The Baker's Half Dozen: Life at Home in Hungary

Showing posts with label Life at Home in Hungary. Show all posts

Graduation

A kindergarten graduation is a big transition in childhood. Our Hungarian "ovoda" is similar to an American preschool, and children usually stay in the same class between the ages of 3-6. After this, they can go to first grade at the elementary school. Elizabeth has attended for one year and will go to first grade next year. The daily routine consists of playing, learning Hungarian poems and songs, eating, brushing teeth, and napping together. Hot tea or warm milk with bread is served in the morning, a hot lunch at noon, and a snack for the afternoon. For the graduation ceremony, each child brought bouquets of fresh flowers to decorate their building for this special occasion. Greenery, large leaves, garden flowers and florist flowers were brought and hung from the ceiling and doorways. We did not fully understand how big of an occasion this was! Parents even brought specially made bouquets for their child.

Parents were invited to the classroom to listen to the children recite the poems and songs. We heard stories of hedgehogs, flowers, trees, and chickens.

While this was a happy occasion for us, there were many tears! It was unbelievable to hear Elizabeth recite her poems, how well she speaks Hungarian, and how well she loves her friends. It was hard to say goodbye to her teachers and classmates, but we look forward to what will come in the future.

Third Culture Kids

What's it like growing up in another country? I wouldn't know, but as I observe my kids I see the differences between their childhood and mine. They are Americans absorbing the Hungarian culture, which equals a unique mix - a third culture. Here's some of the new things they have encountered while living here:

They watch Dora and Diego in Hungarian,
Electronic toys talk in Hungarian,
Language doesn't really matter when there is another kid to play with,
When we buy a DVD here, we get to choose from Czech, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian, Slovakian, Hungarian or English language,
Our cereal boxes can have ingredients written in up to 20 languages on the back,
We don't use idioms in our house, or try very hard not to use them simply because they are too difficult to explain to the kids,
Our son has friends from around the world at the international school,
Our daughter prefers to play while speaking Hungarian even while at home,
I had to explain corn dogs, smores, root beer floats, and Taco Bell,
Toy selection here is nothing compared to ToysRUs or Walmart (I am grateful for this),
Toy selection here is very expensive, and we don't buy unplanned purchases,
They know the clothes drying rack works better than the dryer,
And to turn on the AC they open the window (in the van or in the house),
Free drink refills and ice at a restaurant?
No free ketchup at McDonalds,
Fast food restaurants are not a part of our daily life, so we eat healthier!
The girls have learned how to make biscuits and roll out tortillas and pizza dough,
They have learned that anything you want to eat can be made at home - and you don't need a boxed mix!!!
They love paprika on their food,
Pre-packaged "snacks" are too expensive or non-existent, so we eat fruit, homemade cookies, etc.,
The fresh breads and rolls are in abundance and our kids know how to choose a good croissant,
The children help carry our bags to the stores, help bag the groceries, and like to pay the 100 forint to "rent" a grocery cart!
They visit their grandparents through Skype, and
Church is not about great programs, large video screens, age-graded classes, or colorfully printed take-home papers......it's simply a group of people who meet together, adults and children together, to pray, sing, and share the Word.

The Week in Review

I had a great week. This entry is going to read like a newspaper so just relax and skim it over. The stress of a language exam is now behind me and I have been able to rest and reflect on something other than verbs. I am still trying to take in and comprehend the depth and width of God's grace.....He has answered a prayer this week that has been a long time in the making, and is the fulfillment of a promise He made. I am just amazed. Because of having to wait and suffer through something that I had no control over, I can truly say this was GOD's hand, and not my own doing. It's so good to just sit back and watch what God does.

Monday Elizabeth was able to return to the ovoda (kindergarten) after being absent about 4 weeks. She had a series of infections that were difficult to get rid of and we are thankful that she is well now. She was very happy to return to her class and see her friends.

Tuesday we met with a Hungarian driving instructor at our house. He is going to prepare us to take a written driving exam so we can get a Hungarian driver's license, so we can begin driving again. We have had no personal wheels since July, and our backs are feeling the weight of lifting that double stroller on and off the bus, carrying Stephen, carrying groceries, walking uphill to church in the rain, etc....you get the idea. So, our driving teacher brought us the manual in English - so we could learn how to drive:) It is an 85 page manual that includes information such as herding animals, how to wait for a taxi, and how to load a car. For example, 2 children under age 10 only count as 1 person. So, if a car is only supposed to hold 5 people how many children can sit in the car? We will be using a translator since the exam will be in Hungarian. If we want to be sure of passing the test, he told us to pay the translator a little more money! Don't worry, we don't have any extra money for that!

Wednesday morning I went to the mother's group at church for prayer and fellowship. I am always amazed at the honesty and openness that the women express. No one wears a mask. If you are having a rough time, then you say you're having a rough time. There is no false pretense, no fake smiling, no saying everything is fine. And in this way, everyone really knows everyone else, and we really pray for each other. How refreshing.

Thursday evening was the weekly house group, and a small group from our church comes over for prayer & Bible study. When one of my friends walked in she was smiling, but when I asked how she was doing she burst into tears. She had just received a phone call that a friend had committed suicide. Suicide is a common solution to problems. In the past 9 months there are 2 others (who we are acquainted with) who were on the verge of suicide but were persuaded otherwise by loving Christians.

Friday was the World Fair at Josh's school. This was a one time event, but it seems to me that everyday is "world's fair" day at this school. There are 13 children in his class and only 2 are American! Most are Hungarian, plus several other Europeans. During free time, lunch, and recess, Josh is surrounded by Hungarian friends and and enjoys learning their language. Anyway, each elementary grade studied a country and made presentations. It was a good reminder of how diverse each culture is and how God LOVES each and every people group.

Monte has been talking to a couple of neighbors and helping them with yard work. Saturday morning he worked for about 4 1/2 hours helping shovel rock and dirt into a container. They were trying to clear out some of their land to prepare for the spring planting. Monte didn't realize that there is a right and wrong way to shovel. I had a good laugh when he told me the story - because if you know Monte, you know that he is a good, thorough, diligent worker who knows how to move dirt. Miklos, the neighbor, kindly demonstrated the proper way to shovel the dirt - it has to be done in an orderly and methodical way. Who knew? Their method did make sense because of the type of shovel they use. Instead of the typical American shovel, this is a square ended, flat shovel. So, Monte had a wonderful morning spending time working with new friends. They were so kind to give him a bag of apples, mandarins, and chocolates for all his hard work.

While he worked I stayed home and washed five loads of laundry, washed dishes, and decorated about 4 dozen cookies with the fabulous four. I have some beautiful leaf and pumpkin shaped cookie cutters to make "fall" cookies and we plan on delivering these cookies to the neighbors later this week....if we don't eat them all first.

24/7

Recently I asked my children what they thought was the best and worst part of being a missionary. We live in a modern European city, not a third world country. We live in a beautiful duplex that is heated in the winter.....and in the summer. We can shop in modern stores full of choices......but they don't compare to Wal-Mart, Target, or JCPenny. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Subway, and Starbucks are here......and are considered luxuries for us. We really do have to walk a mile uphill to get to church!! (Just remembering all the stories that Dad told us) So we do have our share of things that are different, strange, and difficult for us. Here's what they thought, straight from their mouths, unedited (well, I had to translate the 2 year old's words for you):

7 year old: The best part is telling others about Jesus, and seeing new places; the worst is traveling on airplanes because they make my ears hurt.
6 year old: The best part is meeting new people, learning a new language, telling others about Jesus, and hotels with swimming pools; the worst is getting kicked out of your country for no good reason, and hotels with no swimming pools.
4 year old: The best part is playing in the snow, playing in the backyard, digging holes in the backyard (she's been trying to find the mole), Christmas time, and ice cream (Hungarian ice cream!) The worst part is I don't like dangers or walking up steep hills.
2 year old: He likes the ice cream too, and the kokoszgolyo (chocolate Hungarian dessert) The worst part is when mommy washes my special blanket and I have to wait for it, and I don't get to see my grandparents!!

Mission work is obviously important to us, but the children don't always think about us being different because we are missionaries. God in His mercy and grace called us to move to a different country, and we have humbly tried to follow. We are ordinary people. We didn't coax or persuade the mission board to send us, or pretend that we were already perfect. God knew our weaknesses and our strengths. God simply opened the doors, made all the arrangements, and in HIS miraculous timing put us in Hungary. Everyday we talk with our children about why we are here and pray for opportunities....and all is normal to them. This is just life!

We are trying to teach our children that to follow God means to put your life alongside Him, which means you follow him wherever He leads, and obey what He tells you to do. Elizabeth recently wrote me a note which said, "Dear Mom, I will go to Africa when I am grown up." She then said she would bring me back a present! Joshua loves reading about China, and wants to go there one day as a missionary.

As a family we have enjoyed watching Kids On Mission DVDs that we packed in our crate when we moved here. That has been a great resource to see how other missionaries live and work all over the world. We also love to read books and watch films about missionaries - Hudson Taylor, Gladys Alyward, Amy Carmichael, George Muller, Jim Elliot, and of others who dared to follow Christ, like Corrie Ten Boom and William Tyndale. We also read from You Can Change the World (the children's version of Operational World) to understand how to pray for different people groups around the world. We play on the Wonderzone website where the kids can read biographies of people and Bible characters.......and be inspired to be a change agent in this world. My purpose in all this is to be intentional about teaching our children. Sometimes the very things you think you value the most can get overlooked, because they really don't assume a place of priority in our lives. The majority of our time and energy is spent on things that are important to us. Missions isn't a Wednesday night program for us. It's 24/7, living, breathing, struggling, worshiping, praying, and following Jesus one day at a time.

Let the Little Children Come!

Our Elizabeth turned 6 this month, and she requested a costume and tea party! It may sound like a mother's nightmare to open your home up to 14 little rascals (4 of them being your own!), but I actually like having children's parties. However, I confess that the day before the party I felt overwhelmed. My homemade doll cake completely cracked down the middle, the strawberry cheesecake turned out to be smaller than I expected, I realized I didn't have enough party hats for all the children, there was a lot of cleaning still to be done, my wet laundry was hanging up to dry in the living room (still wet after 2 days of hanging!), I stayed up until 1:00 AM and finished baking cookies .....and I did all this while caring for my own 4 children and rolling out the pizza dough for our Friday night dinner. I was praying, "Lord, help make all this come together without me coming apart!"

As it turned out, everything fell nicely into place at the right time, (and the cake was patched with lots of extra icing). All the extra work involved in planning such a party was WORTH IT! As the children arrived they could choose one of our costumes to wear, but some brought their own. We had so much fun taking their pictures in various costumes because each child's face glowed with delight! It was priceless to see the wonder and innocence of precious children, each uniquely created by GOD. We decorated sugar cookies which was a new idea to some of our friends. Usually this is done at Christmas time with gingerbread cookies. We also decorated foam picture frames, in which they could put a picture of themselves dressed in a costume at the party. I read to them from 1 Samuel 16:7, how Samuel went to choose the next king of Israel. God instructed Samuel not to choose a king based on outer appearances. Man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart. What is inside a man is more important that what is on the outside. There was a chance to speak a truth about God, and the moment was not lost.

We had a great opportunity to share our love for Jesus with others. God used a routine event in the life of our family to reach into the lives of others. I have heard it said that families with young children should not come to the mission field. However, I have found that having my own 4 young children around has been the easiest way to meet new people and make friends. My children certainly go against the cultural grain sometimes - they talk loudly while on the buses and my 2 year old waves to old men and hollers, "SZIA!" (hi in Hungarian) But they are the ones who speak boldly, who are quick to love, and are not inhibited by language barriers. Children were on the heart of Jesus. He didn't overlook them, put them down, or tell them to go away. He drew them to himself. And that is a very good place for us to start.

Changes in Our House

Good-by middle of the night feedings, no more high chairs, play pens, bouncy seats, or sippy cups, first words from the fourth baby, and first day of school for the first child........a lot of things have changed in the last year! September has brought even more changes to our house. Joshua has begun second grade at an English international school and Elizabeth is going to a Hungarian kindergarten-like school, in Hungarian of course! Both are enjoying making new friends and getting used to a new morning routine. Joshua has Hungarian language lessons while at school. Elizabeth likes learning more of the Hungarian language and comes home with new words and phrases everyday. She is still getting used to the Hungarian foods served for lunch and is getting braver about trying new things. Olivia is also getting used to a new routine of life without big sister around, and Stephen is talking in a mix of Hungarian and English, and copying everything Olivia does! Some changes come more easily than others, and as I watch my children grow older, the changes seem to come more quickly. Living in the moment, savoring each moment, and contentment in the moment - it's the only way to live!

A Few Of Our Favorite Things

A can of Dr. Pepper that only cost $1.25, losing a front tooth, blowing bubbles in the backyard, finding a praying mantis, and playing princess dress-up......that's a wonderful week!
Having a Savior, knowing my sins are forgiven, living in peace with no regrets......that's eternal joy.

Spend Time with People You Love

Yes, it was someone else's turn for a date with Dad. A giant swing, a pony ride, and chocolate ice cream was the perfect combination for a three year old.

Date With Daddy

In the middle of changes, stress, and lots of new things, it has been important to us to keep special routines as a family. Church on Sunday, prayer and Bible story at bedtime, daily meals together, Friday pizza night, and reading books together everyday are some of the routines that we have. Another tradition we have started is "dating" each child, by themselves. Sometimes the date is planned, and sometimes it is spontaneous. This week our oldest daughter went with Dad on a trip to the store and she decided they needed to go to the sukrazda for a date! She ordered chocolate ice cream and Dad had coffee. She was beaming when she got home and announced to everyone where she had been!

Care Package

Yeah! We got mail! Thanks for the new dresses! We loved the care package.

Easter Morning

Our Easter tradition is to make hot cross buns for our breakfast. The children also dye eggs and hunt for them. We love reading the Bible story of Jesus' death and resurrection, and retell the story by acting it out. The Hungarians have a tradition for the boys to sprinkle water on the girl's heads. Many people will attend a church service because of tradition.