Using Technology Abroad

I do not—nor will I ever—pretend to possess a great deal of knowledge when it comes to technology.  However, I am always willing to learn.  On this trip, I got quite the education.

First, I learned that the iPhone 6 is unlocked and ready to use a foreign SIM card.  Of course, this meant I had to call Verizon to confirm that info, and then learn how to eject the card already in there.  That last bit required a touch of Google research.

Now, this is not the first time I’ve gone abroad.  However, it is the first time I’ve ever used a foreign SIM in a US phone.  When I studied in Ireland, I just bought a local phone and learned how to use it.  When I wanted to talk to my family and friends back home, I just jumped on my laptop and used Skype or Yahoo! Messenger (which makes me feel old).  And during my 2014 trip to Budapest, I was given a local phone to keep in touch with the church people.  Communicating with family friends was once again done on my laptop through either email or Facebook.

Once I learned I could use my phone on this trip, I rejoiced in knowing that meant one less bag to carry.  That's right, I left the laptop at home and relied solely upon my phone.  Unfortunately, this meant writing down any blog ideas and rough drafts by hand before getting to type them out (oh, the old-school horror).  Then again, that also meant I got to feel especially artistic on the occasion I sat writing whilst drinking a Guinness in a Welsh pub (and yes, I'm well aware that was an Irish beer I was drinking in that Welsh pub).  To be honest, I feel that if I were to actually live in the UK or Ireland, this would be a regular occurrence for me…though I would probably choose tea if I became a regular.  

So, while I was in Budapest I could use my 1 GB of data to call or text people within the country, and I could still post the occasional pictures to Facebook.  I even sent a few Snapchats to friends…mostly because I like casually tormenting them :P  I even got the occasional WiFi signal, so I didn’t have to constantly worry about using up my data package for the week.  I turned the cellular data off for some of my apps so I knew they wouldn’t run in the background, and I could still use them when WiFi became available.  As I discovered, I could even have my phone in airplane mode and manually turn the WiFi and Bluetooth features on to prevent any chance that I’d use my cellular data.  This came in particularly handy once I gave my Hungarian SIM back and had my US SIM back in place.

However, once out of Budapest, I became entirely dependent upon the fickle nature of WiFi signals.  Throughout my trip, only the Heathrow Airport gave me the best and most reliable service.  The added benefit of their service was the fact that the first four hours were free.  Thankfully none of my layovers were nearly that long.  Even their underground train to the other terminals and Paddington Station offered a wonderful signal. 

Once I left the purview of Heathrow, however, I struggled to find a reliable signal.  Though one was offered on the train from Paddington to Cardiff, I got nothing but the spinning wheel and a message that “the connection has been lost.”  That turned out to be okay though, because it meant I had time to work on my (handwritten) blogs as we sped along to Cardiff.  The city of Cardiff itself was rather sad in its signal reliability.  Though I applaud their city council for offering free WiFi in certain parts of the city (mostly the city centre), I had a lot of problems even getting connected--let alone having access to anything online once I got connected.  My hotel was another source of disappointment.  While the man at the front desk kindly got me onto their network, I would occasionally lose signal while simply sitting on my bed.  What made this even more frustrating was the router sitting not five feet away, blinking merrily at my scowls.  I began to suspect my router wasn’t networked with the hotel (though I have no idea if that’s even technically possible).

By the time I got to Bath, I sort of gave up caring about any of it.  I must say there is something absolutely calming about that city.  Maybe it’s the Georgian architecture, or perhaps walking the streets Jane Austen and other classic writers have walked, but I suddenly didn’t care to be connected.  That doesn’t mean I completely gave up technology.  As always, I had my camera clicking away to capture the sights, and even brought my phone out on occasion in anticipation for when I would be back in Heathrow and could upload more photos onto Facebook.  Technically, my hotel in Bath did offer free WiFi, but I never bothered to ask for the password.  Instead I chose to end my days sitting quietly in my room and reflecting on the day (admittedly, I only spent two nights in this kind of quiet.  I think that’s a record for me). 

Overall, I learned some new things about technology, and especially learned some of the quirks of my new phone.  While I appreciate being connected when overseas, it was also nice to be unplugged once in a while.  I think I’ll have to do that more often when I’m home as well.

Tell me about some of your adventures with technology in the comments below!

My Week as an English Teacher

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!!