Beznoszka Igor
What's your name and where are you from?
My name is Ezenbulag, I come from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Tell us a bit about your country.
Our country is basically super dry, as for weather, whether it’s summer or winter, the seasons are very intense (it gets literally -40 in winter). Most of the people live in the city center and the government is affected by severe corruption, however the best thing about my country is the nature.
What do you study and what made you choose this faculty?
I study psychology at ELTE. As a child I didn’t get the psychological assistance I desperately needed, and that was partially because I didn’t even know what it was and now as an adult it’s very visible how the childhood trauma affects my wellbeing overall. So I consider the developmental stages are extremely important and I dread seeing children go through worse things than what I have experienced. I really wish psychological assistance was more accessible to children, which is why my desire to study in this faculty arose.
How did you find the opportunity to study at ELTE?
During my high school years, I met a Stipendium Hungaricum alumni who attended the University of Debrecen. He really showed me the path and assisted me with my scholarship applications where I saw ELTE PPK was an option.
How are you enjoying it so far?
So far I’m really enjoying it here. After so many years I can finally say with confidence that I’m very happy and content.
Was it easy to settle in?
In my entire life I always expected myself to have a hard time to settle and adapt to a new environment, however I was extremely shocked because I didn’t even have to adapt, I just fit in perfectly, which kind of scares me at some level.
What has been the best thing that you have experienced since you are here?
The best thing I’ve experienced here would be the attention that I’m receiving. My family is a mixture of a Mongolian and South Korean origins so I obviously have Asian facial features, which is why at some places I may be in the spotlight. People are extremely nice to me, they enjoy talking and knowing about me and I love the people here.
What has been the weirdest thing that you have come across?
A very weird thing I’ve found out is that people don’t drink warm water here. I was going on a dinner date with a Hungarian guy, and for drinks I just asked for warm water. My date and the waitress were both shocked a bit about my request.
Did you have any previous thoughts or preconceptions about what Hungary will be like? If yes, were these thoughts right?
There’s a very common misconception about European people in Mongolia that all Europeans are extremely racist, rude, arrogant and narcissistic and that gave me a whole lot of anxiety before I came here, which was entirely false in case of Hungary. I also expected a lot of bakery goods, which was actually true. I was happy about that because I really love them. So yes, everything was basically how I expected it to be.
Would you recommend studying in Hungary to anyone living abroad?
It would 100% depend on who I’m recommending it to. But overall generally, yes I would highly recommend Hungary. My group of 6 best friends all live in 6 different cities (Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Geneva and Seoul) and we like doing group video calls and talk about our different experiences, and to tell the truth all of them want to come to Hungary.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I promised my mom I would do a Master’s in 5 years. I expect myself to be receiving my Master’s Degree by that time. I have no idea where exactly, but let’s see what the future holds.
