My Introduction to Koszeg!

I left off last time talking about my first week. Basically, I had orientation, made lots of new friends, went out and got drunk a couple times, of course.....had a good time. Our last day in BP was Thursday, the 28th, when we got picked up at various times from the hostel by our contacts from our new schools! We were all a little nervous, I think. We all sat in the lobby of the hostel, eating the last of our breakfast rolls and drinking vending machine coffee. I watch as my friends disappeared one by one, and definitely felt a little worried about what my town would be like, if the contact people would be scary, etc....

Soon, Hajni called my name--my contact was there! I was really happy to see that she was fairly young. We introduced ourselves--her name is Agi. I said goodbye to my remaining friends and got into one of the ubiquitous white minivans that all schools rent when they need a vehicle.

Agi and I rode in the back seat together, and I started asking her all kinds of questions about Koszeg. She was really friendly, but I'm sure I kind of annoyed her by talking so much. I think she kind of hoped I'd fall asleep, but that seemed super awkward to me....waiting to be asleep, wondering if I should talk or not...so I stayed awake, even though I was pretty tired. The drive was really beautiful. My town, Koszeg (there should be a long umlaut over the "o" but I don't have the button for it) is right on the western border of Hungary, about 10 minutes by car from Austria. The closest medium-sized city is Szombathely, about 15 minutes southeast. The terain between BP and the west looks surprisingly like Wisconsin: rolling green hills, the occasional tree, and lots of corn. And something I don't see frequently at home--sunflowers! Lots and lots of sunflowers, in huge fields. Really beautiful.

So finally, after much conversation with Agi, we came over the last little hill and saw the foothills of the mountains (the hinterland of Koszeg) on the horizon. In just a few minutes, we were rolling into my new town! Agi pointed out the main streets as we drove in, but I was too bewildered to remember anything. I DO remember noting to Agi that seeing this small town, with its colorful facades, large wooden doorways, and shared courtyards, reminded me of of San Miguel (Janna's town) in Mexico. I think it has less to do with Mexico, and more to do with the European style of town-building...but it is comforting that some details are consistent on both sides of the Atlantic.

We went past some residential streets lined with pretty pine and birch trees, and then turned onto a street with mostly larger flats. Agi pointed out the post office and a grocery store. We pulled into a small strip mall parking lot next to a big yellow building: my new home! Agi and the driver (a really nice middle-aged man, I forget his name, but I thanked him profusely) helped me carry my bags up three flights of stairs. So far, the building appeared standard: Glass front doors, kind of plain stone stairs, and....wait a minute: my door was made out of some kind of padding! I'll post a picture later...my door looks like an old rich guy's chair. It's made of black pleather, and it's bolted down in a quilt pattern. Baaaasically, it looks like I live in a mental institution. Oh, how I've come to love my door.....anyway, after Agi struggled with the keys, and then got help from one of my neighbors, we got inside! I was VERY happy to see that the apartment was exactly what I would need. When you come in, you step into a little hallway lined with closet cabinets. The kitchen is on the right, and it's narrow, but it has a table and 2 chairs. The toilet room and bathroom are opposite each other a little down the hallway, and then you step into the living room. My bedroom is off to the right, and on the other side of the living room, to the south, is my balcony! How exciting! I immediately envisioned myself drinking whatever the Hungarian version of a lonely Sparks out there. The living room is pretty damn big, and I have a big set of cabinets and shelves (obviously from IKEA), and a TV! The kitchen and living room are both decorated really adorably, with some decorative vases and tablecloths. I have 2 beds in my bedroom, and the living room couch pulls out. Sooo....who's coming over? Bed party!

After we got inside, Agi let me know there would be a teacher's meeting at my new school the next morning (Friday) at 9 AM. She said she'd call me in advance and meet me outside to walk over. And with that, she and the driver left me to unpack. After I closed my door behind them, the realization hit me: I was completely alone. Well! no time like the present to unpack a bit, I thought. So I did, and then I realized I was EXHAUSTED. So I chose my preference of the two beds, dressed it up in the adorable linens provided, and crashed the fuuuuuck out. It was niiiice!

I woke up in the evening, and bravely decided to take a walk into town, since I realized I was super hungry and had no food in my adorably tiny fridge. I ventured out, and walked down my street, headed north. I remember taking careful note of landmarks because I didn't want to get lost (turns out this would NOT be a problem....this is truly a small town.) I didn't really know where I was going, but I had seen a church steeple out my window to the north, and this being Europe, usually church = downtown. Luckily I was right...the church goes by the nickname "The Big Church" and is the crown jewel of the town square. I was delighted to discover immediately that my town is BEAUUUUTIFUL! The main square is pretty big for a small town, and there are tons of outdoor cafes lining the edges. There are about 3 banks (all major chains), a bakery, 2 hotels, some clothing stores, a pharmacy, a gyros stand....pretty much everything you would need. Since we're so close to Austria, this town is a weekend tourist spot for Austrians, which explains the many, many cafes and other amenities. And all the menus are in Hungarian, English, and German. Hey, no problem here!

After circling the main square and its neighboring streets, I settled on dining at Ciao Amico, a pizza place/bar. I ordered a cheese pizza and it was delish! This town is pretty good at pizza, as I've learned. It's very convenient that everyone likes pizza. Although, again, this being Europe, they put freaky shit like corn and cauliflower on it sometimes. Awww nasty. When I was ordering my food, I recall having to climb up on a kind of tall stool to sit and read the menu. After I ordered I decided to move outside, and I stumbled down very awkwardly, with the waiters obviously seeing the whole thing. Everybody who works there is like 17, so I remember thinking, "Please...don't...end up...being...my students!"

After dinner, I successfully made it back to my flat, and relaxed for the rest of the evening. So that was my first day! So far, so good. The next morning, I woke up early and showered, discovering the fun experience of showering with no shower curtain. Let's just say good thing I had some extra towels. Then I went down to meet Agi, and she was right on schedule. We walked off to my new school (turns out I had almost walked myself there by accident the night before!), which is down that main street, left a bit (rather than right, to the downtown), and then you go down a long alley next to a cemetery. At the end of the alley, you turn left and cross the street, and there it is: Jurisich Miklos Gimnazium!

My first thought was "I am luuuuuuckyyyy!" It was immediately evident that the school has money. I mean, it's no Francis Parker, but it's a beautiful old building, and very well-maintained. It follows typical Hungarian school architecture of being "W" shaped, with a flat facade and the three wings going backwards. We walked into the lobby, which has a beautiful stone staircase leading up to the other 2 floors. Second floor, left, end of the hall: "Tanari Szoba!" (Teachers' Room!) I followed Agi in, and....wow! Everyone was really, really nice to me. I said a lot of my stock phrases in Hungarian, like "Orulok, hogy megismertem!" (Nice to meet you!), "Koszonom szepen a segitseget!" (Thank you for your help!), etc. I sat where Agi told me to sit, stood up when she told me to stand, and said a few words about myself in English, which Agi translated. I think it went something like this: "My name is Eliza Plous, I'm from Chicago, I love Chicago baseball, and I'm a vegetarian in Chicago, but not here!" When she translated that part, everybody laughed. (It's true: it's really rough to be a vegetarian here, at least when dining out. I HAVE kept it up at home, though!)

I had a chance to look around the teachers' room while the igazgatono (literally, "Mrs. Director," aka the principal) was making some announcements in Hungarian. The room is decently sized, with rows of desks for each of the teachers. Like all Hungarian schools, the outer wall is lined with HUGE tall windows, with long curtains. There's a lot of natural light. The landscape out the window is really picturesque: I hadn't noticed it, but the walk to school took us slightly uphill. When you look outside, you see rolling hills becoming mountains, with little houses and churches tucked amongst them, in the distance. Back in the room, there are cabinets on either end, which teachers use as "lockers," filled with stacks of books and extra packets of instant coffee. A very comfortable room, I thought. After the principal's speech was finished, the other English-speaking teachers started introducing themselves to me and welcoming me. I was finally starting to relax and feel ready to start teaching--and not only that, the room made me feel like a REAL "faculty member!" Cool! (However, all the teachers' names went in one ear and out the other, which would become a pretty amusing problem for me in the coming weeks, as I came up with creative ways of learning their names without offending them!)

After the announcements, Agi sent me out on a break for an hour, but told me to come back at 11 for a meeting with the cleaning staff of the school so I could be introduced again. I went out and got a cappuccino, and drank it at a picnic table in the main square. An older woman asked if she could sit with me, "Elnezest, es szabad?" And I said yes. Before I knew it, I was saying, "Bocsanat, csak egy kicsit beszelek magyarul!" (I'm sorry, I only speak a little Hungarian!) and she was helping me think of words, and showing me pictures of her grown son, who lives in Canada. It was so nice! It really boosted my confidence and made me feel like, wow....I'm gonna be OK here! So then I headed back to the meeting, where I only had to stay for about 5 minutes....the principal introduced me in Hungarian, and then said something else and everybody laughed. I asked Agi what she said, and she told me that the principal warned everyone that I'm NOT a student, I'm a teacher. Damn my youthful good looks.

After that, Agi sent me home to enjoy my weekend and get ready for Monday. She also let me know that the school had its commencement ceremony Sunday evening, and I was expected to be there. So, off I went, back down Velemi ut to my "flat," to chill out and enjoy my last 2 days of unemployment! And that, my friends, was my first visit to JMG.