Hungary closed its borders a week before the planned entry. Those were the best conditions. Students with proof that they were enrolled at a Hungarian university had to apply for a special permit from the Hungarian police and were then allowed to enter the country. The exact day of entry and the planned border crossing had to be specified, so I ended up driving the 1,200 kilometers to Budapest by car. And then I had to go into quarantine.

I lived in a single room with my own bathroom in the CEU Residence Center, a university hall of residence. This was the best decision I could have made, as the lectures were all held online due to corona, but thanks to the residence you got to know a few of your fellow students. Cooking evenings, coffee mornings and movie/game nights were very popular in the dormitory. Especially with the curfew from 8 pm, we were still able to meet up with friends, do a workout together in the room or watch a nice Christmas movie.

The lectures at the Metropolitan University (METU) were all online, so I can’t say much about the campus. I particularly liked the weekly lecture schedule, which made it easy to plan and keep your lecture times in mind. The quality of the lectures was pretty good, and I also really liked the combination of lecture and seminar, as you could immediately put what you had heard or learned in the lecture into practice.

METU also offered some sports and clubs in the first few weeks. I took part in the basketball training offered by the METU for four weeks, which was a lot of fun. I actually only wanted to join the METU cooking club, but then I even took it over. We ended up having two cooking events, which were a lot of fun, you got to meet new people and the food was delicious. Then the rules were tightened in Hungary and we were no longer allowed to meet up.

The cost of living in Budapest is somewhat lower than in Germany, especially for food and public transportation. A monthly ticket for students for public transportation in Budapest costs around 10 euros, a simple meal in the city (restaurant) around 3 to 6 euros, depending on what you get. Apart from that, I found the chimney cakes and cocoa csigas absolutely delicious, as well as the Hungarian lángos, so I ate them regularly.

I paid 315 euros/month for the single room in the hall of residence. I paid 50 euros for the whole semester for the fridge that I booked for my room (I can only recommend it). The best thing about the room was actually the view, so I spent a lot of time at the window. :-)

Apart from that, I spent most of my time with my friend Leonor from Tenerife – from joint sports activities (jogging, workouts, hiking or walking) to movie nights with mulled wine and trips through Hungary. We regularly arranged to meet up with three other friends to cook or bake cookies, which of course also contributed to a successful time in Budapest. Leonor and I also met up for coffee several times a day between lectures, so we didn’t miss out on the social part despite coronavirus.

At the beginning of October, Leonor and I took part in the Budapest Marathon Festival and ran five kilometers. We had to wear a mask in the start and finish area, which we were then allowed to take off after crossing the start line. At the end of October, we celebrated Halloween with a larger group (my first) – and it was a great success. We often enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere in Budapest with a mulled wine.