Williams College
"One of the highlights of my trip was playing with the Budapest Múszaki Egyetem Symphony orchestra. I followed a kid with a cello off the tram one day and into an orchestra rehersal, and they let me join! Through the orchestra I met lots of musicians and we would get together on weekends and play chamber music. ... the rehersals were another chance to be immersed ( as if there weren't enough already) in Hungarian.
I fell in love with the public transportation system and the 275ft month student pass [note: 217 Hungarian forint = approximately 1 US dollar] - such a great way to get to know the city.
Words of advice: eat lots of pastries, go to
the opera, and Margit Sziget. Walk across the bridges at night and stop to
listen to the musicians in the metro and if anyone has room in their suitcase,
take me with you!!"