1/19/14
"Litea." A Hungarian word. Teaching English as a Second language for a couple of weeks for CRM had me in Budapest the summer of 1997. That's where I first encountered the word, litea. It was a sign outside a store on the Buda side of Budapest. (Castle District area, as I recall.)
Exterior inviting. Sign intriguing. Translation not fully understood. But...for one who loves both literature and tea, the suggestion was a "draw."
Inside, it was like a reader's den offering tea. Book browsing with cuppa in hand. Tökéletes! (Perfect)
It also had me with a "good book" in hand. A work of fiction. View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg.
Since Sundays seem to gravitate toward "tea" book reviews these days, I decided to share that YA book, that can be enjoyed & greatly appreciated by adults. It was the Newbery winner for that year, 1997.
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| Water color of "Litea" purchased Budapest, Hungary, 1997 Note---Litea orange sign bottom left corner. |
REVIEW: Memorable, but shunned by peers, the characters become the "unlikely" sixth-grade interscholastic quiz bowl team, coached by a paraplegic teacher, Mrs. Olinski. Handicapped in not only body but also in spirit.
It's been years since I've read it but 2 things still remembered are: their tea party, where they saw life and their own potential from a new perspective; and the metaphor Konigsburg used to highlight their new standing at school, as as they passed students in the hall who lifted their arms giving them a thumbs up---"the hallway "looked like a forest of apostrophes."
Something else that resonated with e-me-- the final words when Mrs. O asks, "Did I choose you or did you choose me? The kids answered, Yes!"
Sometimes I feel like that might be the Lord's answer to me when I ask Him the same question.
