Rays of sunlight penetrated through the stain glass windows as I walked into SSG for another exciting day in Budapest. That Wednesday morning, we had the opportunity to teach and enrich the learning experience of the SSG fourth grade. As an avid babysitter and child lover, I did not believe that spending time with these children would be so different. However, I was majorly mistaken.
Unlike the Hungarians our age, the fourth graders had not spent a year learning English yet. Therefore many of us (the American students) felt slightly worried about the language barrier. However, to all of our surprise, after we explained the first activity the children that had a better understanding of English began explaining our instructions to their peers. It was a true sight to see. No one child made their peer feel bad for not understanding.
In contrast, the student would enthusiastically explain the activity to their peers in Hungarian and encourage their friends to join in the fun. This made our first game of freeze dance extremely successful.
Soon after, I walked around the room observing two groups of students playing an “American tourist attractions” 
memory game. After teaching the children about different American landmarks it was incredible to watch them apply their learning in a memory game. Impressively, the students completed this game in a foreign language and with great pride and enthusiasm.
Next, we engaged with the students in some American football and an American food tasting activity. It was incredible to watch the glowing faces of these children as we all ran around playing ball and as they tasted different American treats. When we ended the “formal education” part, we all began playing soccer and handing out the extra American treats. I turned in a complete circle unable to stop a smile from spreading across my face. The sheer joy that every child displayed (including the American students) was an image I will never forget.
I will not lie when I say that I did not expect to learn so much from a simple hour of engagement with Hungarian students. However, the love of youth and life that each child displayed completely changed my outlook on my own life and reaffirmed the importance of a good work-life balance in my life. We only live once and it is important to create all the joy we can during that lifetime. That moment was the purest moment of joy and I will cherish the feeling of sheer happiness felt by every student in that room forever.~ Aleesa
