She shares her experience of moving to Budapest and her first impressions as a Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship holder student at ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education. 

My life in Hungary 
Saeyun Eum

Hello, my name is Saeyun Eum from South Korea. As a brief introduction, since 2021 I’ve been studying at ELTE’s Kindergarten Education BA program as a Stipendium Hungaricum student. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to get a scholarship from the Hungarian government, so I moved to Hungary and started my new life. At first, it was not easy to decide to move to a country I’d never visited before. I didn’t have any information about Hungary itself, and there was not even a Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holder at this faculty. But our kind, helpful coordinator helped me a lot in every way.

When I arrived here, everything was so different compared to my country. In addition, I had to handle everything by myself, and it was so stressful. Moreover, university life was a bit different than I thought. I imagined lying on the grass, chilling with my friends, and falling in love with a man who is studying at the same university. But the reality, our faculty is full of girls, and I barely have time to relax due to tons of assignments and exams.

Even though, it wasn’t the same as I thought, at our faculty, there are sweet and intellectual professors, very friendly classmates, and well-organized curricula for future kindergarten educators. Especially, the most appreciated part of my life in Hungary is meeting lovely people in my faculty. No matter what, living abroad alone is always tough and lonely. You may miss your loved ones and feel homesick. But whenever I am depressed, my faculty’s family always exists, including professors, all the staff, and my classmates. I could define them as a family. They understand my situation, tried to solve a problem together, empathize with my feelings, are supportive of whatever I do. I dare say that if they do not exist, I couldn’t be here and maintain my studying. Because of them, I could learn plenty of things and slowly adapt to the life here.

When describing my major, I would say it is unique. The biggest difference compared to Korea’s kindergarten education program is the “kindergarten practice.” In Korea, we only have a chance to practice in kindergarten in the last year. But at ELTE, we can practice from the first year. We learn the theory in the university and experience an authentic field-based environment where we can use what we learned. As an international student, I had a lot of difficulties with the practice, but many people helped me get used to it. So as a result, I’ve started to enjoy it. I feel rewarded for teaching and the value of being a kindergarten educator.

It would be a lie if I said, I was always happy to live in Hungary. It has been challenging every moment; it’s been one thing after another for me. But what I can tell you is that you will have come a long way in everything. Therefore, to the one reading this essay: do not miss your opportunity to study at ELTE, especially the Kindergarten Education BA Program! Also, grab your chance to get a scholarship from Stipendium Hungaricum! I’m sure it will completely change your life as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience!”

Would you like to study Kindergarten Education with us too?
The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship application platform is open now!
Get more information from here.