“I go to the Balaton!”

I have heard that line so many times over the last year from my fifth graders. When I first heard them say that, I was of course confused. “WHAT is the Balaton?” Whatever it was, it sounded important. Not just Balaton but THE Balaton. The one, the only. From what I gathered, it was the place to be in the summer.

Turns out, that it’s the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe. On top of that, it is surrounded by resort towns, and Siofok in particular is the party central of Hungary in the summer. Lake Balaton is truly Hungary’s pride and joy, and for good reason.

I first saw Lake Balaton on my way to Slovenia. I was blown away by both its size and beauty. It stretches for miles into the horizon, and it shares the same gorgeous turquoise/lime-green color of the River Soca. I could see why the Hungarians love it so much. I had since planned to spend time at the lake in the summer. However it wasn’t long before I was given a different opportunity to finally see The Balaton.

As part of my job as a teacher with Szoloto, I had to go on a five-day English immersion summer camp after classes ended in June. This year, the upper grades from three schools in the program went on a bike trip around Lake Balaton.

Thus, from June 22-26th, 8 teachers, and 25 5th-7th graders completed a 220km bike ride around the lake. Each day, we biked about 35-50 km. Along the way, we camped in four resort towns. The trip started and ended in Siofok.

I was placed in a group with Tiffany, a teacher from Budakeszy. She took the lead, while I looked out for the slow kids in the back. Between us, we had 6-9 kids, always riding in a perfect line. I spent most of the week fixing bikes (believe it), showing kids how to change gears, and yelling “CAR BACK GET TO THE RIGHT I SAID GET TO THE RIGHT!” In the evenings, we set up camp and showed the kids how to set up their tents. We also swam in the freezing lake, and made s’mores around a campfire.

The longest day of 51 km was plagued by torrential rain. We had to make fancy trashbag skirts to avoid a soaked bike seat. The hardest day was without a doubt the fourth, when we had to conquer the hilly side of the shore while struggling through great pain and exhaustion. Through it all, we stuck together and persevered. By the fourth day my legs ached so much that I had to force myself to get on the bike. I was extremely exhausted, but I knew that I couldn’t give up when the kids all powered through it.

I know that no one outside of Hungary will be impressed that I completed this trip. (“You biked around what?”) However I am forever grateful for this opportunity. I feel that I accomplished something great, and I made memories that will last a lifetime. Not only did I have the chance to meet new students, but I also grew closer with my fellow English teachers in the program. We all struggled through the physical and mental strain of the trip, and all of us, including the kids, were made better for it. I have to thank Hilary, Peter and Marcsi for planning a fantastic camp!