Zsófi’s journey through Scotland to Canada

A conversation with Zsófi

Welcome back,

I was happy to see the supporting comments on my previous post, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, you can find the first Readers’ Mail after the interview, hope you will like it!
As promised, today we are all here to continue the show by introducing you to my first interview partner and share her story with you.

My first guest is Zsófi, or Sophie if you want to use her Starbucks name for your convenience. She has the brightest smile, a cheerful personality and has some interesting answers that she wants to share with you.
I don’t remember the exact moment we have met because I was 6 and it was the first day of primary school, but we had some good times throughout the 8 years which we shared growing up in our small city. However, I definitely remember the time we became very close friends 13 years after that very first day of primary school. Funny enough that was right before our final exams in high school, because as it turned out both of us were thinking of getting on a plane to leave Hungary and give this “study abroad thing” a try, and well since then neither of us have turned back. I had the chance to visit her during her first year in Scotland so I included a small part of a video that we made together, hope you like it!

Zsófi did a one-year film and photography degree at Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Now she is on her 3^rd year pursuing languages and intercultural communication degree at the same institution.

Your brother also moved for a university to Germany and later to Italy for his masters, where he still works today. Do you think that affected your path?
Zs: Most probably it did. It made it seem normal to me, studying abroad was never something to be afraid of, which is the first thought of so many people, rather it was always something new and exciting.

Personally, my family has always played a very important role in my study abroad life, so I was curious if the girl down the street from me has the same view:
Zs: They’ve been very supportive towards both my brother and me. They encouraged us to fulfil our hopes and dreams. This means, of course, both emotional and financial support. For example, they always wanted us to speak foreign languages very well, so during summer breaks in high school, they would give us the opportunity to spend some time abroad to practice.

She has a knack for languages and different cultures always fascinated her, that’s why she couldn’t pinpoint when and why exactly she decided to study abroad:
Zs: I think I always wanted to for some reason, so I had a lot of different ideas where I would go. The list of countries includes both Germany and France but, in the end, I chose Scotland.

Did you get any help during the application process?
Zs: I wouldn’t say that I got much help during that time but it is important to know that I didn’t ask for help either. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything, only that in my social circle nobody studied in Scotland.

What is one thing you have learnt from moving to Scotland on your own?
Zs: I learned to be independent, I was completely alone there in the beginning, I had to do and achieve everything on my own, otherwise, no one will do it for me.

What about studying abroad in general?
Zs: It broadened my horizon for sure, but also helped me understand the world a little bit better. It gave me the opportunity to get to know people and their culture from all around the world. The travelling part is just simply an additional pleasure.

After living in Scotland for 5 years she has decided to take on another cold city just across the ocean and do an exchange semester in Quebec, Canada. As part of her 6^th semester at Napier, she left Scotland to attend the spring semester of 2020 at Laval University. Unfortunately, due to the current events, Zsófi had to return home from Canada to stay safe with her and for her family and continues to finish her final 3 weeks of the exchange semester remotely through online classes. Now let her explain why she choose to go on exchange in the first place:
Zs: I’m studying languages and intercultural communication so it is understandable that I would definitely want to go on an exchange program. My main language at university is French which meant I had to spend time in a French-speaking country. I always thought this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is just amazing that I got to spend time in North America through my university. It was super interesting to see how architecture is different from Europe or the unique québécois French dialect was fascinating too. During my time there I also met many people from all over the world which was definitely a plus.

Was it easier to adjust to the new environment, since you have lived abroad for so long?
Zs: It is difficult to say of course. I think this depends somewhat on the person as well. Of course, it helped me that I already spent so much time abroad, I didn’t feel very homesick.

What is home for you? It’s a difficult one to wrap your head around, especially for the ones who have moved. Is it a country, a city, maybe a place or a person? I was curious about what she thought about it but let me know in the comment section, what is home for you!
Zs: This is an interesting question. I guess one can have many homes. Of course, Hungary and where I grew up would always be my home. But I feel like I can have second homes as well. To me, it’s always where I feel comfortable and happy. When I spent time in Germany (even though it’s a beautiful country) I just never had that feeling of ‘this is it’, ‘this is where I want to be’. But when I first arrived in Scotland I was blown away by its beauty and was just so happy to be there.

What do you miss about home?
Zs: I miss my family a lot. We don’t get to spend an awful lot of time together as we are scattered around in the world. We do find time each week to Skype but to be honest, it is not exactly the same.

It was nice to catch up with an old friend on a few of these questions but also weirdly professional as I have to publish an article about it. So I think that is where I am going to end this, to remind all of you to find time for your loved ones, especially during this crazy time!

Readers’ Mail:

I encourage everyone to leave your comments below so you can get a reply from me and my interview partner in the upcoming posts. Like for this first question from Anja, that we have discussed with Zsófi:

How difficult was it to give up everything?
Eszter: For me, it was a very natural transition as all my friends started a new life at the same time since we all just finished high school. The only difference was that most of them stayed home, so it didn’t feel like giving up everything, more like the next step, just a bigger step than usual. Of course, it was hard to see all my friends at home spending time together, but I have become part of a new community and that made it easier, also the excitement of everything new helped step over that initial fear.
Zsófi: Yes and no. It is always hard to give up the familiar for something unfamiliar and the journey was difficult. Especially in the beginning, I would miss my family and my friends but with time I found new friends and a new home. So, when I left it was difficult to give up everything, I had but it became easier since.

What is one question You always wanted to ask from schools, employers or an international student but didn’t have the chance, I am here to connect the pieces and find an answer for you! Don’t forget to leave your comments after watching the video!

Video from my visit in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdelJefvqRk

See you on the next one,

Eszter