Back to School!

Yesterday was "Back to School" shopping day. Like all of our other "firsts" in Hungary, it was...let's say...different!

We had our school supply lists, written in Hungarian, from the teachers. The lists included typical school supplies, notebooks, folders, pencils, pens etc...so how hard could this really be? Well...after we spent some time doing a little translating, we headed off to Auchan (local grocery/supermarket/Walmart-like store) to attack the lists!

Now, like in the States, there are isles set up for just this occasion, and there are MANY people also doing their school shopping. The difference here is that we have NO CLUE what we are shopping for and being the "not-yet-fluent" Hungarian speakers that we are, we were in for a very LONG shopping experience. I don't think I can really express how we just sort of stood there...dumbfounded...trying to figure out how to best tackle the chore at hand.

So Mark took Jonah and his list, and I took Parker and his list...divide and conquer, that was the thing to do!

Well, we divided, but I'm not really sure we conquered. We did manage (with the help of some nice Auchan employees) to find most of the items on the lists after about an hour and a half. We were pretty much brain dead after that...so we followed the shopping extravaganza up with a cheap IKEA meatball supper!

Who knew that school supply shopping could be so different...or that school supplies could be so different. Every day is an adventure and we are thankful for it!

Summer...

Wow...it's been a while since I blogged! I guess I haven't had a lot to say! But, here it is August 17, summer is coming to a rapid end and I thought I'd better say something!

We had had a good summer. It's been a summer full of camps! As a youngster, I LOVED camp! We were a camping family...we went camping a lot and we attended lots of camps. I looked forward every year to the summer camping adventures!

This summer we got to experience camp Hungarian style and Austrian style. Our team hosts English Camps for 4 weeks in July...2 weeks for Elementary age kids and 2 for teens. Although we were not heavily involved this summer, we were around nearly every day to see the camp in action and too help out when we could.

We then traveled to Austria to help out with the Teen English camp in Reutte. Mark was the camp speaker for the week, so we got to experience how the Innsbruck ReachGlobal City team does their camps. On the way home from Austria, we joined the teens from our Hungarian Church for their camping trip in western Hungary. We only spent one day and night with them, but it was fun to see the kids from our church (and the adult counselors) and spend a short time with them.

By the time we got home, we were camped out! It was all a lot of fun, but we were glad to be home! We are so thankful for the opportunities that we have had to help out with camps this summer, so see what camp is like in different cultures. We are also so thankful that our house in Budakeszi has really become home when we come back. Another way that God has provided for us!

School starts for the boys on September 1st. (I think) It will be good for them to get back to school and back to hearing and using Hungarian daily. Pray for them to really start soaking up the culture and language and that we all have good communication with the teachers.

lovingly,

Jodi

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Yesterday we began our third week of Intensive Hungarian Language school. Our class meets everyday for 3 hours and it is intense! I find myself thinking about how different Hungarian is from English...like TOTALLY different. It causes me to marvel at our God and how He created us and created our languages. It really boggles my mind. "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

I have found myself enjoying learning Hungarian and also wanting to be fluent, miraculously, right now! I do not like not being able to communicate well. Last week a friend reminded me of these verses...they spoke to me, so I'll share them with you.

"Moses said to the Lord, 'O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.' The Lord said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'" Exodus 4:10-12

So along with my prayer for patient endurance, I am also praying these verses to the Lord who knows all languages. That He will help me speak and teach me what to say (in Hungarian!)

Praising the God who wonderfully made each of us!
Jodi

A taste of home...

So, I'm sitting here thinking I should blog...about something. I thought maybe I'd tell you what I've been cooking lately. Those of you who know me well know I love to cook and bake and at first I thought it would be a challenge in a new country to get in my gourmet groove...but suffice it to say, we have been eating just fine!

I realized today, that I've been cooking things that remind me of people at home. Yea, we've been having tacos and lasagna, but for the past week, it seems like I've been making special things. Big Pancakes and Chicken and noodles...remind me of my family. Monster cookies...remind me of Tracy.(used 1/4 of the peanut butter supply on that...it was worth it!) Yesterday it was Spinach Pasta Salad...a Sheri fav of our family (minus the spinach...can you believe I couldn't find spinach...went to TWO stores!) Today I'm making Miner's Pie...an homage to my friend Patti.(no shortage of mushrooms here!) Runzas are on the list next...a reminder of Mark's family. OK...you get the point. It helps to bring a little bit of the ones we love back home...here in Hungary. So for now anyway, it's through food.

Wishin' you were all here to feast with us!
Jodi

First Day of School

Today was the boys first day of Hungarian school. They were excited and nervous. I was just nervous. I imagined myself in a classroom full of kids all speaking a language I don't understand and...well it's overwhelming to me, so for my kids...I can't imagine what is going on in their heads. (Perhaps...I can't believe my parents are doing this to me!) For those of you who don't know, they are in a bi-lingual class...so there is some English being taught too! So, they won't spend the WHOLE day lost!

We dropped off Parker to his class first. The teacher greeted him (her name is Mariann) and found him a place to sit and put his stuff. I could tell he was NERVOUS, but he went right to his seat. He wanted us to stay, but we had to take Jonah to his class and I could tell the teacher was waiting for us to go. So, we left (honestly...I thought he might run after us...but he didn't).

Jonah's class was more a-buzz. The kids sort of mobbed him as he entered the room. His teachers are Kati and Susan. They were very welcoming. The kids were offering him treats, asking his name and all of the sudden they took him down the hall to show him the school. We waited until they came back to say goodbye. He seemed good. I'm thankful for the kids and how welcoming they were to him. God is Good!

So...we walked out of the school...me with a few tears. It was hard to just leave them there, not knowing all the answers to the questions I have. But, I know that God put us here, in Budakeszi, knowing full well about this school and the awesome opportunity that we have to be a part of it. So...now we wait until 2pm when we can pick them up and get the full report! I can't wait!

I'll write more later...with their thoughts on the day!

Well...we just got home from picking up the boys...when we got there, they were running around playing outside with their new friends. It was GREAT to see them having fun. We weren't sure what their report would be. Both of them had GREAT days! Parker said his day was "awesome". Jonah said it was "great". Both say they want to go back tomorrow (not that they have a choice). We met the afternoon teachers...Eva Neni and Tunde Neni (Neni is a polite name for a lady that the kids use...it is like saying Aunt Eva) and gathered up their stuff and headed home. I asked Jonah if he was fluent in Hungarian yet...;-). Sounds like school was a hit! Thanks for your prayers! We know God was really with them.

love,
Jodi

Yesterday, our container arrived with all of our “stuff” from the U.S. We were very excited to see each item and box come off the truck and into our home. The boys waited and waited for the toy boxes…especially the Lego boxes. Jonah was relieved when they finally (towards the end) came off the truck. I’m pretty sure he thought they were stolen!

Three Hungarian men unloaded our stuff and brought it into our house, they did NOT want our help in any way, so we felt sort of strange just standing around. They carried in the piano, the china hutch and our bedroom furniture. (one man kept saying “Top floor?” to which I’d say “yes, please???” and he’d ROLL his eyes! Too funny!) The final thing in the door was our king sized mattress…one guy kept measuring and saying, “that fat mattress is too big, no fit!” But, one of the other guys looked at the staircase and really wanted to get it up there so he and Mark took down the stair banister and up it went! YEA! I made a lemon cake to share with our movers when they were finished unloading, just to say thanks! I think they liked it, and one guy just kept saying "thank you, lady, thank you!"...so I felt a little helpful after all!

I got busy right away unpacking the kitchen boxes, so I could cook! I guess I had unpacked 5 or 6 big boxes of kitchen stuff when I came across a new package of Easter sprinkles (you know, to decorate cookies with) that I had bought on clearance last Easter…and I said, to myself, “oh….Easter sprinkles, how nice” and then I just cried! Over Easter sprinkles…I cried, just thankful for familiar stuff and the thought of baking cookies for Easter and being tired and overwhelmed with boxes everywhere, I cried.

It’s the first time since we arrived, that I’ve felt a little nostalgic about things. I guess that makes sense, with our stuff arriving, but it caught me a little of guard. By the grace of God, our move has seemed very smooth so far, and even though things are different than “normal”, it hasn’t really seemed too hard. We are thankful for that! I know that there will be times that are hard, but for now, I’ll take getting emotional over Easter sprinkles.
Love you all…

Now that was a hill!

Today, for Parker's birthday we went on a little adventure! First, we drove to a place not too far from our house and caught a Cog train. We took the Cog train up, up, up to the Budapest Children's Railway. Here, we got on the Children's railway (called that because it's really run by kids...with a few adults around to help out!) and rode up, up, up to a stop on Janos hegy (John's Hill).

We were headed to Erzsebet Look out tower, which we can see from our house in Budakeszi, but didn't really know what it was. When we got off the train, there was a path, with stairs and it went up, up, up to the top of Janos hegy. I honestly did not think I was going to make it! Whew! We walked and we walked and we walked...UP HILL for a long time. (seriously people, they should post somewhere that this is NOT a leisurely little hike!) Then we came to a playground where we rested for a bit and then we walked and walked until finally we were at the top! What a view! It was worth all the huffing and puffing it took to get to the top!

Then, we had to walk back down, catch the train, the tram and the subway to get to Nagyi Palascinta...the yummy pancake house where we enjoyed our well deserved lunch of sweet and savory pancakes! YUM! All-in-all I think it was a great birthday adventure for Parker! (My legs are going to HURT tomorrow!)