Budapest and the Chocolate Factory
It took an extra year because of the pandemice but we made it to the end of our excellent project, CHoC. Thanks to the EU for funding the Erasmus+ program and to all our partners for joining CHoC! Our Good Practice was based on our chocolate themed project week starting off with Charley and the Chocolate Factory.
Here’s what the students from Poli had to say about the meeting here.
Budapest meeting from a host’s point of view
On the first unofficial day:
Saturday was the day when my guest arrived from Spain. We went to the airport to pick her up around 8 pm. When the plane, and with it our spanish friends arrived, we greeted each other and introduced ourselves. After that, everybody went home to get settled. We waited my guest, Cinta, with a traditional hungarian food, nokedli with pork stew and some cucumber salad. I anticipated that we would stay at home, but instead we went for a nice night time walk around the Parliament, alongside the Danube. There, we met up with the other spanish guests and their hosts. Hung out a little and then headed back home.
On the second unofficial day:
After we woke up, we had some breakfast and got prepared to leave. We planned to meet up with the others (portuguese, spanish participants) and show them around a bit (9th, 5th district, bridges and famous buildings). At the noon, we had lunch at Vapiano. This was also the day, when the participants from Belgium and Italy were arriving and therefore we had a dinner gathering at our school to celebrate the reunion of the members of the project.
I was an I’d say exception in this project as a host. I wasn’t really taking part in the workshops, because I had other matters to tend to. With this explonation, you might believe that I took more part in the preparation than the implementation. Basically my role during the week was to supervise one workshop and to take care of my guest, Cinta.
The start of the project
Every morning, we had an orientation, where Hajna and Rob stated what we will be doing on that specific day. Of course, the first day was about getting to know each other. There were some introduction games at the beginning, it was quite fun. After that, we watched the movie called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This was the most important part because this was a themed week, meaning everything revolved around this film. The tasks, the board games, the chocolate soap and chocolate making etc.
Second day: Naturally, we were bound to show them around our school, introduce them to our system, mentality and also to our way of getting things done. Last but not least, it was also efficient because then they wouldn’t get lost in the building. They had separate workshops and if I remember correctly, on this day it was about presenting the lyrics and dance to the Oompa-Loompa song. The main mission was to prepare a board game until the end of the week. Every day, they had 2 hours to make them and on the last they, we would play with them and reward the „Best factory monopoly” with special prizes.
Third and Fourth day: We got 4 new programs for Wednesday and also for Thursday. They were called Kockacsoki, scavanger hunt, detective game and baking gingerbread. We got separated into two teams, one did the Kockacsoki and scavenger hunt and the other group did the other two programs. On Thursday, it was vice-versa.
Kockacsoki was about visiting a chocolatier who is a professional at making chocolate and they also showed them the factory where they were working at. On the scavenger hunt, they went to explore the inner parts of the city, through a game. The task was to search the little statues that were situated within walking distance from each other. The hosts were the leaders of this program and they were given the important role to let them peak into the history behind the mini statues, and with it the city. The detective game was one of my favourite, because we went to famous chocolateries and confectioneries around Váci street and collected information about them in our taskbook. We also bought some chimney cake. Our guests were loving the chimney cake, they even took some back to their country. Lastly, was the making of ginger bread. It was fun to decorate the dough and make them into all sorts of things, for example a random dinosaur. We could eat the ginger bread and it felt like Christmas again, despite it being may.
Fifth day: On the last day, every group finished the final touches on their board games. We tried them out, played with them and after that we reached our last supper together. I think some of us got a little emotional, even though we knew we would hang out later on to celebrate the completion of the project. On this day, we said our last goodbyes to this great memory of our teenage years.
Farewell: Everybody went separate ways this day. Me and Cinta went to the castle district of Buda. I included the must-see tourist attraction, the Buda Castle and after that we ate at a nearby Confectionery. As she was feeling unwell because of the change of the climate, we headed home. In retrospect, I should have taken more consideration towards her because she mentioned it to me before going to the Confectionery, but I just wanted to treat her to something nice for the last time. We got home, rested a bit and headed to the airport. Just like that, they suddenly disappeared from our lives. They went as they came, just like a hurricane.
Vincze Balázs
Budapest meeting report
I was really surprised by how hosting was, my expectations were a lot different. I would say I was lucky by who I had to host, because he was really nice and was very adaptive which made it a lot easier for me. He got along with my family and even my non-English speaking grandmother liked him. We didn’t have any issues with traveling or being there on time and I got great feedback from him. He said he really liked the city and the other Erasmus members. I liked the programs that were held in school, and I think the outside school programs were really fun especially the scavenge hunt. The other hosts were really nice and even though I didn’t know most of them before the project I really enjoyed spending time with them, and we have made some fun memories together. The foreign students were also really nice and talkative, and I don’t think we had any language barriers. Of course, at the beginning everyone needed some time to settle in, but at the end of the week we were all good pals. Overall I think it was a great project and I would definitely like to join more Erasmuses after and experience like this.
Nagy Fruzsi
Budapest meeting
My first guest arrived on Saturday morning and I was so happy to saw her again.
I planned some fun thing for that afternoon, so we went to a small boat trip on the Danube. We visited the Margaret Island ate an ice cream and cotton candy.
On Sunday we were still just walking around in the city with the Spanis team and the other people from the Small island. In the evening we went into the school and cooked together ate a really good tradicional Hungarian food and played volleyball, basketbal and everything together. The Belgian team arrived there together so finally i could see my second guest.
The week sterted on Monday when we had some ice breaker gemes, we watched the Charly and the chocolate manufacture movie and after the movie we had an amasing workshop. In the afternoon we went to the Margaret Island together and everyone showed us some music from each countries. We danced a lot and we were having fun.
The next day was really interesting because of that 3 workshops what we had. Working in different groups was interesting, we could know better the people from the project. The afternoon was also fun, because we went tot he Széchenyi thermal bath. i have never been there before, so it was a good reason why i could go. The building is beautiful and the water is warm.
On Wednesday some people went to a chocolate factory. i didnot, so we just prepared some activities for the afternoon. After lunch we went to find some small staues which are really famous in Budapest. In small groups we discovered the city more and more.
On thusday we started a city game program which was interesting, we got a story and we had to decipher who the robber was.
After the game We had lángos for luch and after lunch we baked some gringer bread. In the afternoon we went to shopping to The Váci Fashion street. We ate a delicious rose ice cream.
Friday was the last day together, this fact made us sad, but we enjoyed the last day. Every group finished the a board games and plaied with it.
The luch was Kürtöskalács and tradicional picnic. All of the foods were amasing.
Hosting two people was a hard task sometimes, but i am greatful i couold try this.
Gerzson Luca
I can surely affirm that the foreign students had a great time in Budapest. There were some points when I acknwledged the problems occured by the ages and differences of the 50 or more students but everyona could easely pass by and continue. The programs we’ve planned had turned out to be very exhausting for them but they enjoyed them so much. We tried to make a schedule with breaks between each task and project, so they could process what just happened. I think we were creative but its not easy to make them use their creativity.
I think I loved the scavanger hunt more than them, I’ve got to know a lots of news about the fifth district. Fort he forth day working onthe boardgames became a burden and the closing ceremony has gotten so chaotic we didn’t even had the chance to play them all. Instead people played volleyball which I understand and it was a perfect activity for getting closer and having fun. I think everyona had a lots of fun and we made long lasting relationships. That’s how we can tell if it was a good project or not. It definitely was!
Barta Juli
The foreign students arrived on the 14th and 15th of May, and then on the 16th, we could officially start the Hungarian meeting. I was looking forward to this meeting not only because Hajna and Rob produced good programs, but also because it was my first time hosting. Hosting is not easy, but if you have a good relationship with someone you host, it will change a lot.
At the beginning of the first day, we played a lot of name games, and then we “jumped into the deep water” because the workshops started. There were four types of workshops board game making, chocolate soap cooking, research, and marketing. The programs were organized around Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The first two days we spent in school, but on Wednesday and Thursday we went to the city. There were two kind of tasks in waiting for us there: one task required searching for mini sculptures, while the other required solving a mystery. I enjoyed the tasks because I normally don’t fully take in the sights of Budapest this way, though I should, because you are destined to see interesting things if you keep your eyes open
I think the Budapest meeting was a good end to the project.
Tolnai Marci
We had the opportunity, to spend one more week with the people we met in Pisa, Ghent and so on. This time WE were able to show them our city. And do important work as well. I had the chance to host the Italian student, who did the same for me in Pisa. They arrived on a Sunday evening and stayed for a week. Since we haven’t had much time before the workweek we jumped right into it. We the Hungarian students and the teachers as well put the program together for the week. We tried to arrange it in a way that we wouldn’t spend everyday at our school.
The first few days we were at our school researching the background of Cocoa and started working on our board games which we presented at the end of the week. We also watched a movie, Charlie and the chocolate factory. We did most of the “work stuff” in these few days so we could go on outside programs later that week.
On Wednesday we had a treasure hunt around the downtown area of Budapest. They made a special treasure hunt just for us with the name: The Chocolate Heist. We had to figure out who stole the national chocolate reserves. While we chased down the fictional criminals we also walked around the city and the foreign students got to do some sightseeing. In the afternoon we baked some gingerbread that we could decorate.
Thursday the foreign students (and a few Hungarian translator) visited a chocolate factory, were all the employees had autism. They talked about the history of cocoa and how the chocolate that we know today was invented. And also we had the chance to make a chocolate bar ourselves.
Friday we finished our board games and played with the other teams. Then had a little picnic at school and sadly quite permanently we said goodbye.
Personally, I absolutely enjoyed this week. I never had the chance to host an Erasmus team at Budapest before so it was a first for me as well. It was really good to see my correspondent from Italy and meet the others from Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
Lipka Marci
First things first, I got lucky with my two guests. They knew each other long before they met me, so I had to live with two friends, which is a lot easier than housing two strangers. My guests were open, we shared the same interests and hobbies, had the same sense of humor and speech style, so we got along easily.
I was and I still am open towards meeting new people, hearing and learning new languages and getting to know about other peoples’ culture. For me, the two Portuguese friends I made last week provided a great source for all of these, I learned how to cuss in their language, got to know how it is to live in a small island, how their school system works etcetera. The friendliness and the number of similarities that we shared made the week easy and enjoyable.
About the programs. I loved the whole process of making the week possible, although I was not one of the main workers, a lot of people had put much more effort into the project than I did, but the part I was responsible for I enjoyed every part of it. I know, I slept at the last workshop, but everyone else was tired too, they were deeply concentrated, and I didn’t feel the need to walk around and make them talk, they already had ongoing conversations and I didn’t want to interrupt. The other three was great, I helped them upload the final products, did my job the best way I was able to.
Both sides of the week were great. By both sides I mean the programs and the free time. I like the theme of the project; I think we executed well everything we planned. I didn’t have the opportunity to travel to other countries with Erasmus projects yet, but this, and the project week of United in Diversity Erasmus made me fall in love with hosting and the aspect of making new connections with people from various sides of Europe.
Im kinda tired, its half past 10, so if my grammar is trash this is my excuse for that.
Kárpáti Csenge
During the last week of the project, I hosted Alice Otranto. I was with her in Pisa too so I knew her. She came on Sunday (15th of May) and she left on the 22nd. She was pretty nice we didn’t really have any problem. I hope she enjoyed the time that she spent here. She had to get used to long traveling and coming home earlier but after that she was okay.
I thought, hosting will be a little bit easier. At the end of the week, I was extremely tired. It was so hard to focus on everything and try to do what my guest wants. When I was in Pisa, I didn’t see this tiredness. So, I hope this was so much fun for the guests, but for me it was really stressing and tiring. I also had to step out a little bit from my comfortzone, but I think this is normal when you’re hosting.
I really liked to programs. On Monday we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I think I was the only one who hadn’t watched the film. I won’t say that it’s a perfect film, but I liked it (I really liked Willy Wonka’s character). After this, we had a workshop, which was fun too.
On Tuesday we had the three more workshops. The marketing was my favourite, becuse we could make a short film. In the afternoon we went to buy some clothes.
For me, Wednesday was the worst. We started in the city, which could have been okay but in the end of it, I was really stressed. In the afternoon I had drama, so I couldn’t make gingerbread, which was okay. The practice went well. But after that I had troubles, because of a party that the others wanted to make, but we solved it so it was okay.
On Thursday the guests went to a chocolate factory and we could rest. In the afternoon we went for a sightseeing. It was quite short, because everyone was tired. Then I had some drama, and after this we didn’t do anything.
Friday we finished the programs. We had picnic, we could talk a bit more and then we could go. There was a party that night. I didn’t go, because I don’t really like parties, but I had fun with Juli, Vöri, Szonja and Maria in Római part.
Saturday we went to Mezőtúr. We met some relatives there, some of them could speak english, so Alice could communicate too. She said she enjoyed this little trip, so it was alright.
On Sunday I had to bring Alice to Liszt Ferenc airport and she went home. After this I had to do a task so I worked with that.
So, I won’t say that I enjoyed every part of this week, but it was a good experience, but it was enough for me.
Choc Budapest meeting
After we came back from the airport, we had a typical hungarian lunch with gúlylás soup. After lunch me and Rita, my guest, met up with Fruzsi and Julia and took a sight seeing boat and went to Margit-sziget with it. At Margit-sziget we talked and had icecream, after we met with the others.
On Sunday afternoon, we came to the school to have dinner together, and to get know eachother.
The first day we went tot he school and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. After the film we started a workshop, wich was about the film. We had to make a boardgame, but I was doing on of the places of the workshop. I helped the others to start the boardgame. After we went to Margit-sziget, without the teachers, it was a real fun.
Second day we continued the workshop at the school. After we went to Séchenyi bath with the students, wich was a really good program.
On the third day we were separetad in two groups. My group first went to Kockacsoki, and participated in a workshop about makin chocolate, but I don’t know too much about it, because I stayed at the school. When they came back we had lunch and started our next task, wich was going tot he city and find the mini statues, it was really good, we saw the city.
Ont he fourth day we were separated in the same gruops as we were the day before. But the program was different. First we went to the city to treasure hunting. When we came back tot he school we had lángos, wich is a typical hungarian meal. After lunch we stayed at the school and made gingerbread. In the afternoon I went tot he city with Rita to buy souvenirs.
Ont he last day we had a picnic in the school, and had our vary last touches ont he boardgame, and had our goodbyes with the teachers. In the evening we had a goodbye party.
M. Juli