The Brighter Side

A great two days at school! A sampling of the pleasures and humors:

- Boys openly practicing gymnastics...when was the last time you saw dudes in America standing around the parallel bars comparing moves?

- An over-beer conversation with a colleague that included the out-of-the-blue phrase: "So, have you noticed anything about anyone?"

- Watching the principal dictating to a secretary while she typed on the computer. Can you imagine that such people still exist in this century?

- Gitta announced that she had a book for me to read yesterday. She was very excited. I asked her what the title was, envisioning a precious modern classic that I could savior for weeks. "The Mummy Case," she said and smiled. I hadn't heard of it, I was quick to reply. When we stopped walking, she dug it out of her bag. It's a Hardy Boys book she bought in England.

- Playing Lunch Lady Land for the kiddie-corps. I made them listen for food words in the song, then we played Connect-Four.

- The look on my face when I triumphantly announced that I had won Connect-Four, only to learn that in Hungary the game is called "Connect-Five," apparently.

- The look (this time of fear) on my face as I sat on the toilet in what I think was a unisex bathroom, hoping and praying that it was in fact a unisex bathroom.

- My brand new bankkartiya!!

- Talking for an hour (in English!!) with the cute student teacher who just arrived at the kozepiskola. She graduated from Heves High four years ago and is in her last year of studying education in Eger. She has wondrous eyes and wonderful English. I had to reassure her that anyone who speaks English moves to the top of my list of favorite people in the world. She lives not too far away, maybe I have a new friend to replace the pencil-shop girl. Just like Megan, she hopes to work in an altalanos (elementary school) when she graduates this year.

- National holidays that involve me sitting, watching, and not teaching English. Even if I understand only the numbers, it's still a fun way to go. Today we mourned the loss of 13 national leaders...in 1849. Therapy much, Hungary?

- My little 7A angels, those of the German-speaking variety, are always a pleasure to work with. They actually bubble with enthusiasm for life and speaking German with me. Today one little girl, the best speaker in class, attempted to build the overtly complex sentences "Ich liebe die Tiere!" (I love the animals!) But in the bubbling process, she got caught up on the "die" and instead spit out "Ich liebe dich!" I laughed and said, "I love you, too, Eniko" auf Deutsch.

- And finally, finishing off a 90 minute football match with the teachers...by drinking beer in the coaches office. Amidst the shot glasses and empty bottles already in the cramped room, a six-pack seemed like hardly a criminal offense. I'm not sure, though, if we were celebrating or commiserating. But never before have I enjoyed a beer while being stared at by a giant poster of Carl Lewis and others announcing the 1984 world track and field championships in Russian.

- And lastly after the finally, three day weekends! Boo-yah! Teacher meetings all day tomorrow, and I don't speak Hungarian! Woo woo!