News

I learned to be myself
Matt Hodgton's year in Hungary was rewarding
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray-- When the student exchange program advisor came around, Matt Hodgton wanted something different. So he decided to go to Hungary for a year.Right: Matt in front of a Budapest castle

SAD 15 students who are participating in the student exchange program are offered several countries from which to choose. The lengths of time abroad vary, with the longest exchange abroad lasting for a year. That's what Matt did, from August 2004 to August 2005. Matt, a Gray-New Gloucester junior at the time, wanted to go somewhere that would stretch him, be completely different, and offer a unique experience, he found it in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.

Can you say Szekesfehervar?

"I did not know anything about Hungary. I decided not to go to France or England because I wanted something new," Matt said. "I was nervous about going to a Third World country. But when I got there, it looked modern and Budapest looked like America, especially with all the McDonald's restaurants."

Matt said that though there was a lot of support throughout the program, and his exchange family was wonderful, it was difficult to learn the language and to get oriented to the new sights and sounds. His town was about 40 miles from the city of Budapest. Though his town has 120,000 people in it, "Portland feels like a bigger city than this." Initially the family was living in a condo-type apartment building, but later they all moved to a house within the same city.

His daily routine in school was different from what he'd experienced in Gray. "I'd stay in the same class with all the same kids and we would all go to different teachers throughout the day. We started at 7:30 a.m. but got out at different times every day." All the classes were taught in Hungarian, making learning hard, but Matt studied and "being immersed in Hungarian helped me learn it." Matt didn't participate in many extra-curricular activities, there weren't that many offered.

Socializing hindered by language barrier

There were no dances either, except for the prom, but there were a lot of parties that he would go to. When socializing, Matt said there was a lot of head nodding and smiling to bridge the gaps when verbal language wasn't cutting it. To relax, Matt said he would take in the movies that were presented in English with Hungarian subtitles. Left, Matt at the Prom


"There were two other Americans in Budapest and I visited them a few times each week. We'd hang out," Matt said. Sometimes they would take off on the train to another country. Matt liked Rome, Amsterdam, Prague, and Vienna.

"Living in Hungary for a year was the hardest thing I'd ever done," Matt said. "For a long time there was no talking with people, and it was hard not knowing where anything was. I would talk on the phone with my mom or e-mail a lot."

Emotional ups and downs

Matt said that the adjustment period was consistent with what the advisor had told him, "At first everything was OK. Everything was new. I was learning. I was excited. But come November, my mood changed and my attitude went down. That time was hard."

What helped? "Becoming more familiar with the language, and making friends. I would always carry a dictionary wherever I would go. Not many people speak English there."

Matt was firm that ultimately it was a fabulous experience. "It taught me a lot of things I couldn't learn here. I became independent. I learned to be myself. I became more mature, more patient. And I appreciated things more."

Matt explained that their lives are similar to Americans' "but they don't have as much stuff. For example, where we might have three televisions, the might have one. They have fewer computers. But they do other stuff instead. They play soccer, have parties, get together."

Third World looked like First World

Asked what he noticed most, Matt said that visually, the towns were not as pretty as here. "They have a small, cement yard, a small house with a fence around it. They live close together. There are a lot of apartment buildings. It looks like a typical Communist city." He loved Budapest, though. "That was the best of all cities. It feels Eastern and Western at the same time. It is a really cool city. I was surprised at how Americanized it was."

It was a culture shock to spend time in Hungary but Matt also worried about the culture shock of returning home. "I worried that my friends would treat me differently, but they don't. I have changed, though. I'm more outgoing. I don't let small things bother me."

Matt said that he would recommend the exchange experience for most anyone. "I wouldn't recommend it if you're attached to home but if you are willing to go and try it, it can be a very good experience."