Reflecting On My Time in Budapest

Budapest—a Transformative Journey

From our starry night on the river Danube to our visit to Hungary’s beautiful Parliament and even to our groggy wait at the check-in line on departure—our GIE was a whirlwind of enjoyment and fulfillment! Looking back, I don’t think the experience could have gone any better—I learned a remarkable amount while also growing and overcoming various personal milestones and barriers. 

Embracing Cultural Differences as a Learning Experience

Meeting the team that Joceyln and I would work with for the first time was a surreal experience. It felt awkward to see our consulting partners in-person for the first time, but the discomfort lasted only five minutes. As a group, we instantly clicked as we shared anecdotes from each other's lives and compared our experiences as students. Thu, our Vietnamese teammate, highlighted aspects of the immigrant experience in Budapest. She told us of her 60 dollars allowance each month to spend on non-necessities, and how she works from 6AM to 10PM most days of the week to make ends meet. Weirdly, Petra found it strange how we didn’t drink and go to bars with our professors as she explained how that was a common tradition across Hungarian business schools and at Corvinus. Gergely was also kind enough to teach me some of his expert Hungarian-tailored skills in slide design as he worked with me to redesign our content-rich slideshow. 

Throughout the entire experience, one common aspect Jocelyn and I noticed was the differences in the approach to communication between Americans and Hungarians. While Bence and our teammates adopted a fact-based rhetoric and straight-to-the-point critiquing style, ourselves and other Americans we witnessed focused more on emotional aspects and compliment-sandwich feedback. It was all of these cultural differences and quirks that made the experience even more valuable, as it gave me a pathway to connecting and communicating with those from the Hungarian community or Eastern Europe. Moreover, Miklos's comment on these differences at the culmination of the competition really stuck with me. He mentioned that most winning presentations harness the distinct strengths of each culture as assets. This idea is one I plan to always take with me as someone hoping to pursue a career in international business. 

Professional Success Through Personal Development

A massive personal highlight of the trip was my experience at Colossyan—the notes I took after our visit took 4 pages of my journal! I have the utmost respect for Dominik and his team. It was clear to us that each decision he made at his startup had great personal significance to him.

As a startup founder in college, I related to his sense of not having enough time; but his advice on how to succeed under pressure was novel to me. He articulated how, in these situations, he prioritizes his personal well-being. This was an idea I had never considered, and hearing it changed my perspective. His approach reminded me of Maslow’s Hierarchy and Pyramid of Needs: to fulfill upper-level necessities, like succeeding with a startup, one needs to start at the bottom levels of the pyramid by succeeding at more basic aspects of life. His dedication to fulfilling his bottom pyramid levels through immovable and scheduled activities like familial connection, personal fitness, reading, etc... inspired me. The Colossyan visit showed me that maybe the solution to feeling more successful at my startup wasn’t making more time for it but rather making more time for myself. In fact, I’ve recently begun to do so; where I previously skipped the gym or calling my parents, I now carve out blocks of time to do activities like these, and I’ve since noticed a larger feeling of positivity and productivity in my life and work.

Additionally, my conversation with Imre, the VP of Engineering at Colossyan was also eye-opening in a more technical sense. He walked me through the startup’s hiring practices, engineering tools, and changes in culture from team expansion. Everything I learned from him was of immense value, which prompted me to obtain his contact for technical advice in the future. Overall, our visit to Colossyan was profoundly memorable and has had a tangible impact on me since. 

Photography as a Secondary Journal

Photography has always been a passion of mine, but I began to truly hone my skills in college. On any trip or eventful occasion, I keep careful record of what happens through my camera, hoping to learn more about myself and the art as I do; Budapest was no exception, at every moment, I had my camera on me and was ready to take photos. Hungary’s vast array of foreign culture allowed me to completely elevate my photography and perspective on it. For the first few days, I began by capturing traditional photos of Budapest. Each helped me get a general sense of the culture as it appears to a tourist: St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Parliament, Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, etc. 

And then on the tram on our third day, I captured something beautiful—an aged man gazing out of the tram’s window. I remember staring at that photo as I edited it that night. Considering what he was thinking about, how each wrinkle on his face appeared, where he was going, the memories he had in Budapest, and more somehow brought my photograph to life. This simple photo I had taken was a glimpse into a man’s life, identity, and culture almost like a diary entry that was open to interpretation. This was my first entry—unlike any photo I had taken before—and soon, I resolved to keep that diary going. Each following day, I challenged myself to continue roaming the streets of Budapest, photographing stories and capturing culture, improving my photography skills as I did. Eventually, I captured my two favorite photos on the trip: two men smoking as they seem to reminisce about a topic that concerns them both. My mind wanders as I consider why the second man might be smiling with his head in his hands. I captured twenty more photos like these (Aryah's Buda's Grit Catalog) portraying emotions and stories around the city.

The Budapest trip marked a significant milestone in my journey as a photographer, but it also proved to me that I could use my camera as a journal for anything. I now realize how much I enjoy this style of photography, for its immense emotional appeal and wondrous storytelling abilities; I cannot wait to continue telling stories through my camera.

Personal Responsibility

Given the international nature of our GIE and its structure, I was given an opportunity to take initiative and responsibility before we even embarked on our journey. Growing up, I had always travelled with my parents who prided themselves on building perfectly planned itineraries. I would merely tag along, unsure of what was happening as I followed their lead. While our GIE planned numerous site-seeing events, cultural endeavours, and professional experiences, it left a large amount of time for us to explore Budapest on our own. Thus, as a college Freshman, this trip was my first real opportunity to take the reins and form my own itinerary.

I started a week before we departed, and meticulously planned out my free time: the restaurants I would go to, neighborhoods to visit, food to experience, culture to learn about prior, where to take photos, and more. All of this felt laborious and difficult, but when I arrived in country, I was glad I did it; I had a sense of direction and an idea on how I would make the most out of the trip. Doing this also gave me an opportunity to chart my own path, despite travelling as a group. On nights when everyone wanted to explore the multi-storied ruin bars around the city, I resolved to explore Buda’s historic architecture and a thrift shop before getting an early night to prepare for our next early morning. While I also enjoyed visiting the fabulous ruin bars and traversing the city with our group, making my own personal plans gave me a sense of freedom—allowing me to feel fulfilled with what I accomplished over the trip.

As I did this throughout the trip, I realized how much I valued independent travel. By the end, I felt so confident that I even went out on my own at 1AM on our last night in the rain to visit a famous Kebab shop that I hadn’t had a chance to eat at yet—something I never could have had the courage to do before. Budapest became a turning point in how I approach travel, and more broadly, how I take ownership of my experiences. It was my first opportunity to chart my own path on a trip, and it totally paid off. Going forward, I want to embrace the challenge of solo travel, seeking out destinations that allow me to balance cultural immersion with personal discovery.

Conclusion

My experience in Budapest was incredibly transformative—both personally and professionally. I embraced differences in culture to refine my communications approach, gained priceless knowledge at Colossyan, honed my skills as a photographer, and learned to chart my own path as a traveller. This trip could not have been a more defining experience. Our time in country reinforced my passion for exploration of new places, ideas, perspectives, and personal skills. Going forward, I plan to carry each of these lessons with me, harnessing them in international business, photographic storytelling, and my approach to embracing challenges in life. Our time in Budapest was more than a trip. It was a milestone in my growth, and I’m eager to see how these experiences will continue to shape my journey in the future.