Making friends and losing friends is very hard.

My family had to go to Germany for three weeks because we needed to get new visas in order to stay in Russia. We stayed with some friends in the southern area of Germany in the Black Forest; actually we were 29 steps to the forest. The town was called Oberwaldachtel, and it was quaint. I liked how the houses were big and clean with a cheerful, flowery spirit.

One day our host's wife took her little girl to the playground. I accompanied her, and I learned the path to that playground. The next day, I wanted to take my family there. On our way there, we saw three little girls in front of a yard. Little did I know that those three girls would change my next three weeks.

When we arrived at the playground, we were soon playing happily on the slide and swings. (Dad had brought newspapers so we could slide on them down the slide to go faster.) Those three girls came to the playground and started to play on the see-saw that was empty. I walked up and helped them on the see-saw since they were totally different weights, and it was unbalanced. Soon I started making funny faces and making bunny ears on the girls' heads. They laughed and laughed, and though I could not speak German, my father helped me find out their names and ages.

Jill (right) has black hair and tanned skin. She was seven years old, but during our time there, I helped her celebrate her eighth birthday. The other girl, named Madalyn (left), had just turned eight and had brown hair and light skin. Finally, Tchosey, was around four and had very short hair. Jill and Tchosey are sisters, and their older sister, who I had not met yet, Angie, became my best friend.

After the playground we went together into the forest and ate blueberries, making them into eyeshadow and lipstick. Then they had to go eat and said that we would meet together after lunch. At the appointed time, I got ready and walked out the door. Upon arriving at Jill's house, I found Jill and Madalyn on the porch by the small pool that they had. We soon were laughing so hard that Jill's older sister, Angie, peeked out of the window. She noticed me and came outside. Angie realized that I could speak English and started using the English she learned in school. She was really quite fluent. Angie (below, center) is 11, but I am taller. The girls were soon feeling very comfortable together. Over the three weeks, even though Angie was still in school, we would meet together almost every afternoon. We would ride her scooter, play at the playground, and do all sorts of fun things with the other girls. Seeing all the girls together was very normal. Neither Jill nor Madalyn spoke any English, but we could communicate better than two English speakers.

The last day was hard for us girls to say good-bye. Most of us were tearing up. We felt like we had lost one of our limbs. I had a desire that I expressed to Jill and Madalyn that every time they met, they would sing our "theme song" called "Nein, nein, bitte, bitte" (no, no, please, please) which we made up together and sing with different styles of music. I have learned to make friends no matter what the circumstances, no matter the languages.

Now that we are back, all of my friends are gone. Zhenya is at her babushka's (grandma's), and Alena I have not seen for weeks. Only boys are left, and all I can do with them is play football (which I know how to do, by the way). But I don't like to play football with a bunch of boys who can't even speak my own language and who tease me about my language. I do miss all my friends. I feel lonely now that I have no one nearby. Zhenya is coming back on the 14th. I don't even know if Alena moved. I hope that in October when we have to leave again for our visas that we go to Germany to see my friends again.