Keeping In Touch

Sunday Highlight

The highlight of today was a Zoom call with my friends in Indonesia.  We have a group on WhatsApp that we formed a week or so before I left Indonesia. At the time, all of us were teachers at the same school.  Now about half the group teaches at the same school; the other half has either gone into business for themselves or have found a job at other schools. They had several questions for me:

Do you have to wear a face mask?  

No, in fact, when I got here the head of department told me I did not need to wear a mask. I have not seen anyone wearing a mask since I left the airport. In Indonesia, face masks are still required. If I understood correctly, Jakarta is in lockdown.

My Indonesian friends have all been touched by CoVID in one way or another.  Two of them, may God be praised, have had it and recovered. Others have nursed family members or are grieving the loss of family and neighbors.

Yesterday, when my colleague was introducing me to downtown, we talked about Hungary’s response to the pandemic. She found walking through downtown both concerning and comforting. She liked the idea of people coming out and life coming back into the town. She estimated that about 60% of Hungarians had been vaccinated, including herself. When the schools began preparing for the students’ return to the classroom in May, she got the shot. 

Will you teach online or in the classroom?

The rector of the school sent out a letter several weeks ago (the director translated it for me) informing the faculty that classes would be in person this semester unless something comes up.  The director also told me that the classes I will teach usually average 12 to 15 students, though there may be as many as 20 this semester, depending on the availability of teachers and classrooms.  I may explore options for teaching online as well (outside the university; my contract allows me to work additional jobs).

WFH

I learned some new acronyms from my friends.  One asked me if I would WFO (work from the office).  Indonesian teachers have the option of WFO or WFH.  I will be WFO three days a week. I’m scheduled to teach on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I do not have any work assignments on the other four days of the week.

Four of my friends have been promoted to positions of educational leadership. One is coordinator of the junior high English curriculum, coordinator of online studies,  and vice-principal for facilities; she will be teaching a full load as well. One is vice-principal for student life in senior high. The previous vice-principal, also a member of our group who could not join us today, has been promoted to senior high school principal. It has been said that he works long days.  The lady who was principal when I first started at the school and I reminisced about the days when we would arrive at school before seven in the morning and leave as late as nine o’ clock at night.  She says she’s a “tang-go” teacher now; as soon as the bell ‘tangs,’ she goes home. It was so good to talk to my friends from Indonesia.

Is your lunch meatless?

This question was posed on WhatsApp after our Zoom reunion.  The answer is, “yes.” If I bought meat, I’d have to cook it. I’m too lazy to cook. I might tire of the salads for breakfast and lunch pretty soon. Other than a hot chocolate in a cafe with the new secretary and the ice cream with my colleague from the university last night, I haven’t ventured into restaurants, mostly because I’m still on my own and I’m not confident about reading a menu yet.

After our walk yesterday, my colleague offered to go grocery shopping with me if I ever needed her help. I can handle grocery stores okay since they don’t require any linguistic skills other than reading price tags. It might be a good idea, though, to ask her if she’d like to eat out sometime.  It’s nearly time to go grocery shopping again. My choice for supper is salad, tomato, plums, crackers, and cereal.

Afternoon Walk 

map of today's walk

palm tree from yesterday's walk

After our Zoom talk and watching First Baptist Church of Arlington's early service online, I took a walk. When I returned from my walk up the bank of the river on the Old Szeged side and down the bank of the river on the New Szeged side, the neighbors were clearing the vines and trimming back the plants from the area in front of the apartments. Our street is very clean and tame now.  They threw the trimmings in the garbage cans, which are shared by the entire building.

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our yard, after the neighbors cleared it