STEP Reflection

Mitchell Harter

STEP Reflection – Budapest Stud Abroad.

I participate in the STEP program so that I could study abroad. My study abroad involved a trip to Budapest, Hungary. During our time in Budapest we traveled to Warsaw Poland, and Vienna Austria. The purpose of this trip was to immerse myself in the culture of central Europe.

Before I embarked on my incredible journey to Europe, I constantly thought about if I would return to America different in any way. Choosing to study abroad in Budapest turned out to be one of the best things I could have done for myself. Throughout this incredible journey I learned so much about myself and how I wanted to live my life. I have always loved traveling with family and friends. Traveling has always given me the opportunity to try new foods and learn about the amazing cultures that live among me every day. This opportunity not only gave me the chance to learn about culture and enjoy delicious food, but it gave me the chance to form this incredible bond with twenty-five people that I will never forget. I am forever grateful for the opportunity that STEP gave me.

This opportunity opened me up to so many incredible things, but it also taught me so much about the world that I currently live in. This was not the first time I had been to Europe. My mother was originally born in Spain so I knew a great deal about European culture from my previous visits to Spain. Europe’s culture, in my opinion, is much more captivating than American culture. There are so many parts of Europe that are home to beautiful views, monuments, and architecture. My time in Budapest also gave me a different perspective on how the people that live there operate. I am a marketing major in the Fisher College of Business so I was able to witness how Europe uses advertising to help stimulate their economy.

There were so many events and relationships that lead to my incredibly transforming experience in Budapest. When you live with twenty-five people, on the same floor, for an entire month you really get to know one another. For me, they became my family. In these kinds of situations, it was hard for all twenty-five of us to do things together so we often would split off into our own groups. I would not consider our group cliquey, we all just wanted to do different things with our time in Budapest. With my group we bonded over delicious Hungarian meals, endless nights at Szimpla (our favorite ruin pub), and late nights in the hostel just talking about life. I connected with seven amazing people on an emotional level that I sometimes cannot describe. I was able to be myself around them, and never worry about judgement. We all came from different backgrounds, but were able to find each other within this study abroad trip.

I have always loved immersing myself into nature. Many of the events we did in Budapest involved us being outside and connecting with the city. Some of my fondest memories included going to the highest parts of the city and looking out upon the view. Gellert Hill is one of the highest points in Budapest. It is home to a famous monument. When you reach the end of the hike, you are greeted with a breath-taking view. You can see the entire city from the top. Another activity I love to talk about is the time we spent at Margaret Island. This island was a hub for young people to hangout. During the day you could go to the water park and during the night there was a fountain show followed by dancing at a nearby island bar. These experiences gave me so much happiness. Being able to spend every day with an amazing group of people in an amazing city was a blessing. There were so many great places outside where the public could appreciate this incredible city.

While in a foreign country you will more often than not encounter people from the United States. Every night we went to Szimpla, we ran into a group of kids from Indiana University. They were also doing a study abroad throughout Europe. They were the first group of people we met from the United States. We were able to connect with these kids on so many levels. We explored the cities night life together and never stopped talking about our favorite parts of city. These interactions were good for everyone because it made us all feel at home. It was great to meet a group of people that shared the same ideas and culture as us. It was especially beneficial for me because I found it to be a great networking opportunity. I have always loved meeting new people and you never know when you are going to run into certain people down the road in life.

This study abroad trip will always be something I can look back on. Whether it be in my personal life, or my professional life. As I previously stated, I am a marketing major here at the Ohio State University. I believe that studying abroad strengthened my skills as a marketing major and exposed me to international trends and issues. In order to be a successful marketing major, one must understand their demographic on a range of levels, including international. While studying abroad, I was able to pick up on the societal trends throughout the country and be able to compare its culture to that of the United States. This opportunity will cause a positive transformation within myself that benefits the rest of my community in the Fisher College of Business.

Finally, for so many years I have been searching for meaning in my life. I always caught myself doing something and asking myself “does this really make me happy?”. I have always been confused with how I want to be perceived and who I want to surround myself with. This trip helped me realize that because every person that I surrounded myself with in Budapest had my best intentions at heart. We were all constantly looking out for each other; they were like my little family. This transformation also gave me an incredible sense of confidence. I no longer sought out the approval of others. Personal fulfillment is something that every person should strive to achieve. I strongly believe in the idea that once a person realizes who they are and who they want to be, they have achieved true happiness. Again, this trip was one the most rewarding things I could have ever been a part of, I would not trade it for anything.

Mitchell Harter