Hungarian Reflections

It’s been a week since I left Budapest, and I’ve been missing it constantly. I don’t just miss the other trainees, who I still talk to occasionally; I also miss working in the camp. Having a regular schedule gave structure to my day and made me feel like I was actually accomplishing something. Also, I miss my kids.

Summer for Youth is a camp that aims to teach high school-aged kids about other cultures and about English through immersion. Because we had kids of all ages—our youngest was 11, at one point, and our oldest was 20—we had to keep changing what we were doing in order to keep them interested. We did presentations on our home countries, on the problems in our countries, on our cultures, on our native languages, and more. We went to Zumba and Margarit Island once a week each. We played games like Japanese football, Red Rover, Manhunt, Kabadi, etc. We taught them the different AIESEC roll calls and had a “wish box” where the delegates at the camp could ask us to do any crazy thing they wanted us to do (within reason). We had team-building exercises and scavenger hunts.

What we really struggled with was the changing roster of the camps. Some people stayed for one week, while others stayed for two weeks—not always consecutively. This meant that we were never sure who had seen that presentation already, or done that activity in a previous camp. This also meant that, at least with the kids who came back for a second week, we were able to establish bonds of friendship beyond those of just teacher and delegate.

Just to talk about a few:

Brigitta was Hannah’s host. We went to Síofok and the baths with her. I actually tutored her in algebra for a little while.

Zsambo and Csenge, brother and sister, were the Justin Bieber and the baby princess of the camp, respectively. Both of them were in my homegroup because, as the youngest trainee, I was in charge of the youngest delegates. (I couldn’t be put in charge of delegates who were older than me.) Zsambo’s English was very good, but Csenge’s English was very poor. At ages 13 and 11, they were the youngest delegates at the camp, and also arguably the most energetic.

Tami is an enthusiastic English student, and was always active in every activity, asked questions during presentations, and was generally interested in the camp. He still Facebook messages me occasionally, asking me how I’m doing and sometimes asking for help with English homework.

We had two Réka’s (Réka means river in Hungarian), both of whom we grew very close to. One of them had an American parent, and won a trip to China. The other one turned fourteen while all of us were still in Budapest, so we took her out for chocolate fondue and dinner on her birthday. She later told us that it was the best birthday she’d ever had.

I really, really miss these kids. A good number of them—the most active ones, and the ones I talked to the most—have added me on Facebook, and we’re on good enough terms that we feel comfortable chatting with each other and commenting/liking posts and pictures. I love knowing that I have tens of people willing to host me if I ever go back to Budapest (which I definitely plan to do). It really makes Budapest feel like home.

When I was shopping for souvenirs for my friends and family at home in the last few days I was in Budapest, I realized that I didn’t know what to buy. Usually, there are a few specific items you should get from a place that represents it very well—bits of the Berlin Wall from Berlin, crystal from Prague—but I didn’t know what to get from Budapest. I simply didn’t feel like a tourist there, and I didn’t know what would encompass my entire experience there.

Someday I’ll be back. Hopefully “someday” doesn’t lie too far in the future, because the idea of those kids forgetting about me is heartbreaking. But for now, I’ll continue messaging them and seeing how their lives are going. Summer for Youth didn’t just teach Hungarian kids about other cultures from around the world; it forged friendships across borders.