Local Living
Studying in Hungary is a different experience from other trips I’ve taken, since I feel like more than a tourist but definitely not up to local level. The language differences are a big part of this, since I feel like I could never be a local if I didn’t know Hungarian. Although most people speak some English, I can’t understand the conversations that Hungarians have with each other, can’t pronounce street or store names, and don’t feel comfortable saying anything in Hungarian. We have met some local people through school, and occasionally we will talk to people at bars, but often the strangers we meet are fellow tourists. Our landlord at our old apartment was Hungarian and very helpful to us, as well as other people we’ve met, but we aren’t necessarily friends with anyone here unfortunately. I’d say the best place to have a conversation with a local would be at a bar, because many people are looking to meet new conversationalists/friends!
Other aspects of local living, such as grocery shopping, have become more habitual and I’m starting to understand how the stores work and what to buy which is nice. Although I love clothes shopping and have purchased a few nice things, I have to say that my favorite product is the Garnier deodorant that I got at the beginning of the trip. It works like magic! I struggle to find antiperspirant that works well at home, so I think I may even buy a few extra bottles to bring back. It also cost a quarter of what deodorant costs at home.
It’s fun to go shopping for items like food here because everything is amazingly inexpensive. Hungary uses the Forint, and the exchange rate is about 280 forints to 1 USD–this makes things super confusing! My friends and I joke about it being “monopoly money” because the conversion is so difficult that we often don’t know exactly what things cost. Also, the bills and coins look similar, so it’s easy to confuse a 1000 HUF note for a 10000 HUF one. People can rip you off when they realize you don’t know how the money works (this happened to a friend!), so I have to be careful. I can usually use my card though, which makes things easier. As I said, most things are significantly cheaper here, so I’m having no problem keeping on budget. It will just be difficult to readjust to American prices! Clothes generally cost the same or more than at home, so it must be really expensive for Hungarians to shop, since other items cost so little. I still feel like I can shop more since I spend less money on other things. All in all, the exchange rate makes it easier to have a great time here, since I don’t spend much and can therefore be more free with my budget!
