I guess I've let this sit...

I knew it had been awhile since I wrote, but didn't realize it had been so long! As usual, busy times with school and extra curricular activities.

Two weekends ago we had a "charity ball" at the school for the teachers and parents as a fundraiser for the school. It was a dinner and dance and a raffle with many gifts donated by the parents and businesses throughout town. I bought 20 raffles tickets and it paid off! I won 5 prizes! I was a bit embarrassed going up to get them, but then another couple ended up winning more, so I felt a bit better. My friend Tara, another CETP teacher in Mariapocs came over and stayed the night and attended the ball as well. It was a great time and fun to socialize with the teachers for more than 10 minutes between classes!

On Saturday before the ball, I met Tara in Nyiregyhaza to shop for a dress for her for the event. We went to a mall that I hadn't been to yet, and it was very busy with a huge Lego display! Apparently a Lego factory has opened in the last year near Nyiregyhaza. The displays included a life size basketball player made out of Legos, a pirate ship that was at least 3 feet tall and 4 feet long on a body of water that moved, and various other incredible things that my kids never made with Legos!

On Sunday I went back into Nyiregyhaza with Tara on her way home and we went to the Tesco, a huge "one- stop" store. It was like being in a candy store! There were so many things, we filled our baskets too full. I got some food items I couldn't find here in Kisvarda and Tara got office supplies and shoes. I've got mixed emotions about going back! I really don't think I NEED more things in this flat, but it sure was nice to have a variety to pick from.

Last weekend we had to work on Saturday to make up for one of the "gas days" we missed. About a third of the students didn't show up and then I had two students ask to leave early from the last class, as the buses didn't run as often and if they couldn't get the noon bus, they would have to wait until 5pm. One day off makes for very two long weeks! The teachers and the students are all dragging a bit this week.

On Saturday night I went to dinner at Dora and Mark's. Dora is one of the English teachers, and Mark is the CETP teacher who was here two and three years ago. Dora was his contact teacher and they ended up getting married! Last year they went to Scotland for him to attend school, and this year he is teaching in Budapest at one of the Universities. He doesn't have classes on Fridays, so he travels back and forth to Kisvarda on the weekends. They have a nice flat in the middle of town and it was fun talking with them and sharing experiences with Mark. Dora made a great lasagna with meat and spinach and then much later we had cabbage rolls as well!

I have been spending a lot of time planning my days off over Easter. And it keeps changing. First, I was told I would have April 9-14 off. I decided Amsterdam and the Netherlands would be a great place to go to see the spring bulbs in bloom and to see more of Van Gogh's art. Before I bought tickets, I doubled checked with my contact teacher and she told me I could actually have the whole week before Easter off, as the first three days of that week the school would be having a religious retreat and there was no point in my attending. (The whole not knowing the language thing.) So, then I started looking at where else I should go: longer in the Netherlands, add Brussels, or go to Poland on the way there....etc. Yesterday I mentioned this to other teachers, and they said they thought the dates of the retreat had been changed. So, we followed up and sure enough, the retreat is now the W-F, 2 weeks before Easter. This means I will have April 1 -5 off, work April 6 - 8, and then have April 9 - 14 off. So now I am not sure what to do, and feel like I should wait a few days to see if this is really settled or not. I will probably end up with one big trip (ie, Amsterdam) and one trip not so far away.

This weekend is my 50th birthday and I have a busy fun weekend planned. I am taking the train into Budapest right after school. I will stay at the Gellert Hotel and Baths - a real splurge to stay in a hotel as I have been staying in hostels. Then on Friday night I will go to the ballet - Anna Karinina - at the Opera House with a couple of the CETP gals. Saturday more CETP teachers will join us in the Baths all day. Then Saturday night off to a Mexican (!) restaurant for dinner and margaritas with 10 of us, before finding a club to to dancing. I also hope to get to a bookstore that sells books in English and also takes trade-ins on used books. Should be a great weekend.

I often wonder if anyone other than Anne F. and my Mom read this blog. I guess the longer I go without posting, the less likely people are to continue to check it -- sorry. Anyway, would love to know if anyone is reading this, so please just post a comment! Would love to hear from you.