Post written by Hiromi, a United Planet team member.
It has been my dream to study abroad since I was a little girl. For some reason, I have always been fascinated by foreign languages.
When I was 13, I traveled abroad for the first time to the United Kingdom. At that time, I didn’t speak English very well. I had basic knowledge: I knew how to greet people and to introduce myself. I was also shy and slightly reserved.
It was difficult for me to come right out and speak to English people. Once, while living in the UK, I took the wrong bus on my way back home. As I watched the scenery grow increasingly unfamiliar, I became nervous and reached in my bag for a bus map. I was totally lost and had no idea where the bus was heading. I was scared and desperately hoping I would find a way to go back home. But I was not brave enough to ask someone to help me. I was almost crying.
Then suddenly an old man started talking to me. He probably saw my horrified face and realized that I was lost. I didn’t understand what he exactly said to me, but at least I could tell him, “I’m lost!!” I pointed to the stop where I was supposed to get off on my bus map. The man immediately started talking to the bus driver and said something that calmed me down. (I can’t really remember, but he might have said, “Don’t worry baby,” or something like that.)
A few minutes later, the old guy got off at a bus stop. Then, the bus driver started to shout “Get off, get off!” to the passengers. However, it was not a bus stop. It was just a street. Of course some passengers were angry that they had to get off en route to their destinations. As I didn’t understand what was going on, I stayed on the bus, feeling there was nothing else that I could do. The bus rolled on and I was left wondering where we were going.
Suddenly, a familiar sight came into view!! I remember how excited and happy I was at that moment. The bus driver told me that it was my bus stop. He took me to where I needed to go, even though it was not part of his route.
I happily thanked him and quickly got off the bus; I regret that I did not thank him enough. I wish I could have spoken better English to tell him how grateful I was. I was impressed by the bus driver and the old man’s kindness. It made me realize that even if our languages are different, helping others in need is a universal human quality. I no longer hesitate to speak English with people. This experience strengthened my will to learn several foreign languages: I’m studying English in Boston now and will continue with Portuguese classes at my university in Japan when I return.
Meeting people who are from different countries is amazing. And learning about others’ cultures makes my world bigger and better. That’s why I can’t stop learning languages and traveling abroad!
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United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
