'Tis the Season

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It's that awkward time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's the season where I've stopped being homesick, because I'm just really excited to go home in a week (!!!). Half of my kids are slumped over their desks in class, and the other half are out of control. With no Thanksgiving break, the kids have been in school since the beginning of November. Everyone is ready for Christmas.

It's also the season of thankfulness and gratefulness. And over this past week, I've been composing a list of the things I am really thankful for, now that I've lived in Europe for three months. Also, my favorite things.

1. The quaint little towns of the French countryside that I got to peek at while on my train from Lyon to Toulon. Rolling green hills, vineyards, and every so often a little church would pop up. It was so beautiful.

2. The insanity of Oktoberfest. So many people. So many countries. Just the best energy.

3. Looking out the windows of trains to see churches out on the landscape. Every train. Night or day. There are always churches to ground you and let you know you're still in civilization, even if you don't know what country you're in at the time. On our way to Prague in particular, I looked out the window and saw a massive church in...some country...that must definitely be a major tourist attraction in that country.

4. Castles. Castles in Europe never fail to disappoint. People lived in these things! They fought wars in these things! Everything is like Game of Thrones!

5. My kids. I just love them. Even though they're slumped over desks and insane right now, I just love them so much. There aren't even words to describe this. I love the feeling of accomplishment that my kids and I get after we are able to successfully communicate something to each other.

6. Horseback riding. No...lack of liability in Hungary that leads to horseback riding. On Friday the 6 we went on a field trip. It was a surprise field trip. The kids all showed up with helmets, and we took them horseback riding. They rode in a carriage, they ran through muddy fields full of horse crap, they drank tea, ate peanuts and sweets, and rode and fed horses. They also mucked out stalls because when you make it a competition, third graders will do ANYTHING. Also, St. Mikolas came (Santa comes on December 6 in Hungary and fills shoes with sweets and presents. If you're bad you get gold-painted sticks for your parents to hit you with). On the way home, I was talking to one of the girls and I asked if the parents knew what the field trip was. Nope. They knew there was a field trip, but it was a surprise for them too. No liability. No permission slips. Just an e-mail. And no educational value to this field trip. Funsies. I loved it. Also I rode a horse bareback for the first time in my life.

7. Christmas markets. I've been to...7? So far? And I've been to a few of those more than once. In two different countries. Also, I'm going to school tomorrow (on Saturday. Ew.) because it's a mandatory school day. But guess what is happening in school tomorrow? CHRISTMAS MARKET. BOOM. The other night, Kathleen and I had chestnuts roasting on an open fire. I know. It's real. So good.

8. Riding on a train through Austrian towns to see them decorated for Christmas. I would rather be on a train during the day, but since the daytime right now is about 5 hours, we've been doing a lot of evening/night trains. They're awesome right now because Christmas lights!

9. Transportation that announces stops. When Darcy and I went to Vienna last weekend we realized that Vienna was not the final stop on the train. Commence freak-out. Because in Hungary, it's rare that you find transportation that announces what stop you're at in any way. Unless you're sitting next to a window and can see the tiny signs at the stops themselves, you're winging it. Thankfully, our Vienna train was an Austrian railway, so there were computer signs everywhere. Phew.

...the things you learn to appreciate...

10. iNotes. That little app on my iPhone. When I'm speaking to people who speak decent English, and we come across a word that is just full-on language barrier, they understand it about 80% of the time once I type the word into my phone. Works both ways. Most of the time they're mispronouncing an English word, so they just spell it, and our conversation can continue.

11. Snow. My kids screamed bloody murder during the first snow. We thought they were all dying.

12. Little kids who speak different languages. Actually my favorite thing. Numero uno. Their voices are so little, and they're so much better at other languages than I am! It's adorable 100% of the time.

13. Loyalty of dogs. Leash laws here are not a thing. Dogs just follow their owners across busy streets all the time, or they lead the way. In the middle of the city. But dogs just love their people. And it's amazing to see. And I miss Maggie and Risky. ONE WEEK!

14. Perfect timing on night transportation. Seriously. Nothing makes your night like walking up to the tram/bus stop and having the tram/bus come within 5 minutes. You know the next one will come anywhere from a half hour to an hour. It's the best.

15. Getting paid this week. YOU GUYS. I GOT PAID THIS WEEK. We didn't think we were getting paid again until late January, so I'm beyond excited.

16. Good things happening in the Foundation. Good things happening in the Foundation. I know you didn't believe it, so I typed it twice for you. Something something ownership change. Something something I GOT PAID THIS WEEK. Meeting when we get back. More details then. This can only be good, because it literally can't get worse than it was.

17. The view from Margit Hid. This is the bridge I live on. Whenever I take the tram to Pest, especially at night (which right now is ALWAYS), I make sure to press my face up against the south windows. Crossing the bridge I can see Matyas Church, The Buda Palace, Parliament, the Liberation Statue, the church at Battany Square, Szechenyi Bridge, and the Erzsebet Bridge. All at once. It's spectacular always. It's my Budapest version of the flatirons. I haven't stopped appreciating it, and I don't think I ever could.

18. Going home for Christmas. I seriously cannot wait.

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Comments

[SHEILA]

I LOVE YOUR BLOG SO MUCH. CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOU - MONDAY!!! SAFE HOME AND LOVE, SHEIL