Not Quite Sweltering Writing Weather

Those first hot days of the new year always push me to my bed, the couch, or the floor with a cool drink and an oscillating fan that becomes part of the soundtrack to summer.

This morning, I skipped off to Margaret Island with a book. I perched on a stone bench near a small, old church hidden among trees and read. Well, I tried to read, but a small bird perched itself maybe inches away from my book. I thought he might attack. Before I could put my defenses up, two spotted cats scurried along the church wall meowing conversation. German tourists pedalled their way near my bench speaking loudly on the phone and smoking. Let's just say it was hard to read, so I left as soon as a herd of little people came tottering through with chaperones and backpacks.

You know it's hot when...

the first roach of the season is found darting through the shoes lined up near my door,

bread goes moldy in a few days,

watch tan lines start to emerge,

the fan has to be on the highest speed to get through the night,

and you don't need a blanket!

....and when that growing feeling of panic becomes more pronounced, because there are still no plans in action for what to do after Hungary.

Even so, it's not quite sweltering yet. It's just the beginning.

Maybe I was diagnosed with itchy feet at an early age. But the scratching has become worse in the past two years. Probably because, like itching chicken pox, it gets worse once you start.

I'm leaving Hungary on Friday the 13th of July. I hope not many people will want to fly that day out of superstition and I'll be able to lay across the seats.

That leaves me just 49 days to do whatever it is that I need or want to do in Hungary with or without the people who've been my friends made here and not known in the US. I'm trying to prepare myself far in advance to my departure so it doesn't come as a sudden shock. And so I can really appreciate everything about this country and my life here.

Yes, I was different when I first came here. I was a free soul, able to stretch as far as I wanted and able to breathe just as deeply. I embraced Hungary with open arms and mind. My first year here was so new and so foreign that I stumbled into it full force and somewhat blind. I smiled, I wrote, I tasted all the new cuisine, I taught, I listened, I traveled, I learned, I talked with new people, I laughed, I read, I marveled. I was where I belonged and I felt fulfilled. But maybe only because I knew it was temporary.

I am more grounded this year. I didn't know how my second year here would be. It's become so much more familiar. I came here wanting experience in whatever coming to Hungary would provide. And I got it. I got experience living abroad, teaching, and so much else.

I've learned from other people. I took so many good traits from people and I'm learning to let the bad go.

I've learned about Hungary's history and how it has influenced the present,

I've learned that the most satisfaction comes from doing it yourself,

I've learned that I have to travel throughout my life,

I've learned about who I can get along with and who I can't,

I've learned that sometimes, there is nothing better than spending a day alone,

I've learned a lot of random Hungarian words,

some of them very bad,

I've learned that no one can really make me do something if I don't believe in it first,

I've learned that it's better not to tell all,

I've learned that sometimes, you can just have a shitty job,

I've learned that I don't have to be nice to everyone,

I have also learned that I don't want to stop teaching ESL.

I'm searching for teaching jobs in Spanish-speaking countries, primarily in Central and South America for next fall. However, I'm taking a break from children and want to try Business English at a language school.

If there's another thing I've learned, it's that I tend to reflect quite a bit. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of that in the next several weeks. Consider it your warning...