Set the World Aflame

As most or all of you know, I went to Boston College and it is a Jesuit Catholic university. While this fact did influence my decision to go to BC somewhat, it was only a contributing factor because of their academic excellence, but it slowly became a very influential part of my experience there. The Jesuits are different from pretty much any other Catholic order out there. Historically, these priests were travelers and missionaries, working to spread Catholicism throughout the world, often in very hostile environments. The Jesuits also consistently pushed the envelope of what was considered acceptable in Catholicism, and as such sometimes met with horrific deaths at the hands of their superiors. The Jesuits are not what I would consider to be "conservative Catholics" though this might be a bit redundant. They are always pushing their students to question everything, ask the tough questions, and in doing so make the world a better place.

Throughout my first week at BC as a freshman, various catch phrases and mottoes were drilled into our minds. At the time, I remember thinking that it was all a bit kitschy and much. But now I've been finding myself thinking a great deal about what St. Ignatius used to tell his followers, "Go out and set the world aflame!" This was one of the phrases repeated constantly throughout that first week, by the way. Now that I am out in the world, no longer in the comfort zone of home, this sentiment is starting to ring true to me. I'm not a very religious person, so perhaps this phrase does not hold exactly the same sentiments for me as it does for the Jesuits, but it does strike a cord. Perhaps they've influenced me much more than I ever thought while I was at BC. Since leaving BC, I have had a very strong desire to do something that holds meaning. I didn't want to spend my life behind a desk pushing paper for the next 45-50 years until I drop dead or retire. I could not see what good this would do for me or anyone else. Eventually I came to the decision to become a teacher, in the spirit of the Jesuits, and devote my life to education and making the world a better place because of that.

Well before going home and starting my "real life," I've decided to come to Europe for a while and teach English. I can see now really what the Jesuits mean by setting the world aflame. Generally, fires don't start with an explosion, but with little sparks that slowly catch and grow into something much larger. I know several of my classmates are doing some very exciting things back in the States, but also around the world. I like to think of each of us as one of these tiny sparks. No I might not be making a huge difference in the state of the world by helping some Hungarian teenagers with their English, but maybe through bettering their understanding as well as my understanding of our cultural differences, the state of affairs in the world will change slowly. I know the Internet has already had a huge impact on youth culture throughout the world, but I like to see those of us that spend time abroad as ambassadors too. Hopefully we are doing good work, and providing a positive view of our country to the world.

Anyway, this was my philosophical rant for the month. Setting the world aflame was something that I've just been thinking about a lot since I arrived in Hungary. I might be here alone, but it's nice to feel connected to a bigger picture, and feel like I am living out the values that were instilled in me throughout my education.

Hello Miss Kelley!!!!

It has been a little while since I've written a real blog post, and I apologize. I am still very bad at blogging, but I have already been farther on this blog than my last one...so I suppose that's something. Even though I really like teaching, and the kids here in Koszeg are quite a pleasure to deal with most of the time, I am TIRED at the end of the day. Teaching is a very emotional profession, especially for someone relatively new to teaching. Also, as I found in France (mind you I was only there for 5 weeks) it is very mentally draining to be immersed in another culture and language. Not that I don't appreciate every second that I am spending here, but at the end of the day I must admit that I do enjoy retreating into my apartment and having some quality time watching some American TV shows or something of that nature. It's almost as though I need a couple of hours listening to an American accent to decompress my mind before ironing out my plans for the next day. Perhaps this is just a phase I am going through, but for right now this little routine is helping to keep me sane and positive.

I will say that I am getting much more proficient at shopping and using my gas stove and oven. All of these new processes were a bit overwhelming for the first week, but now I'm starting to feel the semblance of a rhythm or routine to my weeks that will surely make time fly. It's hard to believe that it's been almost a month since I left home. At this rate, Christmas will be here before I know it. I have just about six weeks until Fall Break, which is a week long, and entails a trip with my fellow CETP teachers. Based upon the good times had in Budapest during orientation, I am really looking forward to it! A whole week with fellow Americans...YAY! I kid, but it will be nice to talk at a normal speed and just have some time to compare notes and decompress after eight weeks of teaching. Then after Fall Break, just over five weeks until I fly home for Christmas! That will just fly by I'm sure. No pun intended. I'm not telling you this to give you the impression that I am counting down the days until I leave, but it's just amazing to me that I'm not dying of homesickness yet. As my previous posts described, I was very worried about the homesickness, but so far it has not been a big issue. Culture shock was a lot at first, but quickly passed once I met my students and have continued to get settled.

One startling difference between Hungarians and Americans is our process of greeting each other. In America, it is not at all obligatory to greet anyone less than a very good acquaintance or friend. I was lucky if my students in Virginia made eye contact with me in the hallway much less actually greeted me. Here I'm getting, "Hello Miss Kelley!!" yelled at me across the campus. I'm getting used to saying, "Hello," "Hi," or "Szia" to just about every person I pass throughout the day. Even in packs of 10 kids, they ALL say hello to me. I'm not kidding. So among all of the negativity I described in the first couple of posts, there are these little beams of light that are starting to break through. The kids seem to really like me, and overall, they are very nice people that I enjoy being around. I'm looking forward to working with them throughout the year! More to come soon...Pictures of my school below!

~Kristen

The Stairs Going up to the First Floor

Entrance -- Just inside the Front Door

Front View

Full View -- So Pretty!

The Quest Continues

I have survived my first week of teaching in Hungary, which actually only amounts to two days, but hey it's the small victories. And it was actually quite good all things considered! I was much less nervous today than I was yesterday, which made for much smoother lessons in general. Even though they don't speak much English yet, so far my favorite group is my 9th graders. So sweet and so excited to learn! This is actually a very good development as I will be seeing them the most by far out of anyone. I have 15 classes total, but I see most of them only once a week, whereas I have 3 classes of ninth graders that I see a total of 10 times per week! So definitely good that they are the group I am enjoying most. Also perhaps because I am most used to that age group based upon my teaching experiences back home.

I am not yet hooked up to the Internet yet in my apartment, but thanks to some sage advice from a former teacher at my school, I will hopefully have that situation rectified sometime next week. We shall see.  A big plus in the meantime is that I figured out my phone did not have it's data roaming switched on! AH! duh! And so now I actually do have some access to technology at my fingertips! Whew! I cannot tell you the relief that that brings me, truly. I know I have an Internet addiction, but I'm sorry I just cannot live without it, especially in a foreign country. I came to Hungary for many reasons, but one reason was that it is not underdeveloped. It has creature comforts, although perhaps not up to American standards, I can live very comfortably. I did not sign up to go to a remote location for this reason. I NEED it. But yes, things are looking up!

I am still getting used to taking a bath and not a shower. It is quite a small bathtub with a handheld shower head. It's pretty comical, but I think I will get used to it. I definitely waste less water this way! My stove is working now, and so I can finally cook again. Chicken is on the menu tonight, perhaps with some paprika as the Hungarians would. So yes, I am slowly but surely, finding my way through the maze of my new life here in Hungary. Definitely feeling a lot better than I did a few days ago! I will actually be going to Szombathely, the county seat here, with one of the English teachers from JMG on Monday to start filing my official paperwork at the immigration office! EEK! I'm becoming legal! Yay! Wish me luck and I will talk to you next week!

It's the Final Countdown!!

Hi everyone! Family, friends, professors, and the rest of cyberspace, I welcome you to my lovely blog! I will do my best to keep this updated (I hope at least weekly) while I am away in order to keep you all informed of my exploits, but I also have a selfish motive behind all of this. I will use this blog as a sort of journal of my experiences. I know this is a time in my life that I will want to remember forever, and I have observed as I've gotten older how quickly time flies. I want to be sure to remember not only the major events of my time in Kőszeg, Hungary, but also the day-to-day occurrences that may be lost if not recorded. I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter in my life, and I'm thrilled to take all of you along for the ride!

Well, back to the title of this post. As the ironically named band, Europe, immortalized in song, it is certainly the final countdown for me! 16 days left before my departure from Dulles to Munich and finally to Budapest. While I have been contemplating the potential degree of my homesickness as well as the various procedural hurdles that I will have to negotiate upon landing in Hungary, as my departure date draws closer, I am just getting more and more excited. I was talking to a great friend of mine earlier today, and we were definitely in agreement that this was a good thing! I can't imagine if it was the opposite! I was one of those kids who rarely slept in a different location from my parents growing up. I never went to sleep-away camp, and if I did spend multiple nights away from home, it was always at the home of a family member or close friend in close proximity to home. The first time I left home for any length of time was when I left for college. I purposely chose a place where I felt comfortable (Boston, the city of my birth) but was relatively far away from home. I knew I had to push myself in order to become the independent adult that I had always envisioned. I have since become quite independent and self-reliant, but I do still love being home. I don't feel the need to live under the same roof as my parents of course, but I would not mind being in the same area.

All of that being said, this past spring, with graduation from W&M on the horizon, I was contemplating my future. I was all but offered a teaching job at our career fair in a county within commuting distance from home, and while I was excited about the prospect, something didn't feel right. I felt that my adventures would be over, as immature as that sounds. I would be "settling down," starting a job where I would be working toward tenure, a pension, and a position as a visible member of the community. Perhaps I'm a bit of a gypsy soul, or else I have a travel bug that I can't ignore, but the thought of settling where I grew up at age 24, just felt like I did all of that work on myself for nothing. That sounds awful, and I promise that this has nothing to do with where I'm from or my family, because I love both very much. I feel the strong need to keep pushing myself and discovering new and exciting things about the world. I hope this will help me to know myself better and to be a better teacher when I return to the US.  

Well anyway, that's my story. Now perhaps you can all better understand my battle with homesickness, which I'm sure will be a running theme in this blog. And you can see why my increasing excitement about the trip must be a good sign! This experience feels right, and even though I'm sure I will never feel fully ready, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

~KMK