Study Abroad Experience: Budapest, Hungary By Alex Petryck Student: Alex Petryck School Abroad: Central European University Location: Budapest, Hungary Semester: Spring 2013 I’m not sure where or how to start sharing my experience as I feel I’ve gained from it on so many different levels. It was, and still is, one of the best years in my whole life. I’ve always loved to travel and to explore some new horizons and opportunities, so when I first heard that there was an option to transfer to a foreign country, 6000 miles away from my home town, and I can continue my studies and live there for a year -I had no other option; I had to apply. That news came to my life like a breath of fresh air. The adventurer in me knew that I always wanted to visit Europe and Hungary. It looked pretty interesting, especially when I found out I could enroll in the Central European University. I couldn’t know ahead what to expect and as it turned out what I imagined and wished for was far from the reality that happened, but that was the greatest part. The people I met, the places I saw, the knowledge and confidence I gained- they all changed me in a way. Opening up whole new horizons and opportunities, exactly as I wanted. It wasn’t always easy, particularly at the beginning when the initial excitement of going away got replaced with the reality of living alone far from home,preparing for the studies and getting all the required documents and applications. Personally, that’s the hardest part. There were so many questions on my mind: Can I actually do this? Where will I live? What can I gain from this experience? Is this for me? It’s natural to get panic-stricken, excited, stressed and nervous at this point. At the university I was in the eleven-month full-time MBA program studying with students from over 20 different world countries. I was constantly conversing with people from Romania, France, Japan, England, Germany, Brazil, Austria, Vietnam, and of course Hungary amongst many others.This opportunity to connect to different cultures enhanced my life, blessing me with some of the greatest and closest friends I made during that time. The opportunity to learn and understand the importance of the economic changes in an international context in these rapidly transforming interconnected environments truly expanded my views and made me more confident in the capabilities I have for success in the future. Equipped with all that knowledge, experiences and ideas, getting back home to continue the final year of my degree was far easier than I thought. My perspectives have changed together with my future career aspirations. I kept contacts of all the friends I met while in Hungary and we continued communicating and collaborating even when I got back home. Thanks to this positive experience I’m now considering new education and work opportunities abroad; who knows where the next one will take me. To all the adventurers out there – if you have an opportunity to study abroad don’t think twice, ACT. It is an experience that will make you richer in so many great ways that you can’t imagine. The world ends just where you want it to end. This year gave me strength, confidence and belief in myself and what I’m doing. Written By: Alex Petryck - International student and citizen of the world. You can check his bestessays/
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 14:03:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015