AUSTRIA - Elisabeth

"Hungary" – my director from the university said, "why doesn´t anyone want to go to Hungary for an exchange semester? The partner university send us one free place for an exchange student like last year but none is interested in Budapest." Silence among the students! I went home and thought about Hungary, what I know about this country: Budapest – big city, grey, old, poor people, cheap shopping, iron curtain, communism … suddenly I thought: you know what – that´s our neighbour country and I don´t know anything about this country!

I asked my parent what they would think about going for an exchange semester to Budapest. Mum: girl, why don´t you go to Italy or Spain, nice countries? My dad was silent, then he sad: I think you should give it a try! I mean, everybody goes to Italy or Spain. Why not Hungary?

So I packed my bags in January 2001 and went to a country where I didn´t even understand the ads on the street. I was not able to say "hi" or ask for something. Sometimes I thought, that it is really difficult for me, but you know what – I had my best 5 months in Budapest. I met really nice people from all over the world, I had great fun at the university and most of all: I started thinking about things like money differently! Going to Hungary was the best thing for me to develop a feeling for the ex-communist countries and that we are all Europe!