The life of
international students can be difficult. But who knows it better than
their own representatives? Interview
with Daniel Livingston and Frédéric Zuhorn, presidents of the English
and German student council of the Medical School.
First of all, could you tell me a few words about yourselves? What are
you studying here exactly?
D.L. I’m from the United States but I have family living in Hungary. I am in
5th year now and plan to focus on paediatrics as a specialty.
For me children are innocent. Their diseases are not self-inflicted. I
have seen ill people who harmed their bodies for a lifetime and now they
are looking for a remedy. But children are different. It is also a
challenge: they cannot tell their problems, you need to guess yourself.
F.Z.
I came from Germany.
I had a friend in Budapest who suggested that I come to Hungary. After
my 2nd year here I went to Vienna but I didn’t like the
education there. So I came back. I am in 4thyear which is the
first clinical year, so I am still looking around. But at the moment I
am thinking of choosing internal or emergency medicine as
specialization.
What do your friends think when you tell them you are studying here in
Hungary?
D.L.
Their first question generally is: “where’s Hungary?” But the physicians
I know, they say only positive things about going elsewhere for your
studies. And Hungary is not a common destination for most people. It can
show you a completely different point of view. Some of my friends are
even jealous, since this way I am getting international connections and
later colleagues all over the world.
F.Z.
My friends are really open for new cultures. But generally, they think
that I am in Budapest. Unfortunately they know Semmelweis University
better. But I am working on getting the University of Pécs more famous
in Germany.
What is the role of the English and German student council?
D.L.
The student council is an important forum that helps bridge the gap
between students and the administration. The English student council was
created in the ‘90s, to represent the social and educational interests
of students. I joined in 2004. Back then, when it was created, it was
much smaller. Now, there are around 1000 international students at the
faculty. Last year, we realised that the German programme also needed to
be represented, this is how Frédéric started his work.
F.Z.
Every year has a year representative. Every 2nd-3rd
week we have a meeting where we tell them the news about the
administration. They also tell us the problems collected from students,
that we try to resolve. Fortunately, we have good contact with the deans
of the faculty; they are really helpful which facilitates our work.
D.L.
Our second role is the organization of social events like the
international evening.
The international evening was a huge happening. How was it organized?
D.L.
We started it in November. We have 39 countries at the university, and
based on the success of last year`s turnout of embassy representative,
we simply had to do it again. To be honest, we didn’t expect any
answers. But we received eighteen positive replies, five more than last
year. So we prepared ourselves for a huge event that was suitable for
our diplomats and our international community. We continuously informed
the students that this is their opportunity to represent their countries
with traditional cuisine, dress, pictures as well as unique performances
that all capture the essence of their culture.
F.Z.
These performances were fantastic; a good way to show the variety of
talent and colour that is hidden in our international student community.
Daniel and I are grateful that so
many students took part in presenting their nations and that the event
was such a great success with more than 1200 guests!
What main problems are the international students facing?
F.Z.
The most important is the language. We simply cannot call a plumber, for
example. Getting an apartment and finding a landlord that you can trust
is also very difficult. Sometimes they just come into your apartment
unannounced. And of course, the connection between Hungarians and
international students is still not too strong.
D.L.
We are really trying to bridge this gap between the two groups. I wish
there was a simple solution to do so. But unfortunately, it’s still like
oil and water between them.
F.Z.
We think that the only solution is the leisure activities and social
events that we organise. This is how we try to help this situation.