LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH.: Budapest review

After the end of a trip I always look back to the feelings I had before starting.. I always wonder why it was so difficult to make that decision. It always goes something like this: I dream about something, opportunity appears, I think about it for weeks/months, I decide to take it right at the end, I stress about it and become anxious before going wishing I had just stayed in the peace and comfort of my own home, I get there, become excited and enjoy the experience.

Why did it take me so long to book that ticket, why was I worried and what was it that made me so reluctant to go in the first place..?

I had an amazing (amazing!) time. More than anything, it was inspirational. I met amazing people. I never get bored of meeting new people.. especially when they are young journalists from all over the European continent.

My first night in Budapest was peculiar, I arrived late and realized that for the first time in years, I was staying in a common room in a hostel. I did think that I was too old for this, which made me realize that maybe I have lost the spirit of adventure I once had, but the hostel was so beautiful and the atmosphere so relaxed that I wouldnt mind sharing the room with hippie strangers again.

The next day I walked for hours and hours in the city, trying to explore its every corner, get as lost as I could in the small streets and immerse in the atmosphere of the big city that I so long for when I get stuck in Cyprus. The beauty of this city is just unbelievable. Apart from the beautiful views across the river, there was all kinds of beautiful buildings in different architecture styles.. Gothic, art-nouveau, rennaisance.. and even to the untrained eye, it was just beautiful architecture which made walking around very exciting..

And then started the "study session". The thrill of meeting new people. My brazilian roommate, my intelligent editor and team leader, my very special teammates in "orange magazine" team and many other participants were keeping me good company during the week. I had enriching conversations, where time just stopped while talking to another person.. I had "epiphany" moments, on the importance of critical media literacy and the philosophy of logics. I loved some of training we had. I learned a lot about the media world. I worked hard to produce my article, which I only take credit for, despite what it says on the author information. I had frustrating moments, disappointment, anger and so many emotiongs which made the week feel like a lifetime. It was awsome. The food was great too.

Click here to see what each day entailed.

So what did I learn? That journalism is an exciting field, especially for someone who is curious about the world and is so keen on finding out the truth. That the media can trick and manipulate the people in so many different ways. That I cannot avoid social media (facebook, twitter, instagram), as much as I have tried to resist them and I should just give in and make them part of my life. They are a journalist's best friend after all. I learned a lot about Moldova too, thanks to Dimitri. I re-learned about the human rights based approach, just to keep it fresh in my mind.

This post is getting too long. I would write so much more about this trip, but a picture is a thousand words, so I ll let the pictures say the rest :-)