Pancakes and Festivals

MMmmmm the delicious smell of working on a Saturday.

In fact, working the Monday schedule on a Saturday, having 1 whole day to myself and then getting up and doing it all over again. Although I know that we do this in order to have a beautiful 4 day weekend sometime later... but really....as Gillbert and Sullivan would say does "the punishment fit the crime"?
But there is a bright and shiny light at the end of the tunnel....or bottle. This weekend is Palinka fest. I was a little confused as last week 1/2 of the people told me it would be it would be last weekend, and 1/2 told me this weekend. Meh, at least it is here.
I, having better things to do but also not wanting to do them, went to the festival last night, am going today and will go tomorrow.

On Csütörtök (Thursday) I hoped over to the Dormitory to learn to make Hungarian Palicinkat (my poorly spelt attempt at "pancakes in the direct object"). Charles Italy (as he translates his name), V, A and a number of other students bought supplies and taught me to make pancakes. Hungarian pancakes are a lot like crepes- thin, sweet and delicious. They showed me how to swirl the oil in the pan, scrape the edges, shake it and finally flip it. Having ket balkezsén (two left arms - much like two left feet, but for throwing and catching) I was afraid of flipping the pancakes. When I did it and successfully I got applause from the students. Half way through our pancake making extravaganza, we went outside to view Saturn through the telescope that one of the teacher's husband brought. It looked unreal. After gorging ourselves silly on pancakes, I walked home. It was sweet that they were a little worried about this, and their concerns were the first I had heard of Gyula being a little dangerous.

Friday, some of my cooking companions and I went to the Palinka festival to see the concert. Apart from the palinka and general fair goodness, the great attraction is the concerts. Friday as Mark. We got to the grounds at 6pm, just in time for the concert, but the show ahead of it was still going on. It was a little confusing because the "dancing" was really just walking and a little jiggling to music. It all made sense, especially the bit in lingerie when V turned to me and explained that it was a fashion show. Mark, was a singer I had actually heard on one of my marathon Mtv-lazing in the dorm-too poor and bored to go out-weekends, but didn't know until I heard the SOS Szerelem song. After the concert some of the others and I went for a walk. We found a huge spinney ride with flashing lights. It was excitement at first sight. Negy száz later I was seated in a metal cab of death and being squished by a tenth grade boy at high velocity. Randomly it would change speeds, go backwards or roll up and down. I loved it. And the view...the view was amazing. What I didn't love was the feeling of - Oh-my-goodness-I-am-going-to-puke that I got for the next half hour. Thank heavens I hadn't drunk any beer or palinka or I would have re-visited dinner.

Class Stuff:

9ny- free discussion. I had activities, but they didn't want to play, so we had a free discussion instead. It actually worked well for the girls who dominated the discussion, and apparently they also think I should stay and get married to a Hungarian man (not the first time I have been told this). The discussion was not something I could do all of the time, simply because not everyone participates, but a nice change of pace.

12- Me: "Can remind me of some sports?"
Them: "Sightseeing?"
Me: "I wouldn't call that a sport, can you think of any others?"
Them: "Going home!?"
Going home has replaced the chimes of "to the bed", but this is mostly true because there was only 1 of the boys in class.

Also Zs showed me a neat way to pair students for group work using string. Hold a bundle of strings in the middle, have students grab ends then let go of the middle. The person on the other end is their partner.