Pécs Is Where Our Family Was Born

For Yeldos Mukanov and Diana Amangeldi, coming to the University of Pécs started as two completely separate journeys from Kazakhstan. They arrived with different academic goals, studied in different faculties, built different routines, and imagined different futures. What they did not know at the time was that Pécs would eventually become much more than a university city for both.

Today, they are alumni, partners, and parents. Looking back, they remember Pécs not only as the place where they earned their degrees, but as the place where an entirely new chapter of life began. 

For Yeldos, who grew up in Central Kazakhstan and later studied Earth Sciences (Geology) at the University of Pécs, the move to Hungary brought an entirely new environment. Today, he works in exploration projects within the Chu Sarysu basin in Southern Kazakhstan through a joint venture between Pallas Resources and Ivanhoe Mines. Diana, originally from Karaganda, pursued a Master’s degree in Computer Science Engineering and now works as a Data Analyst in an international IT company. 

Although their fields could not have been more different, one thing about their first days in Pécs was surprisingly similar: both remember immediately feeling welcomed.

Yeldos still remembers his first day at the university and meeting classmates from different continents, many of whom later became lifelong friends. Diana remembers arriving in a city that felt calm, beautiful, and full of character.

For both of them, one of the most memorable parts of arriving in Pécs was discovering just how international everything felt. Students from all over the world, different languages, cultures, and perspectives suddenly became part of everyday life. 

Coming from Kazakhstan, many things felt unfamiliar at first.

For Yeldos, Pécs felt more international and historically rich than anything he had experienced before. Still, something remained familiar: the warmth of people and their openness.

For Diana, the biggest challenge was much simpler — language.

“At first, I could not understand anything,” she recalls. Street signs, shop names, everyday words — everything felt completely new. But after taking Hungarian language courses at the university, she discovered something unexpected: certain Hungarian words sounded strangely familiar because of similarities with Kazakh. Suddenly, a foreign language became a little less foreign. 

Outside classrooms and lectures, student life quickly became filled with experiences neither of them expected.

Yeldos spent time hiking in the Mecsek hills, meeting friends on Király Street, participating in country presentations, and even contributing to a book project. Diana threw herself into student life through ESN events, country presentations, city festivals, and trips across Hungary.

Both speak about friendships as one of the most valuable parts of their years in Pécs. Years later, memories still return in small moments.

For Yeldos, it is memories of his classmates from all over the world. “Santiago from Mexico, Ahmed from Egypt, and Haris from Greece — if you are reading this, I hope you are all doing well, my friends. I truly miss those days we spent together in Pécs more than you can imagine.”

For Diana, it is the Christmas market in the city center — the smell of spices, mulled wine, and kürtőskalács. 

University life also brought challenges.

For Yeldos, the biggest challenge was the studies themselves. He describes the experience as demanding rather than effortless, but one that taught him discipline and planning.

“The university taught me how to set a goal, make a plan, and act.”

For Diana, the challenge was learning how to build a life abroad over a long period of time. But over time, what once felt difficult slowly became something she grew to love. 

Professionally, both found themselves carrying lessons from Pécs into their careers today.

Yeldos often thinks back to the professors who supported him during his studies and credits the university with helping him become more independent and confident. Diana says that beyond technical knowledge, the university taught her research skills, planning, and something equally important: how to communicate and collaborate with people from different backgrounds.

Today, working on international projects, that ability still helps both daily. 

And somewhere between lectures, flights, events, and student life, two separate stories slowly started becoming one.

Their story did not begin in a dramatic way. Diana was already a second-year student when Yeldos reached out online looking for advice about studying and life in Pécs. Then, unexpectedly, they ended up sharing the same flight from Astana to Budapest.

“The rest is history,” they say. 

Studying abroad together brought them closer through shared experiences: adapting to a new country, studying far from home, traveling, and building a life together while still being students themselves.

Today, they look back not only as alumni, but as partners and parents.

And perhaps their most meaningful reflection says everything:

“Pécs is where our family was born.” 

When their son grows older, they hope to bring him back to the city where their journey began.

For future students considering the University of Pécs, their message is simple: take the step.

You never know how one decision, one city, or even one flight might change your life.