Arjan Hovestadt – Erasmus Experience

English for a Dutchman at a Hungarian University in Romania

There are always two parties in an educational system: the teacher and the student, and they both have an important role in making teaching as well as learning successful. The time I spent at the English Department of Partium Christian University was full of pleasures.

 I came here to improve my English and I could learn English from the teachers. Their English was good and understandable and I learned a lot even only from the way they spoke. During Phonetics and Phonology, it was very interesting to learn about Phonetic Transcription and I liked the class about how to write an essay as well. Making presentations during the seminars was also a part that I enjoyed a lot, and it helped me realize that I’m not afraid of speaking in English in front of people anymore.

Besides the time spent at the university I had a lot of great experiences in the Campus and on trips. Some of my best memories are: sharing a room with two other boys, then going to Acis, Braşov, and Harghita. At the beginning I shared in a room with two other boys. They were very friendly, but our lifestyles were so different that after two months I moved to another room. I really liked to stay here, we became good friends with my roommates. Right now everyone is busy with school problems or jobs. Last week one of them had to study all night to finish his work before deadline, so we covered the lamp from one side and I could sleep. It is good for me to learn how it is to live with two other people in a small, private place even if I’m used to a family which has thirteen members!

Fresh meal is available in the canteen almost every day. The food is different from what I am used to, but it tastes natural and I really like it.

While being in Romania, I also explored the countryside, and I had a lot of fun. I met a very kind family in Acis. What really impressed me here was the tasty food. The mother in this family kept feeding me the whole time I was there.  The next time when I visited them I took part in killing a pig. We killed the pig and were busy all day with processing the meat. This was a very interesting experience for me. Another time I went to Brasov by car, and driving was a really awesome thing to do. We stopped at different places and saw a lot of famous sights. The most exciting experience was to see real wolves face to face. This happened in Sărmaș where I went with a guy I made friends at the church. We heard the roaring of a bear, and when we continued our trip to his home, we met a pack of wolves. This was such an unforgettable experience!

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