Top Ten Lists! :)

Life is so crazy busy right now!  It’s been a whirlwind from the time I got here and I am not sure when it is going to slow down!??!!?

But anyway - here’s a quick update in the form of 10 things that I’m still adjusting to/not 100% loving yet and 10 things I’m loving right now!

Ten "Different" Things: 

1. Life without a car.
2. Life without a dishwasher.
3. Life without a disposal in the kitchen sink.
4. Life without a clothes dryer (mainly missing that for my sheets and towels)
5. Life with different door handles and locks.  I have literally had to practice using both my house key and classroom key. 
6. Life without TV or movies.  We don’t have a TV, which I am fine with except that we also don’t have Wi-Fi yet so no internet! (please pause to join me in prayer….Dear Lord…please provide Wi-Fi at the rescheduled installation date which is tomorrow Wednesday September 7th…..)
7. Life full of items that are smaller and more narrow…roads, driveways, restroom stalls, refrigerators, just about everything!
8. Life full of seeing the Hungarian language everywhere and having absolutely no idea what it says. I have picked up a few things but not that many…
9. Life without packages of printed thank you notes or blank note cards.  I reallllly wish I had brought these with me from the U.S.  I didn’t know they would be hard to find here. The challenge is that I feel SO indebted to so many people right now (my roommates, my principal, fellow teachers and so many people that have reached out since I moved here!) and I wish I could be writing them all handwritten thank you notes but I have had to settle for email! :( 
10. Life without Yankee candles…another thing I wish I would have brought with me but they are heavy!  Going to have my dad bring some when he visits! :) 

Ten Wonderful Things: 

1. My school – ICSB.  The leadership, faculty and staff are awesome and have been so kind and helpful!  Everyone is focused on serving God through ministering to our students and their families. My elementary team is really great too!  
2. My principal and her family – they have been an amazing support!  They are so encouraging and welcoming, have had us over to their house, given us rides, and let my roommate and I use their car to run errands (she drove...I'm way too afraid to drive here yet…or maybe ever…)
3. My students – I am crazy about them!  I have 15 precious ones and I am thrilled to get to know them and begin the challenging work of meeting their needs and creating a learning environment where each one can thrive!
4. My roommates – Megan and Ashleigh!  I could write an entire post on this one.  I am SO thankful to live with such sweet girls who have lived here before and can help me with adjusting to life in this country.  They are so wonderful!
5. Food selection in grocery store – it is way better than I expected!  You can get just about anything you can think of! I have no complaints about food in this country!
6. Weather – Okay, it’s been warm but nothing compared to Texas.  I think we’ve had 3 rainy days since I’ve been here.  Most days are have been sunny and warm (highs in the mid-80s).  I have heard winter is long and gets old fast so I am trying to enjoy the warmth while it lasts (even though most places here do not have A/C including my classroom…teachers, I know you understand how not fun that is….)
7. The missionary community here – the faculty, staff and families at school and people I’ve met at church!  Everyone has been so welcoming and understanding about this part of my journey.
8. Diosd – it’s such a cute little town!  Compared to living in Houston, it feels very quaint.  I have been able to walk quite a bit and take in the sights.  It’s really lovely!
9. The amazing world of technology – the ability to text with people and Face Time with some of my family (hope to do more Face Time once I get Wi-Fi at home)! It is such a blessing to see what is going on in everyone’s life and makes me feel like I am not quite so far away!  I have had a few very faithful texters that I hear from almost every day and that warms my heart so much!  
10. SWEETS!  I have yet to find any sort of sweet treat here that I don’t like. :) My current Facebook cover and profile pictures have me eating an ice cream sandwich in the U.S. and gelato in Hungary.  Clearly this is a huge part of my life!

 (Side note to my people in the south – what is with the new Blue Bell flavor? Camo and Cream?  I feel like they could have done better.  Nuts in ice cream is not my love language, nor is camouflage anything.  Let me know if you have tried it!) 

Thank you all for the love, prayers and support! Amidst all the challenges of living here and getting adjusted to a new culture, God had filled my life with His blessings, goodness and joy.  I am so thankful!