International Students at Whitworth: Meet Domi Vamossy

From Budapest to Spokane

Landlocked between Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia and Romania, Hungary lies in the heart of Europe. Hungary, who proudly dates herself to the 9^th century is a beautiful nation filled with wonders, history, as well as bragging rights for the inventions of many tools we use in our modern day life.To name a few, Hungary is the inventor of the commonly used writing utensil; known as the ballpoint pen and more importantly the inventor of underwear and soap!

However Hungary is more than a nation that introduced undergarments, Hungary’s capital Budapest is one of the most spectacular and popular tourist destination within Europe and worldwide.  Hailing from Budapest himself, we are graced here at Whitworth to have one of Hungary’s finest students: Domonkos Vamossy,

As the Hungarians say;

Isten hozott!

Meet Domi Vamossy

Domi is an international student from Hungary who moved to Spokane straight from Budapest early last September. I had the chance to sit with Domi and ask him about his life growing up in Budapest and his transition here at Whitworth and the cultural challenges he faced over the past year. As we settled into our interview on a chilly April morning, we opened the interview with some warm green tea, I had to wonder why Domi, a brilliant mathematician had chosen to attend a university a continent and ocean away from his home town of Budapest. 

The answer however was quite simple.  Like most students, Domi wanted to attend a small private christian university where you could foster a relationship with your professors and with the other students and placed high importance in the values the university holds. 

"I have really good relationships with my professors and if I have a question, I know I can ask them a question anytime. Furthermore, creating connections with  the professors and advisers can really  help students use the opportunities that we have here and I believe that is really rare." 

As Whitworth currently ranks #4 for Best Values  and #9 as Best Regional University on the West Coast. it's easy to see why Whitworth would be so attractive to international and domestic students. Not to mention the ease and possibility to foster real life-long relationships with professors. With no regrets, Domi speaks fondly of his life here at Whitworth and the small cultural adjustments and barriers he overcame in his first few weeks. He jokingly mentions how the loudness in tone and volume of the  American students  has rubbed of on him especially when he speaks to those back home in Hungary.

Nostalgic for Hungary, Domi reminisces on the beauty of Budapest and his hometown which he says in on a mountain overlooking the Budapest skyline. 

Domi notes the difference between the national holidays he has celebrated here which are different in theme than to those celebrated in his home land. He states that  in Hungary, national holidays are centered around a military defeat  while in the U.S and other nations , these national holidays generally revolve around victory and being victorious. Deep in thought, Domi also observes the differences he finds between the two nation's education system and their focus.

"I see the difference quality wise. Back home they don’t focus as much on sports and other activities, because they don’t want you to engage in different clubs like they do here because they want you to do well academically. Moreover in Hungary there are less school activities and opportunities to get involved in clubs. In the U.S,  it seems that they also emphasize  focus on the individuals personality, in contrast with schools in Hungary, the focus is strictly academics"

While Domi misses his family and the traditional meals of Hungary, he emphasizes that despite these things he's not homesick as he has created a valuable network of friends and enjoys his time spent with them as well as his studies. Domi however strongly urges his friends and other students to travel and explore Hungary. 

 "From the historical sites, the streets, little café’s along the sidewalk, and shops, Budapest has a lot to offer. The public transportation system in Budapest is also fantastic and accessible,  however tourists should be wary if they do use public transportation.  While public transport is safe and handy,tourist should pay attention to the exchange rates to not be exploited by certain locals whom profit off naivety."

Domi is a Mathematical Economics major and will be returning next fall as a junior. He hopes that after receiving his bachelors degree  to move to Scandinavia and Italy for a while, and expresses interest in traveling around Asia, the Middle East and South Africa. As a history buff he holds a strong affinity for places with historical value. Furthermore With 3 languages under his belt (English, German and Hungarian), Domi is an exceptional student with  who has so much to offer for our community.

Feel free to ask Domi any questions you have regarding his life here as an international student, about Hungary or even about any shared common interest. I hear he’s an avid fan of Inter-Milan, Roger Federer and Lord of the Rings, as well as basketball and tennis!