For the second time in as many years, I have traveled to
Budapest to teach English. Despite the
fact that this would be my second time at the Forrai School, I still felt
nervous about how the week would turn out.
This was partly because our group was different this
time. Instead of going with my two
pastors and their wives, I was to travel with only one pastor, a couple from
O’Fallon, and two older people from elsewhere in Illinois. The two older people each ended up dropping out. One because her husband fell ill, and the
other because he had an unexpected surgery.
So then it was just down to me, Pastor Ken, Steve (a pastor and
counselor), and Mindy (a newly retired teacher). Though we met twice as a group and exchanged
some emails, I didn’t know what to expect from my new travel companions. I didn’t know if we would work well together,
or even enjoy one another’s company.
I was also nervous because I wasn’t sure how my new students
would react to my teaching. Last year I
had six incredibly quiet girls. I didn’t
know if I would get the same kind of students, if they would be hyper-active,
or if they would fall somewhere in the middle.
Not to mention I don’t think I did a great job last time. I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t
prepare nearly enough material or activities.
I’m certain my students last year were either totally confused or bored
out of their minds because of my lack of preparation. I could only hope that my experiences from
last year would help me engage my students better this year.
One thing that didn’t worry me was getting to see all of the
people from the church again. Pastor
Feri and his wife, Sara, once again opened their hearts and home to us. Robi, one of our helpers and sometimes tour
guide, once again helped us to understand our students and get around the
city. And I was able to impose upon Nora
and Robert once more and stay in their home.
Their children, Andris and Balint, were shy of me again, and
unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to spend as much time with them. All of the members of the Pest UMC were warm
and welcoming. Their church is already
beginning to feel like a second home.
Now, about my worries.
When it came to Steve and Mindy, those worries quickly disappeared once
we set out. Not only were they great
traveling partners, they were just plain fun to talk to. Mindy and I agreed that the best part of
going to new places was experiencing new food.
We certainly agreed that Kürtőskalács (traditional
Transylvanian funnel cakes-pictured left) are by far the best pastry out there (especially
when it comes straight off a wood fire).
We also found the best (and cheapest) place to get gelato. It was just north of the Oktogon, next to a
Turkish restaurant (also a great place to eat).
Steve was asked to do two presentations about counseling. The first was about understanding teenagers
(a subject we all need a little help on), and the second about general
counseling concerns. Though I’d gotten
to know Steve a little through regular conversations, those presentations
really helped me understand him better.
It was especially interesting watching the way he and Mindy worked as a
team when he spoke. She helped him gauge
time and the audience. I could see that
teamwork also went a long way toward teaching and helping their students.
My fears about teaching were the hardest to get
over. Though I learned a lot from last
year, the first day or two were still pretty rough. I had to learn what worked for my students,
and what didn’t. And I definitely didn’t prepare enough for
that first day. Hopefully they enjoyed
my lessons; though I could never tell if they hated or loved the idioms I
taught them. They definitely preferred
“Man Bites Dog” to other games I suggested, and they reveled in telling
gruesome stories in English (the one about the cute little monster that eats
faces is probably still my favorite).
They were also quite good when I adapted “Telephone” as a translation
game. Sara (who helped me throughout the
week) gave me pointers as we went along.
I’m going to be optimistic and say that meant my teaching got better
each day. Overall, my students were an
even mix of reserved and outgoing this time.
I think part of that was due to the fact that we separated the students
based upon their level of English. I
frankly begged for the higher-level students.
Given how much I like to talk, I knew I needed the students who would
struggle the least to understand me.
Technically, I think there were students in the lower-level classes who
understood English well enough, but it was probably good that the other classes
had some higher-level students who might have been able to help others.
By the end of the week, I had a new-found respect
for my high school Spanish teacher, Senora King. I only dealt with my talkative teenagers for
a week, whereas she’s been teaching for years.
Though she technically has an advantage because she can at least
understand when her students began cracking off in their native tongue. Though with Sara there, I could at least
trust they were only goofing off and not insulting me or each other. I do hate missing a good joke though. The solution for that, of course, would be to
learn Hungarian before my next trip. I
can just imagine the shock on my students’ faces when I answer some quip or
jibe in plain Hungarian. Sure, they’ll
probably make fun of my accent, but at least they’ll assume I understand
everything they’re saying from there on out.
We did have a couple of troublemakers this
year. Last year we got very lucky in
that department. Other than the usual
youthful exuberance inherent in all teenagers (especially boys), they were all
respectful of what the camp was trying to do.
My students this year, while generally talkative, did at least try to
listen and learn. Other classes were not
so attentive. With only four boys in the
camp, one seemed to find the very idea of our camp repellent. He appeared to find a kindred spirit in a
young lady in his class, and they proceeded to feed off of whatever the other
would instigate. I find it unfortunate
that neither of them found anything useful in our (non-compulsory) camp—other
than new friends for the upcoming school year.
Those two certainly lived down to the “bad apple” stereotype. Though I could be entirely wrong, I think it
was their influence that kept some of the other kids from coming to the
graduation recognition we held Friday night.
All I do know it that I went from having 4 of 7 students in my class
saying they were coming, to having none show up. While they could have all had valid excuses
for bailing, it still felt like our bad apples convinced the others that the
camp and subsequent graduation weren’t worth their time. Well, to be honest I think one girl decided
not to come because her new friend (entirely separate from the apples) wasn’t
going. Whatever their reasons, I confess
to feeling hurt. While I don’t regret
the time and effort I spent that week, it is upsetting to think that none (or
at least very few) of my students appreciated that effort. However, I was mostly sad that I didn’t get
to give them a proper goodbye.
Lucky for me, I bounce back quickly. The ceremony was fun, especially the
presentations by the students from each class.
We had two skits and a musical presentation. The kids played games and got fed before the
graduation, and I got to learn a couple of new games. The kids playing cards with me also got an
intriguing look at both my competitive side and extreme lack of Hungarian
skills.
All told, this was yet another wonderful trip. I got to see friends from last year, and made
all new ones. We saw some of the same
sights, and also saw new views. I’m
grateful to my family, friends, and church for their support. I appreciated all of the time, effort, and
support from the people in the Pest church and the Forrai School. And most of all, I thank God for His
protection and guidance throughout my trip.
God Bless!!
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