From March 2–6, a group of six students from the Dutch Language Teacher Education programme (LVO Nederlands) visited Budapest. At the Department of Dutch at Károli Gáspár Reformed University, we once again received a warm welcome, for the third time!
For our students, this was a valuable opportunity to experience how Dutch is taught as a foreign language to non-native speakers. They also contributed actively themselves, not only by engaging in conversations with the Hungarian students, but also by giving inspiring presentations. Through these, the Hungarian students gained insight into topics such as Christian education in the Netherlands, Dutch dialects, and other linguistic features.
We also visited the Lónyay Gymnasium, where students can choose Dutch as an elective subject. For them, this can serve as a stepping stone toward enrolling in the bachelor’s programme at Károli. A meaningful tradition at the school is that at the beginning and end of each lesson, students stand beside their desks to greet both the teacher and one another with the words “Grace and peace,” spoken in English, Hungarian, or Dutch, depending on the language of instruction.
In addition to this immersion in Hungarian secondary and higher education, we experienced Hungarian culture in various ways, quite literally as well. We visited churches, the famous synagogue with its Holocaust memorial, the richly decorated Parliament building, and a beautiful concert hall where we enjoyed a performance by the national symphony orchestra.
On Thursday evening, together with one of the lecturers and two of her assistants, we concluded these meaningful and enriching days with a shared dinner, where both sides expressed a clear desire to continue and strengthen the valuable collaboration between Driestar and Károli.
