How did you hear about PPCU and what were your expectations?
My friend is a former Erasmus student at this university. He really loved it. He told me that the professors are friendly and the classes are very interesting. I was told that it is easy to get by. The university has a warm athmosphere and the people are helpful.

Please describe the first few days when you arrived?
My plane landed at the end of January. My friends accompanied me and we planned to discover the city together. It was rather unfortunate that I had a cold just as I got here. As I was sightseeing with them, I was shivering in the cold so I couldn’t really enjoy the first glimpse of Budapest.

How did you manage to settle in?
I found very useful links about recommended accomodations on the university’s website. I intended to move in with other girls, so I asked the landlady of the appartment I liked to help me with that. She made a tremendous effort to make accomodate me. This is the first experience I fondly remember about my stay in Hungary.
In regards to PPCU, my mentor Judit helped me with my first steps and I am grateful for that.  Also, during the first week we were given a Budapest minibook, which was very helpful. My flatmates were studying at different universities and they are also using this little book as they weren’t given any.

What do you like the most in here?
I like the city in general. I like the athmosphere and Hungarians are very nice people.

Was there anything hard to get used to?
As I am not eating pork, I cannot fully experience the traditional Hungarian dishes. Also, I find the food a little bit pricey. If you want good food, you need to pay for it. I find it interesting that there are so many little pizza slice bars in Budapest, they are a cheap option.
The other thing is the weather. I study in Izmir where the weather is much warmer all year long. It is quite cold for me now and I cannot wait for the spring to come!

What are your plans for the next couple of months?
The International Office is planning a few trips around the country. Szeged is definitely on the list. These trips are affordable and I am looking forward to them.

Have you learned any Hungarian expressions?
Yes, a few. Kijárat-bejárat, Igen-nem, utca-tér.

Thank you, Mediha, we wish you the best time at PPCU.

If you are an exchange student at PPCU and would like to be interviewed please get in touch with us via email at tatrai.kriszta@btk.ppke.hu.