gloomy day

Well, the heat has finally broken in Budapest, and our students aren't drowning in sweat. Sadly, it's because of the rain and fog. It's really not so bad, but I have rather vivid memories of last year when the fog lasted for weeks. not a fun time, really! So I wasn't exactly thrilled to see it back again.
It is rather fitting, though. I've been a little down the last couple of days. My grandfather is currently in the hospital, and it reminds me of how hard it is to be far away from family. I love being at ICSB. I love Hungary. I know I'm supposed to be here. But that doesn't always make it easy.

This is why I was so thrilled to check my various inboxes this morning. I had a surprisingly high number of messages waiting for me today. Some were from old friends, some were from former students, but all of them made me feel loved. So if you wrote me, I haven't had a chance to respond yet (busily grading essays!), but know how encouraged I was by your words (or pictures! Thanks Karen). As cheesy as it sounds, it was a little bit of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy day.