Elise at KU Leuven, Belgium

I struggled to contain my excitement when I received the news about my acceptance to the Europe Inside Out summer school in Leuven Belgium. Attending a summer school was something I had wanted to do so badly, since I heard about these opportunities offered by the university during my first year at Stellenbosch. I had never travelled alone and it was something I was really looking forward to do.

Before you go:

Once you contain your excitement, it is important to get all the practical things in order – paperwork, passports, accommodation etc.

The process of applying for a visa was made really simple by means of the online application process as well as both KU Leuven and Stellenbosch University providing you with the necessary documentation to strengthen your application. There is thus no need to fear that you will not be awarded a visa, but do make sure you fill out the application, make an appointment and get your required documents in order on time! My visa only took about 5 working days to arrive back from the Consulate (which I was pleasantly surprised about), but always rather be safe than sorry!

After rather extensive online research (hence my excitement…), I ended up booking my flights through a travel agent. I found this to be much easier and also cheaper than any ticket prices I found online. This might differ from case to case, but be sure to explore all your options in order to find the best deal! I also booked my travel insurance through them. I felt that, that way I would be sure that everything was in order.

It is important to note that although the university in Leuven provides you with insurance for the duration of your stay there, you still need to get your own travel insurance as well – this is a visa requirement.

Once all the admin has been handled you can start getting ready and excited for your two weeks abroad. Do some research about the city you will be living in as well as the surroundings – although the academic programme is quite hectic you do have some off days to explore. Since you will only be there for a short time make sure to make the best of it! Belgium is quite a small country so other cities and even neighbouring countries can be reached quite easily. Consider maybe getting there a few days early – it is so expensive to get to Europe so now that you actually made it there you might as well make full use of the opportunity! You might be able to better fit in all of those touristy things you want to do that way.

TIP: students under 26 receive quite generous discounts on the trains, busses etc. – especially over weekends. Travel smart!

Experience in Leuven:

Upon arrival in Leuven I was amazed by this quaint university town with picturesque scenes of market squares and churches.  Time in Leuven sped by as the academic programme we followed was quite intense and our days were full. We were not expected to complete any assignments or take any assessments, which meant that we had the time outside of class and programme activities to ourselves.

In addition to the core programme (mainly focused on the Europe and the European Union) there were 4 electives to choose from. I chose European Politics and Policy as well as Social and Immigration Issues. As a Commerce graduate and now Economics Honours student, I chose these two because I felt it was a bit different from what I had encountered in my studies so far, while also complementing it really well. I have also always wanted to have a better understanding of European politics for a while now and the humanitarian aspects of the second module really caught my eye. I was pleasantly surprised by the content of both the core module and my two electives. Most of the lectures were really extremely interesting and our excursions and day trips where really enjoyable. It is difficult to single out certain things as the experience was so jam-packed with interesting people and events, but hereby a few highlights:

Afternoon with refugees: As part of the Social and Immigration Issues module, we spent an afternoon listening to and conversing with refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan who are now living in Brussels and surrounding areas. Talking to them and listening to their experiences – both in their war-ridden countries and now in Europe – was truly amazing. They talked of their losses and suffering with such grace and revealed true hope for their futures, but also shared concerns about loved ones left behind and about adjusting in Europe. The refugee crisis is something that had, prior to that day, felt so distant and almost unreal to me. I left feeling grateful for peace in my home country, much more informed about the situation in the countries and inspired by their courage.

European parliament (Brussels, Belgium): Our visit to the European Parliament buildings in Brussels was another highlight for me. Being in the place where many of Europe’s critical decisions have been made was so cool!

Mauritshuis (The Hague, the Netherlands): Among our mostly educational itinerary, we also had the occasional more touristy days. The summer school included a trip to The Hague in the Netherlands. We could choose between visiting the Peace Palace or the Mauritshuis – an art gallery housing an amazing collection of art from the Dutch Golden Age. Among these is The Girl with the Pearl Earring, a painting by the Dutch painter, Vermeer, which I have always admired on postcards and prints.

Lectures on the structure and policies of the European Union: Many of the introductory lectures in the core programme as well as my one elective (European Politics and Policy) was on this topic. I was so interested to learn more about how this supranational structure operates so I found these discussions really interesting. It was extremely interesting to get some insight into the structure of the politics in the European Union as well as the functioning of their social policies, capital structures and their international and trade relations.

The experience was so much more than the academics and the sightseeing, however. I was travelling alone for the first time, for more than 24 hours straight to get to Leuven. It was eating breakfast with fellow students from Romania, Spain and Ukraine daily and being reminded of how big and how small the world is, all at once. It was drinking beer because it is the cheapest option, forcing it down at first, but eventually starting to like it. It was Belgian waffles and street musicians and 22:00 sunsets.

Return to Stellenbosch:

Back-to-reality is never a fun thing – especially not when Europe is the place you are returning from! But I returned to Stellenbosch with such a full heart! I had experienced such a lot of wonderful things and people during my time at summer school.  I am at awe of how much one can learn in just two weeks. In terms of my studies in Economics here at Stellenbosch, the European perspectives I have now gained more knowledge of (especially public policy and government structures etc.) really aids me in this regard. It is helpful to be able to compare the two and borrow some ideas from it.

In my return to Stellenbosch I am inspired to never stop learning and to stay hungry for new experiences and places. Europe is undeniably beautiful, exciting and incredibly safe, but it is not without issues of its own. This was definitely an eye opener for me and a reminder to stay appreciative towards my country and her people.

I am forever grateful to both the universities for this amazing opportunity.