Thursday was a typical day

7:15AM: Alarm went off. Mercifully, on Thursdays I don't have a class first period so I don't have to be at school until 8:30. This means that if I skip the unessentials (who has time to shave?) I don't really have to get out of bed until...
7:45AM: got out of bed, drank a full mug of syrupy Hungarian-style coffee (espresso) and ate a bowl of cereal. Dressed and washed up by...
8:00AM: out the door for my 25 minute walk to school. I could take a bus or buy a bike, but I kind of need the forced time of just waking up and listening to music (yesterday Vampire Weekend (thanks Roy)) to be ready for the classroom. Plus, now that the weather is so much better I don't mind the walk, which is mostly by the river.
8:30AM: In the teachers' lounge one of my favorite colleagues, Evelin, is brewing espresso. After a cup we are awake enough to talk about the upcoming day until the bell rang. My school is certainly a bit more laid back than your average American school, and it's understood that the bell signals that it's time to start walking to your class, not to actually be in class. If you need to halfheartedly shuffle papers around on your desk, fight with a vending machine, or gaze at the announcements board blankly for a few minutes this is also encouraged.
8:40AM: Second period with the second English group of class 10A. Their English is pretty weak but they're friendly kids so this class is a bit difficult to teach but always a pleasure. We discuss shopping and I basically write the grammatically correct sentences on the board to get them talking.
9:25AM: The ten minute break between classes. This is always a busy time for me because I must record my own participation grade for each student, make a write up of how the class went and what we did (to help keep track and find trends trends of what is and isn't working with which of my 16 groups), and then record attendance and activity info in the class's register with the school. It's a busy time for the students as well because they want to get as much smoking or making out/heavy petting in the hallway done as possible. It's icky.
9:35AM: The beginning of the third period with 9A's first English group. Usually a wonderful and enthusiastic class, they sometimes are impossible to control and refuse to speak any English because they are 14 and speaking English is difficult and much less fun then whatever is going on on the screen of their mobile phones. A few of the exceptional students were still with me and we discussed music types, likes, dislikes, etc. I harangued the rest of them, collected a few cell phones, and threatened to throw them out the window (this is one of their favorite threats and when I use it they understand that I mean business) until they finally quasi focused and discussion limped onwards for the rest of the class.
10:20AM: In between the third and the fourth bell their is a 20 minute break instead of the usual ten. There are no lunch periods so this is the only time during the school day that both students and faculty have time to grab something to eat. For the students intent on getting some during the breaks it is particularly trying because they need to eat, find someone to fondle (partners seem to change rapidly), and usually smoke a cigarette in precious few minutes.
10:40AM - Fourth period begins but on Thurday's is a free period for me as long as I don't have to sub. I went out to a bakery to get something to eat and then returned to my desk to go through my Hungarian flash cards.
11:35AM - Fifth period with 13A. This class is sometimes my best and sometimes my worst and walking in I never know whether I'm getting the Jekyll or the Hyde class. They have graduated from High School and for the most part are at my school because they didn't get into the University system last year and are gearing up for another chance/are just being forced to do something by their parents. Therefore, English abilities and enthusiasm really run the gauntlet from exceptionally high to why-are-you-here-wasting-our-time? We were discussing what they would show a foreign visitor in Hungary if said visitor was a sports enthusiast/history buff/outdoorsman and so on and so forth. A rousing discussion on handball ensued.
12:30PM:One of my colleagues has come down with something so I sub 12C for her. I usually teach them on Monday's and they are a nice class, especially considering they only have a couple of months of High School left. They've been quite attentive to me lately because they must all pass this huge series of exams in May and one of the major components is an English exam. My time with them has basically turned into practice sessions for the portion of the exam in which they must talk for a minute when given a question about anything from their family to their opinion of consumerism or Japanese cuisine. We've been talking about "society" lately and yesterday we discussed fashion. Black is really in right now in Hungary.
1:25PM: Seventh period with one of my favorite groups, the first English section of 9c. Now, some of these students might be considered traditionally naughty, but I love them because they are witty and sarcastic and hilarious and I probably let them get away with things I shouldn't because I'm too busy laughing at them. Yesterday we discussed television and music. During brainstorming music genre's they came up with an extensive list, including Gregorian chants and, this is paraphrasing because I don't precisely remember, "Underground funk hip-hop ska soul revival."
2:10PM: The school day ends! The teachers are generally happier about this than the students. I walk home listening to Liz Phair and reviewing more Hungarian flash cards. One the way home I stop at my little greengrocer and then the minimarket where the lady behind the service counter (Zsuzsa) already knows what I want (1 Pick diak csemege sausage, 300 grams trapista cheese, 200 grams sandwich turkey).
2:50PM: Back home. Unwound on the internet by reading the news and instant messaging. Lunched on a turkey sandwich.
3:30PM: Alternated between napping, finishing Ayn Rand's We the Living and having a good long think about totalitarianism. I guess Bush hasn't been all that bad.
6:00PM: Made myself baked ziti for dinner. A couple of times a week, particularly on weekends, I eat with Talyor, but last night I just watched a few episodes of Arrested Development while cooking, eating, and doing the dishes.
7:30PM: Hungarian studying (think I've got the locutive cases down so I'm moving swiftly along to the obliques) while trying to watch Hungarian TV. I like Dr. House even less dubbed.
9:00 PM: Searched couchsurfering for a place to stay next weekend when I meet Micha in Vienna. I think we'll be staying with a Portuguese chemistry Ph.D. student and going with him to the birthday party of some Canadian friend. Fun!
9:30PM: Went for a jog. Szentes at night is peaceful and charming and, as long as it's not unbearably cold, a walk or jog always puts me in a good mood. Especially on nights when I don't meet with a friend or have something after school to do this helps me cure the apartment stir crazies I get.
10:30PM: I don't know why I chose to do so before bed, perhaps it was the endorphins from the preceding run, but as was getting into the shower I could no longer stand how long it took my bathroom sink to drain so I tackled my first plumbing project. Success within thirty minutes, but ewwwwwwww. That's what's in pipes?!?! Took an extra long shower because I needed to feel extra spick and span after cleaning out congealed gunk that probably dates back to the Soviet occupation.
11PM: Early to bed because Friday starts at first period.