Budapest Beautiful- Experience something Different. Past Review
By Shannon B (International Affairs, University of Maine at Orono) for
CIEE: Budapest - Business + European Studies
Living in the city was my first time seeing poverty first hand. There are a good number of homeless people in the city, begging on the streets. None of them were violent or a nuisance at all. They were people, just like anyone else. I would always give a handful of coins if I passed them on the street. And then I started volunteering at the women's homeless shelter and I realized that I not only wanted to do something that would help them in their current situation, but also figure out how and why they were in that situation to begin with in hopes of getting them out and stopping others from it happening to them. Because of these experiences, I am changing my major to Sociology and hope to focus on the cause and effects of poverty in the U.S. and the world. I want to volunteer with the Peace Corps after graduation and pursue a career working with issues of global poverty, especially working with women and girls. My time in Budapest helped me realize this future.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The grades for the CIEE sponsored are mostly determined by the midterm and the exam and a paper due at the end of the semester. There is not a lot of "homework" per-say, just reading that you should keep up with if you want to participate in class and not feel super overwhelmed when it comes time for the exams. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The two women, Elizabeth and Kata, were amazing. They are both native Hungarians but speak English beautifully. Elizabeth went to university in the US and has a vacation home in Florida so she understands a lot about American culture as well. They organized wonderful excursions and told us about places and events to check out in the city. They were our friends and provided support whenever we needed it. They let us know that we were important to them and they would do whatever to help us and make our experience the best it could be. I couldn't have asked for better onsite administrators. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The Hungarians in our dorm didn't interact with us much. They were not very friendly. It was not like living in an American dorm at all. But the Americans in the building were great and the location of the dorm was perfect. It's close to the university, the metro, the main tram, and within walking distance the downtown area. |
| * Food: |
I am a vegetarian, so it was difficult going to restaurants because the majority of the Hungarian cuisine is meat. But the dorm is very close to the central market where they have fresh fruits and vegetables year round for very cheap for meals to prepare at the dorm. Also, on the excursions, Elizabeth made special meal arrangements for myself and the other vegetarian and gluten intolerant. I thought it was manageable. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There are 3 or 4 excursions every semester and my favorite was the 4 day weekend home stay with families in Transylvania. There is a large Hungarian population there since the region used to be part of the Hungarian kingdom and we got to stay in a small Hungarian village and ate delicious traditional, home cooked meals. The landscape was also absolutely stunning and Elizabeth filled the trip with culturally enriching programs and trips to other villages and cities in the area. It was by far a highlight of the semester. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I thought Budapest was very safe, at least in the area where we were. Like any city, there are some places that should be avoided after dark. But at no time did I feel threatened and there is so much public transportation, you can get out of any area pretty easily. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I probably spent around $1000, which includes a 5 day trip to Germany I did on my own. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | You spend a lot of money on food because that is the one big expense that is not paid for by your program. No meal plans at this university. I know there were other students who traveled more than that though because Hungary is such a central location and the perfect place to travel from. I would say you need at least $500 for food and probably another $500 for other shopping and personal stuff, plus extra if you want to do a lot of traveling. Thankfully, food is very cheap there, but most everything else is like what you would expect in America. Cheaper than many big cities in America, but nothing ridiculously cheap, especially in the Madison Ave type stores. There is a lot of temptation to buy things since you are surrounded by stores in the city and the exchange rate is so good you think everything is so cheap. But be practical and exercise self control. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | No prior classes taken |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Because all the other classes are in English and you speak mostly English with american and foreign classmates, it's hard to really get immersed in the language like I was hoping. But the class was good and provided me with enough basic knowledge for me to get by at a market or restaurant interacting with locals. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Find your happy place, literally, a corner of the city that you can make your own. It can get a little overwhelming and it's nice to have a place where you feel comfortable. Try museums, parks, cafes, the city has so much to offer. Try new things. Explore. Just ride the trams around all day. You'll never now what you'll see, what you'll learn. |
