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Hungary: Student Comments
“This year has been very much worth the time and effort to live in Hungary. Despite being so far from home, and experiencing the challenges with food, acculturation, and language barriers, I successfully studied about Central Europe and Hungary. I achieved my goals: to do well in school and to learn some Hungarian, which was such a high priority because my father's family was from Hungary. Hungary was a good location because I could travel to so many places. Budapest is the most beautiful city imaginable. So overall, despite the world troubles, I accomplished my goals and became a better person. ” —Chris Vetek, UC San Diego “Budapest is alive, modern, trendy, happy, convenient, and totally up to standards. I was happy to begin with, and I only got happier. ” —EAP Student “The most important thing to me was how much I learned about myself. I feel incredibly lucky to have been taught by such amazing professors. I truly believe they are the best in the country. Any amount of time you spend away from 'home' teaches you so much about yourself and where you're from, and you can kind of deconstruct your 'American-ness.'” —EAP Student “Budapest is my favorite city. Living in it and adapting to the culture has been enlightening, challenging, and extremely rewarding. Budapest's central location allowed me to travel east (Ukraine), north (Poland), south (Croatia and Turkey), and west as well.” —EAP Student “I learned something about another culture and now have a better understanding of the world around me. Even though I was initially hesitant as to how things would be in another country, I realized that I could take care of myself.” —EAP Student “Essentially, it was a personal period of emotional growth. It gave me a different view of how the world works and how I fit in it.” —EAP Student “Not only did EAP provide excellent academic instruction, but it also left enough time for me to travel extensively and visit several other countries and cultures. Budapest provided several other avenues for learning about Hungarian culture: opera, museums, etc. In other words, out-of-school educational opportunities were abundant.” —EAP Student “It truly was everything that I had hoped. I learned so much-historically, culturally, socially … everything. Most importantly, I became a stronger and more confident individual.” —EAP Student “My experience in Hungary was absolutely wonderful! Overall it enriched my perspective of the world in a way no other program could. Career-wise, it opened doors to new creative ideas I wouldn't have thought of had I not participated.” —EAP Student “Very enriching. I will always have a special place for, and integral tie to, Hungary-the place and its people. I understand more fully what communism was and the real-life consequences of the transitions-socially, politically, economically-occurring here. My capacity for empathy has broadened immensely by living here, meeting Hungarians and learning the history.” —EAP Student “I learned more than I possibly could have at home. Studying abroad totally altered my way of thinking; I wouldn't take it back if I could. I plan to continue to study Hungarian and I hope to return here after graduation. I'm now totally enraptured with a culture I knew nothing about (literally) just one year ago.” —EAP Student “EAP Hungary was easily my best year at UC Davis-academically, culturally, and socially.” —Misha Cornes, UC Davis “My EAP experience has allowed me to learn in a different setting that I felt was crucial for my international politics major. The Hungary program allowed me the opportunities and independence to participate in outside-of-class activities that I wouldn't otherwise have had. I attended a European Union conference in France and worked with a Hungarian political party, the Free Democrats.” —Jon Gingrich, UC Santa Cruz “I chose to study in Budapest, Hungary, for one reason only: I wanted to learn Hungarian. It took me only a few days to realize that there was more to Hungary than its extremely difficult language. Budapest is a city that never gets old; there are endless cafés, hidden streets, thermal baths, shops, and great museums that can take years to explore. The history of the Hungarian people, their music, language, and culture left me fascinated with this region. Instead of taking away my free time to travel, what I learned through my classes at ELTE made traveling that much more pertinent. Imagine having a lecture about a specific work of art or about the history of a certain region during the week, and being able to visit that same painting or city on the weekend. This is what I was able to do most every weekend. Studying abroad through EAP in Hungary was an unforgettable experience. ” —Danielle Oyama, UC Davis “Like many students, I went abroad in order to travel, experience another culture, meet wonderful people-in short, to have the time of my life. I got all that, plus I was amazed that in Budapest our 15-person classes were taught by some of the most prominent intellectuals in the country! Hungary fulfilled all of my expectations and then some. Just remember to pack a scarf!” —Devi Rao, UC Berkeley “My EAP experience in Budapest, Hungary, came at a time when Central Europeans and their governmental institutions were not only reinventing themselves, but questioning the very values upon which their cultural and institutional traditions are based. This soul searching inspired me to do the same for myself and ultimately influenced me to pursue academic studies and a future career in public administration. Thanks for the unique opportunity.” —Celena Turney, UC Riverside
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