Belgium - #BIMdannmalinBelgien

Antonia: Hello and welcome to the podcast BIMdannmalWeg from the THWS. In this podcast we talk about the experiences of students who spent a semester abroad. And today we have Lisa here. Hi Lisa! Please introduce yourself.

Lisa: Hi! I'm Lisa, I'm 24 years old and I'm now in my sixth semester studying BIM. Exactly a year ago I was in Antwerp, Belgium.

Antonia: Cool! Why did you choose this country or this partner university?

Lisa: Firstly because it wasn't that far away. Back then Corona was still there and I thought to myself, if the borders do close, I'll be home relatively quickly. And because Belgium is also relatively similar to the Netherlands and I actually wanted to go to the Netherlands, but the places there filled up pretty quickly.

Antonia: You probably chose it because of Erasmus and because it's in Europe too, right?

Lisa: Yes! The money is also very tempting. I think I got about 350 euros a month. It wasn't that much now, but almost the rent.

Antonia: What were your experiences with the country?

Lisa: Actually only positive things. I really liked Belgium. Also, the cheap travel options within Belgium were great. The people are also open and super nice. It was the same with university. The university was also very structured, so you got a lot of information in advance. We also had a contact person who was always available and really friendly and always helped you, no matter what questions you had.

Antonia: What was the name of the university?

Lisa: Karel de Grote University College.

Antonia: What courses did you take there?

Lisa: International Trade on Markets, Quantitative business techniques and more. I learned a lot from that course. So in general subjects that you would have to choose in Germany too. The selection was therefore relatively similar compared to the THWS.

Antonia: How many ECTS were credited to you then?

Lisa: I took about 20 ECTS with my courses. I only got two courses credited because I wasn't that happy with the other grades. You also had to take at least 20 ETCS in order to get Erasmus.

Antonia: And how was the university itself? How were the professors?

Lisa: Great! Every country has a different level of English, but these professors could speak English very well. There was also a lot online, a bit like in Germany. But everything was a bit more exciting because everything was a surprise.

Antonia: Were all courses in English then?

Lisa: Exactly! I only had Dutch as a course.

Antonia: How were your fellow students?

Lisa: Totally different. Of course there were many Dutch students but also some from Germany and Austria. Of course you could speak German with them and then in English with the others. There were French, Italians, Spaniards, so very international.

Antonia: What were your fears?

Lisa: I was a bit afraid of the language barrier. Even the trip there alone. Me and a fellow student went there by train. So two huge suitcases and two little girls. That was quite a challenge. Of course, Corona also kept you busy.

Antonia: How long was the journey with the ICE?

Lisa: I think it was like five or six hours, despite the ICE. But I have to say, we had a really cool landlord. He picked us up at the train station with our four suitcases and drove us to the flat share.

Antonia: What kind of flat share was that?

Lisa: It was a flat share, spread over three floors. There were six of us in total and we shared the kitchen, living room and so on. Two of us were from Belgium, one from France and one from Finland.

Antonia: And how did you find this house?

Lisa: Back then, the university gave us an internet site where you could look for apartments. There, the landlords even had to register in the city so that they could rent out their apartments. So it was very serious.

Antonia: May I ask how much you paid?

Lisa: I had a slightly smaller room and paid 425 or 450 euros. And my fellow student paid 475 euros.

Antonia: Was the price reasonable for the location?

Lisa: I would say yes. We were a bit out of the city but not that much. Our kitchen was also very new and in general everything was newly renovated. So it was worth the money.

Antonia: Do you have any insider tips from Antwerp?

Lisa: Just eat! My two favorites are a cinnamon roll shop. There were vegan cinnamon rolls and always a variety of the month. It’s called “have a roll”. I definitely ate some there. Then there were the cookie shops, I think one was called “Cookie Land” or something. And of course the Belgian fries! There are also cool museums in Antwerp. There was even a fries museum just outside. That was really interesting. I didn't think I would enjoy it that much either. You see the history of the potato and everything. And then there is also a room with games. You have to be open to something like that.

Antonia: That sounds really exciting! Did you do any other special trips?

Lisa: Yes, definitely! Brussels of course. We also visited some museums there. But in Antwerp itself there are also many museums. For example the MAS Museum with a terrace upstairs and I think that was always free for students on Wednesdays. But train travel is also really cheap there under 26. For example, we paid 13 euros round trip from Antwerp to Brussels.

Antonia: Great! Can you tell us approximately how much money you needed? We've already heard about rent, but also for food, for example.

Lisa: I guess including rent maybe 600 to 700 euros a month. But you also do more than when you are at home in Würzburg, because you also want to use the time there. But I have to say that when it came to groceries, Antwerp was a bit more expensive than German prices. But there is no deposit there either. It's accumulating.

Antonia: In the semester abroad you want to take as much as you can with you. Sometimes you end up spending more money than you thought. If you had to describe your semester abroad in three words, what would they be?

Lisa: Adventurous, funny and full of love. Simply because I met people with whom I am still in contact.

Antonia: Were they people from your courses or how did you get to know each other during Corona?

Lisa: At the very beginning there was a WhatsApp group that you could join. I would also recommend to everyone. And at the very beginning there was something like a speed-dating session, where I met a friend. One of my class then wrote to me via Instagram, which I thought was really cool. And otherwise simply via WhatsApp and through them you got to know other people again. But the people who lived in the hall of residence met others more easily. If I were to do a semester abroad again, I might be more likely to go to a student residence. Simply because there is more going on and you can do more spontaneously. So I would recommend this especially to people who have a hard time making friends online.

Antonia: I can understand. Going back to your three words, you mentioned funny. What exactly are you referring to?

Lisa: Just always on the events that I had with the group. For example, we played games and it was always fun, especially with people of different nationalities. Just generally a lot of fun with friends.

Antonia: Is there anything else you would do differently if you went abroad again?

Lisa: I would also make sure that the apartment or student residence is a little closer to the university. And in general I would not go there by train. Also, I experienced pretty much every season there. That's why my mother sent me three more packages of clothes afterwards. So just pack a little smarter. And otherwise just little things.

Antonia: Is the weather in Antwerp similar to that in Germany?

Lisa: Yes, the climate was very similar. It was good that not everything was different. Also, for example, that you can continue to use the bank card and SIM card.

Antonia: Was there anything you didn't expect at all?

Lisa: Well, in Germany you still often pay with cash. You don't have that in Antwerp at all. I'm not used to carrying cash around with me anymore. I was also very surprised how far I got with my broken Dutch, because I really thought I had to be able to speak the language perfectly. But of course English wasn't a problem either.

Antonia: How was the experience with the people?

Lisa: I really didn't have any problems with English anywhere. It was similar to Germany. So I had no problems with the language.

Antonia: And what about the international students?

Lisa: Well, the people from Belgium and Italy spoke very good English. We also had a Frenchman in the course who had a strong French accent. It wasn't that he couldn't speak English, it was just that the accent made it so difficult to understand him.

Antonia: What was your biggest challenge?

Lisa: For me it was homesick at some point, just when it was my birthday. At the beginning you didn't know many and then you were a bit alone. But I think the biggest challenge was the outward journey with the suitcases. And of course Corona was also a problem because you were very afraid of getting sick. I also went to the pharmacy once because I had twisted myself a bit and then I wanted to ask for a gel, I didn't know if it was also available in Antwerp and then I walked over there with a picture and asked if they had it have, but then it worked.

Antonia: Great! If you would describe your entire time there, how did you find it?

Lisa: Very good. I have to say I've grown a bit as a person too. Also because I just had to approach other people. But also simply stand on your own two feet.

Antonia: I found that kind of exciting too. Because you know when something is going on you have to fight your way through and you can't just ask mum and dad for help. I felt the same way that I've become more confident and now I know that I can sort things out on my own. On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your semester abroad?

 Lisa: I would actually say it was a ten out of ten. I felt so comfortable in the city. And we are now actually planning a small reunion with the group. Maybe just because it was similar to Würzburg for me. You could sit down by the water, which was similar to sitting down by the Main and you had the feeling that you had been friends with the people for ages. And because I'm still friends with 90% of the people, it's just a ten out of ten.

Antonia: Wow! Everyone wants to go to Antwerp now! A few general questions about the university, was there a canteen or did you take food with you? Or rather, you also had a lot online, didn't you?

Lisa: Well, I never had university all day, well, to be honest, I don't know if there was a canteen. But I could well imagine it. In addition, the university is right in the city center and there was a shop right next to it and you used to get a sandwich or something. There was also a Starbucks nearby.

Antonia: On everyone's horror topic: Learning Agreement. How was it and did it work?

Lisa: It worked, but I have to say that without the other fellow student I would have really screwed it up. Because I thought I'd just pick subjects that appealed to me, but no, you have to stick to your study plan a bit. It's cool when you have someone who's already done it. I would recommend that to everyone, just ask someone.

Antonia: That was also a challenge for me, but it's good that it worked! Otherwise everything worked out from the university and planning?

Lisa: Yes, we got the information pretty quickly when the summer semester started, where the first event was and so on. You could also make a zoom call with a contact person if there were any questions. There was also a place at the university where you could ask.

Antonia: That sounds good! Unfortunately I've heard of bad experiences. Finally, do you have anything else you would like to say?

Lisa: Tip: don't take the train! Better go by car. Having a car on site isn't bad either, because then you're not so tied to the train. And if you go to Antwerp, I can recommend you to do lots of trips. Things like Paris, London, Amsterdam and so on are not that far away from there.

Antonia: You made Antwerp really attractive to me! Thank you Lisa for your report!

Lisa: You’re very welcome!

 

Antonia: See you next time, dear listeners!