On the days following their arrival in LA, the students of Lauder Javne School in Budapest, Hungary, explored many parts of LA. 

From Venice Beach, Downtown to Hollywood, the exchange students got to see a lot of our city.

Many of the exchange students noticed that the biggest difference between Hungary and Los Angeles is the lack of public transportation,  

The Hungarian students from Lauder Javne School arrived in LA Sunday, Jan. 19. in the afternoon.

Eight days later, a dozen Hungarian exchange students visited Journalism during the first period. 

Both de Toledo students and Lauder Javne School students exchanged thoughts and questions about each other’s lives and were given a view into worlds that seemed so far apart.

Hungary is located in Eastern Europe, a minimum of a fourteen-hour flight from LAX. 

When we met the Hungarian students in person, you really wouldn’t be able to tell they were from Hungary unless you talked to them. So, I was surprised when I found out that most Europeans don’t talk to Americans outside of family.

A major topic of discussion during the journalism class visited by the Hungarians was public transportation, and LA’s lack of it.

While they were here, they rode a private bus everywhere they went, which was unfamiliar to them, as in Hungary, there is more use of public transportation and less traffic.

Many members of the journalism class expressed how they never even gave public transportation in LA a thought. 

But the Hungarians said they used public transportation frequently: buses, metro, trolleys.

The Hungarians also mentioned that, similarly to LA, there is a homeless population in Hungary, however, here they are more “weird” than in Hungary.

When you think about it, it makes sense. They have a whole different side of social media than we do in America, and I, personally, rarely talk to people from outside the U.S.

It is just weird to think about.

The Hungarians also talked about their strong alcohol culture in rural areas, where “everyone has some alcohol right by them.”

This is somewhat similar to America. Our social issues are similar to Hungary’s.

Speaking with the Hungarian exchange students was overall an amazing experience and we thank them for visiting our class.