Hello Flacommy community and all the others!

Time passes and as you know…all good things have an end. We approach the end of our Erasmus program here in Budapest. It means that this will be our last post regarding Flat-sharing communities in the beautiful city of Budapest! However, this won’t be the end of our blog.  Since you, our great community of followers, can feel free to exchange your Shared Flat stories, to share our advices with your international friends or to send us pictures of great sightseeing tours in your Erasmus city…or anything that we could post on the blog. In addition, your Flacommy team will be delighted to share other potential future experiences about living in a WG in another city if the opportunity arises for each member of the team.

For this last article we will summarize what we have learned this semester about living in a shared flat, either by talking to students here in Budapest, by what has emerged from our topics or by reflecting about our own experiences.

According to our interviews, living abroad with international Flatmates has many advantages. It is a unique experience that the majority of Erasmus students don’t regret. It gives you the opportunity to broaden your circle of friends through new international friendships that you make by meeting friends of your flatmates during international house parties, for example. You can really create a second family with your flatmates during your Erasmus stay in Budapest or any other city. That’s why it is important to get to know to your future flatmates by building the relationships before moving to the new city.  Try to find flatmates with common interests in order to share your passions with them and to create a nice atmosphere within the flat. It will be easier then to share activites. To do so, Social Media channels are really useful nowadays. You can also learn a lot about foreign cultures which is fulfilling for your mind. You improve your communication skills in foreign languages and strengthen personal values such as solidarity, altruism, generosity and of course sharing.

The WG experience also means aligning his/her behaviour to others in order to respect the community. Indeed cultures are different. Culture shapes your behaviour. Therefore you may notice in the shared flat several changes from your daily routine. In order to avoid tensions at the start, try to set up practical rules for the lifestyle of the flat which have to be accepted by every flatmate. To do so, you can sit together for a dinner regularly to tell your recent stories, to express your feelings and to try to solve problems within the flat. Be communicative  and organised to make your stay the best as possible. You will probably have to make concessions and deal with the little annoying things regarding your flatmates. But learn to live with it because it can strengthen your tolerance and remember: nobody is perfect! Another important point to highlight are the Erasmus student parties within flat-sharing communities. It is almost inevitable. This is the best way to meet lots of people from many different countries. But do not forget to warn your neighbors and flatmates to make sure they all agree. One practical advice: invite your neighbors, if they are also Erasmus students, it is very likely that they will join the party! Enjoy!

In summary, your Flacommy team is happy to gather a bunch of tips to make your flat-sharing community the best of the city:

• Communication is key. Speak up when there is a problem and try to better know your flatmates to share activities.
• Be organized as soon as possible. For the housework, the common expenses, the house parties,… Try to set up rules that are suitable for all.
• Respect the others.
• Try Social Media to find your flatmates.
• Find flatmates with common interests and create a relationship before moving into the shared flat.
• Find someone to check the apartment before moving there.
• Be patient and learn to live with the imperfections of the others. Be open-minded and tolerant.
• Don’t be afraid to meet strangers. Think about what they could “give” you, which can be beneficial for your fulfillment.

The whole Flacommy team wants to thank you very much for following our posts that deal with flat-sharing communities in Budapest. Make the most of your WG experience since you can create memories for your whole life. Take care guys!

Best regards

Your Flacommy Team

Source of the pictures : http://www.pacifymind.net/budapest-hungary-night-latest-hd-wallpaper-10382/