Sziastok! Last Wednesday, I was officially done with the optional Hungarian Survival Language Course. It is absolutely and extremely recommended for anyone going to Budapest for either AIT or BSM (in fact, both programs attend the same program and go on the same trips!). Although the majority of Budapest speaks English, you might need basic Hungarian skills in certain situations. For example, some police officers/metro conductors cannot speak English, and it would be difficult to know what you are being asked to do. Moreover, local markets and local shops can have vendors who don’t speak English. Also, apart from learning Hungarian, it is a nice opportunity to get acquainted with the city before school starts. Believe me, the course load can get very busy, and you wouldn’t have enough time to discover places.
The Language course started with an optional, extremely fun statue hunt. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is visiting Budapest for any purpose. The statue hunt included looking at 19 statues scattered around Budapest. I decided to walk around instead of using public transport. Although it was a long walk, it was very rewarding. I got to know the city better, visit multiple historical places as a bonus, and discover the hidden gems of the city.
The Language course consisted of 2 weeks of intensive cultural and language immersion, joined with wonderful trips to different parts of Budapest and Hungary.
For two weeks, we learned the Hungarian basics, visited multiple cultural and historical sites, and ended our course with a Hungarian Cooking Class! Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of the cooking experience, but we made KÖRÖZÖTT, Hungarian bread with a spread made of sour cream, cottage cheese, paprika, onions, and other spices! Our course was partially taught online and partially in-person due to the COVID-19 restrictions. A class of 3.5 hours every weekday, which includes a lot of activities, games, trivia, and role-play.
I will end my post with some amazing shots of the city that I was able to take with my phone camera! Sometimes I regret not buying a camera!
