We stood behind the wall and heard all the voices. Silently, I prayed that we will get along with our Hungarian peers on the other side of the wall. Little did I know, that we would become so close, I wouldn’t want to leave my new friends.
I looked over to my school friends who came on this trip to Budapest, Hungary to visit the Scheiber Sandor school, to see if they were as anxious as me to meet these new kids. They were. We begin to look around the wall and at our peers. “Go meet them” the teachers exclaim. I go meet different kids, in different grades, each one unique in who they are. They are all amazing people, and with every second that passes by, I begin to see that despite living in different countries, we are very similar. Slowly, my anxiety evaporates and I am overcome with happiness, and forget why I was worried in the first place. My heart returns to a normal pace as I exchange jokes with my new friends and butcher the language.
Three hours later, I am sitting on the bus next to Emesa (one of my new Hungarian friends), talking to everyone feeling as if I knew my Hungarian peers my whole life instead of three hours. The bus is flowing with conversation, and excitement, and I cannot wipe the silly smile off my face. I have learned so much from my first few hours in Hungary, but most importantly, I have learned that even when you are scared, you should try new things. I have not only gained friends but also a new family.
