5 Highlights from my First Year Abroad

Autumn is in full swing here in Budapest, and August saw my one-year anniversary of moving abroad to teach English. Lately I’ve been the designated swing-pusher on the playground at my kindergarten, so I’ve had plenty of time to look back on some of the highlights of my first year living and working abroad…

1. Trying something (actually, many somethings) new.

Forcing myself on stage last minute to do my first mini standup-comedy routine. Fighting through the crowds at my first music festival, Sziget. Actually sticking with flamenco lessons and performing at my first recital.

Getting a taste of studio life and filming a test pilot for a Hungarian game show. Taking a birthday trapeze lesson with my mom when I visited home this summer (and like, actually jumping off of the platform instead of fainting or something).

Trying to look as if I knew what I was doing in the studio.

2. Growing musically

Budapest Open Mics was my first point of contact for meeting people in this city, and through the year, I’ve loved growing in community and musical skill with this group. The year started with a bang at a wine festival in the forest and just evolved from there. My open mic buddies became my boat party buddies and my late night dance buddies and so on. With an open mic at a different venue almost every night, there’s always a chance to see friends and listen to music in a different atmosphere. I can’t say how good it feels to know that if I go to an open mic, there’ll always be someone there I can greet with a hug. And hopefully this year I’ll bring more original songs to the mix!

3. Learning Hungarian

While I’m by no means fluent, I can’t believe how much Hungarian makes sense to me now (and how I’m able to semi-effectually eavesdrop). I remember wanting to cry from exasperation as I first saw the Hungarian language from the taxi window on the way home from the airport. There are so many letters! I thought. I am never going to pick this up! But somewhere along the way, I’ve found myself able to go shopping at the market or to read the subtitles at the cinema.

I’ve picked up a lot from my kindergarteners (if you want to know how to call someone a poop-face in Hungarian, just hit me up), but being open-minded has helped loads. Halfway through the year, I noticed a shift where I started to try to understand Hungarian culture instead of just comparing it relentlessly to my own. Celebrating the national holidays and discovering the museums, stumbling onto re-enactments…it’s all part of the education.

4. Traveling around Europe

Frequent travel around Europe was a dream before I moved to Budapest, and whether it was a last-minute, solo trip to Prague, revisiting the Danish Christmas markets in Copenhagen, or spending my first Christmas away from home on the tiny island nation of Malta (my phone was stolen and I lost all my pictures, but all my memories are golden!), it came true. And of course, that romantic getaway to Croatia was more than I could have hoped for. True, now my bank account’s worse for the wear, but I can’t quite bring myself to regret it.

And unexpectedly, I noticed my travel style change over the year. Where I used to crave the interactions with random strangers that come with staying in hostels, I’ve started enjoying travel as a time to be alone with my thoughts, or a time to be shared with the people I chose to go on the trip with. (I also like staying in places where I don’t have to share a bathroom with 8 other people). I’m afraid that I’m turning into a curmudgeon, but maybe this just means I’m starting to value my privacy more

5. Traveling in Hungary

I idealized traveling around Europe so much that I was slow to realize that it’d be a wasted opportunity to not to see more of Hungary.Hungarian trains are a bit infamous for their lethargic speed, but for a cheap trip on a lazy Saturday that was just fine with me. Getting out of Budapest and exploring other Hungarian towns/cities (often with a handsome Hungarian travel guide) was such an important step in understanding my new home. Fave moments? Eating a winter kürtőskalács at Eger Castle or boating through subterranean caves close to Lake Balaton. And for all the perks of travel, staying in the city and watching Budapest blossom in the summer had its perks, too!

When I moved to Budapest I was full of hopes and expectations. I wanted to move to a big city where I could try new things, expand my network, and start carving out a vision for my future. I had no idea the year would unfold the way it did–but as I look back on it, all I can be is grateful.

Where would you want to spend a year abroad? Let me know in the comments below!