Hello!
We wanted to give you a little update on our travels and
first 24 hours in Budapest!
Josiah is loving life. He has been reunited with his toys
(they've been packed for over a month), and hasn't wanted to
stop playing with them. He has his own room, which he has
been waiting for, and its floor is already completely
covered in Legos, Lincoln logs, trains, and play money.
He was a champ on the way here. He enjoyed every moment of
the plane ride, and was very expressive about the whole
experience... Sounded more like someone going on a roller
coaster than an airplane. :)
He is listening and experimenting with the language already,
and making friends with our neighbors. There is an elderly
grandma that lives 2 doors down who was talking to him this
morning, and his face looked a little intimidated, but he
smiled and hung on. The lady next door speaks English and is
very nice. I think he might be her new best friend.
He was wide awake at 3am (and therefore, so was I)... Took
some melatonin and some convincing before he would believe
me that it was the middle of the night and he needed to go
back to sleep. Eventually he did, and slept until 9 (thank
God!).
Hope is doing much better than I could have imagined. I
think being here and seeing the reality of it is far better
than her imagining and worrying about what it might be. She
has already arranged her room, and has been sweeping the
house in my high heels as I unpack. All of her drawers are
organized, and her clothes folded and put away. She slept
very well last night, from about 10:30 - 6:00, which is
great considering.
She is very hesitant with the language, not very willing to
experiment. But we are not pushing her. She will need lots
of time to absorb before she's ready to try it.
She is incredible.
Mike and I are trying really hard to convince ourselves that
we don't have jet lag. We went to a park this morning (5
minutes walk), and had a great time. It's a huge park with a
playground and lots of grass and trees. It was interesting
that instead of wood chips or asphalt as the ground on the
playground, it was all dirt. And all of the kids were
playing in it barefoot. And they were filthy. And their
parents didn't mind. In the middle of the play area
was a water pump and buckets and kids were making and
playing in mud. Needless to say, we were in heaven. It
was awesome.
We arrived last night to P.Rick and the school van, which
took us home where we were greeted by Jen and Micah, Tina,
and 2 other teachers that we know from the school. They
whisked us and our 750 pounds of luggage up to our apartment
like it was nothing.
When we walked into our apartment, there was a refrigerator
full of food, a bowl full of fruit, and the most beautiful
bouquet of sunflowers I've ever seen on the kitchen table.
I'm still not sure where it all came from, but it is an
unbelievable blessing for us.
Tina has arranged among the teachers in the school meals for
us for a week. Last night there was a roasted chicken and
veggies from the Art teacher, and tonight we are having
Korean food from the Music teacher. We feel so warmly
welcomed, it's almost beyond what we could have imagined.
The trip here was so easy that it almost seems surreal.
Don't get me wrong: There were several precarious moments...
Like when Hope spilled a full cup of water on her dress and
the seat of the plane, or when we almost missed boarding in
London because Josiah had to use the bathroom, but would NOT
go because the toilets looked weird.
We know that we are being carried by your prayers, and we
thank you. We love you and miss you and look forward to
being better connected (that's a good prayer request - wifi
in our apartment ASAP).
WE LOVE YOU!