Hello everyone,
My name is Roshni Sharma.
Like most students in the Budapest Study Abroad Program, I'm also a
Management major concentrating in Human Resources. I love to see new
places, get to know different people and capture moments in my
pictures. This passion of mine brought me to join this program
foremost. Apart from that, my interest in Social Entrepreneurship
grew as a soon-to-graduate student hoping to step foot in the
business world and make changes for the causes that I believe in. I'm
really glad I got on board with the rest of the crew in this program
because of the encouragement it has given me and the optimism I have
discovered while on this journey.
It seems like just
yesterday we arrived at Carolina ut 10, Budapest (our apartment). I
remember the excitement when we first crossed the bridge and saw the
most breathtaking view of the city parted by the Danube. Four weeks
down the road now, I can't believe the programs ends this week and we
are all wrapping things to take home or to travel more :) With this
amazing experience and a whole lot of incredible memories to take
further, I would like to share some of highlights of the end week in
Budapest and my personal experiences.
Site Visits
The House of the
Parliament – June 20, 2012
At 8:30 AM we all hurried
our way to the main door of our apartment to catch the tram to the
Parliament house. For days we'd been traveling all around Budapest
catching a glimpse of this magnificent work of art. It
is one of the most outstanding landmark I have ever seen, sort of
like the ones in Disney movies.
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| The House of Parliament at night |
Statues
of Hungarian monarchs and military commanders cover the outer walls
of the building. The unique interior design includes huge halls,
miles of corridors, a high central dome, and numerous rooms mostly
decorated in red and gold.
We first made our way to the main conference
hall where our guest speaker Katalin Ertsey gave us a brief
introduction of her work and association with the Hungarian
government. She is a member of the parliament and talked about her
affiliation with the Green party and the current political situation
in the country which was very interesting. The most exciting part was
that we were seated in the conference room with microphones in front
of us as if we were government officials....very cool!
You can see a picture of us here ----------------->
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| Inside the Parliament House |
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| The Holy Crown of Hungary |
We also saw the Hungarian crown (aka Holy Crown of Hungary)
that was placed in the center of the dome guarded by two soldiers.
During World War II it was transferred to the United States to keep
it protected and later returned to Hungary by president Jimmy Carter
in 1978.
Guest Speaker – Bala
Mulloth – June 21, 2012
This day we had the
opportunity to sit in Mr. Mulloth's class. I must say for all the
learning we did about Social Enterprise in the 3 weeks time and with
so much information in our heads, thanks to him, he summed it all up
into a 20 minute presentation like a step by step tutorial.
Mr. Mulloth
is
an assistant
professor of entrepreneurship and innovation management at Central
European University (CEU) Business School
and is significantly involved in the field of social
entrepreneurship. His insights on the changing role of leadership and
entrepreneurship was particularly interesting to me. One of the
examples of a leader he talked about during the presentation was his
former student from NYU who is a leading figure behind the fund
raising activity of the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York. He's
not the typical financial planner you'd have in mind. He's a tattoo
artist by profession. His passion for social reformation and change
brought him to the Occupy movement. I think this says something - As
society is changing, so are the definitions of entrepreneurs.
Here are some good reads
Bala recommended for all of you interested in business and
Entrepreneurship:
"Creative
Destruction"
by Joseph Schumpeter
“Entrepreneurship
for the 21st Century” by Timmons & Spinelli
Bátor
Tábor
Hungary– A Hole in the Wall Campaign : June 25, 2012
Also
known as camp with courage, Bátor
Tábor
aims to create a healthier and happier lifestyle for children with
illness. It provides therapeutic
recreation programs for children with cancer, diabetes, JRA or
haemophilia and for their families.
Attila
Molnár, the CEO of Bátor Tábor gave us an insight on the programs
initial plans and how it came into existence. It was actually
inspired by the actor Paul Newman who started this campaign for kids
in the United States. The
Bátor Tábor Foundation has been a member of Paul Newman's
Association of Hole in the Wall Camps since 2007.
Attila
showed us a video of some of the kids in the campaign who have been
fighting against their illness for a long time. It is amazing to see
the positivity in those kids and the fact that they do not let their
limitations come in the way of their everyday lives. One of the kids
said that their disability was a reality they needed to accept;
something they cannot change but what they can do is focus on things
they could do. This was a very inspirational and an equally emotional
presentation. I liked the optimism Mr. Molnár
had for his campaign. With his past experience in the corporate world
and a passion to help children through Social Entrepreneurship, he
seems to have a great balance of the two sectors.
The
program's operational process and decision making is identical to a
for profit organization except the difference is Bátor
Tábor
isn't looking for financial profit for its share holders. It has
various fund raising mechanisms such as organizing charity events,
donations from corporations and individuals, international partners,
and pro bono activities. It has proved to be a successful program
with sufficient funds for its ongoing activities. Last year made it
to the list of top ten organizations in Hungary that get donations
from the 1% tax deduction.
Here's
a video if you want to learn more about Bator Tabor:
Budapest
Study Abroad has been a great learning experience. I cannot believe
it is the last week of our program. I have met some of the most
inspirational people during this trip and their words will resonate
with me. To make it even more memorable, our group of 7 students is
by far the most diverse creatures I have come across and that
definitely added more fun to our after class adventures. Other than
that, I’ve
gotten to see a lot of Europe, however there is so much more to see
and I consider it as a motivation to come back soon! Also, to anyone
wondering about the potential for European exploration while you’re
studying abroad, I would like to tell you that it is quite simple and
well worth it.
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| View from the boat ride |
Here are some of my
recommendations if you're visiting Budapest:
Five things you need
to experience in Budapest
The boat ride on Danube –
a must – Budapest at night is spectacular, the lights add to its
beauty
The Opera House –
You'll have to try this – our pick was TOSCA
Libyrinth – visit the
wine cellars
Szimpla Kert – voted as
one of the world's best bars
Szechenyi baths – get
into the warm thermal water baths surrounded by picturesque monuments
and surrounding
Five things you need
to taste
Cold fruit soup –
awesome in the summer!
Langos – choose from
the many toppings they have
Brachoi – This sauce is
addictive!
Palinka – It's amazing
and doesn't give you a hangover...they say!
Dr. Gelato – Try their
colorful ice-creams
There are many more
things to do and visit in Budapest. Check out the other blogs my
friends have posted here, they have lots of information and fun facts
about all the places we visited.
Finally a quick shout out
to The Georgia Tech Faculty who were very caring and supportive
throughout the whole program. All the day to day programs they
organized such as the educational trips and meetings with guest
speakers from different NGOs and social enterprises were incredibly
helpful. They have immensely contributed to our learning and
growth... hopefully as new innovators :)
Köszönöm.
Quick advice : For those
of you who decide to be a part of the Budapest Study Abroad Program
next year (which you should) the most important thing is – to buy a
pair of comfortable walking shoes...trust me, it is very important!
And get an umbrella, you
cannot trust Budapest weather forecast!
This blog is filled with
beautiful pictures of our trip. I wanted to add some of the behind
the scene pictures that were funny and memorable.
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| Outside St. Stephen's Basilica |
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| Best way to travel within cities, HOP ON HOP OFF! |
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| Happy Lunch..Yumm |
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| Musical talents everywhere |
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| Me at the Opera |
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| Traveling outside host country |
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| Bus ride to Eger |
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| Look at them faces |
