Adventures all around

Helloooooooooooo,

Classes have started, I've disovered the quickest way to uni, I get my daily bottle of water at a tiny shop at the busstop where the guy recognises me by now and knows exactly what I want, I get my veggies, fruits and meats at the markethalls next to the university... all in all: I've settled in quite well and Budapest already feels very much like home!!

We had a freshcamp 2 weeks ago just before classes started. 5 buses filled with 250 exchange students went to Lake Balaton. They say the lake is beautiful but we wouldn´t really know as it unfortunately rained non stop during our boattrip. We played ´funny games´ which is the collective codename for all the most ridiculous activities a person can think of. Silly? Yes, but it has to be done. In the evening we were rewarded with a winetasting followed by an amazing dinner in one of the area´s underground wine cellars. Imagine 250 people in an underground tunnel eating superb food, drinking unlimited amounts of wine and listening to folkmusic; what a night! Next day, a visit to the Heviz Thermal Lake to relax and unleash some of the toxins. Not too sure about the healing part of these thermal lakes though...

I have chosen a variety of courses to spice it up a bit and I make sure to attend my classes each week. Although the teaching methods, level of English and ways of examination seem to vary substantially among them and in comparison to Tilburg University, they all seem interesting enough so I´m happy. At Corvinus the classgroups are all very small (and so are the classrooms!) so there's no sneaking in late, reading the newspaper (no point anyway since it's in Hungarian), eating breakfast or discusing the upcoming party or weekend. They really make an effort to get the students actively involved and there are a lot of home assignments, class presentations and papers to make sure that you do. To me it is not exactly 'university-style' but it suppose it works.

I've also followed up on the sightseeing in and beyond Budapest. I've had my first visitor; my mother came to visit me and we went to the opera, an absolute must-do when you're in Budapest. I didn´t understand much of ´A Sevillai Borbely´ as it´s all in Italian but the operahouse alone is worth the visit! The Danube splits Budapest into Buda on the one side and Pest on the other. Most of the action happens on the Pest side where you find tourist central, the business district, lots of restaurants, markets, bustling nightlife, my house and my university. Buda on the other hand is built on hills (Buda Hills) and has a much more old & historic feel to it. It is also where you can stroll around the ancient castle and from where you can take in breathtaking views overlooking Budapest.

During the week there are lots of parties organised and planned for the exchange students which of course is lots of fun (the moustache party last week was particularly interesting...!) but while I'm residing in Eastern Europe I like to spent my weekends exploring the region. So I went train-tripping to Kecskemet, Szeged & Pecs last weekend together with girls from Barcelona, few places in Germany, few places in Belgium and somewhere in Finland. They're all really beautiful cities and very different from Budapest in size, but also in mentality, atmosphere and architecture. Especially Pecs, which is European Cultural Capital 2010, doesn't seem to boost many communist remains. It is a very well preserved city with an interesting mix of culture, art & history. We visited a mosque-turned-church, the Vaserely museum, the national theatre, a richly decorated cathedral and a band playing musical tunes from all over the world. The trains in Hungary are a great way to get somewhere, cheap as chips (students get 50% off what is already very cheap!) and comfortable enough to have a little snooze if you want. Make sure to set your alarm if you do though, they don't announce anything when arriving at a station!

During the week I go running on Margitsziget, have lunch & coffees at cute Etterem's and get down to uni business. Sometimes I take a moment and look at the great variety of people on the trams, busses and metro, the gypsies sleeping in the parks, at stations and on sidewalks (some have built themselves little roofless fortresses complete with couches, plants & a small table!!!). Did you know: those living on the street actually need a little piece of official ID paper stating that they are in fact Hungarian and homeless. Their homeless status must then officially be verified by another person for it to be valid...

That's it for now, stay tuned!