Rough beginning
Budapest was my number one option for Erasmus for a simple reason. I visited Budapest for 5 days in summer 2022 and fell in love with it instantly. The warmth, the parties, the chill walks in the hipster Jewish quarter, the parks, Duna and especially how familiar but different it felt in comparison to Prague. It simply felt like a second home.
I applied for my Erasmus scholarship in November of 2022 (beginning of my first year of university). My second option was Delft in the Netherlands and my third Valencia in Spain. Throughout my first year of collage, I got my application confirmed but not evaluated. Meaning that at the beginning of the second year of uni (4 months before the planned start of my Erasmus) I didn’t know if I was accepted or not and to which country I will be moving to. I was emailing my Erasmus lady in Prague constantly, to the extend I think she started to find me very annoying. Finally, at the end of September I got my answer – I will be accepted, I just have to choose which of my three schools i want to go to. I chose Budapest – obviously, since it was number one on my list. After that I spend a few sleepless nights stressing about my arrival here. Where will I live? Who will be my flatmates? What subjects would I have at school? How will I find friends? All of the stressing was sooo unnecessary looking back. I booked my housing in November, getting contacted by one of my future flatmates very soon after. I booked my train ride and figured a way to get all of my luggage and necessities to my new flat. I said goodbyes to all of my friends and family knowing I will see them soon enough, since Prague is so close to Budapest. And finally, on second of February I got on my train (after perfect last lunch with my parents) and headed for new adventures.
The train ride was long and nostalgic, but I wasn’t sad at all. I slept a little, signed up for my classes, made my class schedule ate some of the train for and poof I was here. I carried my huge suitcase to the address I was given by the landlord. Screwup number one: I couldn’t find the entrance described in the email. I had to call one of the flatmates, not knowing how she looked like or sounded like, to get inside. We had a brief, kind of boring small talk about my way here. She went to her room, and I started unpacking. Screwup number two: my room didn’t look like anything on the pictures. I was speechless for a while when I stepped into it for the first time. One small wardrobe, little table, unfittingly big chair and a second chair in the corner. The bed was the only good thing about this room. And get this – no opening windows. You will wonder how is that even legal or possible and why on Earth would I book a room like this to live in for the next 5 months? The answer is simple – I got scammed. My room has only 3 little windows on the top of the wall. However, they don’t go to the garden or inner area of the house or not even the ventilation shaft. They go to the other room, of one of my flatmates! It is one of the most ridiculous choices of altering the flat I’ve ever seen, but I have to live with it until June anyway. :)))