My Arrival in a 9-Person Flatshare by Aubin

Article published on 10 of February by Aubin

Moving to Budapest was already an exciting adventure, but I never expected to end up in such an amazing flatshare. Originally, we had booked a different apartment, but just one day before arriving, we got a last-minute cancellation for no reason at all. At first, it felt like a disaster. We were about to land in a new city, with no place to stay and no backup plan.

In a rush, we found this flatshare, and honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better place. We are nine people in total with three French (including me), plus a mix of nationalities: a Lebanese, a Georgian, a Mongolian, a Turk, a Norwegian, and a Belgian. It sounds chaotic, but it’s actually incredible.

From the first few days, we all made an effort to get to know each other. Despite our different backgrounds, we quickly bonded over shared experiences and laughing about cultural differences, exchanging stories about our countries, and, of course, complaining about Budapest’s weather.

What makes this experience even better is how we organize ourselves. We don’t just live together; we make sure to spend time together. Several times a week, we plan outings whether it’s exploring the city, going for drinks, or just having dinner together at home. I’ve tasted dishes I had never even heard of before and learned random words in different languages.

Living here also means speaking English every day. At first, it was a bit of a challenge to switch constantly, but now it feels completely natural. It’s funny how, over time, we’ve all developed our own way of communicating, mixing English with random words from our native languages.

Looking back, I can’t believe we almost ended up somewhere else. That last-minute cancellation seemed like bad luck at first, but in the end, it led us to this incredible experience. I’m so glad we found this place and these people.