Culture Shock

Hungary is definitely a very different country from the US in terms of culture. People here eat, dress, and act differently, and of course the language puts a huge barrier between locals and tourists. It was very difficult to get used to life here at first, especially due to jet lag still affecting me during my first week. When we arrived in Budapest, I had been traveling for about 12 hours and it was about 3am at home, but 9am here. I wanted to try to combat jet lag by staying on the local schedule, so I convinced some girls from my apartment to go with me on a walk to see some of the major sights in the city. It was beautiful, but in hindsight not likely the best idea since I was really tired and felt overwhelmed. The first few days when we had issues with our apartment and a lot of uncertainty about the city were the worst of the trip I think, even though I was very excited. So in that aspect, I passed through the first two stages of culture shock (initial excitement and irritation) at the same time. I felt like I’d never get used to the city and that the trip might drag on forever.

However, I soon recovered from the jet lag and bounced back into normal life. Our classes started and I got into a routine of sorts which made it easier to feel comfortable in the new city. I started to pick up some more Hungarian words and learned the basic layout of the streets. The only thing that really started to bother me was the fact that I felt like no one was very nice, especially at local cafes and restaurants. People want you to come in, but treat the customers (especially tourists) very poorly. This is a big change from the US where customer service is generally quite good and widespread. To this day, this is one of the things I like least a about Hungary. I purposefully would go to the same restaurant or cafe over and over simply for good customer service. Other than that issue though, I started to enjoy my daily life in the city and the days started passing faster and faster. I was definitely in the third stage of culture shock for most of my trip. For the last week or so, I’ve felt more like a local than I did before, not to say that I’m actually a local, but that I know my way around, have routines, and understand more Hungarian customs and language. It’s a shame that I have to leave now, because I know that if I stayed longer I would continue to develop these skills while really enjoying myself!