Arany János Dormitory

During my two years in Oradea, the Arany János Dormitory really grew on me. When I decided to enrol at Partium Christian University, I knew I was taking a big leap forward. As someone who had only lived with his parents before, and was also from a different country, I felt lost at first, but I knew this was a chance for me to try living on my own for the first time.

At first, I was quite in a pickle. I had no idea where the restaurants and bars were, and I didn’t even know where to find the nearest grocery store, not to mention that I didn’t speak a lick of Romanian. Luckily, I was helped out by the older residents of the dormitory, who gave me some advice to help me settle in. These people later became good friends of mine, whom I could share a beer with.

The dorm itself was also carrying the feeling of independence, while walking up to the third floor seemed like a daunting task for someone who had come from the countryside. Indeed, walking up and down five or six times a day proved to be a great exercise. At first, the rooms were a bit more dreary than the one I used to sleep in at home, yet it was still great to share a room with other students. Although it was a new experience to regularly tidy up and follow some ground rules, I managed to adapt to them.

The people who truly made me feel connected to the dorm, however, were the members of the student council, who were constantly lighting up the mood with game-nights, parties, and school-events. These were the same people who helped me accommodate myself in this new environment, with some help during freshers’ week. I still remember events such as the night when we made advent wreaths, or the game nights where we passed the time with boardgames and foosball.

It is truly saddening that I can’t go back right now due to the pandemic. One day I’d like to see those familiar faces again, enjoy the common classes we used to have, and savour the student canteen’s meals again. Until then, I can only hope for that day to come.

By Benjámin Karmazsin, 3rd year English major

Photos by Arnold Szabó and Tamás Szabó, 3rd year Fine Arts-Graphics majors

Arany János kollégium 1 Arany János kollégium 2 Arany János kollégium 14 Arany János kollégium 15

forrás: en.partium.ro