CIE: Study Abroad Blog

Well... We've been home a week and I can honestly say I miss it!! What an incredible experience to have! My favorite parts were meeting the Hungarian students at the University of Pannonia. They were hospitable and welcoming and always ready to have a good time. I definitely miss them and am thankful for Facebook to keep communication up!

For me, having never been out of America, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I cannot say enough about how wonderful each piece of the trip was. Everyone who is offered the opportunity to go abroad should take it! It is a learning experience like no other and I know it will stay with me for the rest of my life!

Looking Back

My time in Hungary was amazing. I loved learning about the culture and how students learn differently from us. It was a lot of fun to interact with them. Fruzsina made my stay so enjoyable and was a fantastic host. I had a great time when I met her family. They took me to the top of the mountain where her village is and we got to see all of Lake Balaton. Fruzsina and I got along easily. I forgot that I had only just met her. She started crying when we all had to say goodbye. I got emotional as well. The Hungarian hospitality was just amazing. It was wonderful to see all the sights but sight-seeing will not make you appreciate the culture as much as knowing the people will. I feel that we can all take something away from each other. Fruzsina taught me how easy it is to make friends in a country where I do not know any of the language. I appreciate the time that I got to spend in Hungary and look forward to meeting up with my friends there later in life.

 

 

 

 

Perspective

I have to say that even after a few days, I am still feeling the "effect" of Hungary. While I was there I realized that the Hungarian people are a people of warmth, courage, respect, and profound intelligence. It would be a gross understatement to say that I admire them, my affections for these people goes deeper than any words in the English language. I know now that this trip wasn't just a "get away" nor a "vacation", instead it was a change in my perspective about values, society, and who I am and what I am doing in this world.

 

 

How I Spent Our Last Day In Hungary

Saturday was a very fun day. We spent the morning at the market. We all were able to buy a bunch of gifts for everyone at home and some things for ourselves. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day we went to an Irish pub for lunch. After, a few of us decided that we wanted to relax instead of doing some more shopping. We went to the Turkish baths.There were inside and outside baths/pools. They were all different temperatures and some had different chemicals/minerals that were supposed to have healing qualities. It was great to relax in the warm water. And despite the cold air there was a good amount of people there. We had a great dinner at Astalfoglalas and used the rest of the night to pack. I did not bring my camera to the baths because I did not want to get it wet, but below is an image of what they look like. I highly recommend going to them if you ever are in Budapest!