Maybe some of you caught a glimpse of the video that was pulled from the blog for being too scary. Well, it’s back, so be ready:

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Jamie stuck with me all weekend — what a trooper! We ate cookies, made some nachos and burgers, and just laid low while it rained. We also watched Orphan and Trick ‘r Treat — what a freaky weekend! As if we’ve had enough freaky kids in scary movies, here comes Orphan. However, it is definitely worth a watch. The movie has a lot of creepy, yell at the screen moments and a twist that I doubt anyone will see coming (but, go ahead, tell me if you do — liar!).

Trick ‘r Treat was initially made for theaters, but for one reason or another, never made it out to the general public. It follows four Halloween tales that end up being intertwined pretty well. If I had a choice, I’d go for Orphan, but Trick ‘r Treat is still worth checking out — just remember to leave the lights off!

While Halloween is a big deal elsewhere in the world (read: USA), it is not widely celebrated here. At my school, however, the majority of the kids know it, love it, and participate in it! Some of the kids even told me they went trick-r-treating on Halloween. Where exactly…I’m not sure. Since I’m going to guess not too many actually hand out candy here, it must’ve been close to home, but who knows. Some places, like the restaurant we went to for dinner, put on Halloween parties, but it is a slow movement out here. This also has to do with All Saints Day, or Day of the Dead, (November 1st) which brings families to cemeteries to honor and remember lost ones.

Before the fall break, I decided to show “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” in class, which most seemed to enjoy. However, I could see the turnoff in their minds eventually, since it’s all in English and they can’t understand the majority of it.

After break, I kept some of the Halloween theme relevant, but slowly segued into moving on to other things. But with the Halloween party on Wednesday, I wanted to use it as much as possible!

Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t feeling too good on Tuesday! I went home and laid in bed all day with a high fever. I was turning red. I took some Tylenol and tried to bring it down to little avail. And I went to school Wednesday. And turned right back around.

They looked at me, told me I should’ve called, and sent me on my way. What really stinks is that, not being a citizen, I can’t go to the doctor using Hungarian health insurance. I went anyway. At 5:00 PM. The next day. After resting sleeplessly for two days, Jamie accompanied me on the trek to the doctor. A very nice guy who speaks excellent English gave me medicine that is so disgusting, so repulsive, that I think it’s actually scaring the sickness away!

I ruined our plans to go to Debrecen this weekend and party, and that’s a big drag. We’re just taking it easy, staying warm, and watching a bunch of TV and movies. I caught up on Dexter season 4 (it’s killer — check it out!), and Jamie and I started watching Bored to Death.  Despite my cough keeping both of us awake, and my hallucinations of me moving rocks all night long, I’m hoping to be better by Monday. On Monday, parents will observe some of my classes, and I need to do a top-notch job! Or else…

Those Hungarians sure know how to get down! Here’s a clip from the wine festival. Not shown: Hungarian men carrying heavy sacks around the stage.

Here’s our neighborhood watchhog, Sonic! Actually, we’ve only seen him out there once, but I’m sure he’s speeding along somewhere.

Although this goes all the way back to my birthday weekend, I felt that everyone should witness the hottest pop star in all of Hungary!

To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Operahaz, balloons were released into the air! There were also several opera singers performing on stage.

Well, I still owe you a video tour of our apartment…one day, one day. For now, here’s a look at how our washing machine works:

Now that’s clean!

(Unfinished) Gypsy Mansion in Transylvania!

Despite only starting the school year less than two months ago, it felt like it was time for a break. Which worked out perfectly for me, as schools close for a week for Fall Break! Before I delve into Fall Break, I do want to mention that I had a chance to meet more family! Vera and her husband, Mike, along with baby Alex, came into town for a couple days, which was awesome. Jamie and I went and had delicious cake with them, as well as just getting to hang and talk.

Mike, Vera, and baby Alex

Group picture!

Vera, Agi, and Alex

Onto Fall Break…after much debating, Jamie and I decided to plunk the money down and go to Romania. CETP helps to arrange a trip to Romania for about 6 days, where we get to travel to the region known as Transylvania. We learned a lot about the history of the area, the importance to Hungarians, as well as admire the beauty that is the Carpathian Mountains. We had a great time travelling via bus with about 16 other teachers. It was brutal sitting on a bus for extended periods of time, but overall, there are no regrets with going!

Day 1: Today, October 23, marks the anniversary of the 1956 revolution. Since we were warned of the possible dangers of walking around Budapest on this day while not being Hungarian, it worked in our favor that we left to Transylvania on this day. After being picked up at our apartment at the bright and early 6:30 AM, we headed to Debrecen to nab the rest of the group and make our way across the border. We saw a 13th century church, a gothic-style church in Oradea, and then just sat on the bus as we made our way to Torocko/Rimitea. Jamie got stuck sleeping with just the boys (including me), but we had a good time. While we missed it in the morning, the mountains here allow for the village to receive TWO sunrises a day. Sweet deal!

Jamie and me near the Kiralyhago

Medieval Sighisoara

Day 2: We were on our way bright and early to Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureş, where we went to the Cultural Palace there and saw awesome Hungarian folk tales imprinted on stained glass windows. They were beautiful, although quite different from something as happy as Cinderella. Example: a woman is seduced by the devil and then dies, and yet the only one to weep for her is her horse. Following this, we headed to Sighişoara, which is the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (I think). It was very medieval, with windy cobblestone roads, and a church at the top overlooking the city. To end the day, we went to our hotel in Csernáton/Cerna. It was pretty much brand new, and we all were on the same floor, so it was like a party all night. We even told ghost stories!

Day 3: The day everyone was waiting for: Bran’s Castle – home of Dracula! Well, so we thought, until we found out that Vlad the Impaler

Dracula's Castle -- cue lightning and thunder!

aka Dracula was only imprisoned there for two months. While that was an unfortunate truth, it was still very cool to visit a castle atop a hill like that! After picking up a couple vampire knick knacks, we were on our way to Braşov/Kronstadt. This had to be one of the biggest disappointments of the trip, as we didn’t get much time in the city, and the Black Church, which is supposed to be amazing, was closed. Total drag, but if I ever make it back out to Romania, I will definitely head out to Brasov for a second visit! The day ended with us heading back to our hotel to make a delicious pretzel-like pastry called Kurtos Kalac. Cylinder-shaped and yummy, this pastry is covered in sugar/cinnamon/nuts/coconut and cooked to perfection! Don’t leave Hungary/Romania without trying one!

Day 4: We started bright and early with a visit to this museum that two brothers in the city put together. Over the years, they collected a bunch of crap, from old kitchen stoves to old radios to old agriculture equipment. However, that crap has now become one of the hottest tourist spots in the country! Go figure! What made this visit even more special is that the brother talked to us about the Szekely, who were the border guards of Hungary. They were even building a Szekely gate on the premises, all of wood. They are stunning! After our visit here, we went to Csíksomlyó/Şumuleu Ciuc or somewhere around there to check out the “clapping square.” It is called this because the people of the town had to rehearse how to clap for when Nicolae Ceauşescu came for a visit. After that, we visited a church that has a statue known as the Miracle Madonna. Rub her foot, make a wish, and have a nice day! Afterwards, we headed to Csangos country! The Csangos are another ethnic group in Romania; isolated and poor, yet rich in history. We saw a Csangos home where 3 generations live not only under one roof, but in one room! We spent the rest of the day dancing, drinking, and eating to Csangos music! It was a blast, even if all the food wasn’t! And if we thought we were full, we still had to go to our hotel for the night and have ANOTHER dinner. However, this was, for me, the second best meal of the entire trip. I couldn’t tell you what it was, aside from being beef and noodles, but it was delicious!

Brasov - a must-see!

Day 5: As we come to a close on the trip, many of us are growing weary of the extended periods on the bus! Bathroom breaks are far and few, and most of the food has consisted of junk from gas stations. Breakfast and dinners are the only decent meals, and they are hours apart. We start out with a nice walk along the Bicaz Gorge. It’s a beautiful canyon, and a definite must if you are anywhere near the Moldovan/Romanian border! Afterwards, we went to the Killer Lake, which has trees sticking out thanks to minerals in the water. Don’t go in the water…but eat a Kurtoc Kolac instead! We made our way to a pottery village, and bought some cool pieces — some of which may or may not be gifts! Afterwards, we continued along the way to — I actually don’t remember what came next. More stuffed cabbage for dinner, but that’s the part I’d rather not remember!

The awesome Bicau Gorge!

Killer Lake..wanna go for a swim?

Hand-made pottery!

Day 6: We woke up, saddened to know it was our last day, yet happy to be heading back to our new home, Magyarorszag. We stopped to look at embroidery, followed by one final visit to Oradea. We went inside a Jewish Synagogue that’s been closed since 1996, and has unfortunately been robbed of much of it’s beauty! Hopefully it will be restored one day, but it seems pretty doubtful that it’ll happen anytime soon. We hopped back on the bus, and spent the rest of the day cruising back towards Budapest. It was nice to have a dinner with the teachers in Budapest, as soon some of us would be heading back to other cities outside the capital.

Other highlights include:

Gypsy mansions: Tin roofs align these large houses that are never actually completed. The gypsies complete one or two rooms out of the entire house, and leave the rest to be finished so that they don’t have to pay taxes. Sneaky, conniving, and ingenious.

Fortified churches: We saw plenty of these along the way. Two words I’d rather not here for a while.

Palinka: Oh, the palinka. We drank plenty of it. I was the only toilet casualty of the trip, but I blame a hot paper, not the alcohol! From cherry to blueberry to just plain horrible, we had plenty of it to drink!

Stuffed cabbage: Served for dinner at two different occasions, and I don’t plan on ever eating it again!

Stuffed peppers: Delicious. Enough said.

Stray dogs: They were everywhere, but sweethearts nonetheless. Flea-ridden, but they just want to be pet!

Hajni Bingo: Hajni, our CETP director in Hungary who joined us on the trip, was noted for saying several key phrases over and over. Rather than let our minds wander during her often interesting talks, we played bingo with her phrases. Jamie and I won the second game, and we’re still owed a beer!

Getting to know the other teachers: It was great to reunite and hang for a good chunk of time after not seeing many of the teachers since orientation. Good connections, new friendships, and just plain fun in Transylvania!

The old Jewish Synagogue -- a sad story

Example of a Szekely gate

Kurtoc Kalac -- a must-try!

One of the many palinkas

Stray dog -- I think we named him Szabolc

The rest of fall break:

After we got back, Jamie and I immediately started some laundry and just took it easy. We even made a Tesco trip, which is always a 3+ hour excursion! On Friday, we went to Janoshegy, or Janos Hill, where we witnessed amazing views of the entire city and beyond. I surprised our group (Jamie, Betsy, Jeremy, and I) with a ride on the Children’s Railway. It’s run by children, except for the adult driving the train! After hiking a hill, we finally made it to the breathtaking views. Unfortunately for the way down, the chairlift was closed, and we walked in the dark all the way back down. Sketchy, Blair Witch-like, but fun. We had dinner at Baross Utca, which has some cool little restaurants (and is nearby vintage store Iguana), and then pretty much called it a night. Maybe there was another beer in there somewhere…oh, yes there was, at a place with a guy playing Tequila on the accordion. Pretty good beer, too.

Saturday was Halloween. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t get costumes together. Other teachers Dwana and Levi accompanied Jamie and me to get french toast at a place that specifically stated having syrup alongside, but they were closed. Epic fail, but we found a place with pancakes — it did the job! After saying goodbye to them, we made our way to meet Jeremy and Betsy for a day in Szentendre. Unfortunately for me, I lost my bus pass. I don’t want to talk about it. Moving on.

Szentendre is a cool, picturesque, artsy kind of place. We didn’t see any art galleries, but had some decent pizza, langos, and a dang diddly good ol’ time. It is worth a day trip if you have time, as it’s just a nice leisurely walking town not far from Budapest. Afterward we left Szentendre is when the real fun began! We made our way up to the Castle District and then..under it! That’s right, we walked around an underground labyrinth beneath the castle! I had been wanting to do this for a while, but what better night than Halloween, where we could walk from 6-730 in the dark with only oil lamps guiding our way. It was a fun time, somewhat spooky, but definitely worth it for a night. Afterwards, we went to the Iguana Bar, which is the best Mexican in town (supposedly). While the food was decent, prices were way too high. Maybe I’ll try going back for Happy Hour, but otherwise, Arribas near Oktogon will feed my Mexican fix as needed.

Sunday was definitely lazy, as Jamie and I were both looking forward to and dreading our return to school. It was such a nice break, and getting back into the swing of things would not be entirely easy…so far we’ve managed…er, at least until I got sick. Hopefully it’s not that crazy flu coming from the Ukraine…

Hungary's flag atop Eger!

Well, in an unfortunate turn of events, the lengthy post that I had prepared for your enjoyment recapping the last several weeks miraculously deleted itself. Seeing as how Jamie and I are leaving for Romania tomorrow, I will not be able to regurgitate everything I wanted to say! Instead, get ready for reconstituted blogging, as I crash-course you through the last several weeks! And seeing as how I am sick today and home from school, who knows what I’ll be pulling from my…memory.

Jamie and I have been here for 8 weeks now, and oh what fun it’s been! No, really! It’s been a whirlwind of excitement getting into the swing of everything, but I think we’re finally getting the hang of it. After Alex and Suzanne left, Jamie and I got back into our routine and prepared for school, school, and more school! To start, let’s recap how school’s going!

School:

With the first graders, I’ve been going over animals, toys, and just this past week, Halloween! It’s amazing how quickly the kids pick up words left and right. I’ve also been working on “How are you?”, and I decided to throw in I’m GREAT! Too bad for me the kids prefer to say “I’m GRAPES!” They know they’re doing it, and giggle afterward, but I really hope they don’t go telling someone else they’re feeling likes grapes today! At the end of the week, I went on a field trip with one of the first grade classes to Skanzen! Skanzen is a historical amusement park divided into regions of Hungary. Each region has reconstructed or rebuilt houses from different time periods, which was a lot of fun to check out. The kids had a blast making bread, butter, and the girls even got to clean a house! I’ve been receiving some interesting artwork from different students. If I get a chance, I’ll try and find a way to scan them. So far, I’ve received me as a blonde mermaid, a princess, and a picture of my face. The most recent one received, today, was me as a mermaid, shirtless, with two girls. Inappropriate…but the other teachers in the room laughed and I was left speechless and saying, “Thank you.” They’re first graders, so I hoped that would suffice to show my…er…appreciation.

Crazy-horned sheep!

Windmill at Skanzen!

Grey cattle (aka goulash soup)

Mangelica: A fat, extremely hairy, and smelly pig

As for the second graders, they are a tough bunch. For the most part, they’re productive and quick. However, they are very talkative and often distracting. Aside from that, they have a lot of fun trying to explain something to me with a concoction of English and Hungarian. I can’t guarantee that I understand all of it, but at least they’re trying! We made little books about The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which was very sticky but enjoyed nonetheless. We’ve also been working on a book called Winnie the Witch and just this week was Halloween as well.

Overall, the school is amazing. The teachers are all very helpful and extremely nice. I’ve finally gotten over my nerves and have been eating lunch in the teacher’s room downstairs. It’s a mixture of English-speaking and non-English speaking teachers, so I can get by with some form of conversation. I’m not really sure what I’m usually eating, but it often ends up being something with cabbage. My slogan, “Cabbage: the lettuce of Hungary!” Teachers have made an effort to inform me of upcoming school events that I would otherwise not be prepared for. The only tough part is keeping up with all the paperwork! I have to sign a book stating what time I come and go from school; a book for each class stating what I taught each period; two books, one for each of my after-school classes; and different papers that are handed to me in Hungarian. Sign, sign, sign! Hopefully I didn’t sign my soul away or anything…because I really wouldn’t know otherwise! I’ll be sure to get pictures of my school up soon.

If any of you readers have questions about my school or anything, please post in the comments section! I’m open to answering any and all of your inquiries, please!

Our first trip outside of Budapest:

Jamie and I met with fellow CETP couple Burke and Anna, both Pennsylvania locals and NYU grads, in Eger. Eger is an amazing place, and is home to an awesome castle, quaint streets, a cool tour of the city, and…the Valley of Beautiful Women! While the valley does not house actual women, it does have 200 wine cellars built into the hillside for our enjoyment. Glasses of wine were cheap, and you could even buy liters of wine with a plastic bottle for a mere 600 HUF (about $3.00). Superjol! We walked 97 steps the sketchy Minaret, which is the last one on Hungary. It was used by the Turks to announce the time for Prayer. It was scary walking up, and even scarier walking down! All in all, it was an AWESOME trip, and I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Me drunkenly helping out (or not - I broke it)

Not pictured: The wine bottle that was knocked over

Somebody's had enough...

The Minaret

Eger!

Jamie and Anna in Eger

Excited for Eger!

Miscellaneous highlights of the last couple of weeks:

I don’t even know where to begin, what with all the antics we’ve been up to. Let’s see, we’ve gone to two Hungarian movies with English subtitles. The first, called We Never Die, is about an uncle breaking his nephew out of his sheltered shell — what could be better? The second movie we saw, Children of Glory, was about the 1956 Hungarian water polo team and the revolution, and their impact on the country. It was really good, and a glimpse at what the revolution was probably like at the time. We found a vintage clothing store called Iguana — very Haight Street-esque. We went to breakfast expecting french toast, only to receive Hungarian french toast — deep fried bread! After that, we walked 6 miles just to ensure the grease wouldn’t stay with us forever. Had several good dinners — always a good time. Went to the mall several times, and even saw a fashion show at one of them. Ate at the nicest McDonald’s in Europe — at the Nyugati train station. There’s probably a lot more, but since I don’t remember, that’ll do.

Living status:

I have yet to receive my resident’s permit. Despite several repeat visits to the office, only to be told to come back, I’ve been informed that it will take another couple weeks, and to just come back and check to see if it’s ready. It is a real drag because today I am actually sick, and if I want to go to the doctor (appointment scheduled for tomorrow), I’ll have to pay. Maybe I’ll end up becoming a dual citizen, maybe not. All I know is that I need to get paid, and I can’t get paid until all this is figured out!

Rather than try and remember what else we’ve been up to, I’m just going to move on.