When I was in grade school, maybe 6th or 7th grade, my parents began taking me on life changing journeys to a city called Budapest, Hungary. Sometimes we would go as a family, and other times it would be just my mom and I. It took about 6-8 hours to fly to London, and then another hour or two to arrive in Budapest. Once we landed in Budapest, we would normally catch a cab to the flat we were staying in for the two months. Then, once we unpacked a bit, we would take a quick trip to the grocery store so we would have food for the next few days. In Budapest, there are so many ways to get around: trams, buses, taxis, walking, etc. It is much different from the suburbs where most people just drive to where they are going in order to get there.
I have been to Budapest about four or five times. Now, with that being said, you may be wondering why I went there so many times. In Budapest, there is a school called the PETO Institute. This is almost like a normal 8am-3pm school for children and young teenagers except, instead of being taught math, science, or history, they are taught basic life skills that will help them succeed at living on their own. The children that attend the PETO, need this instruction because they have some type of physical disability. The skills that these children are taught include, but are not limited to, tying a shoelace, feeding themselves, clothing themselves, strengthening different muscles, improving one’s speech, and anything else that can allow someone to achieve a greater independence.
The PETO is run by people called conductors. These are specially trained “teachers” who work with the children one-on-one or in small groups. Since the PETO is attended by children from all around the world, the conductors tend to know different languages. I know that while attending the PETO, I picked up a little German, Hungarian, and Spanish! I met people from all over the world too...some very famous! While I was there, I met the Queen of Spain, John Starks, and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. Each day I went, which was usually Monday through Friday, I always knew that something different and special was likely to happen.
Being at the PETO for eight to ten months of my life had a positive and dramatic impact on me. I learned skills there that I will have and use for the rest of my life. As a child, I never dreamed of being as independent as I am today. I remember having long and lonely nights thinking “how will I ever live on my own or go to college by myself?” The PETO helped me overcome this mindset and realize that the sky is the limit for me. While at the PETO, I saw children that were much worse off than I was. This made me realize how lucky I was and motivated me to work even harder.
This is just the beginning of my story of the PETO and my tales of living in Budapest. My mom actually was so impressed with the progress that I made there that she ended up bringing Hungarian conductors here to the United States and started her own program here in the United States. This allowed kids who had physical disabilities to get the same treatment here in the US who may not otherwise be able to because of financial stipulations or other restraints. I will be continuing this in a later blog detailing life in a foreign school discussing how hard each day was, how I annoyed the conductors by bringing my own “American food” because their food sucked, and how I “kicked the doctor into the wall”.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
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