DEHÖK Hallgatói Külügyi Bizottság [Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Student Self-Government of the University of Debrecen], Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Debrecen, and the International Office of the University have arranged a series of events in order to properly welcome the 174 Erasmus students in Debrecen. The majority of these international students are from the European Economic Area, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and the United States.
Between September 14th and 19th, they get a chance to attend orientation presentations on the university, our city, and Hungarian culture in general, while the host organizations also provide them with plenty of practical advice and useful information necessary for their new everyday routine and adaptation to the different circumstances.
ESN Debrecen’s “Erasmus Buddy” program, in the framework of which Erasmus students are paired off with mentors to help them overcome the difficulties of the first few days of their stay and get integrated into the Hungarian environment, has also been launched. Among the other functions and events of this week in addition to the official informative presentations, the “freshers” take a guided walk on campus as well as a sightseeing tour of the city, they participate in a speed dating evening, go to the thermal baths and do a treasure hunt at the university. By the end of the first week, the host organizations have received a lot of positive feedback, as the newly arrived international students show genuine interest in attending the events offered.
“The new Erasmus community is very energetic, lively, and open. Our team has prepared a broad range of activities for them to make the semester they spend in Debrecen memorable. We intend to do our best to make them feel at home with us even if they are several hundred miles away from their real homes,” said Réka Jakab, President of ESN Debrecen.
On September 21st, a welcome dinner and reception is on the agenda, while the rest of the program schedule this month includes a three-day excursion to Budapest with a guided bus tour of the capital city and a joint event between Szent István Egyetem and DEHÖK Külügyi Bizottsága. Besides all the above, the new Tandem program is also going to start soon, in the framework of which two students from different countries teach each other the other’s language. The organizers expect that Hungarian students should also take this initiative and join in the fun at some later stage.
DEHDK PR and Press Office
