From Austria to Hungary

Submitted by Sarah Buchler on the 2017 winter session program in Austria and Hungary sponsored by the College of Education and Human Development…

Monday morning could not come soon enough as our study abroad group anxiously awaited the four-hour long bus ride to a new country and new city we had only heard great things about: Budapest, Hungary. Our first week in Budapest has been amazing to say the least. The city definitely has a different feel than Vienna, Austria. While in Vienna you can find more foreigners than Viennese anywhere you go, in Budapest you can tell it is a unique city with its own very prominent culture. The city is less Westernized and touristy than many other European cities, but it is interesting and fun to try and maneuver through a city where sometimes you will go through 5 or 6 people before you find someone that speaks English. Either way, the city is great, and I am excited to see what the next two weeks will offer.

This week also marked our first visit to our partner school while we are studying abroad! The Kindergarten through 12th grade school, Lauder Javne Iskola, is on the Buda side of Budapest and is a progressive Jewish school. We will spend some time during the next two weeks observing and helping students in the classes here, which corresponds to our Education class in which we are learning about classroom management and socio – emotional learning. Our first day at the school was Thursday and I think it is safe to say we all left feeling speechless – in a good way! The school was all any elementary schooler or middle schooler (or high schooler for that matter) could have asked for. Students roamed the halls almost freely, ping pong tables and chess boards were scattered throughout the lockers and classrooms, and various students were relaxing and chatting with friends between classes. Don’t get me wrong, there was definitely a lot of learning going on. What was so impressive was how progressive this school is and how much responsibility they put on their students when it comes to the learning process. The environment promotes social activity and cooperation, yet students know when it is time to buckle down and get to work. Art and music is a huge aspect of the school, so students are constantly running down to the music room to practice their scales or completing art projects. The students have countless options for classes to pursue their passions, from 5 different language classes, to art classes, and even chess classes! The school is also interesting because it is a Jewish school, yet many students who go there do not practice Judaism. What is also interesting, yet still disturbing, is that Jews still face a lot of antisemitism in Budapest and Hungary, since Hungary was under a Nazi regime during World War II and played a large part in the killings of Hungarian Jews during that time. One boy at the school even wore another hat over his traditional yamaka as a precaution while in the city, since it is very possible he could face anti-Semites in the city who would treat him poorly just because of his religion. It is still so frustrating to think that even in our world today, problems like these are still prevalent. However, Lauder Javne Iskola is an amazing school to be a part of and every child there knows it. It is so different from American schools, where there are strict rules and every focus seems to be on testing. Here, the students take a more active and social role in their learning, and they dictate how and what they learn. The best part is that this works. You can tell the students here are intelligent children who focus on what they learn to be the best students they can be. I am so excited to continue working with these children in their rigorous English Plus Program, where students learn in English as a first language. I cannot wait to see and experience a completely new way of learning that differs greatly from American schools!

First day at Lauder Javne Iskola
View from St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria