I could not wait to see again my friends and non-biological family from the other side of the world. I had been waiting for this trip since the moment we said goodbye in March and while I was packing my suitcase memories kept popping up in my head from the week we spent together in spring. I was excited to go back to BT, learn new things about the school, about Judaism and of course about each other.
When we got off from the school buses and reunited it felt like we had never left each other. At that moment I didn’t think about the 21 hour-long traveling that was behind me that day. I felt on top of the world and tears were coming to my eyes while I was cuddling everyone.
Even though the time went really quickly and the trip is already over, this past week felt like one month because of the tons of activities we had.
One of my favorite activities was the workshop at the school about charity and voluntary work led by BT students. First I was surprised how many ways they helped others. Whether it meant to give crafts for a hospital or coming to school earlier and make sandwiches for the homeless. It was extremely heart-warming to see how committed they are. Personally I was extremely motivated by that workshop. A few years earlier I had an idea which was briefly about high school students helping primary school pupils in case they needed help in studying. It never came to fruition because I did not believe that it was possible to realize in our school. This workshop showed me that nothing was impossible and if I had an idea and I worked hard enough I could make it happen. I don’t have to do everything alone, I have my teachers and schoolmates to turn to for help and together we can do it.
The other highlight of the week was obviously the Shabbaton. It was magical and indescribable. No one cared about that we came from two totally different places with different cultural backgrounds, because at that moment we belonged to one community, to one Jewish nation. We sang for hours and had meaningful conversations which brought us even closer and as the time went by the connection between us got stronger and stronger.
Right now I’m sitting at my desk, writing this blog and I’m happy and sad at the same time. I don’t know how it happened, but we built up a connection that other people usually maintain in months or years. If I were an outsider listening to this experience I would probably not believe it. I know it seems like a fairy tale, but it is the one hundred percent truth. It was a magical experience and I can’t be thankful enough that I could be part of this journey. I learned about myself and I found motivation. I made new friends and I learned the importance of being part of a community. ~ Emese V., Grade 13
