{"id":2609,"date":"2015-09-20T10:51:55","date_gmt":"2015-09-20T08:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/summerschoolsblog\/?p=2609"},"modified":"2016-06-16T14:40:16","modified_gmt":"2016-06-16T12:40:16","slug":"marsy-at-ku-leuven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/summerschoolsblog\/2015\/09\/20\/marsy-at-ku-leuven\/","title":{"rendered":"Marsy at KU Leuven"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tussen die boeke en die biere\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before you jet off:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This will be a trip of a lifetime, so a bit of paperwork, is nothing to complain about.\u00a0 Firstly,\u00a0 it\u2019s the dreaded Visa application.\u00a0 Arriving early at the consulate goes without saying, but to strengthen this recommendation consider the following:\u00a0 The Cape Town\u2019s Belgium consulate has only two administrative personnel handling the visa applications and there is no appointment system in place.\u00a0 Thus if you arrive to find Soccer mom and her gremlins in the waiting area you will have to wait while each of their applications and scans are done.<\/p>\n

If you forgot something or you are still waiting for a confirmation letter from a third party, just ask them if you can e-mail that later. They will normally let you do this while just filing your application under incomplete.\u00a0 Then you don\u2019t have to go hurtling into that slow-moving Cape Town traffic twice.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just a few important technical things regarding travel and medical insurance: Paying airline tickets via Credit Card will automatically cover the travel insurance that is required by a Schengen Visa.\u00a0 The holder of this credit card will have a letter stating this – you shall need this letter.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You (or the main member) will have to obtain (online) a Schengen medical insurance letter from your medical aid fund stating that it is Schengen medical insurance)<\/p>\n

If you are planning to leave earlier to visit another country (like I did), you will need to apply at the country of first entry. However, if you are staying longer in Belgium than in your country of first entry you may apply for a Schengen visa through the Belgium Embassy.\u00a0 This will be easier if for instance you are planning to visit France like I did – because the French embassy is in Johannesburg and not in Cape Town.<\/p>\n

With regards to the budget monster: the main thing to remember is that you will be spending your days in a group therefore you will tend to spend a bit more than what you would do on your own i.e. you won\u2019t be able to eat your South African 2-minute noodles while the rest of the clan are having frietsen (fries) at De Professor (bar in Leuven).\u00a0 Try book your flights and your accommodation ASAP.\u00a0 The closer the time is to middle of May the more expensive things are in Europe for their tourist season.\u00a0 The moment I heard that I was accepted I booked my accommodation and flights and thus saved about 10 euro a night on accommodation.\u00a0 If you have some form of Student account at most South African branches they will let you obtain a Travel Wallet card for a discount.\u00a0 This worked very well for me as you could swipe anywhere without paying transaction fees and only paid a withdrawal fee (keep you withdrawals to a minimum would therefore be the logical thing to do)<\/p>\n

Notes and information for certain sessions were uploaded for us and it was nice to have them printed for attending the sessions.\u00a0 Since everything is expensive in Europe, rather print any notes on the budget-friendly university printing quota.<\/p>\n

Leer, leef en luister in Leuven:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Street-scene,<\/a>
Street-scene, Leuven<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leuven is nie so klein nie, maar indien jy \u2018google-maps\u2019 raadpleeg sal die kenmerkende ringvormige uitleg dit klein laat voorkom.\u00a0 Dit het dieselfde aantal verwarrende eenrigting strate as Stellenbosch, dieselfde aantal ontelbare versteekte stegies en natuurlik is dit nes Stellenbosch, volop kroe\u00eb met \u2018n brouery wat selfs uit \u2018n klooster bedryf word (Stellenbosch se kerke word darem nog net as lesinglokale gebruik).<\/p>\n

Die dorpie was maklik om binne een dag redelik goed te verken.\u00a0 My voete se protes na Parys se strate het nie tot my kop deurgedring en ek is Leuven se keisteen strate in op die Sondag.\u00a0 As \u2018n persoon wat gek is oor geskiedenis en argitektuur, besoek ek toe die stadsaal, Sint Peterskerk, Biblioteekthoren, Kruidtuin en Groot Begijnhof.\u00a0 Die wonderlikste van die ou dorpie is dat die straatname en selfs sekere geboue \u2018n bordjie het wat bietjie oor die geskiedenis uitbrei.\u00a0 Ek was ge\u00efnteresseerd oor hoe maklik ek die taal sou kon volg en stel my Afrikaans toe op die proef deur my toer van die stadsaal en die audio guide van die kerk in Nederlands te versoek.\u00a0 Dit was toe heel eenvoudig en van daar af praat ek met die inwoners in Afrikaans (let wel, die woord lekker word nie vir alles wat goed is gebruik nie en jy kan maar soebat by die winkels, daar sal nie biltong of melktert wees nie).<\/p>\n

Daardie aand het die program van KU Leuven amptelik begin.\u00a0 Hierdie universiteit strek oor \u2018n aantal kampusse regoor Belgi\u00eb en is al sedert 1425 met die w\u00eareld.\u00a0\u00a0 \u2018n Eksentrieke professor stel homself bekend en ons groep studente kom gou agter hy het algemene kennis wat \u00f3\u00f3k uit hierdie tyd kom.\u00a0\u00a0 Die groep van ons bestaan uit Suid-Afrikaners, \u2018n Vietnamees, \u2018n Belg, \u2018n Japanees en \u2018n hele rits Australi\u00ebrs.<\/p>\n

Skaars was die inligting oor die program deurgegee en die professor lys vir ons \u2018n paar van die kroe\u00eb waar die beste Belgiese bier gevind kan word.\u00a0 Dit is soos stapelvoedsel in hul kultuur.\u00a0 Die bier, natuurlik chips (frietsen) en daardie daar-gaan-my-die\u00ebt-wafels is volop in Leuven en die drafroetes maar min.<\/p>\n

\"Kruidtuin,<\/a>
Kruidtuin, Leuven<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Die week se program was interessant en het meeste van die tyd nie eers soos werk gevoel nie, aangesien dit hoofsaaklik bestaan het uit besoeke aan sekere besighede.\u00a0 Die besighede is almal op die voorpunt van tegnologiese ontwikkeling in onder andere 3D drukwerk, mediese behandeling en voertuig samestelling. Instansies soos Materialise, Thrombogenics en \u2018n afdeling van Siemens is besoek.\u00a0 Die OECD hoofkantoor (in Parys!) is ook besoek om die ekonomiese aspek van die kursus aan te spreek.\u00a0 Lesings met betrekking tot ekonomiese kwessies het op hierdie perseel besoeke gevolg (na \u2018n rustiger Junie vakansie was die eerste twee-uur lange lesing maar \u2018n verlore stryd, ten spyte van hoe\u00a0 interessant dit geklink het.\u00a0\u00a0 Die Eurokrisis,\u00a0 maatskappy-aandeelhouer-verhoudings\u00a0 en die werking van die waagkapitaal mark is in lesingformaat aangebied, waarna ons kon vrae vra.\u00a0\u00a0 Die program het ook \u2018n dagbesoek aan Brugge en Ieper ingesluit as \u2018n geskiedkundige element.\u00a0 Dit was werklik \u2018n voorreg om by Ieper die Menin Gate van die Eerste W\u00eareld orlog te kon sien asook om die Last Post Seremonie by te woon.<\/p>\n

Dit sukkel maar om KU Leuven se program ervaring in 1500 woorde te beskryf en my voorstel is dus: doen aansoek vir hierdie ongelooflike program!\u00a0 Dit is \u2018n lekker manier om \u2018n oorseese dorp te gaan verken en wat veral uitstaan van hierdie program was die besigtigingstoere wat tussen die lesings ingeruim is.<\/p>\n

Back to Sunny SA:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sitting on those oh so comfortable airport chairs at Brussels International, munching on some\u00a0 chocolates that were within my student-budget, I felt truly sad about leaving Leuven.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The town where you could leave your bicycle unlocked on the street for the three month university holiday,\u00a0 the town where each street looked like something from a historic film and the\u00a0 town where they were painstakingly serious about recycling and energy conservation.\u00a0\u00a0 Sure we had some form of the latter in Stellenbosch, but the first was not something I was used to.\u00a0 In Leuven, after being assured by a student I met that I was paranoid for checking every street corner, I truly enjoyed walking around the streets not worrying about a mugging.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The announcement came and then it was time for my six-hour flight to Dubai where a nine-hour layover was ended by stepping unto my ten-hour flight to Cape Town.<\/p>\n

As the plane flew over the Hex River valley, the world spread out like a blanket, I knew I was home.\u00a0 Old Table Mountain had even cleared it\u2019s smoke to welcome me home.\u00a0\u00a0 Our government was less than functional with regards to the most important matters, the public announcement by our president was considered a joke by other nations (as I realised while speaking to students from all across the globe) and we were behind in matters of development.\u00a0\u00a0 So why did I love this place I asked myself.<\/p>\n

The mountains loomed over the car on the way back home to Stellenbosch and I realised what was missing in Europe.\u00a0 Their idea of nature was a dull painting of what I could see everyday just looking out my residence window.\u00a0\u00a0 Sure enough, South Africans have not always, and still do not fully deserve the beautiful country we are in, but by just appreciating it, missing it when you are away from it, shows that at least you care for it.<\/p>\n

And now I am home, having completed the preparation work for the semester that would kick of with a two Saturday tests on one day (what an amazing life we as B.Acc Honour students have) and I browse over photographs of my trip.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was different than Stellenbosch, but as a university town, not necessarily better than Stellenbosch.\u00a0 The mixture of\u00a0 religions, cultures, languages, personalities of people that walked down Victoria Street each day was an experience in it\u2019s own right.\u00a0 Standing in a queue for a Ser-concert,\u00a0 thinking about a Huisdans and sitting on the Rooiplein are things I am looking forward to (after I am done with those tests).\u00a0 These are things that makes Stellenbosch a great place , as I am sure KU Leuven is as well.<\/p>\n

Dit is (altyd) lekker (der) om \u2018n Matie te wees.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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