Time is a relative thing. The more you think about it the faster it goes by. When you get into that “time is passing” mindset, you come across the question: “What have I done in life?” Keeping in mind how young I was then, and still, am, asking that question was completely silly, and yet, the pure nothingness couldn’t disappear from my head just like that. My life was great but completely average. A normal day was like a never-ending cycle which consisted of school, hanging out with friends, and studying.  

My grandma would always say, “good things come when you least expect it.” I wasn’t a big believer in that until it actually happened to me. One day, out of nowhere, my local Jewish community sent an email to my dad. It was an application for Szarvas Camp in Hungary. I didn’t acknowledge it much at first until my parents said that they signed up me and my sister, and we were going to spend 2 weeks there in summer. Little did I know, my life would soon drastically change.

I wasn’t that used to huge social gatherings so it was all very overwhelming for me at first. When we arrived, everybody already knew each other and started hanging out right away, and there I was, left with the only person I knew, my sister, who had already made some friends. To my surprise, everyone immediately started coming up to me, introducing themselves, offering help if needed, and giving me some tips about getting to know others. It took me some time, but when I got to know everyone and fully relaxed, I started enjoying this whole new world I was a part of.

Szarvas showed me how to get out of my comfort zone, make friends easily, truly cherish every second of life, and most importantly, it offered me a sense of home and taught me how to truly love myself. These are things that I will be forever grateful for.

At BBYO Balkan’s regional convention, I really got to see what BBYO is all about. Seeing this amazing connection and the love everyone shared, not just for each other, but for the whole organization, was so heartwarming and amazing. The thing that affected me most was definitely the board elections and the way everyone was so hardworking and passionate about their positions. After that, I promised myself that I would give my all and work really really hard so that I could become the right person for the board next year.
Fast forward to now, after trying to do my best, and with the help of amazing friends along the way, I accomplished everything I dreamed about. This year I became BBYO Balkans 8th regional Mazkirah, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

In this short period of time, BBYO and its people made my life turn upside down and have taught me so much. I’m really grateful for that and can’t wait for more adventures to come!