Student Story by Sandi Maung - Asian Student Journey to Veszprem, Hungary

Hi Peeps! 😁 Firstly, let me introduce myself. My full name is Saw Sandi Maung, and most of my friends call me “Sandi”. I am currently studying my second-year Master degree in Marketing at the Faculty of Business and Economics in University of Pannonia. I am originally from “Myanmar” formerly known as “Burma”. I am proud to say I am the first Burmese student in our university. I studied my Bachelor degree in Singapore. Past years, I was working in both Singapore and Myanmar for almost 8 years. 

To be really honest, the decision to study again was not that difficult to make. It has always been my dream to study in Europe. I found the right course, MSc (Marketing) at University of Pannonia, Hungary. I was extremely excited to finally make a decision purely because of myself, not because of family, friends or just following the trend. 

My 1st school year photo in a university in front of Building “A”

New Atmosphere, New Friends, New Family

Getting the acceptance letter is like half of the battle. There is so much more struggle, much more uncomfortable and unfamiliar things that I have to face. In fact, I have never been out of Asia for a long time. The thought of being apart from my beloved family terrified me. When I first came here, it was during Covid-19 time. I remembered I had to do total 7 times of Covid test during my journey from Asia to Europe. From a start, I was alone, with my two pieces of luggage, taking a long-haul flight for the second time. But this time, I was alone. It was exciting yet unfamiliar.

This photo was taken in 2021, Veszprem Christmas Market

At the end of the one-year journey though, I found a new family, new friends, and new love for the country, Hungary. And I visited several different places within Hungary. Honestly, I cannot get enough with Balatonfured during summer time which is approximately around 40 minutes away from Veszprem. I also managed to travel around Europe (Austria, Germany, Sweden) during my first year stay here. ✈️

If you are an ice-cream lover like me, you will find different types of ice-cream within few steps from the university during summer time. 

Beyond books, classes, and lectures, my student life in Veszprem is full of invaluable experiences and precious lessons. Over and above, I am put in a different country and culture – this is a way to learn some completely new life skills, that will help further in my career and throughout my life. As an admirer of the diverse culture, I am able to experience the vibrant urban cultural life style to the simple rural one.

All in all, I enjoyed my time here in Veszprem very much. I got to learn new things, and got to meet a new and fantastic bunch of people. It was one of the hardest yet best decision I made. Precisely because it is a hard decision, it is worth the risk. I am glad that I am here and also I am proud to be a student of the University of Pannonia. 👍🤗