Exchange student Monica Mona will describe Bermudians to Hungarians when she returns home.

The 18-year-old left this week after spending a year on the Island with three different host families.

"Bermuda's really great,'' she told The Royal Gazette just before leaving for the airport. "It's a whole different country from Hungary.'' Miss Mona, who hails from Szekesehervar, 50 kilometres from Budapest, said she applied for a scholarship to come to Bermuda through Rotary International.

Although she spoke some English from her time in school, she said her skills had greatly increased during her stay. Other than daily conversation, she had called on her command of the English language to help with her studies at the Bermuda College.

"I've had a great time here and been out quite a bit. At first it was really hard not knowing people, but everybody is so friendly.'' One of the best things about the Island, apart from its beauty, was the number of different nationalities residing here, Miss Mona said.

"There are Scottish people, Canadians, Americans, English, Portuguese and Bermudians. That's a big difference from Hungary.'' She said Hungarian visitors to Bermuda would be amazed at the Island's high standard of living.

"The average person in Hungary, like my father, makes only about $400 per month,'' she said. "And here, you know how much people make. The prices are also lower in Hungary. If Bermudians went there they would find everything really cheap. But it's normal for us.'' Miss Mona said that on her return to her home town, she would be giving talks on her time here.