riots and retreats

I'm not sure how much coverage the rioting is getting in the States, so if you're curious, here's a link to the English newspaper in Budapest. It pretty much covers the basics http://www.budapestsun.com/full_story.asp?ArticleId={4194E2CB4F4F477CBA29B26FB2CCC79C}&From=News

The general attitude here seems to be that there are some legitimate protestors, but the violent ones appear to be skinheads and extremists who are just looking for an excuse to create trouble. Hopefully it will die down soon... Again, though, I have to say that everything in Diosd is fine!

In fact, I'm more than fine, as this is a short week. The students have tomorrow off, because we have a staff retreat! I'm really excited. We're going to the Hungarian countryside, all expenses paid, to destress and build team unity. Honestly, I'm more excited about the destressing part. I keep hearing that culture shock is a silent killer that creeps up on you, and I can sort of see that already. Even if you're in a great mood, sometimes the stress of just hearing different languages all day is enough to cause tension. So I'm really excited about getting out of the city and into nature for a while...

no blog updates until we get back, but I hope to have some pictures for you by then!