Gordon Cheng: Imagination & Curiosity of an Erasmus Life
A lot can happen in one year. Within that
year, you can’t help but imagine or be curious of how your life is going to be
like in Europe. Is it going to be great or is it going to be depressing? Are
you going to complain about how things are different or are you going to
embrace the change? Did you pack enough? Did you pack the right things? Did you
do enough research? All of that is an absolute must but don’t forget to bring
two things with you… and that is the gravity of imagination and curiosity.
We all
perceive the world differently. Our thoughts and imagination keeps us unique.
The concept of imagination can be viewed as unreal but the fact is it's more
real than you think. They take us to places we’ve never been before. Imagination
is what guides us to build skyscrapers and computers. Curiosity inspires and
challenges us to reach our goals. Despite the differences, they are a common
link that touches humanity in all of us. They are the templates that architect
our lives.
To be honest I had no idea what I signed up
for. But you can’t shoot for great things if you have the safety on. I was
scared to be in a country where English is not the preferred language. But
surprisingly, Hungary has been more receptive than I would ever imagine. I’ve
had the pleasure of meeting a lot of people here who have made my first month
here very enjoyable. You don’t have to be super organized or a genius to figure
how things work around here because all you need is your imagination and
curiosity. If you’re curious how students from around the world, who speak
different languages, are going to get along then imagine this… we’re all here
to experience something new. We want to learn something about ourselves. We
want to explore a world that is bigger than the one we were born in… and that
desire is a language of an Erasmus life that needs no translation.
Dozens of countries have weaved together to
make one authentic tapestry and this lovely country extended their hand to
welcome us… and you don’t need to know a single word of Hungarian to understand
that. Names are introduced through handshakes. Friendships are created with
glass of beers clinking. Memories are made with great people. A lot can happen
in one year. During that year, I’ve been celebrated the best of times and
endured the worst of times. But that is all is the past. I was so lost and now
I have no intentions of being found.
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