Excitation

Exciting things are happening.
1. I get bagels and Starbucks coffee for breakfast because it's teacher appreciation week- and I'm a teacher! Amazing.
2. Yesterday, I was driving to church on a two lane road and was passed on both sides at the same time- clearly my little red isn't fast enough for the swift Hungarian drivers- especially the motorcyclists.
3. We sang- "I'm desperate for you" in Hungarian in church yesterday...it's not that I love that song- but it reminds me of my good time in New Orleans- and now I've experienced it in Hungarian...awesome.
4. I have a month until the play goes in front of a crowd...I don't know if that's exciting or scary
5. My glasses broke. The only way that fits into the category is that the event instigated more excitement in my already crazy week. Plus, now I get to wear Hungarian glasses- that is after I have an eye examination on Friday and order them ;) Contacts for now (also not exciting).

Cheers and Happy Monday!

Matt and France...but not together

2008-03-20, Paris

Life since January- it's been a whirlwind. School is going well. Classes are crazy, but I'm still enjoying it a lot. It's challenging to keep the kids enthusiastic- but some of the ridiculous things I come up with (rock/paper/scissors game) are a good break in the lecture monotony. They're fun for me too.

I've cast the play I'm directing- The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon. I'm very very nervous and very excited about how this whole thing is going to happen.

During Matt's spring break, he was able to come visit again. Aside from my parking somewhere that caused me to get a boot on my car, we had a really good time together as the picture above proves.

This past week has been my Spring Break, and I took the opportunity to travel again- Paris, France. It was a very welcome break from the craziness that life had built up to be. The other pictures in the album are from that trip. Our 4 nights there were filled with metro rides, kilometers of walking, historical sightings, and amazement with the size and beauty of the city. The people were especially nice and never rude. We were very pleasantly surprised with every aspect of the trip.

I still have 4 days left of break..I plan on working hard and resting a lot. I'll keep you posted...

I Don't do Resolutions

I don't do resolutions because I can't keep them. I lose focus. I lose determination. I fail. So, instead of resolutions this year- I'm setting goals. I'm not calling them resolutions because I fear the failure of not being resolved. But, if they're called goals, I'm able to mentally psyche myself up to achieve the end result, to complete the task, to conquer the goal.

So- this year's GOALS are as follow:
1. I will designate my daily quiet time for certain focuses. My 10th grade girls' bible study is reading Galatians- one day will be for that. Matt and I are going to read through a gospel together- one day will be for that. I want to pray more specifically for my students and school- so one day will be spent with more focus on prayer. I want to read through a book on Discipline that Christen gave me- so one day will be for that. I'm sure I'll double up one or two- but you get the idea.

2. I will pursue and master (maybe) Biblical Integration. I'm determined to figure out how Biblical Integration works - really. I've understood the concept for some time. And, I'm sure I've actually done it once or twice. But, I want to be more intentional and more consistent with integrating Biblical truths into my classroom content (even drama!).

3. I will find a job in America. I guess you understand that to mean I'm coming home this summer (for good). You'd be right in that assumption.

There are many more things that I want to do this year (including Paris), but these are the top 3 of the goals I long to meet throughout the next 12 months. Of course, I'm going to start pursuing them now so that I'm not procrastinating. But, my goal is to look back at the year 2008 and be able to say that I challenged myself throughout the entire year always seeking to be more disciplined, to be a better teacher, and to be a more faithful follower of Christ.

A Terry Family Christmas

Family Christmas 2007

For some reason, my family took multiple pictures this year during Christmas. Perhaps it was because we're not all together that often. Perhaps it was because Katy was determined to get the 'perfect' family picture. Or, perhaps it was just because we actually enjoyed being together. The truth of the matter is- I had a really good time with my family this Christmas.

It's not that I've not enjoyed my family in the past, but this year was special. I'd been away from home with little communication for quite some time. Plus, my little brother and sisters aren't so little anymore- it makes being around them much more bearable. I think I laughed more and just had pure fun this Christmas season- for that- I am very thankful.

News Flash: It's December

Matt in Vienna

SO much has happened since Nov 1st. Let me attempt to summarize:

1.) School- it's progressing. I think I'm moving at a slower rate than last year! How will I ever get everything done? This whole timing thing is ridiculous. I should be handed a yearly schedule that plans every month for me that lets me know exactly how much time should be spent on every topic and subject...why don't I have one of those? Are you telling me I have to create that myself?

2.) Matt came to visit. The pictures here are from his visit. We had 8 days together. We were even able to visit Vienna, Austria. Since this was Matt's first visit to Europe, I had to make sure he saw at least one other country. I was just there the previous month, but I thoroughly enjoyed my second visit. We had a teacher from Vienna Christian School escort us around the city. She did a wonderful job showing us the things that a resident would know and understand. I really enjoyed her perspective of the city.

3.)Thanksgiving: I spent time with Matt, and we cooked our own T-day meal. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and biscuits provided us with a genuine Thanksgiving meal. I was very thankful to spend the day with Matt- we had a really good time.

4.) We have 3 more days of instruction before exam review and exams. I am unable to consider the idea that this semester is over. I am also unable to comprehend the fact that I’ll be in the states in 11 days. Truly bizarre.

I’m announcing my arrival to Tallahassee on the 20th. I’ll be there only until the 26th when I’ve the opportunity to go skiing with Matt. Then, I’ll be leaving the country again on the 1st to arrive back in Hungary for my ReachGlobal conference.

I hope to see many of you on my brief landing in the states. But, if by chance our paths do not cross, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope this season brings you joy as you celebrate the birth of the man who was God providing us with eternal life. I hope this Christmas season offers you many opportunities to offer back to God that which he has so generously given us: Life.

Main attaction: Starbucks...But I walked away with so much more

Vienna- October

Hungary celebrates their freedom and the victory of the 1956 Revolution in late October. The country takes two days to celebrate, and ICSB provides the students both American and Hungarian time to celebrate with these days off of school.

Mary Orr and I decided to rest for a couple days and then take an overnight trip to Vienna. The two hour drive is simple and direct, and Vienna is a beautiful city well worth the visit. In fact, after having been there- I'm dying to return.

Mary and I walked A LOT. The city is accessible by foot but not small. We saw St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Opera house (but no opera), the parliament building, St. Mark's church, 5 Starbucks, 4 H&M's, and many more beautiful buildings. We even took a short side-trip to view the Danube as it runs through Vienna. While Vienna is quite wonderful, Budapest can brag of it's beauty related to the Danube River.

We also visited the Hofburg palace, the Music House, and an authentic Austrian resturant. All in all, our 24 hours in the city were well worth the trip. I learned that there is so little that I know about the architechture, history, and culture of Europe. The greatest part is that I can visit and observe and never really understand it all. It's such a mystery, such an adventure, and such a great way to spend a long weekend.

Memorizing Micah

HS Retreat

I love working at ICSB for many reasons, but one huge reason is the emphasis the school puts on the students' spiritual growth. Of course, not all our students are believers; however, this does not stop the leadership from providing an environment where spiritual growth is possible and strongly encouraged.

One way ICSB fosters a spiritual environment is through the annual High School Retreat. A speaker is invited to challenge the students- this year the theme was Micah 6:8. The back of our shirts say "Walk On." The goal was to encourage the students to evaluate their relationships with others (do justice), with themselves (love kindness), and with God (walk humbly with your God).

The 3 day retreat was an excellent time for me to relax with the students. I didn't have any responsibilities beyond counting heads at meetings and praying for the students as they debriefed in small groups. While I found it difficult to balance my own spiritual introspection with my desire to pray for and challenge the students, it was the first time I really understood what it meant to be a teacher and a spiritual leader for my students. I've been bombarded with Biblical integration at school, but I haven't been able to step back from the classroom to see my students simply as spiritual beings. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to watch them worship and spur one another on toward more meaningful relationships.

Even though the focus of the retreat was God and his glory, opportunities for fun were all around. The cold lake beckoned about a third of the student population after a 'boat' race. Soccer and volleyball filled free time. Freshman initiation woke 22 kids up at 1 am for face painting and boot camp. A bonfire allowed students to recognize meaningful relationships. One afternoon a head shaving rampage occurred as about 10 students and teachers decided to buzz their heads. About half of them look better for it.

God is working in students' lives at ICSB whether or not they are aware of it. My prayer is that I would be following his hand, pursuing his glory and keeping myself open to be used as a vessel however he wills.