Photo by Iván Varga
Being an Erasmus Student in Wrocław will be always important part of my life. I spent few amazing months in the fourth largest and economically the second strongest city of Poland.
One of my first experiences with Polish people is that they are very helpful and you can always ask them the direction. The older generations can speak Russian and sometimes French. The Polish youth speaks English better than Hungarian youth (one of reasons is the subtitled movies). They rather use garlic than paprika and they believe that bloody sausage and meat with cabbage (Hungarian: “székelykáposzta”; Polish: “bigos”) are typical Polish dishes.
90% of the population is catholic (only Vatican and small Malta are more catholic countries). The religion has many influences to their historical belief. In Easter time everything is closed – even in Wrocław, the dynamical city becomes “a ghost town”.
The Wrocław University of Economics organized for Erasmus students philharmonic concert, jazz concert, opera, museum visit and visit of botanical garden (everything for free). We were from many different countries: Spain, Turkey, Afghanistan, Italy, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Romania and Portugal.
In this international society Klaudia Ohr and I represented of University of Pannonia.
I have never lived before in such a luxury like there (I had own kitchen and own bathroom). But always when I was looking trough the window I remembered the Castle Dormitory, that baroque building in the green hearth of Veszprém…
My roommate was a Turkish guy, called Çağrı. With him and his Turkish and Afghan friends I was drinking tea and talking about culture, economics, global happenings and religion. They were real intellectuals. In another company were youth from France, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Poland and Cyprus. I went with them to parties, sightseeing and playing bowling which were parts of life such as visiting the lectures. Behind the dormitory I could swim in the pool etc. etc.
All roads lead to Rome. All roads lead from Wrocław. Me and my new friends organized trips around Poland and in other countries. Every trip does worth a new article.
It was a dream. I visited so many places, I tried so many things, I watched so many Polish movies and read so many Polish books, I learned so much about Polish culture. Still, I can say everything was just a small part of this wonderful country.
If you would like to hear more details and see photos, come to my presentation at Faculty of Business and Economics on 7th of November. Further information are coming soon.
Written by Ivan Varga
Photo by Iván Varga