Sziasztok, from Budapest! My name is Stephanie Chunoo and I am the current PCC young adult intern who will be working in Budapest with the Kalunba Non-profit Organization for the next 10 months. Kalunba is a part of the Reformed Church of Hungary’s (RCH) refugee ministry implementing organization and they assist refugees and asylum seekers who have come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon integrate into Hungarian society. The centre focuses on three areas of integration. Education, through offering Hungarian language classes for everyone (from adults to young kids), and helping to find employment and housing. The goal is to have these new members of society well integrated within one year of their arrival into Hungarian society. My role at Kalunba is to assist in the day-to-day tasks, such as offering child care, lobby services, offering English classes and helping to plan activities for the kids.
In the beginning of my internship, I was very homesick. This was very surprising to me, as I have lived abroad before and had not felt like this. Everything was new for me here. From the language to the metro and the food, to all the new faces. I felt uncomfortable at first because of my new surroundings and of all the stares I got from strangers on the street!
Thankfully, I am blessed to have Priscilla, another RCH intern from the States. She has been very kind, showing me around Hungary and answering many questions. I have also tried to immerse myself into a routine by hitting the ground running and keeping myself busy with work and language classes. I have started learning Hungarian and I take classes with some of our refugee families. It is quite difficult so I am very impressed with how fast my classmates are learning, both the adults and the kids. The other week was a fall break for some of the kids so I had a chance to meet most of them—they are a very unique bunch.
I have faith that eventually Hungary will feel more like home to me. I have to remind myself that I have only been here for a short time, and slowly but surely I will adjust—hopefully sooner rather than later!
I would also like to thank you all for your continuous support and prayers, they are much needed and appreciated!
