This past winter break, I spent 2 weeks in Austria, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Back home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I don’t really have a lot of family. It’s just me, my mom, dad, brother, and a family friend, and it’s always been this way since I can remember. Growing up, I was envious of people who got to spend time with their grandparents or cousins while I couldn’t see my family, since they were all in Europe. My mom would mention the names of our relatives all the time, but I would never know who they were. How was I to know who they were if I had never met or talked to them? Eventually, I’d had enough, and I decided I wanted to meet a few of my relatives in Europe.
When I finally flew to Austria, I stayed with a family friend in Vienna during the first week of my trip. She showed me around the city and took me to all of the touristy destinations and great restaurants. After a week had passed, I travelled to Graz and stayed with another family friend. Afterwards, I went to stay with a few of my cousins. Though our first meeting had felt kind of awkward, it was easy to get to know them after the introductions and formalities were over. I never would have thought that meeting them would have left such a huge impact on me.
The past two weeks had felt long, and I had started to miss home. However, when it was time to leave, I couldn’t stop tearing up. I was shocked when I began to cry while saying goodbye to my family. \ I had gone from hearing random names and stories of unknown relatives from my parents, to meeting my family and really knowing who they were. I never imagined that connecting with distant relatives would impact me the way that it did. It meant that I wasn’t alone, and I now know I can always count on people other than just my parents. It felt good–I felt complete again.