It was so hard at first - I remember the first several weeks I spent most of my time inside the kindergarten in some sort of survival mode and most of my time outside of it dreading the next work day. The kids intimidated me with their potential for (what seemed like) destruction considering my linguistic inability to control them. I didn't know their names, and then I couldn't say their names (thank you Hungarian language.) Lesson plans stressed me out - how do you teach a language without using language? It was frustrating for me and I'm sure it was frustrating for them. I wasn't even sure how to play without scaring them off talking English at them. Even my supervisor stressed me out because I was so worried she was going to notice how much I was struggling. It was the hate-part of our relationship and I wanted to go home.
Then it got easier...
I asked if I could teach the kids upstairs with a Hungarian teacher nearby for disciplinary purposes, instead of downstairs alone in the basement room (where, famously now for anyone I've talked to, one boy literally punched another and I was like WHAT??!). A brilliant move. I had a mold for lesson plans (song - lesson - game, usually Duck Duck Goose but they love it - and when all else failed, coloring until my time was up).
...but I still didn't like it
Honestly I lived for weekends and Tuesday/Thursday mornings for a lot of my time at the kindergarten. Even once my job didn't terrify me, it still stressed me out and I didn't enjoy it. The good news is now I know similar jobs are not my calling. I loved Budapest and my time here so I saw work, in a large part, as a means to that end. But those kids :)
Then we warmed up to each other. The youngest ones (three year-olds) still forget sometimes and talk to me in Hungarian, which only adds to their already ridiculous cuteness. The older ones I love because they were at a level to answer my questions during the lesson and also talk to me in English throughout the day. Nothing warmed my heart more than when I heard them using English, even English I only used with them but never taught them. Zolan even translated for one of the Hungarian teachers outside when she couldn't think of how to say something to me in English... so cute. Recently they have started teaching me Hungarian! They'll grab my hand and point at stuff and say the word until I repeat it, but at a steady pace of 80 words a day I can tell you improvement is slow. I remember colors, numbers, and one of my favorite little boys taught me the Hungarian version of Rain, Rain, Go Away. You should see their faces when I say simple things in Hungarian like ("I don't know" and "tomorrow"). Their eyes pop out of their heads a little.
To close, the past two weeks have been absolutely enjoyable. We smile and laugh, play, and learn from each other. Few things make me happier than when I arrive and they run up and hug me, or when all of them (at different but slightly overlapping intervals) said "Happy Birthday!", or when they try so hard with English or color pictures for me. I love it when they love the lesson or the craft (we made magic wands like the good fairy in Little Bunny Foo Foo and it was such a hit). They LOVE "I'm a Little Teapot" and "Baby Shark" and sing them all through the day. When my job is a success like that, I feel so happy to have been here and have had this experience. I will miss these kids and never forget them.
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