Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over. Guy Finley
I cannot believe we moved into our new house just four weeks ago, and February 11th we are already opening our doors to our new business; LivEnglish Homestay Hungary!
I feel as though I am living a dream, as it hasn’t yet set in that this is my house, my job, my business, my goals coming to fruition… It is so very surreal.
I woke up on the first night in the house and thought I was in a hotel room. I had no idea where I was! It felt like a luxury hotel with a beautiful view over the mountains, and the silence was nothing I had ever heard, or should I say, didn’t hear before.
I know I can find peace in this home, and some well needed rest after a full week of work. I can make this a home, and slowly we buy the exact right pieces for each room to make it exactly right.
Everything is falling into place as we imagined, like little pieces of a very large puzzle. I can’t see the full picture yet, but the parts that have come together so far have been easy; the borders, the main images, the edge pieces, the colour groupings… The remaining pieces are all the same colour, those needing more attention. We bang out the details of our new life, and they are not as fun to put together. If they were a puzzle they would all look the same. Now comes the work, the painstaking task of trying every piece out to see if it fits.
The parts that I can’t see clearly yet, I can only imagine. How our life will play out, what successes will arrive, and of course the endless happiness our new life will bring.
Questions not yet answered are:
- Is this the right school for both children?
- Is this our forever home?
- Where can I go for yoga classes?
- Will I ever find a great shopping mall?
- Where do I buy the best quality eggs and cheeses from?
- What are the children going to do for extracurricular activities near Solymar?
- Where is the circle of friends I crave?
But trying to figure out those parts are also part of the fun while finding our way in our new expat life.
Trying out the different markets, inviting people over, visiting the nooks and crannies of our new life; it all come with the expat life territory!
What I see is that their is a need for our LivEnglish immersion program. That’s crystal clear.
Our biggest challenge will be softening student’s accents, same problem the student’s have in France; the extra syllable when the children talk, that extra ‘ah’ sound between the words to help them find that word… It will be a challenge, but nothing we haven’t worked on before!
This week we took five new students. That means throughout the week I have five – ten extra private hours to prepare lessons, and to find good strategies to help them reach their goals, plus their five hours of class time with me. That puts me in the ‘working full-time’ category! Wow! Here for a minute and already reached one of my personal goals! √
Although it doesn’t feel like work. It feels like I am helping people. You know that motivation you feel when you get up super early to do something you love, like fishing or to catch that plane for vacation. That’s how I feel every morning when I wake-up. I feel like today we are conquering problems and moving forward with the students. It is very rewarding!
Some jobs feel stagnant, like working means nothing and we could easily be replaced. I feel like I am part of a giant wheel, one essential spoke to make the whole machine turn.
Adult classes!
I have an adult coming this week too, but I was thinking about starting a coffee group, or a wine hour… not sure which, just for mother’s wishing to strengthen their conversational skills. I already have a few moms in mind, parents of the students I already teach. It could be a fun way to meet fellow residents of the area, and also help in another small way.
Website updates
I haven’t posted in a long time, as the LivEnglish website, the house construction and my work has been taking up most of my time. However, I am planning to continue my expat life series. I do have loads to talk about, life to share but I just don’t have the time. I love writing in the morning hours, but that’s when I am leaving for work. My most productive time goes to the school. Lucky buggers !
I need to find that balance still, between work and play just for me. That’s this blog! <3
On a personal level
This week I plan a few friendly visits; new friends and family coming by for lunch or dinner. I need to feel like I am connecting to my new life in more intimate essential ways and not just work and connecting for business reasons.
The excitement is still here, the love of adventure, the learning of new things. I am just tired, a different tired than in France. But I can see my way now! And the future is very bright in Hungary!
Buckle your seatbelt Alfonz, we are about to go on a serious fun ride! LivEnglish is about to explode here in Hungary! I haven’t even advertised yet, we have been open for two days and we are already had enough interest to book us full for the summer! Say what?! Let the crazy begin!
That’s what the crystal ball says anyway!
