The Californian lady fell in love with the Mecsek Hills
Studying in Pécs made me a better person – says Kimberly Mai from California. She claims that this is the place where she bacame adult and an open minded personality from a spoiled child.
Source: Dunántúli Napló
- How can an American girl find Hungary and Pécs?
– My friends were studying here in Budapest, Szeged and Debrecen, and I followed them. Although initially I tought I would live in the capital, it came to light that Pécs is the destination - at that time I knew very little about the country.
– Was the difference in the expenses important? Most doctors in the USA start their career with a huge student loan debt.
- Fortunately this did not matter, at the beginning there was an American scholarship, but it has been terminated for a few years. I am grateful to my parents for financing my further studies, nevertheless, it is a really important difference that the costs of everyday life are much lower here. Compared with the wealthy California, where everything is expensive indeed, I can live in a flat in the city centre and I spend much less on anything. This means I won’t have to work at home for years just for paying back a credit.
– Your years in Pécs will come to an end within a few weeks. What do you find to be your most important experience?
– The main point is that I have become a completely different person. Actually, I was a spoiled child who gets everything and takes everything for granted. Looking back I feel that I should be grateful for my opportunities, my wonderful home and my parents.
– Could you highlight a positive and a negative experience?
– I really can not mention anything negative. Maybe I could complain about the foods: when I first met the supply of the local "Asian" restaurants firstly, I could see immediately that they are far from the real ones. However, even this came in handy: it forced me to learn how to cook. Pécs could be criticized for being too small city and Budapest is really more similar to my home with its selection, however, I am glad that I moved here. The place is ideal for learning and it is beautiful. I am simply in love with the Mecsek, it is like an enchanted forest. No matter which season I go there, it always shows a different face.
– Pécs has been referred to as a Mediterranean city, but I would be interested in the opinion of a Californian.
– I also saw this slogan in a brochure before, but this is rather sub-Mediterranean...I think the most serious snow I’ve ever seen was in my first year here. I remember that we were starting somewhere and the others asked me where my coat was. It came into light soon: the article of clothing I have taken as a coat sor far, is up to a sweater here!
– Can the multicultural community be compared with the diversity of Los Angeles?
– Los Angeles is a real melting pot, however, you can meet students of any nationality there as well. I also found my boyfriend here: he is a German medical student.
– This could be even a very trite advertisement for the international medical training.
– For me it is like a fairytale. David and I met earlier but did not actually talk. Then once I was on holiday at Lake Balaton and we accidentally lived in the same hotel. Our story began that summer, already five years ago – now we are going to move together to California. Otherwise I learned quite a lot from the Hungarian language, especially phrases necessary to the medical communication. The local people really appreciate it if I can speak Hungarian although I am an American, and it can come in handy in the future: when we won’t want anyone to understand us, this will be our secret language with David.
Child of refugees who also helped in her own country
The thirty-year-old Kimberly Mai born in Los Angeles, her parents from Vietnam arrived in the USA as refugees at the time of the war. Her medical doctor father kept turning her towards the medical career, and after she graduated in social work, she felt she would like to gain experience and to get medical education abroad.
She arrived in Hungary to the English programme of the UP Medical School in 2009. She is going to receive her diploma in two weeks, then she has to pass more exams of naturalization at home – afterwards she probably starts to practice as a general practicioner.
She was traveling a lot during her years in Pécs: she has traveled all over Europe from Rome to London, Croatia is her favorite country. She also found out here that there are plenty of sights in the world which would be a shame not to view.
She has not broken away from her Vietnamese roots, she has visited to the motherland of her parents many times where she also has relatives.
She kept in touch with her grandmother, too, who has recently passed away at the age of 109. Last time she went to Vietnam as a member of a medical mission, the 300 persons team - surgeons, dentists, pharmacists and other experts – gave health provision to people who cannot get to the hospital.
Source: László Nógrádi (Dunántúli Napló)
http://www.bama.hu/baranya/kozelet/a-kaliforniai-holgy-beleszeretett-a-mecsekbe-619776