Reason You Chose This Program: I love the history of Central Europe and the strength that Hungary and the others have proven after countless attacks and oppressions throughout history. It was amazing to go study their history and politics in closer detail and see it face to face.

Describe the Housing Situation: All students were mingled with Hungarian students in dorm-rooms located a few minutes from the class buildings. It was located on Raday Utca, a street filled with outdoor cafes and restaurants where it was easy to spend an evening with friends.

Advice to future Study Abroad Participants: Get on the plane with no expectations and instead a thirst for adventure and understanding. You will see things you never thought you would see. Keep an open mind and try to experience everything you can in the short amount of time you are there. 

What you know now that you didn’t know before going abroad: Living in Budapest, I learned to stand on my own feet, in a manner of speaking. It's different than leaving home for college because you are in a place you've never been before without family to guide you. What I ended up learning was how to cook, travel alone, pack light, and make friends quickly with anybody I met, whether I was in Krakow or Vienna. I learned to live simply and enjoy my surroundings with the feeling of independence every person my age strives to achieve. 

Greatest Challenge: The greatest challenge in Hungary was the language. Hungarian is a very difficult, albeit very beautiful language that has no affiliations besides a small similarity to Finnish.