The Final Countdown

I can't believe it...July has absolutely flown by and now I'm only twelve days away from my departure for Hungary!!!!

I'm so incredibly excited, and also overwhelmed with packing for so many months overseas. There's so much planning to do as far as deciding what I must stock up on to take with me versus what I can buy there, and having versatile clothing appropriate for the hot Hungarian summer and their cold and snowy winter. All of this has resulted in lots of list-making, and thankfully I derive much pleasure in making lists and checking off each item.

I am also trying to start to prepare myself for {hopefully} becoming a sponge in learning the Hungarian language. I do remember quite a few words from my family's first visit to Hungary, and of course, being around the Steiner family over the years, I have heard this beautiful language spoken many times! I've already purchased a Hungarian/English dictionary and an audio language-learning program. The Hungarian language is very unique in that it really has no close relation to any other language...it sort of exists in it's own category. It's an amazingly beautiful language to listen to, and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to learn more of it! Anyone who knows me knows that one of my biggest passions in life is languages--they fascinate me.

I'm going to have to be very deliberate in learning Hungarian while I'm there because almost everyone in the Trinity church in Debrecen speaks English to some extent, including the youth. I am told that it is in general not common for most Hungarians to also speak English, but since I'll be spending my time with those who do speak English, I'll need to seek out my opportunities to learn. I'm hoping to hire a Hungarian tutor while I'm there.

There's so much to do in these coming days! I had originally thought July would be very leisurely for me, staying at my parents' house, and that part has been wonderful, but I have been absolutely darting all over the place this month: St. Joe, Michigan to Warren, Ohio (Akron area) to Charlevoix, Michigan and then Ithaca, Michigan, and now I'm in Indianapolis. Whew! My poor car needs a good scrubbing to get rid of the seemingly thousands of bugs on the front of it.

I have one post coming before I leave that I'm excited to share with you...stay tuned!