In addition to the language instruction, participants heard Hungarian presentations and took part in cultural programmes that gave them a better picture of Hungary?s history, culture and traditions, said course director Péter Szaffkó. The students also learnt Hungarian folk songs and folk dances, he added.
Most of the participants said they wanted to return next summer at the end of the four-week course.
The participants at this year?s course, which is the oldest of its kind, included students as young as 18 and as old as retirement age, said Szaffkó. The biggest numbers came from Germany, France, the United States and Italy, but there were also students from Belgium, Poland, Finland and Austria. Some came from as far away as the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Canada, Korea, Mexico and Thailand.
Some of the summer university students participated at concerts organised for the Young Musicians International Summer Academy, which took place during the first two weeks of the language course. Young members of Hungarian minorities from surrounding countries participating at the Carpathian Basin Regional Development Summer University also took part in the cultural activities organised by the summer language university.
For the first time, a two-week programme focusing on modern Hungarian history and culture was held for scholarship winners during the summer university. The programme, in English, was for scholarship winners mainly from outside of Europe.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
