Name: Zoran
Age: 26
Nationality: Croatian
What made you come to Budapest?
When I finished high school in Croatia, I had a big dream of becoming a pilot. I applied and got accepted at the pilot school in Croatia. However, before I enrolled for the flying course, I received the answer that I was granted a scholarship to study Hungarian and other subjects in Budapest. As I had visited the city a couple of times and really enjoyed time here, I chose to move to Hungary.
How long have you been here?
Eight years.
Why Budapest?
I consider myself a world citizen. I love traveling and meeting new people and getting to know different cultures. I do travel a lot both on a private and business basis. When I moved to the city, everything was different since my last visit. Budapest is a vivid city, full of life and opportunities for young foreigners. I encourage people to come to Budapest to either work or study. The city also has a very international atmosphere, where foreigners, expats and locals exchange experiences, giving the city a huge boost. In the past couple of years, after traveling to different countries, I realize there is no need to go very far to meet foreigners or get in touch with new cultures.
What are your impressions of Budapest?
The city is big and offers a lot to all kinds of people. In the same time, everything is close and the public transportation is super punctual and efficient. The cultural life is also amazingly rich, full of exhibitions, museums, theatres, movies, clubs and pubs. You never get bored in Budapest. It’s not even a question of money as most things to do around town are affordable. I particularly like that Budapest provides a large range of sports venues like cycle-lanes, swimming pools, running tracks, sport clubs etc. I love working out at the gym and Budapest has numerous gyms that provide an extensive variety of activities. In addition to the buzz, I advise people to spend an afternoon at Margit-sziget. This floating park is almost as big as the Central Park in New York City and is a great chill out spot.
What’s your impression of Hungarians?
Hungarians are somehow unique comparing to the rest of Europeans. In my opinion, if you travel around Central Europe, you might notice a certain standardized cultural atmosphere. Once you embrace the Magyar spirit, the country welcomes you. Hungarians are unique in beauty, behavior and culture.
How does the Hungarian gay scene compare to what you have in Croatia?
Surprisingly, the gay scene in Croatia is more complicated than in Hungary. Gay associations are fighting for gay rights and current government tries to support that. However, life in Croatia extends beyond city limits and that is where the mentality changes. Far right activist associations are pretty strong these days and they are giving their best to implement anti-gay changes, which is opposed to EU beliefs. Nevertheless, the Croatian society is undergoing major changes and laws are changing. In my personal opinion, things are getting better slowly. Due to the high touristic demand, the gay scene is changing a little. There is growing demand for gay cruises on the Adriatic. Every year new challenges make the “gay” market steadily expand. However, the society is still very conservative. In Hungary, I believe things are a bit different. People tend to be more open and liberal, at least in Budapest.
Where do you hang out in the city?
I have been to many places in and around town. What I love the most is being outdoors. Budapest have many good parks and open-air bars, where you can hang out with friends. During winter, I prefer to go to pubs instead of clubs. What I like about the city is that new places open all the time, offering places to chill and have a good time for different generations. This constant buzz is the result of a rapidly growing city. If you are new here, go for a walk in downtown and you will find plenty of good places. Most of them are by the river and in the Jewish district.
Going back to your flying dream. Are you still looking forward to becoming a pilot one day?
Sure thing! Once I am done with my studies and have more free time, I definitely plan to continue with my passion at least on a hobby basis. There are sport airfields around the city, which offer great aeronautic education for reasonable prices.
Author: Gabriel
