Take a Look at Us

If you haven't noticed it already, I'd like to take this moment to direct your attention to the picture of my wonderful 11th grade class which appears in the header of the blog. These students are the ones contributing to the blog. Also, the picture above is another funny picture of the same class :)

Memorable Times and Places

This last week, my students could choose one of two topics to write about: a favorite place in Győr, or a childhood memory. Here's a selection of one of each:

"My favorite place is not exactly in Győr, but in Ikrény. Ikrény is a little village next to Győr. So the two places are locked into each other.
There is a cable park, where you can go wakeboarding, water skiing, or simply swimming and enjoy the good weather. I go there almost every day in the summer. Fortunately, it takes a very short time to get there for me. I have gone to the lake for 12 years.
I really like the people there. They are very nice and helpful. A lot of riders come from Austria and Slovakia, because they haven't got such a great line like ours. So there is a very good crowd. I've made lots of friends there.
This year, one of my dreams will come true, namely I am going to work there! I can't wait. It will be fun. It is like a big family, and I am really glad and grateful that I belong there." - Dorisz

"My story happened in 1997, when I was 3 years old. It was a lovely summer day, the sun was shining, there were no clouds in the sky. My sister was a little baby and my brother wasn't born yet. We travelled to Budapest to see the zoo of the capital city. I was a child who always searched for danger, and I found it in the zoo. I wasn't interested in monkeys or tigers, but in the great Indian elephant. However, their cage was large, and they were far from me. So I decided to watch them from a shorter distance. I was little and I could pass through the grating. Fortunately, I wasn't noticed or I didn't annoy them and now I am alive." - Robi

For those reading, what is one of your favorite places or childhood memories? (We read the responses together as a class, so feel free to let us know!)

Risky Business

Hello all readers! The last couple weeks in class, we talked about taking risks. It's quite an interesting topic, because many people view things that are more scary as more risky, when, in fact, they are less risky. For example, apparently now there in an equal risk of getting injured in a plane as there is of getting injured in a car (though I think a car used to be more risky). Even though this is true, many people are more scared of a plane crash and therefore see it as offering a greater risk.

Interestingly enough, I actually applied this lesson to my own life last week. I suffered an injury while skiing (partial tear of the MCL and complete rupture of the ACL), and I sat there in pain wondering if skiing is, in fact, a risky sport or if people just view it as such. I didn't come to any great conclusions, but it always excites me when what I teach can be applied to "real life."

This week, we learned about two preschools - one in Japan and the other in England. The one in Japan tries to take away any type of risk by using inflatable toys, tons of supervision, and even spraying the wheels of strollers for any germs. The one in England allows children to play outside almost the whole day - exploring in the field and learning by experimenting. Most of my students said they would prefer the English preschool. I'm not so sure - something about inflatable toys is appealing to me.

In any case, I feel that life is just plain risky sometimes. But we all learn through the risks we take, whether bad or good. If you feel in the responding mood, let us know what risks you've taken and how it worked out.

Weather or Not...

The first blog writing assignment for my students was to write about what the weather's been like in Hungary, and how the weather makes them feel. (They wrote about last week's weather.) I have chosen two of the best writings to post on this blog, and here they are:

"I got woken up today by the sun shining into my room. It was such a beautiful spring day. The birds were singing next to my window and everything was alive. I got up, put on my clothes, and I felt so happy and strong. While I was going to school, I thought I can do everything today, because it is so fantastic when the weather is sunny, clear, and bright. On the streets, everybody smiled and enjoyed life. There was an amazing atmosphere. Unfortunately, a few hours later, the sky lowered and it started to rain. Everyone became reserved and sad again."
- By Zsuzsi

"I got up at 7:00 today, because I went to Siofok by bus. The morning was chilly and sunny and fortunately below zero [degrees Celsius], because I took my ice-skates. I had good times on the bus; I listened to music and the winter sunshine made me happy. The ice on [Lake] Balaton was great. I think it was the last ice-skating this year, because now it is the end of winter and tomorrow the weather will get warmer, according to the weather forecast. Despite this fact, I am really delighted because spring is my favourite season of the year."
- by Dini

Welcome!

Hello all!

Welcome to the new "Voices of Hungary" blog! My name is Sarah, and I'm an English teacher in Hungary. Originally from Colorado / California, I've been teaching here for about 2.5 years. Inspired by a blogging writing assignment in one of my 11th grade classes' course books, I decided to take it to the next level and create this blog as a place for this class to write about what's happening in Gyor, Hungary! I'm looking forward to posting their first blogs as well as more information about this awesome class. Check back soon!