The "Welcome Goulash"

We have now been in Miskolc for a little over 1 week. I say "we" as my teammate Alyssa and I have pretty much become a married couple overnight. We do the same things together, learn together, and share everything we have! This situation has turned us into a unit. So...

Our first night ever in Miskolc was an unbelievable cultural experience for us. We were invited to a “welcome goulash” by my very precious colleague named Yudit (Edith in English). She is the head English teacher at Frater, the Catholic school, which houses our flat and I also teach there.

When we arrived, we were directed to the backyard which was so quaint and picturesque we were literally smiling from ear to ear as we sat on their comfy swing and watched Yudit and her husband cooking the goulash in a large black pot in the middle of the backyard. (It was really surreal!)

They said that the goulash is traditionally cooked outside over a wood-burning fire as it dates back to the times of the shepherds. The goulash tastes better when it has been cooked in the open air she said. If we looked out past their yard we could see the beautiful village full of houses built into the hills. The northeastern part of Hungary is very mountainous.

Yudit's mother-in-law has a vineyard where she grows grapes and makes Toakji wine (said to be the best white wine in all of Hungary). The Toakj region of Hungary is famous for its wines (to give you a small Hungarian grammar lesson, when you add an “i” to the end of the word it means “from” so Toakji is from Toakj). We enjoyed some of this wine with our meal and as a tradition before we ate, Yudit's husband gave us Palinka (the most famous Hungarian liquor and loved by many countries) the situation was already hilarious because we were alone with him and none of us spoke the other's language. We kept saying “Jo!” which means “good” even though it was not very tasty, it did seem to clear out my sinuses as it has been said to do.

As we stood next to the fire we were so hot, I said “Melek van!” which is a phrase that I had recently learned that means “It's hot!” After saying this Alyssa said “Melek vagyok!” because “vagyok” means “I am” so it would seem to make sense, but oh those grammar rules. I will continue this story later.

I really enjoyed talking with Yudit at dinner, we discussed our families, the history of Hungary, language acquisition, and teaching at Frater. Alyssa and I didn't leave her home until late in the evening. I decided that I may be able to have a natural ministry with women that are mom's age, like Yudit. It seems random but God has seemed to put some people like that into my life recently that I can encourage and glean wisdom from too.

While we were talking, Yudit's husband leaned over and said something in Hungarian. They laughed and laughed and I asked her what he said. She asked if we had spoken to him while she wasn't there and we said that we used some Hungarian words to talk about how hot the fire was. She told us that when you say “Melek vagyok!” you are saying that you're homosexual. Alyssa inadvertently told him she was gay. We had a great laugh about that one.

More adventures to come...

Please pray that,

God continues to show up like He has already. It is amazing what can happen in your life when you step foot into the unfamiliar; you must fully cling to Him! 

Pray that I cling to Him when I am frustrated with not knowing my way around here and the barriers created because of language differences. 

Pray that He will make our minds be absorbant of more and more Hungarian language each day. 

Pray that I will not be anxious about teaching and all the unknowns that coincide with that! 

Buda and Pest

I had a really smooth trip to Hungary. We were already blessed by having no problems with bags or at passport checks. No delayed flights or long lay-overs. I got to watch a really good documentary on the way to Frankfurt called Catfish. I recommend it! Kinda creepy story but it really happened and the filming is fabulous. We happened to not get charged for our 2nd bag (should've been $70) and everyone's bags were under 50lbs. Praise God!

While fighting off major jet-lag, my team took a tour of the city (Budapest) with some of the alumi teachers from Teach Overseas. Stephen, Alyssa, Mandy, Anna, and I (the new Hungary teachers) had crossed about 9 time zones and we didn't get a ton of sleep on the plane, so taking a tour and also a hike up to the highest point in Budapest (called Gellert Hill) was somewhat taxing. Once we were able to see the magnificent view of the city, it was completely worth it.
After the hike, we walked around the city getting to see the Parliment building, St. Stephen's Basillica, Hero's Square, an open air market designed by Eiffel himself!, a freedom monument erected in place of a 30 foot statue of Stalin, and a new statue of Ronald Reagan.

To end the day, we had a fabulous meal of goulash and bablevesh (bean soup). I am obsessed with goulash.

The next day we used the minimal Hungarian vocabulary we have to buy a train ticket and food from the market. I bought paprika (peppers) and Alyssa my teammate bought tomatoes (paradicum) to use for the traditional Hungarian dish we made called chicken paprikas. Our team met with 4 Hungarian students of the alumni and got to do mini-language lessons with them. It was fun getting a glimpse of what some Hungarian high school students are like. We toured the school that Hope, Sharon, and Della work at called Kossuth Lajos (named after a famous Hungarian leader). We ate dinner at their flat which sits on an old aeronatics school called the Bazis (base) and you can see old airplanes sitting around everywhere. 

This morning I helped make palacsintas (crepes) and we had an amazing breakfast together at Justin's flat. We are about to be picked up to go to Miskolc (about a 2 hour ride) and will get to meet my colleague named Judit who is the head English teacher at Frater Gyorgy and have a "welcome goulash" with Alyssa.

Please pray for us if you think of it!! Pray that we see Jesus moving in this day and have humility as we learn this new and difficult language. Pray that we are not anxious as we prepare and start teaching next week. We are beginning our new lives and I can't wait for God has in store.

Don't miss out on letting someone love you.

Since I have been at training in California, I have learned so much. I don't think I can include everything in this post but I will highlight some important things.

Training has been better than I could ever imagine. I have so much respect for this organization (Teach Overseas) and God's call for them to train teachers to be a light to unreached areas of the world. The TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) lessons are really helpful. The alum are continuously giving us practical applications of activities that we can use in our classroom. We actually get a chance to do the activities with each other and make up our own.

Not only are we learning practical application of topics like good lesson planning, teaching vocabulary, incorparating listening skills, to name a few---but we are also practicing what we learn each night in local churches and community centers that have ESL programs. Each week day at about 3:45 p.m. my region group (Central Europe) gets to find out who will teach that night. Then the scrambling begins! If your name is called, you are told what level you will teach (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) then you create a lesson in about 2 hours. It is part-stressful, part-fun and I always feel like I am on Project Runaway, when they have a certain time limit to make the perfect garment.

The 2nd day of training, I taught a lesson to a group of Hispanic men about names of rooms in a house, where they labeled a blueprint of a house and created their own based on the floor plan of their house. It was cool to see that it was not as daunting as I had imagined and I easily morphed into my "teacher mode."

Another admirable thing about Teach Overseas' philosophy is that they continually incorporate debriefing into what we do, whether it is after doing a team-building activity or giving a lesson. So far I have taught about three lessons and it is always really funny because in debrief the first thing the alum will ask is "How do you think it went?" and I will always spout off exactly what I would've changed and how it could have been better.

Because we are teaching language, there is a huge emphasis on getting our students to speak for most of the class time (preferably 80%). So I have to change my perspective on lesson formating that I am used to where the teacher guides and speaks for much of the lesson. For someone to truly increase their fluency in a language they must get ample opportunities to speak in that language; this method completely immerses the students in the English language.

Training also has provided me with forums for conversations that help us to build a real community with our teammates. I feel like I know Alyssa (my roommate) on a pretty deep level for only knowing her one week. How does this happen? We are a part of devotions and guided discussions on topics like conflict, accountability, and culture shock---talking through these things helps me to know how she will respond in various situations and how I can best serve her as a sister in Christ.

All this to say---I was the biggest skeptic of them all. I thought that all the guided questions was maybe too much, too personal, too taxing on me to try to find the right answers (I really struggle with that) but what it can down to is this method of community-building is indispensable for what we do overseas and I will now say how much I love it. I honestly wish I could go back to when I was developing other friendships and ask certain questions or even just create a setting for discussion on things like---what makes you angry or what irritates you when living with someone? Wouldn't you want to know these things before living with someone or being their friend so that you could serve them in the best way possible?

All of this "digging deep" stuff has been a struggle for me and I have made many realizations about the way I think. It is evident to me that God has orchestrated Alyssa and I to be roommates, just based on the interworking of our personalities. It is so cool to see how we can help each other and represent a mini-Christ family as we live in Miskolc. Alyssa has shared with me the things she notices about my personality. She has made comments regarding my personality that I never realized, but they are very much true to who I am.
I struggle to answer deep questions about myself because truthfully I had just never thought about some of them and that I feel rude talking about myself so much. When we have discussions about ourselves, I divert my answer to an example about someone else like a friend or family member instead (Alyssa had to point this out to me). This can come from a place of insecurity that I am not worth it, my story is not good enough, and anything I say won't be articulated in the best way for people to understand. I am so comfortable with inquiring into other's lives and this also can be a crutch for me to not have to say a lot about myself.

I am afraid of people not loving all of me but just what they see on the outside. What I have on the outside is concrete and tangible and I put my hope in that and not who Christ made me to be, who I am in Him. I act confident on the outside but I am so scared that no one will take me seriously or respect my opinions. Not all of this to say, let's have a pity party for me, but to say it has been beneficial for me to realize these things and take them captive. Brush off the things that will weigh me down and be confident in Christ alone. He is my hope, He is my joy.

"For the Lord does not see the way man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

On Sunday I felt convicted about a couple things. I heard a message at two churches, one on diluting the Gospel and the other on spiritual independence. Both of these completely hit home with me and I said, God you are doing some work on me right now! But it is a great thing. First conviction---we are not called to be lukewarm about what we stand for, we do not need to make the message easier for people to handle or be afraid that we step on any toes. We are hypocrites if we claim Jesus and act another way. Second conviction---I am guilty, as so many are, of keeping my faith to myself and not becoming a real working part of the body of Christ. One thing that was said was--- "If you are not open with people, you are missing out on an opportunity to let someone love you." Boom. The Truth.

I have realized that my fears can hinder me but I have the chance to be different now. I want to let you know all those things about me, things I think, but would never say. I want to be vulnerable to all of my friends who read this blog, to share my heart with you now---an invitation to love all of me.

Until next time...I will be off learning some more new things!

Just another story to tell.

Wow. 5 days until California. It has come so fast and in other ways it has felt like forever.

November is a long time to know about an adventure like this and throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring I thought about it like a thing in the distant future and took each day as it came. As the months grew closer to my departure, some unknowns became clear and still others are soon-to-be known. But I am completely at peace.

So much has happened since October when I visited the Career Development Services at my college and got some information about teaching abroad. I remember sitting in my car while speaking to Emily from Teach Overseas. She had called me that day to give me details about working for the organization, after I sent in an interest form a week prior. I remember thinking that God may be calling me to this and the immediate feeling that it would be something that complimented my passions for teaching and travel, for my faith and for new cultures. I remember crying as she prayed with me at the end of the call and telling Jesus that I needed his direction. I remember writing the answers to the questions on the application and wondering if I was expressing myself accurately or not. I remember my long 2 hour phone interview which was so significant and affirming that I hung up feeling not-anxious but very much at ease. 

But I also remember the next week, and feeling an overwhelming anxiety about my future plans...not sure if I was making the "right" choice, not sure if this was the Lord's plan. I called my Dad and my brother Mark asking them to pray with me and for their godly wisdom. What I learned was that, there is no perfect job, no perfect choice. There can be a better choice, but I cannot make a decision that is wrong when I choose to glorify Him in whatever I do. 

I think there is a reason for our unrealistic desire for something perfect on this Earth, a desire that points to heaven, to eternity. The Lord "has placed eternity in our hearts" and I have never really understood that until recently. I cannot fathom an everlasting life in heaven but doesn't life at the same time seem like it will never end beyond the physical? Where do we get that idea, when everything around us has a stopping point? Eternity is in our hearts. Every time you desire something to be perfect and are disappointed, let that be your reminder that you were created for something more, a life eternally with Jesus. 

From when the thought of going overseas was only a prospect up until this very moment, has been a journey in itself. Raising support, creating this blog, doing Visa paperwork, and setting up an international bank account were all parts of this journey---good and bad included.

My pastor said on Sunday, the decisions you are making right now are as much a part of your story as the next season of your life. So live this season well, write this season well. No matter if this part is good or bad, remember that later on it will just be another story that you tell so live it well, without regrets.

  

I am glad to write my story for you today, one of anxiety and growth, one of peace and excitement. Thanks for sharing in it with me and walking with me into a new story.

So in the good times and the hard times to come, I'm going to remember that they will become another story to tell and I'll live and write it well.

What’s In a Name?

It is lost and found. She is lost and found. He is lost and found. They are lost and found. We are lost and found.

Lost&Found can mean various things to all of us. You may think about the undying institution of a “lost and found box,” or the familiar “missing pet” signs dotting neighborhood streets and then being taken down, or the annoyance of losing your keys and realizing you left them in your car. But then we can also talk about being lost and found in a more intangible way--- a person can be emotionally or spiritually lost and found. 

I like to think of my blog title as this abstract painting that can be interpreted to your own liking. Any way you chose to define Lost&Found is not right or wrong, the point is that you define what it means to you. What emotions does this phrase encapsulate for you?

For me, I think about lots of things. One of them is best told with a story:

When I was growing up, I remember anticipating the long awaited chance to accompany my mom to the grocery store. I am one of a seven children and my parents had a rule that each week only one of us would get to join her on this weekly trip to Jewel and Osco (a Chicago supermarket).

I loved those trips. I would stand on the back of the cart and ride along with my knees bent and butt sticking out, and always clutching the staple companion of every grocery event---Barnum and Bailey’s Animal Crackers. My mom would let us pick out one treat to eat while in the store, which at the time I thought the store did not allow--- I thought we were being complete rule-breakers.   

Sometimes on these trips, for whatever reason, I would find myself apart from my mother. She would go to frozen foods and I would be wandering the magazine aisle or the toy section.  At some point in my strolling, I would suddenly realize that much time had passed, and then look for my mom. When I had searched long enough with no Joan Welbourn in sight, the panic would set in.  I realized I was lost.

I think the scariest and also the important thing about being lost, is the moment you know you are lost.   

Up until that point I was distracted with all the sights and sounds of the store, and I didn’t know I was missing. Hypothetically, my mom could’ve known I was lost before it was even a thought in my mind. I may have been found by her before I even knew I needed to be found. So in this sense I could be lost to her, but to myself--- not lost at all.

I say this hypothetically because my mother would never do this. In all of the times I had been lost---in K-Mart, Kroger, Toys R Us, wherever we were… I was always the one to make the “lost realization” first. My mom is not one of those parents who panics and throws her kid’s name on the store loudspeaker after five minutes of their disappearance; she’d just mozie along, always knowing that we would eventually be found. I really like that about her.

All in all, this anecdote was provided to say that--- being lost is only truly meaningful to you when you recognize the need to be found. There is an innate part of us that wants to be found and we are NEVER too lost for this...Praise Jesus.

I think “lost” and “found” are distinct parts of life…you can go through weeks or seasons of time when you are sad, hopeless, or just stagnant and other amounts of time when you are joyful, adventurous, and full of growth. Neither is bad or good but both are distinct, predicted, and necessary parts of humanity.

The Kardashian family would characterize it as your “daily peak and pit.” (Yes, I did just make a Kardashian reference, I am a huge fan).  This lost and found can even be thought of in the course of one day. We have these great high points where we are encouraged, feel recognized, or learn something new and in the same day we are disappointed, treated unfairly, or our feelings are hurt.

As I write this blog, my desire is to be the most candid I can be---never concealing and always revealing my lost and my found.  

And if anyone was wondering about the title of this blog post--- yes, I wrote it in reference to the “What’s In a Name” monologue from the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene, which I memorized in the seventh grade---just because.

 The Kardashian family, in whom I sometimes find inspiration

 The balcony scene from the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet

I write blog posts?

I can't believe I did it.

Besides the fact that there are many who want to know what the heck I am doing on the other side of the world, and the fact that many of them would kill me if I didn't make this, I was ready to set sail on my Hungarian experience---blogless.

But then I was thinking...that's a little selfish.  I mean, someone thought up the idea to have this thing where you can share your life through the written word, a virtual diary let us say, what a beautiful thing, and I have such an aversion to it. Maybe part of that is because so many people that I know from college have blogs and it sort of became a fad thing and if you know me well I never align myself with fads unless it has to do with fashion, and then I will just tell you I thought of it first.  I think the biggest part of my avoidance of making this blog is that I feel I am not worthy enough to have one. Whatever that means.

I am not a true blog follower myself, but I have read enough of a couple to understand how incredible they can be. KissesFromKatie is one blog that has impacted people all over the world that a girl I went to elemetary and middle school with in Tennessee has been writing for a while now about her life in Africa after adopting several (and when I say several it is because I am not sure the actual number currently but I think it is over 10) children.

Mo(u)rning Restoration is another blog that is quite dear to me, my good college friend EA has been writing this for a year about her recovery from an eating disorder. Too much of me has trouble reading such important and well-written experiences like Katie and EA's and feeling like I have something compareable to address. Instead I feel like I do not have a place here, that I am not as gifted, that my experience isn't worth a blog.

Lies, lies, lies.

(Wow that word looks funny pluralized and written that many times.)  I have known since November that I would be traveling to Europe to teach English and tell people about Jesus. In January, I was asked to go to Hungary since I had no country preference when I applied (always go with the flow---you'll be happier for it). In April, I was told to wait to find out my city, school, and living placements.  And today I found out that I will be living in Miskolc, Hungary, which is a northeastern city---the fourth largest city in the country. I will be living there with a girl named Alyssa. We are part of a larger team of 10 people from Teach Overseas who will train together this July in California. Between the 10 of us we will live in three cities: Budapest, Miskolc, and Sarospatak. I will be teaching English at two schools---Frater Gyorgy Katolikus Gimnazium es Kolleguim and Zrinyi Ilona Gimnazium...try saying that five times fast :)

I have included some pictures of Miskolc and the schools below.

I may need some accountability to keep up with this...but here's my first ever post.

The city of Miskolc

Frater Gyorgy Katolikus Gimnazium es Kollegium



Zrinyi Ilona Gimnazium