Taufik Kurniawan, Hungary

1. Budapest, Hungary
Budapest Metropolitan University (METU), Faculty of Tourism and Marketing

2. I made a few friends but truly close to me. They were the ones I spent the whole day with and taught me many Budapest related things like they had the oldest subway system in Europe right after London, world’s largest Synagogue namely the Dohany Street Synagogue that could accommodate more than 3000 worshipers, and the most interesting one was the name of Budapest itself which basically came from the two main parts of the city namely Budaa and Pest which were separated by Danube river.

3. In fact, I can meet a diverse range of people which means my exposure to many different types of people will not only help me to develop my people skills, but it will also give me a more in-depth knowledge of others, particularly those from different cultures. I can also be spontaneous and adventurous when I am thousands of miles away from home, spontaneity and adventure are my best friends. It opens my mind up to new experiences and sight and fun will come my way.

4. I usually visited many historical and most iconic places around the city like Hungarian Parliament, Chain Bridge, and City Park to just enjoy the city atmosphere or capture once in my lifetime moment.

5. It might force me to get used to being away from family and loved ones. I might also have to lower my standard of living to stay in an expensive country. It might be lonely at times. Daily life could be more difficult and might be frustrating at times. After all, I could discover the cultures and customs of different nations, gave me a fresh perspective of the world. My experiences abroad can shape and mold me into well-rounded individuals who can connect and interact with people of many different backgrounds.

6. For me, all iconic places was interesting but Gellert hill was the one I visited the most. It took around 30 minutes to hike the hill and what made it so impressive was I could see almost the entire city of Budapest when I got to the top. Also, there was a four metres tall Citadel statue on it which symbolized independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary.

7. I think Erasmus is not only an exchange program but also a forum as well as an opportunity to accommodate international students studying in Europe to get to know all things European systematically on a broader scale. I as an Erasmus alumnus have felt a significant benefit of being a multi-university student in one education period. In which I studied two education systems and two different cultures from two different countries. It helps me a lot in trying to study Europe more deeply.

8. For those who are willing to take part of being Erasmus students, I strongly suggest you can prepare a strong mentality and a burning passion because studying abroad is a challenge as well as an amazing experience that may only happen once in a lifetime. Good luck.