My first reactions to California after getting off the plane were that California is awesome, the weather can't be beat, but there's no grass!! My roommate, Abby, and I met in the airport and traveled by shuttle to the William Carey Campus where we met the rest of the ESI teachers and staff. Our first two weeks of training we started with what they called discovery groups, which are meant to learn about ourselves and each other. This time together each morning was a really awesome way to connect with our teammates and experience growth together. Following Discovery groups we usually had worship (I'm on the worship team!) or started our TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) sessions, which were where we learned all about teaching! Following a lunch break everyday, we then had our TeachOverseas sessions, which consisted of discussions on cultural, language, and Spiritual factors related to teaching in our individual countries. These times really forced me to reflect on growing and being transformed into a completely selfless servant for Christ... it really got me thinking about how few material things and financial means we actually need to further God's kingdom, put others first, make them feel comfortable, and just purely serve them.. which was encouraging and challenged me. In a couple sessions we had some hard talks about the realities of the depression, alcoholism, and even sexual conduct and tone that is present in Europe. We talked about how it's very likely that being in the situation that we'll be in (overseas, away from comforts and support systems, feeling isolated at times, culture shock, communication barriers, and other hardships we might face) we will likely experience insecurities and struggles that have been a part of our past.. even if it's something we've dealt with and found healing in. It's going to really force me to rely on the Lord to renew me and give me strength during those times, which is what I've been looking forward too, but for the first time I had developed some feelings of apprehension and nervousness. They also discussed the sexual freedom and openness in Europe, and some alumni shared their experiences.. some of them very shocking and discomfoting. The thing that gets me is the numbness and hardening to those sorts of situations that I can see is very aparent in the alumni's temperament and attitudes because it can be unsafe in some situations to react in a way that we normally might, so it's sometimes best to just ignore it and pretend like its not there and not affecting us. This is something that I pray I will never become desensitized to, so finding a balance between safety in situations I encounter and staying grounded in reality is something I could use prayer for.
Newport Beach
Night hike in the mountains!
Enjoying some shade between classes.
Universal Studios in Hollywood
Dodgers game! Followed by the best firework show I've ever seen!
Last night in Pasadena.. we went downtown to Cheesecake Factory for a nice dinner with the group.
At 3:45 everyday was when we found out whether we would be teaching that night and began our lesson plans based on which level we would be teaching. God really revealed Himself to me through my teaching practicums. One of my biggest apprehensions about teaching in Hungary has been that I won't be able to connect with my students and they won't be able to feel my love and care for them because of language and culture barriers. On the first night of practicum, one of my students, Omar, who had only been in the United States for 19 days, approached me in conversation. At first I felt really overwhellmed because I couldn't communicate with him at all (I don't remember any Spanish from the 2 years of it I took in high school). I told him that I didn't understand any Spanish but that I did know some sign language. He was incredibly intrigued and asked me to sign his name and mine. The next day at practicum, he came up to me and finger-spelled the word 'como', which is the Spanish word for 'how', and pointed to me, asking how I was. The following day, because of his extremely basic level, one of the teachers took him aside to teach him the alaphabet. Following his lesson that day, he found me and pulled me over to his work station, pointed to the letter 'A' and signed it and told me to show him the rest of the alphabet in sign. I was so encouraged by his desire to communicate with me! The next week, he brought with him to class one day a gift he had made for me. It was two pieces of aluminum pasted together with flower designs, a feather pen, and ink well drawn on both sides with the words "a moment of happiness begins with the birth of our friendship" on one side and the Spanish translation of it on the other. God revealed His power to me that day, and showed me that He can use me to love despite language barriers.
Although most of our time at training was spent in the classroom and various culture/spiritual sessions, our weekends were mainly free for exploring California, developing relationships and community with each other, relaxing, and having some fun! We visited Newport Beach, Hollywood, Santa Monica Beach, went to a Dodgers vs Astros game, and got very acquainted with Old Town Pasadena.
Santa Monica Beach
For the second half of practicum, we were assigned a specific level class to teach for the remainder of our training, which meant we would prepare lessons for the same group of students each night. My class consisted of 4 girls between the ages of 16 and 21 and then a couple other women and one older man at the very end. I discovered early on how well I connect with and desire to impact the high school aged girls, which excites me since I'll be teaching in a high school in Miskolc.
Leaving Pasadena was harder than I imagined it might be. I thought I had already said goodbye to all my friends and family back in July and didn't realize how close I would become to many of the teachers at training. The group at training this year was amazing.. and I'm so blessed to have gotten to connect with so many wonderful people.
After about 13 hours of air time and 9 hours of waiting in airports, we finally arrived in Budapest where we were greeted by our alumni teammates! They would not let us sleep, so we immediately set out to explore the city. Our tour guide and alumni teachers, Hope and Justin, showed us some really neat monuments and historical sights and taught us a little about the culture and history. We were exhausted and walking around like zombies the entire day, but it was well worth the adventure. We ended the day with some Hungarian goulash and bableves (bean soup) for dinner. After a good night sleep we were ready for some more culture and practice with the language! Justin took us to buy metro tickets and to the market to practice our Hungarian.. it was quite an experience!
We spent the rest of the day at a couple of the girls' house where they invited over some of their students to help us get acquainted with the Hungarian accent and answer any questions we had about the language and culture. It was great getting to talk with them!
Abby and I just arrived in Miskolc about an hour ago and are trying to get things figured out now with the flat. It's absolutely beautiful here.. the school where our flat is located was built in 1721. It's right in the middle of the city center, and we're going to do some exploring tonight after dinner. The head English teacher at Frater (one of the school's that Abby will be teaching at and where our flat is located) invited us over for dinner in her garden. I will post some more photos as soon as I figure out how to get internet in my flat.
Blessings,
Alyssa
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