My 6 weeks with the foundation is coming to an end.
Time passes really fast and it feels like yesterday when I first went to the foundation in Pécs. My time with the foundation has been nothing but enriching. I got to spend time with the kids inside and outside of the classroom. I was able to see how lessons are conducted in the foundation for them. Through that, I’ve learnt a lot about Hungary as a country and about Hungarians. I was also given the chance to pop by some of the schools in Pécs to speak to the kids about Singapore; a country that I’m pretty sure is foreign to them.
The kids in Pécs also brought me around the city, showing me the sights in the pretty city and the places that they hang out with their friends during their free time. During my last week with the foundation, I was also given the opportunity to visit Szeged. With the kids and mentors, we went to various places such as the zoo, ice-skating ring and dance school to learn Serbian dance.
Even though I initially left Singapore with the notion that kids in the foundation would be able to benefit from my presence (which I hope they did), however it has been beneficial for me too. From them, I learnt so much about a country that I didn’t really know. I learnt to see my life in Singapore differently, and to really understand Hungary as a country.
I do hope that I will be able to visit the kids soon.
Yina Chua, AIESEC volunteer from Singapore