The summer is here! The weather in Budapest has been amazing this week, and today we even had our first afternoon of sunbathing, (well.. half an hour!)



Cultural

This week was full of random adventures experiencing new and wonderful things in Hungary! On Wednesday Klari took Kathryn, Kirsty and I to the fine arts museum. I have never been to an art gallery and so it was really good to try something new! The entire area around the museum is beautiful, (hereo's square) and the architecture of the museum was incredible to look at.


On Wednesday we went to a Bible study that our church holds. We had tea with everyone there and then had the study after. I am really appreciating learning from new people and listening to opinions of people from around the world.

On Friday evening the school that I teach in put on a concert at a nearby theatre. We were asked to watch it and so we went along. I wasn't very excted about going as I was so tired, however when it began I soon grew to enjoy it a lot. There was a huge range of performances, from choirs to solo gymnasts. What struck me most was that the teachers were so proud of their pupils, whether their performance was great or not. The pupils were encouraged to all take part, and the show was so laid back. The emphasis wasn't on putting on the best performance ever, but about having fun and letting everyone take part.

On Saturday Kirsty, Kathryn and I took a trip to Szentendre village, which is about 45 minutes outside of Budapest. Friends from church had recommended seeing it so we went. When I first stepped off the train I wondered why I had come as I thought the surroundings looked very basic, however we walked about 500 metres into the village square and my opinion soon changed. The village has beautiful cobbled streets and is full of traditional Hungarian souvenir shops. I had some Hungarian goulash soup for lunch along with apple struddle, which was the 'tourists menu!' After walking around the village we took a walk along the danube river and I had my first ice cream of the year!

The day ended lovely as when I arrived back at halls a Hungarian flatmate asked Kirsty, Kathryn and I to stay with her the weekend 10th-11th April. So I am really excited to spend time in a typical Hungrian home and watch how they live from day to day.

Church on Sunday was lovely as every week there are new international people and so there are always new faces to see and to talk to. This week I met a girl from Holland called Marie-Ann who is studying in Budapest for one semester. I also met Linda who is from California, and after church we went to a local market that is held outside on the main street in Budapest during the Spring festival season, which is on at the miunte.

On Sunday night I went to a concert in a local chapel, which I was invited to by my music teacher at university as she was singing in the performance. It was great to hear her choir as they are quite well known. I was very impressed with their performance, even though it was so busy that I had to stand for the entire concert!

Personal
At the beginning of the week I struggled with the thought that I was no longer experiencing new things and that I was spending a lot of time in my flat, however this feeling only lasted a couple of days and then things got back to normal. It was so lovely to be asked to stay with one of my Hungarian friends for the weekend, and also at church on Sunday all of the international students were invited to have Easter Sunday lunch with the minister and his family. These small things reminded me once again of the lovely people I have met since coming to Budapest!

Professional
School this week was really challenging as my teacher was off for two days and so I taught some classes alone. It was so rewarding to teach the first grade class especially as I was told it may be too hard, however it was my favourite class of the day. I was worried that the language barrier would be a problem, as there would be no Hungarian teacher in the room to translate, however it went absolutely fine and the children seemed to really enjoy the lesson, (I even spoke some Hungarian when the children got confused!)

This week has probably been one of the most challenging emotionally since I have come to Budapest, however I am constantly leearning new things, not only about the surroundings around me, but also about myself. So I am very excited to see what the next week has in store for me!