How has my life changed?

It was around November 2020, when we had been locked in our houses for almost six months. I had almost no chance to socialize and hardly any chance to see my family. I was fed up. That was when I decided to change everything.

The Erasmus participants I interacted with had overwhelmingly positive experiences, and I was confident the program would not only enhance my personal growth but also prove useful in the long term. Besides, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and travel. For these reasons, I applied for the program in the first half of 2021, not knowing that this move would change everything. During the summer, I searched for a rental and flatmates, and eventually found four like-minded individuals, but it was only two or three weeks before the start of the semester that we managed to find a suitable rental. But, as it turned out, I was extremely lucky with both my flatmates and the apartment. Diede, Lilla, Sammy, and Gabri were the best flatmates I could have ever had. It only took a day or two for us to get close. We spent the first few days exploring the charming streets of Setúbal (Portugal), and I must admit that the city and the country quickly stole my heart. A few days later we had our school introduction day, where we got to meet other Erasmus students. I quickly realized that I would make many new friends here because we are all like-minded. Throughout the semester, we embarked on many excursions throughout Portugal, visiting places like Lisbon, Cascais, Porto, Lagos, Madeira, and Azores. The highlight of my Erasmus was a six-day trip to Madeira with 15 of my friends. The second most memorable trip was actually one of our first ones. Ten of us went to Cascais and among those people was a fascinating person called Mégane. We soon became very good friends, if not the best. In the midst of the semester, she told me about her internship plans and we even jokingly discussed the possibility of both of us going to the same location, but more on that later.

To sum it up, the four and a half months I spent in Portugal was without a doubt, the best time of my life. It was due to the place and the people. Setúbal, while a significant city, is smaller in comparison to Lisbon or Porto, with a more intimate community of Erasmus students, around 150-200, which allowed me to connect with nearly all of them. Without a single exception, they are all great people, and I am incredibly grateful to them. As for my expectations, the program has far exceeded them. I've stepped out of my comfort zone. My language skills improved, and I became more confident around new people.

Toward the end of the year 2021, I had to decide on my next semester, in which I had to do an internship, meanwhile, my feelings for Mégane were growing, so I decided to do my internship in Bulgaria. Unfortunately, the job search phase was difficult. I searched for almost a whole month without success, but then I came across a job advertisement on flatexDEGIRO that caught my attention. I applied and luckily got the position.

After spending a month in Hungary, I left for Sofia at the end of February. I was disappointed at first, because the weather was too cold, and the city was not to my taste. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to meet some of my colleagues that day, which was a pleasant surprise. They were all young and we had the same interests. A few days later I started my first day at the company. It was spent meeting my new colleagues and getting to know the office. I then spent a month preparing for my role (Trading Assistant). After passing all the mandatory exams, I could finally start working. My primary responsibility was to provide support to customers regarding their inquiries, primarily focusing on platform-related queries, corporate actions, portfolio and money transfers, and risk model assessments.

Then, April finally arrived, a special month for me as my girlfriend Mégane arrived in Bulgaria. Although we were happy to see each other again, it was a bit challenging in the first few days as it had been several months since our last reunion in Portugal. But then things loosened up and we became very close again as if we had never left each other. In addition to work and study (thesis and state exam), we had the opportunity to travel to a few places. We visited Northern Macedonia, Greece, Hungary, and some Bulgarian cities. As June approached, it became clear that I had to go home (for family reasons), even though I enjoyed what I was doing. By the time I left, I had learned so much that I still use it in my everyday life. In addition to increased confidence, I was also able to learn about the other side of the stock market, which is particularly useful when it comes to my hobby (trading and investing). Learning how to deal with clients is also useful in my daily life. In conclusion, I am incredibly grateful for the time I spent there.

Moving into the summer, it finally became clear what I wanted. I owe this to my mum, who sent me an article about a Hungarian firm. But before I started working on my career, I wanted to pursue my favorite hobby, which is traveling. As Southeast Asia has long been on my bucket list, I decided to do a backpacking trip. But as I never liked traveling alone, I persuaded a friend who had finished his studies at the same time, to come with me. After the necessary vaccinations and planning, we booked our one-way ticket to Thailand. The plane trip was more than tiring but well worth the effort, as the weeks spent in Thailand were full of adventure. We had the opportunity to explore the northern, middle, and southern parts of the country. Along the way, we met lots of backpackers from all over the world. I also discovered that I am passionate about negotiating, which came in handy as SEA is notorious for its bargaining. After Thailand we wanted to go to Malaysia, then Singapore, and finally to Indonesia. All of this was without a single flight, but the weather changed everything. As it rained non-stop in the southern part of the country and there were no signs of a shift, we changed our minds and went to Laos instead. We spent two weeks there, which was fantastic, thanks to the landscape and the cuisine. We left Laos on an overnight bus to Hanoi (30 hours). The capital of Vietnam shocked us after the calm streets of Laos. It was so crowded that we could hardly move, and we were always afraid of being hit by a motorbike or a car. Luckily, we survived the days there, so we could take another bus to Ha Giang (northern Vietnam) for a four-day mountain motorbike tour. Needless to say, it was an incredible experience. The way of life in the mountains is much different from anything I have ever seen, as the people live in deep poverty, but are very hospitable, nonetheless. The tour took most of our energy, so we spent the next few days relaxing before heading to the Philippines. We then spent a month exploring islands such as Palawan, Visayan, and Siargao. Although I previously thought Vietnamese hospitality was unbeatable, I have to say that Filipinos are the friendliest people I've encountered. The country surprised me as it had a bad reputation in my mind for being prone to terrorist attacks and pickpocketing. Thankfully, we did not experience any incidents. The only negative thing we encountered was the rainy season, but in spite of the persistent downpour, our spirits remained high, and we had a fantastic time. On the other hand, our next move to Bali brought us good luck, as we only experienced one rainy day during our two-and-a-half weeks stay, despite it being the peak of the rainy season in Indonesia. It could have been the favorable weather, the breathtaking cliffs on Nusa Penida, the vibrant parties in Canggu, or perhaps a combination of all these factors, but in any event, Bali has earned the title of my favored location in Asia. I must say that it was the perfect end to our three-month trip.

I am grateful for the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture and traditions of this wonderful continent. I know that this trip will always hold a special place in my heart and I am already planning my next adventure.