Happy Birthday Hungary!

So I guess I am in what you would call a blogging mood. I really should be getting to bed, as tomorrow is the first day of school! I am really looking forward to getting started! Today, we went downtown to celebrate the birth of Hungary that they mark by the date of the coronation of their first king, Stephen (Istvan in Hungarian). First, we saw the Red Bull Air Show, which was spectacular. The planes flew almost into the bridges and then weaved their way through an obstacle course over the Danube. It was a little slice of home as Chicago also has a wonderful air show. I will post pictures if I got any good ones. After that we had dinner downtown, and then watched the fireworks. AMAZING does not begin to describe the display the prime minister's office put on. They had identical fireworks going off from all three of the major bridges that cross over the river. They also had fireworks going off simultaneously on citadel hill. All of this was perfectly synchronized with music playing over the loudspeakers. It was by far the best fireworks display I have ever seen! It was truly a wonderful way to spend the last day of summer!

Week in Review

Hello again from Hungary! Things are going very well here. This past weekend I got to have dinner with a Hungarian family that works at the school. We had goulash cooked over an open flame! Yum! I also got to go down for the chain bridge festival. We listened to some authentic Polish, Ukranian, and Hungarian folk music. I also got some great pictures of the chain bridge at night. Monday and Tuesday consisted of staff orientation. Today we spent most of the day scheduling for the supplemental services department. It has been exciting to learn about many of the students I will be working with! Tonight was orientation. It was great to see a large portion of the ICSB community. I got to meet many of my students and there parents. God continues to amaze me with the people here. They are so kind and welcoming and thankful. My classroom is all set for the first day of school this Thursday. Tomorrow is Saint Stephen's Day. This is a MAJOR holiday in Hungary celebrating the coronation of their most famous king in 1000 A.D. We will be going downtown for the Red Bull Air Show and fireworks! I will post pictures of that amazing feat soon! Feel free to post questions if you ever want to know more!

The Ukranian Folk band

Buda Castle

Chain Bridge festival

Chain Bridge at night

My fav pic :)

She-She La La girl House

So, I am living in a four bedroom house on a hill in Diosd (a suburb of Budapest) with three other girls. I recently found out that the house I live in is referred to as the She-She la la girl house. Most people shorten it to she-she. I have no idea about how this name came to be, but everyone seems to know of the house. Interesting times. Here are some pics of the house...
Entry Way

Living Room

Kitchen





Dining Room

Downstairs Bathroom with Shower


Stairs



View from upstairs of Diosd

My Room






Back Patio

Upstairs Bathroom

View from my balcony

My balcony

Kim the blogger?

So, this is my first ever official blog. It is all very exciting. I am hoping to use this space to share what the Lord is doing in Budapest, Hungary and what is going on in my life! For those of you who are not aware, I moved to Budapest to teach Social Studies and Special Ed. at the International Christian School of Budapest (ICSB). I arrived here on Monday August 4th, and am still adjusting to the fact that I now actually live here and am not just visiting for a short time. My first week was filled with sleep, buying stuff for my house (which was already pretty well furnished), dinners with other ICSB staff and new teacher orientation. I have already met some really wonderful people and am looking forward to meeting more! I am also trying to learn "get by" Hungarian. Yesterday was our first chance to learn and practice at the local market. Let's just say the Hungarian people have been very gracious :) I have pictures of my house to post and I will also be posting pictures of the city. We are going downtown today to sightsee and learn the public transport. I will post more later about downtown experiences. Blessings,
Kim (am I supposed to sign a blog? I don't really know how this works)