XClose

UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES)

Home
Menu

Notes from an IMESS Student in Budapest

It's already 20 days since I arrived in Budapest. I really like this city. It reminds me of London, Tbilisi and all those cities which I haven't seen yet. At the same time it is very different from what I have seen in reality and in my dreams. There's something delicate, something explosive, something unknown in this city that I want to explore, embrace and feel each time when I go to wander in its veins. And each time I want to be lost just between Buda and Pest in the hope of finding the Hungarian girl with a bicycle who smiled at me 10 days ago, but I'm so careless that I lost her.

No, I haven't asked any girl if she likes carrots. Not yet. Instead I offered special Armenian cognac to one Hungarian girl, and we spent an amazing evening in Buda drinking the cognac. She promised me homemade pálinka. I guess I have to remind her.

No more about girls. I know what you're interested in. Firstly, Hungarians like my Hungarian, but I can't understand why. To me I can't speak at all, but they convince me that I'm good at speaking Hungarian. I'm taking Hungarian course(s) at Corvinus. Unfortunately, there is no intermediate level group, there are only pre-intermediate and advanced groups. Therefore Judit told me to attend both. I'm suffering a little bit now due to that advanced level which is not for me, but I'm still trying. Concerning the pre-intermediate group, it is really easy and it would be pointless to attend only that group. Judit told me it would be better to improve my Hungarian during the advanced classes. Thanks to you, I think I can withstand this advanced stuff.

By the way, once I got drunk and started chatting with one random Hungarian girl in the street. She didn't know English and I was compelled to speak Hungarian. I talked to her so much that I haven't spoken that much Hungarian during all our classes taken together.

I hope you have a new IMESS class. Eszter, torture them as much as you can. Believe me, they will appreciate you one day. Besides during the advanced classes I will feel better that someone is suffering in London. I'm joking. But partially.

Budapest at night…