Starting to realize that I'm back home..

Dear all! It has been almost three weeks since I came back home =) First one and a half week were great. Everyone wanted to meet up with me, hear my stories and it was great to feel all the love and all the great things about the Netherlands again. Now, things have calmed down and everyone is back to his/her own life again, including me. This week I will be starting my bachelor thesis. Really working on my graduation from Tilburg University! Perfect timing to make an analysis of the pros and cons of both Budapest and home:

Things that Hungary could improve 0=)

- Our International Office coordinator.. what an..
- Getting in separate queues for stamps, envelopes, addresses and sending the actual package at the post office. The bureaucracy is still crazy, especially in the Immigration Office; the only place where people actually need to speak English.. and don't.

- The women in the supermarket yelling "Tessék?!", when I did not come to the counter quick enough.

- The political climate and the challenges of post-communism for the society, first and foremost corruption.

Things that are great at home

- Seeing and hanging out with my great family and friends.

- Normal supermarkets, with normal bread and a nice variety of food.

- Structure and good responses at Tilburg University.

- Okay, this list is too short... uhm!

- Oh! The one I have been coming to appreciate the most about the Netherlands: the freedom of debate. I have become to realize how special it is that no matter the subject and no matter how much we disagree, when we keep our decency we can talk speak about everything in our country. Anything. That is one of the greatest values of the Dutch society I think and it should be cherished.

- My bike!!

Things that I am absolutely missing after two weeks without Budapest

- The incredible sights I saw everywhere at every moment of the day.

- How interesting it is to live in a post-communist country and learn from it.

- All the travelling I did, what great fun and how interesting that was: Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia!

- Showing the people who visited the city that I absolutely love.

- The interactive small classes we had at Corvinus University.

- The content of the classes I had there: history, international politics, equal opportunities.. perfect for me! Also, the great people who taught me those classes.

- Great public transport.

- Laying in the great city baths for hours and hours and hours.

- Learning and recapturing all sorts of different languages.

- All the amazing nights we had.. from Szimpla to Studio and from Balkan Beats to Rio.

- Not to mention all the great things we saw during the day.

- Cheap food and drinks, so we could go out for dinner in amazing restaurants multiple times a week!

- The international environment. All the people who have so many different stories and opinions.

- The amazing friends I made in Budapest. I will never forget them and try to see as much of them as often as possible! Love you guys very much.

- Everyone's enormously positive attitude. No worries, no stress. Just living the moment and enjoying every bit of it. I will do my very best to maintain that back home and hopefully also pass it on to others.

For everyone still doubting about going on exchange, there is only one thing I can say: GOOOOOO!! Please go. And if you are considering it: Pick Budapest! It is an amazing city and you will have an incredible time there. Here some more pictures of my semester to prove that: