The Heartbreak Begins

Today is an important Hungarian national holiday--March 15th, the celebration of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. Everything is closed today. There's no work, no school, and though the sky has been cloudy, the air is promisingly warm. The city streets were crowded today with families biking together, couples walking leisurely hand in hand, or students standing in groups and laughing loudly together. Many homes are displaying the Hungarian flag today be it small or large. Little decorative pins adorn the jackets of the old and young alike.

The air was filled with sentiments of joy, but my heart was heavy. This is my week of "lasts," the week where I must say goodbye to Debrecen and all my beloved ones here.

Sunday morning, I woke up with a start. I had an intense feeling of panic...my last week had officially begun. At that moment I could feel a crack begin in my heart. And with each hug and wave goodbye, the crack grows deeper and longer.

So as I began the ten minute walk from the bus stop to the Szasz home this evening, I lifted my eyes to the sky, past the grey clouds, and saw the lovliest of sights...

...this sunset.

Reflecting upon sunsets seems quite appropriate for me this week since my time in Hungary is coming to an end, like the sunset at the end of a beautiful day. As the finish approaches, I look back on my last eight months here, and my all memories are illuminated by this setting sun. I want to soak in all the last little bits of glorious light that Hungary has brought to my life.

I have already had such a great start to my week and the rest of my five days are filled to the brim with delightful things. These occasions will be bittersweet, of course, as they must all end with sad goodbyes.

As I walked through the neighborhood, I could hear many families out in their gardens, eating, laughing, and enjoying the weather. I let myself into the Szasz home, only to find it empty...they, too, were out in their garden! I smelled something delicious drifting from the garden, so I was certain of one thing I would find...

...Robi cooking soup! These cooking fire pits are found in nearly all Hungarian gardens. It's a staple of fine Hungarian cuisine to prepare food in large kettles over these fire pits. Robi did a brilliant job; the soup was incredible.

Since Debrecen has been graced with warmer weather this past week, the Szasz girls and I have been able to enjoy their trampoline nearly every day! On Sunday alone, the three of us spent almost two hours straight just jumping and playing on it.

Fanni and Nori

This is my sweet little friend, Zsofi, whom I had to say goodbye to today. I also had my final Hungarian tutoring session, sadly. My tutor, Mirjam, is my age and we have become very dear friends.

Although my heart is breaking, it is also rejoicing, as there are so many, many things to look forward to in the coming months...

Tic Toc

Well hello there. I seem to be good lately at disappearing for a week or so, huh? I'm probably discouraging the few readers I have here to be faithful to check in!

I do have a valid excuse, though. Believe it or not, I got sick again. Three days worth of fevers, chills, weakness, dizziness, and stomach pains. It seems that every time a big flu bug goes around here in Hungary, I get it straight away. Normally I don't get sick this much; maybe there are different strains of viruses here that my body isn't used to fighting off.

I've stayed busy as normal with all my teaching responsibilities and extra fun stuff, like a sleepover at the Fekete family household and watching 'Austrailia' while eating the fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies I made them.

I also made chocolate chip cookies for the Szasz family and then had another 'Harry Potter' movie night with the girls during which I gave them both manicures. Little darlings!

Want to know something crazy? I only have 46 days left in Hungary. And that's with today being almost over for me {I'll wander into dreamland in about an hour from now}. Every day, I look down at my calendar and see the number of remaining days here and think, holy crap. {As my mom says, "Those two words don't go together." As always, she's right. But that's what I say in my head anyway}.

So today I thought, holy crap--46 days. How can this be? It seems like just yesterday I was writing on my blog how I only have ten weeks left here. Now I have less than six and a half. It just feels surreal to watch my departure date come sailing towards me, when for so long, it was totally elusive, not having booked a plane ticket home until just over a month ago.

Right now, I'm really just forcing myself not to think about it {although as we all know, trying to not think about something always just makes it more difficult in the end to truly not think about it}. I don't like the strange flood of emotions I get when I think about it--happy and sad. And I'm talking about utter happiness and utter saddness. I don't know how I'll deal with it when the time comes, so for now, as with most other things in my life, I shall procrastinate, just in this case with my emotions.

So I'll leave you now as the little Deanne in the back of my head continues to shout, Hurry! Learn all the Hungarian you can before you leave!! Learn and practice, learn and practice!

My New Home

A bit mentally exhausted...I taught three private English lessons today, two of which were an hour and a half long, as well as having my own private two hour Hungarian weekly tutoring. I was dashing here and there all over Debrecen on foot and by bus. But I'm by no means complaining--I love the chance to walk the streets of Debrecen and to have meetings with my students, who I now call my friends.

Friday was an exceptionally good day:

~I had a wonderful and successful day of teaching at the high school after having a very discouraging day of teaching there on Wednesday

~I was able to Skype with both Matt and my mom in the afternoon

~I enjoyed a rich, chocolatey "Choccolatino" at the Alexandra coffee shop

~I exchanged a pair of boots I had bought the day before; I was pleased that I was able to explain to the store clerk {in Hungarian} that the size of the boots wasn't good and that I wanted to exchange them for a different size--making me feel confident that I'm successfully learning Hungarian!

~I gave 2,000 Forint {about $10} to a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk

~I had a great "last night" at the Bridge, packing up my room as I sang and danced to good music

{sidenote: I am well aware that by giving the homeless man money, I potentially could have been aiding him in an unhealthy addiction that landed him there in the first place. But I believe it's God's job to judge him, not mine. So in my mind, I like to imagine this man going indoors out of the cold and warming himself with a hot bowl of soup and a hot sandwich, and that is what I choose to believe.}

On Saturday, I moved in with the Szász family! I'm so excited to be here and our first day together couldn't have been more perfect.

After unpacking and enjoying a delicious lunch, Fanni {12} and Nori {10} came and sat on my bed while I showed them pictures of me and Matt and our family. Then I painted their nails and they tried on all of my shoes, marching about, "modelling" them.

Then after a delicious dinner (Csilla is an amazing cook}, we watched the 4th Harry Potter movie sitting together on Fanni's bed and eating popcorn. It's like getting to have little sisters!

A few weeks ago, Robi {the father} and Csilla {the mom} announced that they're expecting their third child! The whole family is so excited and the baby will arrive in August, unfortunately after I'm gone. Poor Csilla isn't going to work right now because she is having morning-sickness all day long--she can't keep down anything she eats--bless her heart.

My room is small, but only because there is a big bed taking up most of the space:

The bed is so soft and comfy.

Yesterday, Fanni discovered my jewelry stash and I let her take her time looking at it while I talked with Csilla in the other room. When I walked back in, I burst out laughing because I saw that Fanni had done this:

Adorable, right?

Csilla and Fanni speak very basic English and Robi and Nori don't speak English at all. I'm thrilled! Seriously, I am very grateful for the opportunity to practice speaking Hungarian a lot more. I have learned well that immersion is the best method for improving one's language abilities. I only wish Hungarian wasn't the 3rd most difficult language in the world to learn...{after Chinese and Japanese}...

A Few Things About Life in Hungary

Here's our church family... can you find me?

I've been here in Hungary for about four and a half months now, so I'm well past the initial observation stage. I won't pretend I'm an expert on Hungarian life and culture, but I have certainly learned a lot.

Here's what I can share with you about life in Hungary:

~Almost all wedding rings/bands are just a singular, gold band with no diamonds.

~It's against the law to talk on cell phones whilst driving, but almost everyone does it. All the cars here are manual and therefore if you're holding your cell phone to your ear, you have to let go of the steering wheel completely to shift gears. I've even seen the bus drivers talking on cell phones. Yikes.

~The old stereotype of European women being hairy and smelly couldn't be further from the truth. I've seen and admired so many classy elderly ladies on the bus and around Debrecen. They're so well-put together and elegant.

~The Christmas tradition here in Hungary is that St. Nicholas comes on the 6th of December, "Santa Day." It is instead Baby Jesus who puts the presents under the tree on Christmas Day.

~EVERYONE has a cell phone and everyone has a Facebook account. Some students even list Facebook as one of their hobbies.

~The Playboy Bunny logo is sold on merchandise in shops marketed towards little girls. I'm serious. I absolutely cannot figure this one out.

~Two items commonly added as a pizza topping: corn and ketchup. I'm not a fan. At all.

~What we call "crosswalks" in the US are called "zebras" here.

~This is more of an EU-thing, but you have to bring your own bags to grocery stores. Otherwise you have to pay for each plastic bag you need.

~Hungarian high school graduation ceremonies are held in November, not at the end of the school year. These ceremonies include several performances by the graduating seniors--often traditional Hungarian folk dance in traditional dress.

~Hungarians aren't the most punctual of people. Starting times of scheduled events are really more of a suggestion.

~Despite the Hungarian diet being rich in bread, meat, cheese, and lots of fat in general, most Hungarians aren't really overweight. The women especially maintain slender physiques.


Many other things I could write about lifestyle differences pertain more to European life in general than Hungarian life. My list for differences between American lifestyles and European lifestyles would be long and detailed, indeed!

I think my Hungarian is coming along quite well. I really understand a lot of daily conversations and feel much more comfortable speaking in Hungarian. The most frustrating part is that I can understand so much more than I can speak. That is what I really need to focus on, increasing my speaking abilities.

Being here in Hungary feels so normal now. Yet it feels strange--the normalcy. I know, that doesn't make any sense. It's hard to put into words. I'm living this life I've created for myself here, far away from all my loved ones, and to be living life daily without Matt feels surreal. It's a wonderful life here, but still feels off in a way, because such a huge part of me is missing.

Speaking of Matt...yesterday was exactly five years ago that Matt and I met. A day that changed my life forever in all the best ways possible.

A few things...

Sziasztok! I have a few random things to share with you...

First of all, of course with today being Veteran's Day, I am extra proud of Matthew and his service to America. I truly have a whole new perspective on what it means to serve one's country. I'm also thinking of my Grandpa and Grandma Moss today, as they, too, endured a period of separation when my grandpa served in the Korean War. However, their separation was much longer and they had hardly any communication the whole time they were apart. I am so grateful for what they gave.

This past Sunday, we were discussing the topic of thankfulness at church. Some children in the church went to the front to share with the congregation something they were thankful for. Little 7 year old Agi {whom I mentioned gave me a teddy bear in an earlier post}, and whom has become a dear little friend to me, was the first to the microphone. She said {in Hungarian}, "I am thankful for Deanne." Oh my goodness...my heart just melted!

I just arrived back to the Bridge building this evening from a concert: Michael W. Smith. That's right! Michael W. Smith came to Debrecen, Hungary, to give a concert during his European tour! For those of you who don't know, Michael W. Smith is a Christian recording artist who has been gracing the world with his talents for over 20 years. I had some of his cassette tapes when I was a little girl and have loved his music ever since. His music is also very dear to my heart for another reason. Michael W. Smith released an album entitled "Freedom" which is entirely instrumental, performed by an orchestra. He wrote all the music on this album and it's just hauntingly beautiful. It sounds a bit like a movie soundtrack. At me and Matt's wedding, I chose to not have live music because I wanted all our wedding music to be Celtic-themed, chosen specifically from my very large library of Celtic music I own. From Michael W. Smith's "Freedom" album, I chose the song I walked down the aisle to with my daddy on our wedding day. The song's title is appropriately called "The Giving." Anyway, this concert was so incredible and was a very meaningful worship experience. It will be such a special memory from my time here in Debrecen.

Tomorrow evening I am traveling to Budapest to meet my friend Jane who is visiting from England! I met Jane in 2008 when I worked in England for the summer at Richard Language college in Bournemouth. {incidentally, this period of time in England was the reason I originally started this blog, so go back to the 2008 archives if you're interested in reading about my summer in England!} Jane is about 45 years old, single, and one of the sweetest and most generous individuals I have ever known. We'll spend the whole weekend in Budapest and come back to Debrecen on Monday evening. Jane will spend a week here before she returns to England. I'm so excited to see her again!

Finally, last night, I went to a friend from the church's flat for dinner. Her name is Noémi and she comes from Transylvania originally. Another friend of ours from church, Zsuzsi, was there also. Noémi prepared delicious traditional Transylvanian foods for us and everything was superb. It was a wonderful evening with lots of girl talk and giggles! And it was a great language practice evening as well because Noémi doesn't speak any English. Zsuzsi speaks English fluently, so she could translate if needed, but Noémi speaks German and since I studied German for several years, we mostly speak to one another in German with some simpler Hungarian mixed in. Our evening was a jumbled mixture of English, German, and Hungarian! I also tutored Rachel Steiner in French yesterday afternoon, so my day consisted of four different languages which is something that couldn't have made me any happier. :)



The table is set with appetizers {all homemade}: bread, delectable jam
made from rose hips, cheeses, and an eggplant spread.



My dear and beautiful friend and hostess, Noémi.

I can't remember the name of this traditional Transylvanian entrée, but it
was pork covered in a French cream sauce and topped with a fried egg.
It was served with rice and was absolutely scrumptious!

Three months down

I have now officially been in Hungary for three months! It's very odd to me, however, because on one hand, I feel like time has flown by. On the other hand, I feel like so much has happened in these past three months--I can see the growth in so many different areas of my life.

I am behind on updating you on a few major things that have happened since Matt's visit ended one month ago. In no particular order, they are as follows:

1. I am part of a small group in the church now. We meet every Tuesday night in someone's home. Our small group is comprised of lovely, lovely people, and fortunately for me, there are a few who speak English very well, so they can help me to be in on the discussions. Csilla Steiner is our small group leader.

2. I found a private Hungarian tutor! Her name is Mirjam (pronounced Miriam) and she is my age. She has taught Hungarian to other Americans in Debrecen. She attends another Baptist church in Debrecen, and it really was a God-thing that we met and started this relationship. She's a wonderful teacher and I've learned so much already! We meet at least once a week {we try for twice a week if we can} for two hours.

3. I officially have ten private language students. I tutor nine individuals in English and one in French {Rachel Steiner, who is beginning to learn French in school this year.} Six of the nine English students are kids and three are adults. I am really enjoying tutoring privately!

4. I had to go to the hospital two weeks ago because of a problem with my left eye. I had been helping the Steiner family move firewood in their garden and the wind blew something large into my eye, which then went back behind my eyeball. I couldn't get it out myself and I was hoping my eye would push it out eventually, but five hours later, my eye was red, swollen, watering profusely, and I couldn't keep my eye open. God provided a kind eye specialist at the University hospital who then removed three tiny objects from my eye--two tiny stones and a tiny sliver of wood. The three things had scratched my eye ball, and were contaminated with bacteria, so I received a prescription for strong antibiotic eye drops to use five times per day for a week. After the incident, my left eye was blurry a little for the first two days, but since then, it's been fine!

5. The biggest piece of news I have for you...I am now teaching two mornings per week at a high school! Yes, that's right--a high school, called Euro Baptista. It's odd for me, given that I have had absolutely zero training on how to teach a classroom, but I am teaching English conversation, so there's not many strict guidelines for the course. The school was pretty desperate to find a native English speaker to teach this course {clearly!}. Essentially what I'm doing is volunteering as a teacher there, and in return, the school is "donating" to the Bridge Ministries. I teach 9th, 10th, and 12th grades from beginner English to advanced. I like it a lot so far, but the students can be challenging, as they are teenagers. I told my family that I feel a little like I'm "playing teacher," in the same way that little girls like to "play house." I think I've managed to hide the fact from the students that I've never taught formally before! The biggest challenge is trying to get the students to speak in English. The advanced students have no problem, but the students in my other classes are either afraid to speak in English, or they just plain don't know how. I certainly didn't envision teaching at a school during my time in Hungary, but I'm glad for the opportunity and the challenges of it are stretching me. Jozsef is very excited that I can be a branch of the Bridge and Trinity Church, outreaching in this school and establishing further involvement of the church and ministry center in the local community.

As you can see, the above things, on top of my normal responsibilites with the Bridge and the church, keep me very, very busy!

Nagyon boldog vagyok Magyarországon {I am very happy in Hungary}. :)

Oh Challenges, how I love you

As foretold, this week has been much busier. I've begun teaching private English lessons--I gave two on Monday and three yesterday. Then today I tutored Rachel in French. She's just begun learning French in school and she loves it already. How can you not?! C'est la plus belle langue du monde... {it's the most beautiful language in the world}


But living in France was different than it is living in Hungary, because in France I had lots of confidence in speaking the native tongue, and here I have none. I was with Rachel today in Forum {the four-story mall in Debrecen...the "it" place} and we were getting some lunch. I remarked to her that it felt like I was a child, because she had to take me around the food court and explain what some of the food displays were; I couldn't read the Hungarian labels. She assured me, "Don't worry, I will stay with you while you order." Then she ordered for me while I relayed to her what I wanted.


I feel confident in saying certain things in Hungarian and I am definitely understanding a lot more now. But I kind of freak-out {inwardly} when someone starts speaking to me in Hungarian and my brain suddenly becomes a jumbled mess. It's embarrassing and very frustrating for me. This is what I need to practice--listening in general conversation. I think most of the time I should know what the person is saying to me, but because they speak so quickly, {and because of my freak-out moment}, I feel like I didn't understand a single word.


For example, I have been learning the Hungarian numbers, but when I go to a cash register at a store, the cashier always says the amount due so quickly that I catch nothing. Sometimes there is a display screen with the amount due, but sometimes there's not. In those moments I panic a little and just hand the cashier the largest bill I've got {if I'm certain it is enough} or use my debit card.


This foreign language element has definitely been stretching me and taking me outside of my comfort zone. It's frustrating to feel helpless in many situations and also to know that the little you can communicate is basically at the level of a two year-old.


On another note, I did receive some happy, happy news today...from Matt. We still don't know when he will fly in to Hungary, but Matt says he's certain that the military is booking him to fly in/out of the Debrecen airport. I'm so relieved! I was certain Budapest would be the airport the military would choose for Matt, and that would have required me to take a two and a half hour train ride from Debrecen to Budapest, and then maneuver a way to get myself to the airport to retrieve Matt.


His arrival will now be more convenient for us and a bit more private. I'm glad we can come right back to the Bridge building to settle in, and then take off for our Budapest excursion the next day, or whenever we choose. {we're planning to explore Budapest for 3 or 4 days}


Although I'm in love with being here in Hungary, it is challenging. But I honestly would be disappointed if it weren't. After having experienced so much growth from challenges in my past, I find myself seeking them out. My heart says, "try me, test me." It is only outside of my comfort zone that I can grow in certain facets. And sometimes I just like to see what I'm really made of. Okay...so go live and work in a country where you don't speak the language? Sure, why not? Do that on top of the painful absence of your husband while he's deployed? Absolutely.


I'm ready to learn whatever lessons may be in store for me. To grow with God as I rely on Him for all my strength. To see new places, and meet new people. To broaden my view of the world. To do things I never would have imagined possible.


After all, I am a dreamer. It's in my very nature. Bring on that horizon.

This week's reflections

I'm sitting here in the quiet of the Bridge café, sipping my chamomile tea, and reflecting upon this past week. Overall, it's been excellent.


The highlights are as follows:


~dinner at the Steiner home on Sunday. We joke about how I am just a normal part of the family now.


~a coffee date with Zsuzsi on Monday. She introduced me to the Inca Café here in Debrecen. My Bounty latté (Bounty is like a Mounds candy bar, except with milk chocolate, not dark chocolate) was delicious, but our conversation was even sweeter. We strolled around Debrecen and we have become great friends already.


~Over the past week and a half, I've been able to Skype with all of my and Matt's family: Mom, Dad, Brandon/Karyl/kids, Erin/Dan, Dave, Jeannie, JJ/Jennie, and Aaron. I was also able to 'meet' Aaron's new girlfriend, Megan (so sweet!), over Skype, as well as JJ and Jennie's new puppy, Mowgli (so adorable!).


~I've Skyped twice with Matt this past week, and numerous times have "chatted" live with him via Skype when he's working.


~I've made some good progress this week in learning more Hungarian, and have even managed to impress my English-speaking friends a few times when I've unexpectedly whipped out some Hungarian phrases here and there. I've also been complimented more than once on my pronunciation.


~eating lunch in Debrecen with Jozsef and Csilla on Thursday. I ordered 'Drakula' pizza--basically just cheese and pepperoni with lots and lots of garlic (hence the Dracula). It was absolutely delicious and I'm sure my breath was quite horrid afterwards!


~meeting Gerda in Debrecen for a coffee date on Friday. She introduced me to another fabulous café here. Gerda and I are only apart one month in age and in her, also, I have already made a great friend.


~Friday night 'girls night' here at the Bridge playing Dutch Blitz (thanks, Lainey!) while munching popcorn and drinking green iced teas. I even managed to win twice, although this was my first time playing. We had lots of laughs, and I also made a new friend in a high school girl named Kitti. She hung around for awhile after the others left and we talked about lots of things, since we have very parallel interests (French, history, films, etc.).


Next week I will begin giving my first private English lessons. It's been challenging trying to arrange my schedule working for the Bridge and adding the tutoring in on top of that. Hopefully next week my schedule will become a bit more finalized, but then....the following week is the week that should bring Matt's arrival, and I'm basically going to be 'on vacation' from all my duties the whole time he's here. So maybe by the beginning of October, things should finally be 'normal,' whatever that means...


The 'fish out of water' feeling has finally left me. Now I'm really feeling that I belong here. The language barrier is still an issue, but outside of that, everything else feels right. This building feels like home. The people--my family. My room--my own safe and comfortable corner of the world. Now, more than ever, I can feel that here in Debrecen is where I'm meant to be right here, right now.

First Impressions of Hungary

Today marks the end of my third week in Hungary. This last week has been slow and quite peaceful. I didn't "work" this week since during the summer, there's almost no activity at the Bridge, and people are taking advantage of the last week of summer by going on holiday. Next week, school begins, and the pace will really start to pick up!

So I've spent the last week just walking around Debrecen, grocery shopping, doing laundry, reading, writing to Matt, dog-sitting for the Steiner's dog {while they were on holiday}, and working on my Hungarian. It's been lovely to have some quiet days to mentally prepare for the busy-ness ahead. During these days, I've also had a lot of time to reflect upon my first impressions and observations in Hungary:

{I took all of the photos below in the garden of the former Steiner home}

~Hungarians greet one another by "kissing" once on each cheek. It's not a real "kiss," but rather a touching of cheeks while making a soft kissing sound. This has felt rather natural to me because this same practice became a part of my daily life when I lived in France.

~Hungarian is the third most difficult language in the world to learn. So whatever amount I'm able to learn while I'm here, I will be very proud of!

~Since I "live" in the Bridge Ministries building, I'm able to use the Café kitchen as my own. However, there is no microwave, no stove, and no oven. There is a hot plate. Needless to say, I won't be able to cook much and my daily meals will be fairly basic.

~It seems that with many Hungarians, it takes some time to really get to know them and develop a strong friendship. This is similar to France. When I lived there, I became very accustomed to people coming off as rather "unfriendly" by American standards. It's purely a cultural difference; even with this I have felt very loved and welcomed from the moment I arrived here.

The last time I did any shopping in Hungary was 1998. After twelve years have passed, I was really blown away when~ I walked into stores here and saw many, many familiar and American brands. This was not the case twelve years ago. Back then, the lack of familiarity made all the items seem much more exotic to me.

~There are gypsies that live in Hungary and all over eastern Europe. It really fascinates me. At the church camp, I had a long conversation with a woman named Kinga who had taught gypsy children for many years and she shared a lot about their history and culture with me. Back in 1998, Jozsef drove us through a gypsy settlement and that picture of poverty has always remained in my mind.

~Overall, there are many things about Hungary and its culture that is mirrored in all countries throughout Europe. Since I have spent a good amount of time traveling and living in Europe, most of these things don't feel foreign to me anymore. And I can't quite make up my mind whether I like that fact or not.

Church Camp at a Castle, anyone?

Yes, please.

Indeed, this is where I spent last Thursday through Sunday. I was at a church camp in Toalmas, just north of Budapest, with the Trinity Church. As you can see, the camp is located on the grounds of a castle. It was really too beautiful to describe, so I hope the pictures can portray just a little of what we experienced...

The dining hall where we ate.

And there in the middle of the forest, I happened upon this enchanting, solitary tower.

I was thinking perhaps it was the tower where Rapunzel lived.

Can't you just imagine her casting her long, golden locks down from the window above?

There was a giant magical mushroom there, too!

This is a truer depiction of the camp area where we slept and had activities.

I had an amazing few days at church camp with the congregation. Although the camp itself is much more what you would imagine a church camp to look like, still, it was on the castle grounds. We did spend time eating our meals in the castle, though!

Our days were busy but relaxing as well. They began after breakfast with worship and several hours of teaching by Joszef Steiner. After lunch, we did activities, such as one day going into town to enjoy the public swimming pools and thermal waters, or doing games and group-building activities, like a trust-fall. We had free time to explore the castle grounds and after tucking into a hearty dinner, we gathered for something fun (like karaoke) and then made a large and cozy campfire, where we again had worship and an inspirational message from Joszef. Those were my favorite times, sitting around the fire, underneath the starry sky, wrapped in blankets and feeling the warmth of the love of Jesus. We also shared testimonials at this time, and often they became emotional and were truly touching. This small church feels like a tight-knit family, and they have lovingly opened their arms to me.

A Hungarian girl, Eszter, who worked at the camp was staying in my cabin. She didn't speak English, but I was delighted to find that she spoke French!! We became good friends and spent a lot of time eating together, walking around the grounds, and she even acted as my translator on many occasions. It was so refreshing to spend so much time speaking French. I haven't spoken it regularly or continually like that since my study abroad semester in France in 2005. Of course, because of this, my French isn't near what it once was, but it was coming back to me quickly. C'etait vraiment bien....

Many congregation members who speak English volunteered to translate for me without me even asking! It was so kind of them and wonderful for me to be able to participate and benefit from the same teachings as everyone else.

It was a superb few days that I will never forget. The weather was gorgeous, the location exquisite, and the company unforgettable. God has once again blessed me beyond imagining.

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!

Learning a new language

No, I'm not referring to learning a new language such as Spanish, Italian, Russian, etc. I am talking about learning how to speak British English. It has been quite interesting and a bit more challenging than I expected. For example, before I came over here, I already knew that the English can refer to the restroom as "the loo," or garbage as "rubbish," and that they use the phrase "Cheers" a lot.

I'm learning "new" words every day and I've started keeping a list for the fun of it. For example, the other day I learned that the trunk of a car is called "the boot" and the hood of a car "the bonnet." I've had to learn to use the word "lift" to mean the elevator, a "trolley" to mean a cart, and a "corridor" to mean a hallway. I did actually know before I got here that the English refer to their jeans and slacks as "trousers" and not what we would call "pants." To the English, "pants" means underwear. So......oh yes. I have embarrassed myself quite well several times by absentmindedly using the word "pants." To save myself even further embarrassment, I'm not going to tell you exactly the things I've said that made me turn red in the face the moment after I said them! :)

Another language difference that threw me way off guard when I got here was the phrase, "Are you alright?" or "Are you OK?" To the English, these two phrases are used as the American equivalent of the greeting "How are you?" after one says hello. So often when I run into someone in the "corridor," they'll say, "Are you alright?" For the first two weeks or so after I arrived here, this phrase continually threw me off guard because in America, when a person asks me if "I am alright" or if "I am OK," that means he/she thinks that for some reason I'm NOT alright. For example, when someone trips and falls, most people in the US would ask "are you OK?" in this situation or after something negative in general has happened. So in these first weeks, I found myself startled as an English person asked me this in greeting and my initial gut feeling was to say something like, "Oh! No, no no! I'm perfectly fine!" in order to reassure the person that I was indeed just fine. However, I am very pleased to report that this "new" phrase has become second-nature to me and I find myself using it all the time. Please remember what I have just described here upon my return to the US---I just might greet you without thinking by saying, "Hi! Are you alright?"

For the past week, it has rained nearly every day. Usually I don't mind the rain and I even rather enjoy it sometimes but not in the situations where I am walking as my means of transport or when rain accompanies an excursion day. Today we led an excursion to Oxford and we only had to deal with rain for about 20 minutes, thankfully. It has been really cold over here---the HIGH'S have been only in the mid 60's. Then of course Bournemouth is a seaside town, so we experience lots of strong winds coming off of the sea. I am regretting that I didn't bring more long-sleeved tops to England with me! Don't be deceived by that tropical-looking picture of Bournemouth's beaches on my first entry from England....I definitely have yet to experience weather like that here!

Tomorrow, Sunday the 13th, I will be able to sleep in for my FIRST TIME since I've been in England. In fact, I'm going to take advantage of the situation and head to bed early tonight so I can get lots of sleep but also enjoy my first totally free day off! I really, really love this job! Matt noted that this job could be compared to a job at a camp in terms of the amount of energy expelled and the lack of rest. I agree with that much, although thankfully the pay here is quite a bit better than what most camp counselors are paid!

I can't believe I've been here for four weeks now. The time has really flown by except when I think of being away from Matt. Only 19 more days until he arrives in Bournemouth! We absolutely can't wait! I'll be sure to keep posting more pictures and especially when Matt is here visiting. Signing off from England...

Cheers!