I arrived in Budapest on August 22nd, and I started my job on September 1st. It is now September 11th. I cannot believe that I have been in Budapest for three weeks. It certainly feels like I’ve been here longer than that. Time passes quickly when you throw yourself into a new lifestyle.

I feel like my senses have gone wild. It’s difficult to find a moment to take it all in, and I constantly feel like I am being bombarded with new sights, sounds, and smells. I will never get used to the sight of Parliament all lit up at night, and I still have a mild panic attack whenever someone tries to talk to me in Hungarian.

When I do get a chance to look around, I realize how different life is here. I take a city bus to work every day, filled to the brim with school children (never thought I’d miss our yellow school buses). Corner grocery stores are easy to find, although I usually have no idea what I’m buying. Meret and I are always the loudest people on the metro. You have to say “Good Morning” to strangers, but you’re not expected to smile.

The latter has been especially difficult for me. I always have a huge smile on my face when I show the metro guard my metro pass. Maybe those stone faces will one day crack a smile.

One of the greatest struggles here has been adjusting to an unorganized, unplanned life. As an American, I am used to giving and receiving highly detailed, often written instructions when something needs to be accomplished. We don’t see any harm in planning ahead, sometimes months at a time. American schools for example, often spend a whole lesson reading over the syllabus. In Hungary, life just moves slower. Nothing is written down, and I am told that I will receive more information when i receive it. This is good for me though. I am slowly learning to chill out. I am trying my best to let go of the need for perfection.

On the other hand, this experience has already made me realize how similar life is here to my own in America. My fifth grade boys talk incessantly about air-soft guns and Bazookas, and the girls pretend that they are too cool for me. Kids are kids no matter where you are, and their parents are just as caring and concerned.

Work so far has been intense but wonderful. I have to work with a translator to plan lessons with my Hungarian co-teachers, but it somehow always works out. The students all seem to like my lessons and they all seem to like me. That’s a good start, right? Well, don’t ask the second graders. All they do is scream at me and tackle each other.

More later. We are planning a trip to Szentendre soon, and I’m hoping to hit the Wine festival if it doesn’t rain tomorrow.

Talk to you later, America.