By Elena Yang
Last year, I attended the Budapest Semester in Mathematics (BSM) program where I had the opportunity to volunteer at Szent István High School. At this school, I led lessons in English classes which gave me the opportunity to learn more about Hungarian culture and connect with local students. This international service experience allowed me to deepen my intercultural communication skills through meaningful interactions with students and tailoring my teaching style to match the classroom culture. In addition, students taught me about Hungarian customs, educational approaches and social norms which enriched my understanding of the country.
Before starting to teach, I shadowed the teacher to get an understanding of the classroom dynamics. I noticed that the students were very attentive and never went on their phones; there was a lot of respect for the teacher from the students. I also picked up on the teaching style of the classroom; for assignments, students first worked in pairs, then groups of four and then finally the classroom moved onto a group discussion. I made notes of these observations and made sure I was aware of them when teaching.
The first few lessons I gave were admittedly rough. There was some awkward tension in the air, as after all, I hadn’t interacted with the students much and we were also quite close in age. However, the teacher who gave me the opportunity to volunteer in his classroom assured me that the students were excited to work with me, and that anything I shared would be welcomed as a nice break from the classroom curriculum.
My lesson plans were about anything that I thought the students would find interesting. Topics that were hits were culture shocks I experienced, for example air drying clothes, bathrooms with just a toilet in them, and túró in many dishes. I also shared trending slang in the USA and what American high school is like. For each class I prepared a PowerPoint as a visual aid, but the main goal was to interact with students and to get them speaking English, while letting them listen to me speaking English as well. To facilitate small group discussions, I also introduced games such as Wordle and Hangman that students could work on in smaller groups which would then open the discussion up to the classroom.
I really enjoyed sharing my experiences studying in Budapest and learning Hungarian culture which the students found interesting as well. I learned about the students’ favorite foods, vacation spots, and life in Budapest suburbs. One time a student mentioned that their favorite dish was rakott krumpli prepared by their grandmother, and brought me some to try to the next class which was pretty amazing. I also learned the top hidden gems around Lake Balaton, and day trips that I should make a priority.
With the upper grade classes, I made myself available to grab a coffee after school or go to the local pékség (bakery) for a pastry with the students after class. It was a chance for them to practice more English, for me to learn more about Hungarian culture, and for us to connect beyond the classroom. I took classes at the BSM building which was about a 10 minute walk away from the school, so we could also go on walks together often in City Park.
There are many ways to learn about a culture while studying abroad. This learning can take place in the classroom, the grocery store, the gym, or even just on the streets. For me, volunteering at Szent István High School was a way to learn about Hungarian culture on a level that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise, as well as to form friendships with Hungarian students. It added another level of cultural immersion to my study abroad experience, making my time in Budapest all the more special.
