Alina Andronik- Kodolanyi Janos University, Hungary

Hello everyone! If you are reading this, than you must be thinking about participating in Erasmus + program.  So, my advice is don’t think! Quickly solve all the formalities, pack some stuff, buy a ticket and go for adventures, they are calling for you!

Well, to start with, my name is Alina Andronik and I’m taking master’s degree in Hospitality & Gastronomy Management, also it is worth mentioning that it was my first semester here, in Bydgoszcz when I applied for the program (I got bachelor’s degree in Ukraine). The story of my Erasmus + experience begins with the recruitment process. I guess, it was the mid of November when I saw a message on ISAPS about additional recruitment for an Erasmus + program and that information had literally stuck in my head. I was thinking about it, but didn’t do anything. Like, you know, it was a hard period of adaptation here in Poland and I thought that it would be a real hell if I go somewhere else, and moreover I’ve never participated in any similar programs (even didn’t apply for), so the formalities were also pretty scaring. But one moment it occurred to me, that they were just reasons of not getting out of my shell and doing something really cool, that I will be recollecting about during my whole life later. And, all in all, I’ve decided, that I will regret more if having a chance didn’t even try to use it, that using it, but fail. So I sent all the necessary documents, had an oral examination and … have passed!

 Later there were other formalities like choosing host university, checking and matching studying programs, finding an accommodation and etc. Having solved everything, at 6 am. on the 14th of February, extremely tired after a long road, with two large bags I was standing in Budapest, Hungary.

 My first days there were very disappointing, as far as there were some problems with an accommodation and generally the first impression of the city wasn’t amazing (I think that was due to the weather, it was very dull, humid and cold).

Danube’s riverside in winter. Looks not very hospitably, hah?

 Moreover there were many poor people (I don’t like the word beggars) living just in an underground. It was about -10 C and they slept there. Can you imagine that? It was pretty shocking (and scary, to be honest), as I’ve never seen them in such quantity. Another problem was buying food. Unfortunately in supermarkets (as well as on markets) almost everything is written in Hungarian and many people can’t speak English.

But a few days passed, the weather became better, I met new people and everything began to change. The sun went out of the clouds and with my new friends we started exploring the city and the beauty of it was so obvious. Every step we made and put our heads up we saw an incredible beauty of the ancient buildings,  that were breathing with the history. Another topic were the bridges, that connected Buda and Pest sides of the city, divided with Danube river, which really looked majestic. For example, the Szeczenyi bridge looks similar to the Tower bridge in London, just not that huge.

       

St. Stephen’s Basilica, on top of which opens                           Szeczenyi or Chain Bridge is one of the most important traffic intersection                                                                           and very popular touristic place

the breathtaking scenery  

As everyone knows, Hungary is a popular health & spa destination among tourists. It is famous for its hot springs, that are mostly located in Budapest. As far as I am interested in such kind of recreation, I went beyond Budapest to explore Hungary. It was the middle of March and my destination was lake Heviz with the small town, named after it, that was about 3 hours ride from Budapest. Despite it was not a high touristic season yet, there were many people, especially of the older age swimming in healing waters of the lake. By the way, the temperature of water doesn’t goes lower, than +18C, even in winter and there are always lots of blossoming lotuses on top of it. That trip was great, now I know where I will go to have a rest when I’ll be old :)  

Lotuses of the Heviz lake

Re-reading the text above it really looks like I’ve been like a tourist in Budapest. Well, partly it was really true. Despite the fact, that the main purpose of my Erasmus + program was studying, according to my host university schedule I’ve chosen 6 subjects to get 31 ECTS credits and had only about 3-4 classes per week. They were mostly project seminars, where we’ve been divided in groups and given the individual task to do by the end of the term. Also there were some lections. And, of course, practical seminars of Hungarian language (oh, I wish I hadn’t chosen it). But except the main classes we also had some meetings, conferences and speaking clubs.

     

The Tourism, Economy&Globalization lection           Presenting our group work at the exam of Building International Partnershps course

Meeting with the Ambassador of Serbian Republic

I am very thankful to Erasmus + program for the possibility of getting to know people from all over the world. The majority of my new friends are from Turkey, Portugal, Ukraine and Mexico, but there are also guys from Thailand, Japan, Romania, Russia, Kazakhstan, Netherlands and Denmark. We often went out in the evenings and visited some parties (especially the boat party on the Danube was awesome!), bars (Budapest is famous with its ruined pubs), different festivals, etc.

   

The great pillow fight festival                                        Szimpla Kert is the most popular ruined pub

But the most memorable moment was the Imprint party, where we left our imprints on the wall. Kodolanyi Janos University has a International Students’ Wall and each semester Erasmus students leave a memory about their stay, so we weren’t the exception. During this party we had a possibility to win prizes, get to know more about wine degustation and communicate with guys from Ireland, that were guests of our university at that time.

     

So many imprints!                                                                            And this one is mine

To sum up, I don’t regret about any minute, any second of my Erasmus+ experience. Even when some things went not the way I planned. My first impression of the city and stereotypes about the country were very wrong and this experience will forever stay in my memory and heart like one of the best and most useful.

So, don’t be afraid of changes! Having experienced and leaving them behind your back you’ll see how much did they give to you! Good luck!

 

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