9-11 in a foreign country

It was a good day at school – I ended the day with both 9^th grade classes together as another teacher had to leave – and we did an activity on 9/11.  I was unsure at first how it was going to go – as there would be 36 people in the small room  - and it’s the last period on Friday, and they’re 9^th graders.  BUT, I had spoken to one half of the class in the morning, and they promised they’d behave with the large group – so it was a “keep my fingers crossed” situation.  I started off the lesson asking if they knew that Thursday had been special day for me.  Many of them did not know what I was referring to – and then some of them offered it was Csutortok – (with umlauts over the u and both o’s) – Csutortok is my favorite Hungarian word so far, and I’ve shared this factoid with my 9^th graders.  I said, yes it was special because it was Thursday, but it was also a special day for my country.  They figured it out then, and we began a discussion on the 9/11 situation.  They had all heard of it for years – but didn’t know much about the causes (though who really does) so we talked a bit about extremism and faith and some really interesting stuff.  Interesting, that is, if you are not one of the 4 or 5 students who only understand about 20% of what I say… we then looked at some pictures of memorials (an eagle crying, a man with the two towers tattooed on his back, a small boy crying by his firefighter dad’s picture- etc) and then we read some poems about 9/11.  I finished by playing the Alan Jackson song “where were you when the world stopped turning” and maybe not so appropriate, but the Toby Keith song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue”  I stopped the songs several times to go over the stanzas and what the words meant (though I did not receive the same courtesy at choir practice- he he) and it was kind of a powerful experience.  Teaching a group of young people what happens in the world, and trying to explain the why behind it.  Particularly to a group of students who did not share the same emotion as I do regarding the event… it was just something.  These 9^th graders, during the last period on a Friday – were dead silent -  soaking up (as many of the words that they could understand) the poems and the songs – and listening to how the 9/11 events changed the United States, and my life forever.  There was something that was particularly moving about the experience – I had little faith that they would take the activity seriously- yet I became teary eyed during the discussion.  I don’t know if it was because I was just in awe of the event of 9/11 or in awe of the fact that so many students were listening, and hurting with me at the same time.  They wanted to know more – and to listen to more songs and poems where Americans expressed their emotions of the event.  It was just something… a real cultural connect I think.  I felt, for the first time since I got here really, that I had made the right decision to come here for a year.  I knew that whatever crazy things happened to me while I was in Hungary, I had my own audience of eager learners (like many of my classes were at home) and that many of them would do just about anything for me – including taking me running and explaining crazy Hungarian things to me.  They were thirsty to learn about me, my country and my beliefs – and maybe, even though there is a language barrier, they will get as much from me as some of my Burnsville kids have throughout the years.  I hope that I can leave my mark on Hungary (not by being on the news for letting strangers in my apartment- and paying them for nothing) but for in some way, touching the lives of my students here.  The Hungarians are a beautiful people, eager to help you with anything you need, and ready to open their homes and lives to you.  Though I am sure I will have some tough lonely times here, I know that my experience, from colleagues to students,  locals to strangers, will do nothing but make me a better person.