5th Grade Outing: Álmosvölgy & Pécs

Meet the Kalocsa Fire Department

Today I was in 4th grade. I started off as a teacher, but that only lasted for about twenty minutes. During my first lesson, Ancsa, the assistant principal, interrupted my class to tell me that I had been invited to visit the first station with the 4th graders.

Ancsa: "Just go with the children when they come get you, okay?"
me: "Um, okay. But what about the rest of my classes today?
Ancsa: "I will tell them you are gone, don't worry."

A few moments later a couple excited little 4th graders knocked on my door and gestured that I must follow them. I looked at the 6th grade students in my room, shrugged, told them class was over early today, and followed the 4th graders outside.

The rest of the class was waiting in a nice double line, snacking on apples. I approached the teacher and thanked her for inviting me. She smiled, handed me an apple and said, "lunch." At that moment I realized the rest of my afternoon would be spent as a 4th grade American exchange student. Walking with the children across town with my apple in hand, I felt a bit like Billy Madison.

"Kalocsa Fire Department" patch from a fireman's jacket

We arrived at the station and filed into the building for an introductory cartoon about fire safety. After the film we were shown the dispatch room and the firemen answered some questions. Then we headed outside for a tour of the vehicles.

They extended the ladder all the way up and explained how it is used.

We were shown each type of truck and a group of fireman slid down the pole to illustrate how quickly they can get to the trucks. Then the children were set loose, free to climb in and all over the trucks.

There were two different trucks for the children to explore.

The children had a blast sitting in every seat and even trying on some helmets.

Szabolcs tries out the driver's seat.

The kids had a great time and I became the photographer for the group. Once each kid had a chance to explore every part they wanted to, we lined up again for the walk back to school. I enjoyed my afternoon as a 4th grader. They are one of my favorite classes, mostly because they are so excited to learn English. Even though I played the part of a student, I did enjoy the sneaky English conversation practice that the trip prompted.

Field Trip: Budapest (December 18)

Just before winter break I went on an outing with my school to Budapest. The students were a mixed group of 5th through 8th graders. We took a bus from Kalocsa, which took us about 2.5 hours, and spent the whole day in the city. It was a cold, rainy day, but we still managed to have a blast.

First Stop: The Budapest Zoo

After the long bus ride, the kids were anxious to be let loose. The zoo seemed like an appropriate habitat.

Nothing like a wet camel on a rainy day.

I thought it was amazing how much you could interact with the animals. Of course there was a petting zoo area as well, but in general the animals were very accessible, even the dangerous ones.

Yes, those are stingrays in a shallow, uncovered tank.

I acted as a pseudo-chaperone/psuedo-student. Technically I counted as an adult, but wasn't given any real responsibilities. I ended up keeping tabs on a few older girls who loved the polar bears. Even though they were hard to see through the rainy glass, they kept us pretty entertained.

the polar bear channel

Next Stop: The Palace of Wonders


inside the "Palace of Wonders" science museum

The Csodák Palotája ("The Palace of Wonders") is a hands-on science museum. After a few hours at the zoo in the chilly rain, it was a nice change to be inside.

Last Stop: The Parliament Christmas Market

Since it was just before Christmas, the Christmas markets were in full force all over town. We had intended to spend a bit of time at the larger market in Vörösmarty tér, but stopped by the Parliament Christmas market instead.

Christmas market with Hungarian Parliament in the background

The big attraction here was the Mikulásház (roughly "Santa's House"). This was unlike any "Santa's House" I'd ever seen.

Mikulásház

At the entrance was a man dressed in black with devil horns. The structure itself was quite elaborate with many different rooms. In the first room we were greeted by two women dressed in black with devil horns and long capes. These were the Krampusz. In order to see Santa, you had to recite a poem, or sing a song for the Krampusz.

a young boy stands on a box to recite a poem for the Krampusz

Now, when I lived in Salzburg, the Krampus looked a bit more terrifying. These guys would roam the streets with whips and then hand out candy to the children. I had a bruise on my thigh for weeks after getting whipped by one of these scary monsters!

an Austrian krampus

After enough poems and songs, the Krampusz let the next big group in to see Santa. Here he told stories, everyone sang songs, pictures were taken and candy was handed to every child.

Mikulás ("Santa")

We stayed quite a bit longer than planned, but the children seemed to really enjoy themselves. There was actually one more stop after the Christmas market - McDonalds! No class trip in Hungary is complete without a trip to Meki ("McDonalds"). There isn't one in Kalocsa, so the kids got really excited for Happy Meals.