just love dad! Tonight they asked him to play Rocky Top with them in the hallway, as well as Sanctuary.
The Bible Club went well. We ended up having about 6 students come in and out, 4 of which were there the whole time. We opened by singing songs accompanied by dad on the guitar and Thomas on the piano. Thomas and Sylvie are a Hungarian cou
ple from the church that have helped with the Bible club for years. We sang traditional Baptist hymns- they sang in Hungarian, and we sang in English. We also sang, "Open the Eyes of my Heart" and "Sanctuary," two classic praise songs from the states. I'll admit I had to hold back some tears when we sang Silent Night at the end. Dad was singing in Hungarian, which reminded me of the Candlelight Service in Greenville. It was beautiful with all the students singing. A holy moment for me.
Sylvie (a woman who has such a joy for life, you can't help but smile around her) led the Bible Study. She used a felt board like the ones you use in elementary school Sunday school. The students were fascinated how the pieces stuck to the board. We had a young guy in his second year at university named Máté (Hungarian for Matthew) who translated for us. The lesson was all about the Christmas story, and why we celebrate Christmas.
We ended by singing "He's Got the World in His Hands," putting a student's name in the phrase for each new verse. It was really neat, and I think the students got something out of it. Our Christmas party was a hit with some good brownies, playing around on the keyboard, and the young girls flirting with Máté.
Thomas (pronounced "To-mosh") and two Hungarian gypsy girls.
hahah- i love you even if you are a dork! :)
posed to have a Christmas party tonight. One of the most interesting things to me is that teenagers are the same everywhere! These kids are spunky, and fun, and they're laughing, and just having a blast together! They respond the same way to meeting people as teenagers in the states do, and they respond the same way to adults! They like to couple-up and hold hands with whoever they're dating that week, which shows they're not afraid of pda. Most importantly- they love Clista and Glen! They all light up when they see them, and they love to practice their English. Sometimes we'll be walking away after trying to speak, and one of them will shout back the English phrase they just remembered. Some of the students are AMAZING musicians, and you can tell they just love dad! Tonight they asked him to play Rocky Top with them in the hallway, as well as Sanctuary.
ple from the church that have helped with the Bible club for years. We sang traditional Baptist hymns- they sang in Hungarian, and we sang in English. We also sang, "Open the Eyes of my Heart" and "Sanctuary," two classic praise songs from the states. I'll admit I had to hold back some tears when we sang Silent Night at the end. Dad was singing in Hungarian, which reminded me of the Candlelight Service in Greenville. It was beautiful with all the students singing. A holy moment for me.
