Tempus Public Foundation with the cooperation of 8 Hungarian higher education institutions and the Hungarian Rectors' Conference attended the "Salao do Estudante 2017" education fair organized in three cities in Brazil - Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte. The Hungarian delegation beside attending the education fair has also organized an information day and alumni meeting. The "Explore Hungary" information day and alumni meeting was held on 29th September at the University of Sao Paulo with a great success. Participants were welcomed not only by Ambassador Norbert Konkoly, but also by Prof. Dr. Moacyr Ayres Novaes Filho, Deputy Director of Academic Mobility at the University of Sao Paulo. Many students, who have been studying in Hungary with the Science Without Borders scholarship programme, accepted the invitation and were happy to share their experiences with other guests.
The first programme element of the alumni meeting was the Hungarian folk dance performance of Ms. Eszter Darabos and Mr. Péter Fekete, two Kőrösi Csoma Sándor scholarship holders. Invited guests could also join the circle dancing lead by the two Hungarian folk dancers. Ms. Sarolta Kóbori, Head of the Hungarian Language and Culture course at the Universit of Sao Paulo, spoke in her lecture about the course available at the university. Students had the opportunity to gain knowledge of the Hungarian culture, as well as the acquisition of the Hungarian language. The training has been carried out within the framework of the professional cooperation between the University of Pécs and the University of Sao Paulo with the support of the Pallas Athené Domus Animae Foundation since 2015. Ms. Emese Zolnai, the senior alumni coordinator of the Tempus Public Foundation, gave a presentation about the International Alumni Network: the results achieved since the start in 2016, and the future plans. After the presentation, several students from the audience also indicated their willingness to join the network and were eager to support the network by volunteering.
The most exciting part of the programme was the recollection of memories. Brazilian students shared their positive memories and the representatives of the higher education institutes reflected on these. Students consider Hungary as their second home. They have a lot of beautiful memories linking them to the country. According to their stories, their personality has developed considerably during their stay in Hungary; they become more independent, have acquired new friends with whom they have been in contact since then. They are very grateful for the help of the stuff of the higher education institutes. The students have expressed their willingness to return to Hungary as soon as possible as they have very positive memories from the country.