“Hi, how are you?” I hear this as I am walking the dog with my dad and turn to see an older man standing alone in his driveway. After fifteen minutes of conversing with this random man, we have talked about so much we have in common, from martial arts to dogs. When my dad and I finally say goodbye to the man and continue our walk, I find myself smiling. I think to myself “Why did a simple ‘hi’ make me so happy?” and the more I think about it the more sense it makes. When I form a connection with someone it is a new experience every time. There is always something to learn and a value to gain from the conversation. Over the years I have found that no matter where I go there is always something unique about the connection I make with people. Being less than a week away from my trip to Hungary, the excitement builds, and I wonder what new relationships I will form and what I will learn from them.
As I tour the streets of Hungary and participate in activities with the students from SSG, I hope to go out of my comfort zone and build new relationships. I hope to reach out to strangers just like the old man did to me and my dad on our walk and encourage someone else to smile. I hope that I can be the next one to say a simple “hi, how are you?” and make someone happy for the rest of the day. I hope that I can be the one to change someone’s life by reaching out to them and building a new relationship with them. ~ Margot J
