2 weeks in

I’m officially two weeks into my Fulbright year in Hungary, and my abroad blog is officially back! What’s gone down so far:

My first morning waking up in Budapest

View from Buda

The first 4 days were spent in Budapest for Fulbright orientation, and that was everything I had dreamed of and more. It was so wonderful to be back in my favorite city again, and of course I was eased into being abroad in comfort—the Hungarian Fulbright Commission put us up in a hotel, planned tours for us, took us out to dinner, etc. etc. I was surrounded by American Fulbrighters (inspiring, passionate humans!) and could even rely on the comfort of knowing a familiar face (a beloved CMC classmate who’s now a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant). I’m sure I was exhausted after 14-hour days of Hungarian lessons, lectures, and logistics, but the stunning sunset views, the wine-and-laughter-laden dinner conversations, and the giddy feeling of starting a new adventure prevailed in my selective memory.

The Nike statue in Pécs

Szechenyi Square

View from my dorm in Pécs

On day 5, I moved to my fall semester placement in Pécs, a small university town in southern Hungary, about 2.5 hours from Budapest by bus. Pécs is where I started to realize that I’ve been spoiled in so many ways as an American and that this was my first REALLY HECKIN’ LEGITIMATE abroad experience. (I’m a fool, I know I should’ve known that a study abroad semester FOR AMERICAN STUDENTS approved and paid for by my cushy, private liberal arts college doesn’t really cut it lol.) Some thoughts:

• For its small size (population: 100,000), Pécs is a really international city because the University brings in a lot of international students (especially with its top-ranked medical school). And the international students are really, inordinately friendly, likely because they’ve been in the same shoes of trying to find their way in a foreign country where they don’t speak the language. I was trying to find the University’s gym (it’s advertised on their website!) and not having much luck asking for directions when a Pakistani student overhead and offered to walk 15 minutes out of his way to show me where the gym was supposed to be (spoiler alert: the gym was torn down and no longer exists). We ended up talking for half an hour about Pakistani and American politics, and later that day he messaged me with the name of a private gym near my dorm that his friends recommended. And that’s definitely not the only example; the kindness and openness I’ve encountered here are so heartwarming.
• I’m really fortunate that English is my first language because most international students in the English program are taking classes in their second or third language. Alternatively, it’s really weird that English is the only language I’m entirely fluent in, whereas everyone else here speaks at least 3 languages (and apologizes for their imperfect English). It’s also hella weird that everyone here is familiar with all the US cities I mention (DC, LA, Seattle, even Boulder), and I don’t even know the CAPITAL of Azerbaijan. Or Jordan. Or Kazakhstan. Or anything about the culture of Serbia, or Bosnia and Herzegovina, or Albania; or the differences between northern and southern Spain… So my browser history now consists of a lot of Google searches of country names. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been subconsciously taught that America is the world, and I’m learning to unlearn that here, and it’s wonderful.
• On Friday, I happened upon a heavy metal concert with new Brazilian and Jordanian friends (this was surprisingly fun). On Saturday, I was kicked out of my room, had to pack up all of my stuff (and awkwardly split up all of the kitchen and bathroom stuff that my roommate and I had just bought to share), and made a panicked, last-ditch attempt to find a flat (unsurprisingly, this was not fun). I learned that flats are hard to find when you only want a 3-month lease, and that a lot of things are best dealt with just by managing expectations. I was pretty bummed at first to be booted from my single (after just starting to feel settled in!) to a shared room and bathroom + kitchenette shared by 4, but to be fair, I knowingly signed up to live in a dorm and my new roommates are really sweet (and it’s probably a good thing that I’m being forced to make new friends in a new place anyway).

  

  The aforementioned heavy metal concert

• I’m grappling with feeling more… scattered than I’m used to, with not having a home base. It’s a combination of a number of things: I’m sort of living in between two rooms right now because the reception can’t find a spare key to my new shared room… so I’m still sleeping in my old room, but most of my stuff is already moved out. I’m technically not part of any degree program or study abroad cohort, but I’m taking a random smattering of Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD level classes, a Hungarian language class, and doing some independent research under the mentorship of an Econ professor. So my response to “what are you doing here?” is kind of long-winded. I’m also still spending a fair amount of time in Budapest, despite living in Pécs this semester, for Fulbright events and visiting family/friends, so I feel like I’m straddling cities, too.

All in all, I think things are going pretty much as expected for moving to a new country—I’m learning to trust the process. Looking forward to exploring more adorable cafes, settling in, and establishing rhythms and routines here. 🙂

An adorable cafe in Pécs I intend to frequent.

And another.