Sunday, July 20, 2008

Nyaralunk! (We are on vacation!)

Phew! What a busy week! Paul and have been studying away like good little Hungarian students. We now have a vocabulary that is probably 1200 ish words large (of course, I could be way off on that number, but it sounds good). This past week we learned how to use the possessive language, such as "Jill has a ball/Jill's ball" or "Paul is Jill's husband." We also learned how to use the superlative (I think that's the word). For those of you who have no idea what that means, it is basically a comparison term. It's easier to show you an example: good vs. better, strong vs. stronger, nice vs. nicer. So... now I can tell Paul, " My test grade is better than yours!" I won't tell you if that past statement is true or not, but I think you already know the answer :)

Friday was our last day of Hungarian class until next month. The school shuts down for three weeks in the summer to give the teachers some vacation time. I am definitely thankful to have some down time, but three weeks off also scares me a bit. I hope I don't forget everything and go back to square one! Over the three weeks I hope to go over every single thing we have learned and cement it in my head. This break couldn't have come at a better time. Information overload was just about to set in!

Paul will be very busy during the break. This coming fall, he will be teaching a brand new course at the Bible Institute entitled Biblical Theology. The course will take each book of the Bible, starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation, and look at the different theological issues that are revealed. For example, in Genesis God reveals His purpose in the creation of Man. Man was created by God to exercise His authority by ruling in God's place "as the image of God." This is evidenced in the command by God for man to rule and subdue the earth. Paul will teach this course starting the second week of Bible School, so he is working hard this summer to get it completed in time for Fall! On top of all that, he will be preaching the next three Sundays at the Toalmas Church. Plus, studying hard for Hungarian, of course!

I have several projects I hope to complete over our break as well. I want to basically wash the whole outside of the house, if that's possible! The whole thing needs to be scrubbed down and freed of cobwebs and dirt. I want to wash all the shutters and windows inside and out so our humble home will look like new. I also want to get our yard in order by doing some major weed pickn' and tilling the ground to get it ready for planting bulbs this Fall. You should see our village in the Spring. I am not exaggerating when I say that 75% of the houses have daffodils and tulips popping out of the ground! It is so beautiful! It looks like something from the movies! So, in order to be a good Hungarian, I too need to have some bulbs ready for Spring bloom too. When in Rome... It's a little hard for me, because we don't own this home, so I don't want to invest too much money or time into something that's just a rental. But at the same time, we could be here for several years (aka, until we have a baby) so it's important to take pride in our landscape. I have real problems, huh? Poor me!

I spent this afternoon expanding the garden for next spring! It used to be about 15' x 25'. Now it has increased to 25' x 25'! Plus, I'm starting a compost pile! I've been reading up on it on Better Homes and Garden's website. Sooooo cool! I didn't know it was so easy. I guess I always thought compost piles took a lot of work, but it looks like it's basically a pile of organic food waste and yard stuff all mixed together. Of course, it's a little more complicated than that, but hopefully, in time, I will have some rich compost to add to the garden. That is, if I can get Paul to build me a 3'x3' box to contain it all. Decomposing rocks my socks!



For all those who are interested, here's a few photos of the garden. Still no ripe tomatoes yet, but they are definitely getting there. I think the most exciting thing was the tiny green pepper I discovered when we got home on Friday! Gardening has totally
given me a new appreciation for God and
His creation. It is amazing! Come on over
sometime and I'll make you a salad!

3 comments:

Carol said...

Hi Jillybean! I have just printed out ALL of you blog pages for grandma! She is so excited to see them and keep up with your life. I also found out that the residents have a computer at the nursing home, so I am working to get it online so she can be taken into the activity room and see your blog. I'm glad you are enjoying gardening. We have way toooooo much food in our yard too. God Bless... take care... Aunt Carol

Jill Weaver said...

Hi Carol!

I tried emailing you just now, but got a "failure notice" back. Guess I dont' have your current email. I wanted to thank you for the nice comments you have left on my blog. It really motivates me to keep writing.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading it!

Anyway, I hope you are doing well and keeping up with your business. How are things with the cabin going? Have you found much time to head up there? I still can't believe you drive all that way so frequently! Have you stopped in DeLuth at all? That trip was so fun! I still remember it!

Send me some pics of your cabin if you have time. And tell Grandma I love her so much. By the way, do you have a phone number for her? While we're staying in Budapest for language school (housesitting for some missionaries on furlow in the States) we have free international phone usage! Well, up to 400 minutes that is. Anyway, I would definately give her a call if I had a number.

Hope you have a wonderful summer day!

Love,
Jill

About Me said...

Jill said, "Sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading." I am! Me, me, me! I check in on your blog every now and then because 1) it's a great read, and 2) it's a great read. :-)

I hope you and Paul are having a good break from language school. And don't worry. You won't forget what you've learned so far. In fact, when you get back from the break, you'll probably find that some of the grammar that was kind of hard to get a grasp on, suddenly makes sense.

Love you!
Karen