Last days, last meals and fond farewells....

These final days in Hungary find us with a full schedule and full hearts too.  There continue to be so many happy highlights as we continue on until the end.

 As of last evening we have a plan for our departure.  All being well we hope to leave from here by car on Sunday afternoon, with Shaun and Sondi taking us to Budapest.   After a late afternoon church service at the Kelenfold Evangelical Free Church we will spend that night with our new friends, the Madsens...Paul and Ellie plus sons Silas and Timothy.  We hear the boys need some more grandma and grandpa time!  And Silas is presently studying Canada at school so maybe we can help out with a few more facts there too.

 After one night with Paul and Ellie we will have our final overnight stay in Budapest at the ACSI guesthouse, and then mid-day on Tuesday the 4th we leave to fly home to Vancouver where our family will meet us about 6:30p.m. on that same Tuesday, December 4th...amazing how time flies when one is heading westward by plane across many time zones!

But for now we are still very much here. These past few days have been filled with many special times.... our Sunday Christmas Tea; continuing to counsel and tutor students; learning to make galuska; baking for the various groups meeting here; having friends in for tea; going out for meals in several homes....Today we are invited back to Magda's school for a special noon meal prepared and served by the culinary arts students there; tonight we'll be with Szilvi and Miki (and other friends) for supper; and in-between we have Reka, Tomas and a friend coming by for tea. In the midst of all this social action Ron had a new and exciting adventure this week when he was invited to join a school group headed out to explore some underground caves. But I'm hoping he will write later and give you his own personal version of this new caving experience.  For now let's return to Sunday afternoon and our ladies' gathering here at our apartment....



Ladies Christmas Tea on  Sunday, November 25th when
22 ladies of all ages gathered for a relaxing and inspiring afternoon of fun, food and fellowship.

 

Last meal times with new friends---Andrea and family plus Livia and family all treated us so well! We are learning to love Hungarian food!



Learning to make galuska in one quick home lesson....and yet another school visit.

Though we didn't have a huge turn-out for our Canada Day program on Wednesday afternoon, those students and staff who came seemed to have a good time and several lingered long to snack on the sweets and chat with us afterwards.  Then a very happy surprise was to have Alex (tall boy on Ron's right) appear here for our English club gathering last evening.  In fact he was the very first one to arrive!  Though Alex seems to have very little English he is certainly an eager student and we hope we can continue to keep in touch by e-mail and encourage him on in his English studies here in Tapolca.

Saturday, November 24th...another slice of Hungarian life!

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE-- Pannonhalma, Hungary

Art, history and beauty everywhere...from floor to 

ceilings painted like skies! 

 

 

 

 

Gateway to learning at the Abbey.....



 

Hundreds of hungry boys eat here every day.....

 

Another day at the Abbey....

 

 

 

 

Past and present meet at the Abbey where new construction carries on in the midst of historic statues and momuments.

 

 

 

At the invitation of Sylvester and Erika, last Saturday found us once more  away on another amazing adventure.  This was a day that our new friends had carefully planned for us.  Could we clear our calendar and be ready to spend the entire day with them?
 Yes, we cleared our calendar and moved our Ladies' Christmas Tea from Saturday to Sunday the 25th.  Here people seem flexible and such changes don't appear to disturb anyone too much!  (We had a great turn-out on Sunday and will tell more about our tea another time.)

Thus last Saturday found us free and ready to leave from here at 10:30a.m.   Sylvester and Erika arrived with their car at the appointed time and we were off!!

 We headed first to the World Heritage site and beautiful Benedictine Cathedral and Boys School located high on a hill above the town of Pannonhalma, not too far from the Austrian border.  It was this very monastery that Sylvester had attended for several years as a younger man.  At one time he had even contemplated being a monk, but in the end he set this idea aside and married his sweetheart, Erika.  So visiting this school and cathedral held many memories for Sylvester and he proved an able and knowledgeable guide as we toured the grounds and enjoyed lunch in the huge school dining room, surrounded by dozens of hungry school boys!

  After lunch we left Sylvester to visit some old friends and the rest of us set off on an extensive "English" tour of this Benedictine school.   There were a good number of guests there this Saturday, since it was also an Open House day at the school.  Some parents were there visiting their sons; others had come to check out the school before sending a son there for his further education.  It is a famous institution of learning and many hope to have their children enrolled there at some time in the future.

 

By 4:00p.m. we decided it was time to leave the Abbey and head on to our next stop in the city of Gyor.   Arriving in Gyor by dusk, we strolled the streets and alleys until we found a quaint coffee shop where we paused for a short while before carrying on to the Danube River. There we had the unique experience of dining aboard a large paddle-wheel boat moored at the river's edge.  The food was excellent and service speedy. This was good as we needed to keep moving.  Erik and Sylvester had friends ready to meet us at the theatre where we were booked in with reservations at the evening ballet program featuring the story of Zorba the Greek.  Thus we enjoyed yet another memorable evening with new  friends eager to share with us a special slice of their life here in Hungary.  For sure we were thrilled to have the opportunity to share this day with them, trusting it won't be too long until Sylvester and Ericka come our way for a visit in Canada.

Hidden Art

Furniture hand-crafted by family and friends....

Come sit awhile and enjoy our old but newly-recovered loveseats.....

 

Love, beauty and "hidden art" everywhere......

 

Many years ago when I was a young wife and mother I stumbled upon the writings of Edith Schaeffer.  Meeting Edith through her books such as L'Abri, What is a Family? and Hidden Art was like discovering a kindred spirit.  Here was a woman who embraced life to the full and found time to behold and create "hidden art" in so many different places.  I devoured her books and longed to be like her...this woman who served alongside her husband and worked hard to make their home in Switzerland a place of rest, refreshment and rejuvenation for the many others God brought their way.

When we flew to Hungary in September I brought the book L'Abri with me and read it while flying eastward.  Then how amazing to discover that the young man seated next to me on the plane was Swiss born and headed home after some months of English study in Canada!  We enjoyed many hours of conversation re his homeland and how life in Canada compared to that in Switzerland.  It was a rare meeting with a fine young man... and only the first of many friendly Europeans we've been privileged to meet and talk with during our months here in Hungary.

Not only have we met friendly folks but so many with an eye for beauty as they observe the world around them.  Ron and I felt and experienced this at the fine arts school here in Tapolca....we see it every day in the carefully designed pansy beds bordering the roads; in the patterns of the paved walkways; in the ornate architecture of the buildings; in the stained glass windows of the churches; and even in the amazing array of fresh flowers displayed in each and every cemetery.  Everywhere we turn there is so much beauty....so much "hidden art" in each home we have entered.

For today we wanted to tell you a bit about the wonderful weekend we had
one week ago when English teacher Erika and her husband Sylvester (who has very limited English) took us into their hearts and their home.  This all began with an invitation to supper with them on Friday evening.  So off we went, past the fine arts school and Christian Reformed church here in town, on to their home a short walk beyond the school and church.  The meal was totally and truly Hungarian with homemade wine; pickles preserved by Erika's mother; a big pot of galushka and a savoury beef goulash stew.  While  Hungarians tend to use pork or chicken most of the time, Erika had purposely bought beef as a treat for her Canadian friends.  The stew was delicious as was the zucchini and cheese side dish she served as part of this first course.  And then there was a plate of her own homebaked sweets, and more wine......

 

 

Following supper we enjoyed a "show and tell" time as Erika brought out a beautiful tablecloth that her students had secretly made for her as a gift.  The huge white cloth was bordered with bright red cherries that had been carefully hand-embroidered, along with the names of each of the students who had taken part in this long-term labour of love!  Also we had a house tour as we heard about various friends or family who had re-upholstered furniture for them; painted pictures for them or built cabinets, tables etc.  Erika also loves to shop in thrift stores for clothes, accessories and other bargains so always we had much to talk about!

School Visits

During our weeks here in Hungary we've been able to visit a number of the public schools.  Via blog some of you have come along with us to the village school in Monostoropati.  But we've also had visits to a couple of larger schools here in Tapolca too. 

In late October we visited Magdolna's school where the focus is mainly on preparing older students for the workplace.  Thus when we chatted with students in Magda's English class, all were boys with the exception of one girl training to be a shopkeeper's assistant.  It seemed that most of the boys present that day were hoping to be chefs.  Now this week we return to this same secondary/adult education school to do a Canada Day feature on Wednesday afternoon.

Looking back, we'd both agree that one of our most enjoyable school experiences ever, took place about ten days ago with a visit to the local, public fine arts school.  This unique school is located here in the heart of Tapolca and we had walked past the busy playground many times during our days here.  But on Wednesday, the 14th of November we were invited into the school to talk about Canada.  Thus we taught a group of 40 grade 8 students followed by another large group of grade 7 students.  Though quite shy and rather hesitant to speak English, most of the kids seemed genuinely interested in us and Canada.  Each class had a few boys bold enough to ask and answer questions.  Now when we see some of these same students out and about in town they are quick to acknowledge us and call us by name!

 

 

English teacher Erika has become a good friend. 

 

 

 

 

 

Such a happy learning place!

 

 

 

 

 

The afternoon following our teaching time, I returned to the city school while Ron carried on with duties out at the Monostoropati school.  What a treat to get in on some of their Fine Arts Heritage Day activities....music, folk dancing; weaving and spinning were just some of the options available to the children and teens that afternoon.  For sure I was impressed not only by the students, but also by the dedicated staff at this school.  The students there seemed happy and fully involved in their learning experience....very heart-warming to watch and observe!!

To Veszprem and back again by bus....

Yes, last Friday found us again off on a short one-day adventure. And again it was one of our students who suggested this trip to Veszprem, her home area. So Reka met us there at the bus depot about 9:40a.m. It was a happy little reunion with one of our most advanced English students.  Immediately we were off to discover some of the sights, sounds and tastes of this historic city and county center.

Our first stop was the huge farmer's market located right there beside the bus depot. There we found so many tempting little booths and bargains; so many interesting people and their various items for sale. We did end up buying a handwoven basket from a cute little old lady who wished we would purchase many more!

　

Then what fun to walk the streets with Reka as she took us through the center of town and up castle hill to visit several monuments and sites of interest there. It was a grey day but the vistas were still lovely as we looked out over this ancient city with the oldest chapel in all of Hungary.

Could this really be Hungary's oldest chapel?

Amazing architecture at every turn....

Two old couples on castle hill...

And sunshine once again!!

After a couple of hours of sight-seeing outdoors we decided to browse through a few quaint shops as we hunted for little gifts for loved ones at home. We even found an antique shop with a "free basket" filled with give-away items!! So now I have a Hungarian handwork project to work on as we fly home in just ten more days.  Anything to make that long 9-hour flight seem just a bit shorter!

Dear Reka was very oganized and had not only spent hours working on English notes telling about each site we visited, but also had selected a popular lunch place for us. Then it was off to visit a thrift shop (we told her we love these places to find treasures); to a chocolate shop and a craft store! Finally it was nearly 2:00p.m. and time to board the bus and head home to Tapolca once more. I had a 3:45p.m. appointment with another student and friend, and so we must bid farewell to Reka and move on.....