Dear friends and partners,
Here comes another report by one of our students. Robin Vangenechten wrote about his experiences during our Comenius meeting for Common Goods and Peace in Törökbàlint, Hungary from 27.03.2011 till 01.04.2011.
As you can read he enjoyed it a lot and made a lot of new friends! That's what it is all about, isn't it?
Warm regards,
Bernadette
Polak, Węgier, dwa bratanki, i do szabli, i do szklanki
With that thought I left Belgium on the 27th of March to Budapest. I was very curious for my trip to Budapest because I’m half Polish and half Belgian, so I was interested in how the Polish-Hungarian friendship would have an influence on me. I had alreadygot in touch with my host Péter Goman and so I was very excited to come to his house.
After a flight of two hours, we arrived in Budapest. Very excited I came to the arrival hall and I saw my host immediately. I met his mother and after saying goodbye to my fellow students, we left the airport. First we had to go to Tesco to buy some products for our dinner that evening. I looked outside and noticed the beauty of Budapest. The buildings were nicely lightened and so very pleasing to see. After our short visit to Tesco, we went off home. There I met the two brothers of Péter and his stepfather. The first moment I walked into the house, I felt like home.
The family was very nice to me and I knew that this was going to be a week to remember.
Péter showed me my room where I was going to sleep for the next five days, and then I gave the presents I bought in Belgium to the family. After a great dinner and some conversations about Poland, Belgium and Hungary we all went to sleep.
The next day I woke up around seven o’clock, had a shower and went to breakfast. Right after we had left our home, we went to the cultural centre and while heading to the building, we met Niels (who is also Belgian and a very good friend of mine) and Bence ( his host). Together we walked to the cultural centre and Niels and I were exchanging impressions of our first day in Budapest.
We arrived at the cultural centre and we waited until the other guests, hosts and teachers arrived. Right after that, we listened to an opening speech of Kata who is the Hungarian coordinator. Then we had to introduce ourselves and show the rest of the group our presentation about the food assignments which we had received before our arrival.
During the games to present ourselves, I had met another great people. Mostly Hungarian, I already had a hell of a time with them. I laughed almost all the time. Since my arrival at the cultural centre, I almost asked everybody whether they knew someone who could speak Polish too. And when a Belgian girl of my group told that she had met someone during the games, i ran to her and started to speak Polish. Finally I’ve found someone and lucky me, she was also was a great girl. She had Polish parents, like me, but I have a Polish mother and a Belgian father. But we do have a kind of a connection there!
After that, we had a dinner at the cultural centre where i met the four greatest Norwegian girls ever! At first they were a bit shy, but when I got to know them better, we always had a great time together.
After the great encounters of people from different countries, we went with a group to a Gabriella. She was the host of one of the Norwegian girls. There we also had a great time, we laughed, played videogames and ping pong, ate something, etc. In general, we had a lot of fun!!
In the evening, we went to the bowling. And guess what, again we had a blast! We laughed, drinked and played bowling. After the bowling, we were all tired and so we went off home to get some rest for the next day.
After the first real day in Budapest, which was great, we woke up to start our new day. After our breakfast, we had left the house to start our day. The program was; visiting the Budapest castle district and the Parliament.
Our meeting point was at the school of Törökbálint, the school seemed nice. But that wasn’t the most important thing this day. We left the school by train and we were heading to the Budapest castle district. There we were separated in the groups which we arrived in. Belgians with Belgians, etc. We had an assignment to look for the things which we had pictures of on our papers.
Quickly I had lost my group and I was wandering in that district, making pictures with my cell phone. Suddenly I met one of the Norwegian girls and soon enough we had met the other Norwegians. Then we sat on a terrace of a nice café on the wall of Budapest castle. We were ‘chilling’ there for like two hours.
After that we went to a little park in the same district and then we were a bit concerned whether we were on the right place or not. After some consideration, we were at our meeting point, waiting for the others. And again, I had a great time.
After the Budapest castle district, we were heading to the Parliament. We crossed the Chain Bridge and we looked at the Parliament, which is an incredible and impressive building. After our visitation to the insides of the Parliament we were resting on a square right in front of the great building.
Right after that our group separated, There were some who went to the Hero square or to the House of wonders. But we were going to the McDonalds’ (we had plenty of choice because Budapest is FULL of McDonalds’ and Burger Kings). After some wandering, laughing and having fun in the streets of Budapest, we met the other groups.
After a dinner at the Mongolian bbq, a group left to the Gellert Hill. We went by tram to the foot of that hill. The rest of the climbing was up to us. It wasn’t always easy climbing that hill, but the satisfaction was great when I stood up to look at that beautiful view on Budapest.
Quickly I had some pictures with my new friends of different countries and we walked to that great statue. Again we made some pictures and after some time enjoying our view, we moved on. We had found a playground on which we had a lot of fun. It’s funny to see people of the age of 16-22 having a hell of a time on a playground with slides.
After our great fun at that playground, we were heading home. All of us were exhausted because of that climb and the only thing we wanted was a very nice bed to sleep in. And that’s what we did when we got home.
The next day after having breakfast and a shower, we went to our meeting point at school to go to the Galgafarm by bus. It was a long drive so I had my iPod with me so I could listen music with the person who sat next to me. After some great songs and jokes, we arrived by bus at the Galgafarm. After a guided tour in and round the farm, we left the farm to have some lunch at the Gaia restaurant. It was goulash with some kind of pasta. But honestly, I loved the goulash that the mother of Péter had made for me way more!
So, we left the restaurant to our trip back to Budapest. First we were going to visit the palace of the princess/queen Sissi, a princess which was very famous for her looks. We had the privilege to see her palace with a guided tour. It was interesting to see how she lived and behaved.
Right after that, the bus dropped us at the Baths of Budapest. Unfortunately we couldn’t visit them. So I hope that I could go there one day.
After these baths, we visited Hero square, A very large square in the centre of Budapest. Surrounded by musea and the biggest street in the city. In that street you could find all the famous brands like Armani, D&G, Gucci, etc. And so that was the street we walked through.
We had our stop at the Bookcafé. We had a drink there and we talked again about our experiences in Budapest. How much we liked this week and that we wished it could be like this forever. You know, the normal things you say when you enjoy yourself so much. After our short drink we had to meet our teachers near the Danube. Where we had a boat trip to do!
Excited as we were, we moved on to the Danube where we met the others students and teachers. Finally when everybody had arrived, we started our boat trip on the Danube. It’s was relaxing and after some laughs, jokes and (Titanic)pictures.
So after that nice boat trip on the Danube where we could experience the changing of the evening into the night, we went off to a park somewhere in the centre of Budapest. There we bought something to drink and we stayed some time. At first, we were supposed to go to a party somewhere, but after some consideration. Most of the people who joined us wanted to go home to have some rest. So that’s what we did.
The next morning, knowing that it will be our last whole day in Budapest, I had to make this one count. That means, living that day to the fullest!
We left by bus to the cookie factory. With my new friends (homies) of Norway I sat in the back of the bus. Like usual, we had a lot of fun together.
So when we arrived at the cookie factory, the people there explained everything about security etc. We received a guided tour. It was very interesting except for the smell and the warmth sometimes.
After our tour, we received some cookies. And so everybody returned very happy to the bus. We returned to school where each delegation had to cook something for the rest of our group. Because me and Niels can’t cook, we went to the field and played some football. That was very nice, we were playing for more than two hours I guess. So again great time!
After a lot of fun, we went to our self-made dinner. First we received our certificate that we participated on this trip. And after a lot of thanking and clapping, we could finally start eating! The food was great, just a little bit cold because of the clapping and thanking everybody ( we were a large group).
But that wasn’t really a problem. And after that we went to the gym where each delegation had his own dance with them so we could have some fun! After dancing, laughing etc. It was time to say goodbye to a lot of people. That wasn’t easy, but hey.. goodbye’s are never easy when you had a great time with some great people.
Right after that, we went to a pub with other people. That didn’t really go as expected because the pub was closed, so we had to find an alternative. Problem was, the alternative was so boring. That we didn’t stay long and so we left.
So now we had to say goodbye to the others. Honestly, it was hard to say goodbye of these Norwegian girls. Because I had a great, great time with them. I already talked with them so that I could meet them in summer. That helped to ease the missing part. Also to my fellow halfblooded Polish girl was it difficult to say goodbye. Because probably I wont see her again in summer. But, I’m sure that we will meet someday!
And to the Hungarian boys and girls it was hard, but I’m sure that one day, we will meet each other again!
We arrived at home by bus at three o’clock in the morning. After a short sleep, a shower and a breakfast in the car, we were heading to the airport. I was very tired so I couldn’t keep my eyes open to enjoy the last view of Budapest.
We arrived at the airport and soon I had to say goodbye to Péter and his mother. I gave her a hug and I said a lot of times thank you. After saying goodbye to the other fellow students of Ischia (they had a flight at the same time) and Bence & Péter, we left by plain.
And that was my story of my week in Budapest! I had an amazing week, it was one to remember forever! I would like to thank my host Péter, who made me feel like home and he was always there when I needed something. He’s the best!
Also his family, who tried to help me every time I needed their help. Especially his mother because she brought us to school when we missed our bus because of me.
I would like to thank the great Norwegian girls: Kristin, Marthe, Mari & Emma. Also the German delegation but especially Laurien, my Polish buddy! And the Hungarians: Bence, Barney, Agi, Nikki, etc. And of course last but not least, le ragazze del’Italiaa!! Mi manchi tutti! J
Thanks for the memories!
And you know what, The Polish-Hungarian friendship is alive and kicking! Check the 23rd of March every year in Poland and Hungary. Even Youtube says enough!
Bence asked me today: What did you love the most in our program?
I said: It wasn’t really the program I loved, it was the people I met that made that program worth loving!
