#awayfromhome

It has been more than a year since I have been given the opportunity to move about 9,900 km away from my hometown in the Philippines to pursue my studies in Hungary, and everything still feels surreal.

Starting a new chapter of life in a different country, with an entirely different culture, environment, and language is challenging – there’s no question about that. I have found myself struggling and mostly overwhelmed during the first two months in Pécs, especially, unlike other nationalities, the Filipino community here, is not big. Therefore, I did not have much people to ask for guidance and help on what to do and where to go; I had to mostly figure out to get by on my own – which molded me into who I am in the present.

Life as an international student, contrary to what we see on films, such as a student travelling to many places, always having the time of his life, is not always fun-and-rainbows, for there is so much more to it. One day, I would wake up with an excited feeling of going to the university, discovering new places, doing new things, and interacting with people, but the next day, I wake up feeling like I need to wrap myself up in a blanket to feel the warmth of home again – there’s no in-between. The truth is, no matter how much you think you have prepared for in this journey, things may or may not go as what you have expected.

Despite the fear-that-never-goes-away of living alone in a foreign country, I would never change anything. In fact, I am grateful that I took this leap of faith.

In the past year, the most important thing that I have learned is that respect is the key to survival. In a multiculturally-diverse community, you have to be open and understanding of the differences, in culture, religion, beliefs, or languages, that you might have with other people–what is acceptable for one may not be to the other; what one may think is weird, may just be a common thing for the other. It must be emphasized that the application of the golden rule of treating others how you would want to be treated, is very important in this setting.

In terms of my personal life, I have seen how much I have grown over a year: from handling my own finances that go to my needs and wants, and managing my time wisely in-and-out of the university. I have learned to not burn myself over pressure – by having time for university, for society, and for myself. There are days when my mind is occupied with the things I have to accomplish, or I am simply just low on energy. At times, back-to-back homework, or piled-up examinations, can be exhausting, which is completely normal. Therefore, it should be known that taking small breaks can bring back focus making us more productive in the long run. It is never prohibited to take breaks or have fun – it’s just at the end of the day, we must know what our priorities are.

I have learned to overcome my fear of engaging with the locals, by learning and practicing the basics of the Hungarian language, despite the possibility of making mistakes. Hungarians, themselves, know how complicated the language could be, so they appreciate it if you try – a simple, „Jó napot kívánók!” can go a long way. There's this satisfaction when you see them smile because they understood what you're saying, and because they know that you are trying. I had this experience of coming across an old woman during a hike and she spoke to me in Hungarian, asking how old I am and where I am from. It took some time to understand each other, but in the end, we connected, and that made me happy. From time-to-time, I come across her, and she never fails to greet me and ask me how I am doing. Slowly, I have learned to embrace the new surrounding I am in. Stepping out of my comfort zones may made me feel like a fish out of water at first, but I turned this challenging feeling into an opportunity to discover new places, traditions, food, and people.

My personal and professional network have also expanded more by having more engagement with people that share the same vision as I do. These people helped me realize that I am not the only one who could be struggling, and I should not be afraid to ask for help. These people became my emotional and mental support. Moreover, opportunities to enhance my technical skills have been presented to me by the university. In fact, I was able to participate on two training programs conducted in Italy and Poland, which were both funded, and most importantly, had let me expand my existing knowledge and skills by collaborating with experts in my field of study.

I would by lying if I say that being an international student is not difficult – there will be constant ups-and-downs. It all depends on you – on how you find the joy in the smallest of things. One thing is for sure, if you find the right company, and motivation for your goals, it gets better, slowly but surely.