“THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME... AND LEUVEN”

The series of Wednesday lectures about Belgium, which were organized by the K.U.Leuven to introduce the international students to different aspects of life at their new home, was followed by the lecture that is a matter of concern for more or less every international student residing in Leuven.

“How do you feel in Belgium and Leuven after a few months away from home and in a different culture” was the question Stella Okemwa raised during a nice evening on November the 18th. We were sitting in a circle with a group of 15-16 people from all over the world, trying to answer her question that seemed so simple at first glance. This was not the first time we saw Stella, as she had already given us a lecture during the orientation days to explain what studying in the international community actually means, including some tips to make the integration into this new environment more easy. To be honest, at that time, after several days in a new town, we were not listening to her very attentively. What kind of problems can be discussed if you are going to study in one of the best Universities in the world accompanied by people of the same age as your own ... Hopefully, for most of us this turned out to be true. Still, some of the international students found it really difficult to get used to their new environment. This could be the case for several reasons, including for example the lack of language experience, the shortage of money for going out with friends, or keeping quiet after fruitless attempts to understand what color garbage bag to choose for the used plastic bottles. These misunderstandings can turn you into having a real depression.

The lecture started with a short introduction of everyone present and by saying “hello” in the own native language. As it turned out, there is no direct translation for the word “hello” in some languages. Thus, we can see that the differences in cultures can reveal themselves from the very beginning of the communication process. This reveals even more the difficulties of studying together or sharing the same kitchen. Little by little, the guests of that evening started describing other emotions, namely their satisfaction and dissatisfaction with life in Leuven.

Let me cite an example from my own notes made after several weeks of staying in Belgium:

“My life here turned to be a real life as it requires my time, money and attention. My mum recommends me not to buy much stuff because it will be a problem to bring them back to my home country, but how can I explain her that it is impossible for me to spend time here as if I were a visitor. I live here. And I no longer live there, back home, at least it seems like I don’t. Speaking about Belgium, well, it’s nice, really nice. For me, Leuven is like a buffet service city. You can either study a lot or have a lot of fun, or even combine everything. There are all kinds of parties and entertainment events, conferences, lunches etc. If somebody says he is bored here, I hardly would believe it to be true.”

The things are not as pessimistic as they may sound at first glance. The fact that we are all different can enrich our personal growth. One should not miss this lucky chance we have in living in an international atmosphere, in which the opportunity to practice the language skills with native speakers comes aboard, as do the opportunities to know more about the cultures, traditions and habits of various nations. You can benefit a lot from this multicultural dialogue. The same idea was expressed by our moderator Stella in her final remarks and recommendations. We had a small team-building exercise which showed that in spite of the challenges, regardless of differences and diversity, all people have something in common. Those sitting in that circle said that they all like to live in peace and they all like Leuven. |