Submitted by Nicole Mejia on the 2017 winter session program in Austria and Hungary sponsored by the College of Education and Human Development…
On Monday, January 9th, we transferred to Budapest, Hungary to continue with the remainder of our study abroad program. We have been in this city for almost an entire week and it has been such an incredible and memorable experience!
Budapest is a very vivid city with a diverse population of tourists and locals. During our experience here, we have learned a lot about the Hungarian culture. Interestingly enough, one of the most common activities Hungarians do is to go to the thermal baths. It is even promoted by the Hungarian health care system, so some people can get a prescription to go to a thermal bath! We visited the largest thermal bath in Europe, the Széchenyi thermal bath. I felt very cold and silly walking outside in a bathing suit when the temperature was only 30°, but once we got into the thermal bath it was warm and relaxing. We stayed there for a few hours and got to see the sky go from a turquoise blue to a beautiful night sky. I learned that all throughout the year, except in January, the Széchenyi thermal bath hosts a lot of spa parties with music, bright lights and lots of fun.
During our stay in Vienna, I reflected on some of the connections between my Mexican-American culture and that of Austria. I have continued to keep that perspective here in Hungary and it amazes me that there are so many similarities! One of the traditional foods in Hungary is the Langos. It is a deep fried flatbread topped with different meats and vegetables. The Langos reminds me of a Mexican Hurache, which also has a fried base and is topped with sour cream, cheese, chicken or a variety of meats, lettuce, avocado, salsa and a lot of other toppings customized by the costumer. I ate a delicious Langos with sour cream, cheese, spinach, chicken, cucumbers and a spicy salsa that tasted just like the one my Aunt makes. At the welcome dinner on our first night in Budapest, we had Hungarian goulash. This particular soup reminded me a lot of the caldo de res (essentially a beef soup) with a coloring and broth flavor similar to that of pozole. I can definitely say that one of my favorite parts of studying abroad is enjoying all of the great food! Another interesting surprise in Budapest is that there is a metro terminal called Mexikói út (Mexican street) that has been open since 1973. I didn’t find much information about why the stop was named this, but I did discover that there are a lot of different Mexican restaurants throughout the city in general!
Being in Budapest means that we will finally start working with the students at our partner school, Lauder Javne Iskola. Lauder Javne is a Jewish community school with an English Plus Program, where bilingual students can continue to learn and use the English language. This school emphasizes languages overall since the students can learn Hebrew as soon as they start their education, and they can also learn Spanish, French or German in later years. The school also has an English as a Second Language program for fourth graders who only speak Hungarian. Our visit to the school revealed that Lauder Javne values a positive, interactive environment where the teachers and students are a part of a loving and supportive community. When we visited the school, we actually had tours led by many different middle school students. They were very passionate about their school and they were very kind to us. Some of the students asked us questions about the United States to confirm if some of the stories they had heard were true. One of the students asked us if it was true that during Halloween people would dress up and knock on door to door for candy. Another student asked us about the candy in the United States, such as skittles and nerds, which aren’t available in Europe. Two middle school girls also mentioned that they loved Abercrombie & Fitch, and Victoria’s Secret, but that they could only purchase clothes from there if they traveled to Italy or bought them online. I even learned that one of the tour guides was actually born in the United States, but then moved to Hungary when he was little. The students also revealed a lot of their goals for their future. One of my tour guides told me that she wanted to study biology and become a doctor. As I spent time with the students, I reflected on all of our individual stories and dreams in life. A lot of the students mentioned that they dreamed of traveling to, or even living in, the United States. In contrast, my classmates from the study abroad program and I have always dreamed of traveling to Europe and other parts of the world. It’s so amazing that we all want to explore new places and cultures. It reminds me that after every experience in a new country, we should also reflect on our life at home and value our opportunities because there are other people who may be dreaming of them.
This week has made my study abroad experience even more meaningful. It has been a pleasure meeting so many different people of different backgrounds, cultures and native languages. I have loved learning about the history in Hungary and the day-to-day experiences that come from living in Budapest. I am excited to continue to learn and experience more, but I am also astonished that my study abroad experience will come to an end sooner than I had imagined!