The foreign students enjoyed the extra programmes too, besides the lessons. This year, there were new programmes, such as a visit to Szeredás Porta in Sáránd where students learnt how to make traditional braided milk-loaf and spiral pasta and sang Hungarian folk songs. This programme was a great success, so it is expected to be offered in the long run. Another new and successful programme was the visit to the Tímárház, a workshop of folk artisans in Debrecen where students tried felting and pottery.
As the Summer School is dedicated to teaching foreigners not only the Hungarian language but also the culture of Hungary, the students also visited the museums, library and collections of the Calvinist College. The furnishings of the venerable college and the precious old books impressed the visitors. The students were invited to an evening sightseeing every week, a programme that attracts more and more students every year, during which Professor István Rácz introduced the city to them.
The trip to Hortobágy was also planned to be interactive, so that students could take part in horse shedding, carriage ride in the wasteland and animal petting. They viewed the making of a traditional hoop whip, ate slambuc for lunch, a traditional dish of shepherds, and were entertained with a performance of horseherds.
As many as 100 people came to study Hungarian at the Debrecen Summer School for a month. The students faced the challenges heroically, among which the heat, often close to 40 degrees, was undoubtedly the greatest one.
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