Sziasztok! My name is Daniel (Danny) Peelen, I am a rising sophomore majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Hungarian. I hope to eventually get a job working in software engineering or Natural Language Processing (NLP). I grew up around Hershey, Pennsylvania before coming to the University of Pittsburgh where I love to play volleyball and play piano in my free time. I am also very involved in Quiz Bowl, a game similar to Jeopardy!, that I could talk about for hours on end!
Naturally, with my minor, I am more than excited about my plans to travel to both Budapest and Debrecen in Hungary over the summer. Not only is it a great opportunity for me to continue practicing conversation in Hungarian, but it is also a great chance to learn about Hungary’s culture and history while visiting.
While in Debrecen, I will be taking a course on the History of Modern Hungary at the Debreceni Nyári Egyetem (Debrecen Summer School) as well, which will be a great class to give me more global awareness and also help me understand Hungary through its people and its history, not just through learning its language. I am hoping to meet other people, both native or studying abroad as well, who share similar interests and can help deepen my appreciation for the language and culture of Hungary.
I hope one day I will be able to live, and hopefully continue my career in computer science, in Hungary and part of that involves learning the language and being familiar with living in the country. I think this study abroad is a step in the right direction to make that a possibility in my future!