Leaving the European Union was a new thing for me. I was intrigued to see what the world outside of the EU was. I didn’t really know much about what it was going to be like, but I only knew that it was going to be a long ride. Throughout the whole trip I had this special, joyous, vivid happiness that I had only felt once before, on the previous Shabbaton with our American friends in Hungary. Sadly, I didn’t get to learn the layout of the school, so I got lost constantly. I realized that I might not have stage fright, or it was just the people I was surrounded by. My favorite time during the whole trip was the Shabbaton we had. I loved the break sessions, when we sat in the lounge, played games, talked to each other, sang and basically just had a great time. I got closer to the friends I had already had, and even befriended more. I loved spending every second with them. It is a completely different world. Kids from BT were all so warm-hearted, lovely, generous and kind. I am still overwhelmed with positive feelings and I still keep in touch with some of the Americans. I’ve learned how to be more open to people, especially be open about my religion. If there’s a thing I’d change besides the duration of the whole project, it would be the way the American participating group is assembled. In my opinion, it would be best, if they were from the same grade. ~Simon P., Grade 13
