The most rewarding of days

Today was a good day.  A really, really good day.  Over spring break I received an email from a student I had been working with on a regular basis, requesting that we meet because he had some good and bad news (regarding college applications to the U.S.) that he would like to discuss with me.  I was giddy with excitement, hoping that his good news was that he was offered a scholarship to one of the schools he applied to.  Getting accepted was not going to be enough; the biggest challenge for Hungarian students wanting to study in the United States is financing their education.  International students are not eligible for any federal financial aid, and that is what is most commonly used to supplement domestic students (grants, loans, federal work study, and even most scholarships).  Salaries in Hungary are low, and we all know the sticker price of undergraduate education in the U.S. is astronomical.  His dream for the past four to five years has been to study in the United States.  He has gained my respect through his relentless determination and immense amount of preparation; and I feel lucky to have joined him in his quest for success.  There have been ups and downs, with rejections, wait-listings and moments of doubt (on his part, not mine).  I was ready to hear some good news for someone I know deserved it.

At half past noon I saw Bence standing in the doorway to my office, and my anticipation started to build.   I had  not felt so anxious and excited to hear about something since I was waiting to hear about my own application for Fulbright last year.  He pulled out three (big) envelopes from his backpack, which first made me think that it's nice that schools still send snail mail (because email takes a little wind outa the sails), and secondly I thought, this is good news!  He was being offered three full ride scholarships (tuition, room and board, and other related expenses) from three very good (and expensive) liberal arts colleges.  I was overwhelmed with happiness, and felt so proud and relieved that Bence would have the opportunity to pursue his dreams.  We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each, but I know that wherever he chooses to attend, he will absolutely love, because he is the type who will make the most of his college education, and not take a single thing for granted. 

Probably what makes me happiest about this experience I had with Bence is that I really cannot take any credit for his success.  Although we met countless times and exchanged many emails, he was the one doing all the work, putting in countless hours of research, phone calls to schools, and revisions to essays.  I simply was someone to listen, to help him clarify the many thoughts and emotions that were going through his head during his journey.  I couldn't help but see a little bit of myself in him.  As a student I never went to an academic advisor or dean to have them give me information; I went to them so I could have someone listen to my ideas and plans that took a lot of hard work to develop; to make it clear to myself, that I was doing the right thing for me.

On Our Way to Fame

As months went by with no word from House Hunters International, we were beginning to think that we (and by we, I mean Bill) made too many 'inappropriate' jokes that made our footage unusable.  I guess we were wrong, and they were somehow able to put together something that would be seen as HGTV appropriate.  For those of you who have been asking if this would ever air (or even questioned whether we really did film for HHI), we finally got word about our airdate, so I figured I would share it with everyone.

Wednesday, March 6 at 10:30pm EST and 1:30am EST

Here is the blurb they have about it on their website.  Apparently the air date and time is subject to change, so if you tune in on Wednesday at 10:30pm and don't see our smiling faces, maybe they realized they shouldn't air our show, or they changed the time (likely the latter, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised by the former).

Bill and I haven't seen it yet, and likely won't be able to see it for another 3-4 weeks when they email us our DVD (I don't think it will be posted online yet).  Feel free to make fun of us immediately, so we can have weeks of wondering what they actually decided to use of our footage :)

The Year of the Christmas Market

Vaci Utca (the main shopping street) in Budapest

Budapest is all dressed up in lights and Christmas markets are everywhere!  I LOVE Christmas season, and Europe sure knows how to do Christmas right. Yesterday I even saw one of the trams that runs along the Danube completely covered in lights!  I felt compelled to chase after it, but figured that would become tiring and potentially dangerous, so I refrained.

For the past three years Bill and I have made sure to fit in a trip to the German Christkindlmarkt in Chicago. This year though, there is no need to put 'visit Christmas market' on the calendar, because you inevitably run into them and are immediately sucked in by the sparkling lights and smell of Christmas.  So far we have been to four different Christmas markets in Budapest, and all except the main one were merely because we couldn't help but stumbling upon them when going from point A to point B.  We have been to six other Christmas markets outside of Budapest (three in Vienna and three in Berlin), and once again, only two of those were really 'planned.'  Thanks to the many markets we have come across in the past few weeks, we have been able to cover nearly our entire (small) tree with unique handmade ornaments!

Christmas Market at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna

Main Christmas Market in Vienna

Christmas Market in Berlin

Christmas Market at St. Istvan Cathedral in Budapest

Drinking forralt wine at the main Christmas Market in Budapest

The main Christmas market at Vorosmarty Ter in Budapest has been my favorite so far. There are many stalls with crafts, and plenty of food and forralt bor (mulled wine).  The quality of what is sold at this particular market is the best I've seen so far. You can tell everything is handmade and individually unique (which I cannot say is true of the main Vienna Christmas Market).  And the prices are actually really reasonable.  We have been able to get handmade ceramic ornaments for as little as 300 forint, which comes out to about $1.50.

Grades In, Semester Over

My office where I spent much of the semester meeting w/ students and grading papers

Yesterday and today were my last two classes of the semester.  Last night I finished reading and grading 15, 5-page papers (which took place over a 36 hour period), entered all of my final grades into the online system, and even had enough time to bake some delicious cookies to share with my students.  I can't believe how fast the semester went, and to be honest, how accomplished I feel at the end of it.  Before this semester I had never taught a full course; only guest lectured, conducted workshops, and guided discussions.  I almost surprised myself with how comfortable, confident and prepared I felt each week.  I never thought I was very good at improvising and deviating from the 'plan' (because we all know I love to plan), but to be honest, 'improvising' was probably what I did best this semester, and I didn't really have to think about it, it just kinda happened (I guess that's how you improvise....less thinking, more doing).

The two classes I taught were very different.  For my Language Development class I would spend about 1-2 hours per week to prepare, while my academic writing class I would spend about 1-2 hours to prepare, and then about 5-7 hours in addition, giving feedback on writing assignments. In Academic Writing I required 11 writing assignments (including a final research paper), one test, and then participation points. In Language Development I had no writing assignments (except writing a cover letter and resume), three tests which were an in-class 'meeting,' mock-interview, and a 'quick-preparation' presentation, and then participation points.  There was a higher percentage of top grades in the Language Development course than in Academic Writing, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure I was more liked in my Language Development course (surprise, surprise).

I think both groups of students learned and improved a lot though; but the rate at which they realize the value in what they learned I think will come at a very different pace.  The Language Development students are one semester away from graduation; many of them looking for jobs where they will be required to speak English, so the focus of the class was very useful to them, and they felt the practice will directly benefit them in the near future (the class focused on communication in professional environments).  The Academic Writing students are just finishing their first semester of their second year at university.  I know some appreciate now that I made them write every week and gave a lot of feedback and comments on their papers, while on the other hand I know some found this too be too much or thought I pointed out too many flaws in their writing.  I saw them all struggle, and from that struggle I saw continual improvement. This steady, incremental improvement that I saw not only in their writing, but in their research and ability to think and write critically, is what makes me confident that at some point, whether it be next semester, or next year, that they will see the value in this class, and be happy that I pushed them.

ELTE, the university I teach at

Wonderful Weekend in Berlin

We took a short trip to Berlin this past weekend with the main motivation of visiting our friends Mark and Anna who we met over a year ago in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.  About when I found out we would be moving to Hungary last spring, Mark let me know that he would be living in Berlin, Germany and Nitra, Slovakia for a year on an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.  It was so fun getting to stay with Anna and Mark and explore their new city with them.  They were such amazing hosts, and just overall wonderful people.  Both Bill and I had been to Berlin before (separately though), so we saw a few things we had seen before and then ventured out and saw some new parts of the city.  

Tiergarten

Victory Column

Hyper-Masculine Prussian Art (as Bill has referred to it for years)

             

Inside the Reichstag

Brandenburg Gate

Berliner Dome and TV Tower

Pergamon

Ishtar Gate at Pergamon Museum

Part of the Wall

             

               Sony Center

  

            Christmas Market

Best Kebabs Ever....Maybe Best Food Ever!

Currywurst/heart attack

              

Prost to our hosts and friends Anna and Mark.  And hopefully we'll be seeing them soon for more good times in Europe.  And if we really want to get crazy, maybe one day we'll actually meet on American soil.

Thanksgiving in Hungary

Bill and I hosted our first Thanksgiving last Friday and it was a smashing success. Finding the needed ingredients ended up being somewhat of a scavenger hunt, but we found almost everything from either the great market or our grocery store across the street.  Bill and I were a bit nervous to host our first Thanksgiving since we would be working on both Thursday and Friday, and had seldom used our tiny oven.  I'm glad we went ahead and hosted Thanksgiving though, because everything turned out great, and our guests seemed to really enjoy themselves.

We had 15 Hungarian friends and colleagues over to join in the celebration. They were all so gracious and polite, and I will never forget many of their looks of surprise when we unveiled the 8.5 kilo turkey.  Bill had quite the audience while he was carving his first turkey....but he came through like a champ.  We couldn't have asked for better guests.  It didn't hurt that most of them had never had a Thanksgiving dinner before, so there was no worry of being compared to past Thanksgivings.

Bill carving the turkey

stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce

serving up the food

We have felt so welcomed by our Hungarian friends and colleagues over the past three months, and have appreciated all they have done to introduce us to Hungarian food, culture and history.  It was nice being able to give back and finally share something that is quintessentially American with them.

I am thankful for...

...friends & acquaintances, near and far, who have taught me so much about life & happiness

...my wonderful parents and sister who show me unconditional love and support

...being able to call so many different places home, and for so many different reasons

...having two sets of healthy grandparents who inspire me with their upbeat attitude

...past and present colleagues who make work not actually feel like work

...the little things in life that make each and every day better

...living in Hungary where I learn something new everyday

...my mistakes and failures that have enhanced my character and led me to the life I have today

...the wonders and beauty of the world in which we live that keep me inspired and curious

...my incredible husband who I love more than anything and makes me so unbelievably happy just by being him