Hello my faithful readers:
This week I have been focused on passing the pre-coursework my program has assigned us; all should be completed prior to the first day of classes on September 1. The school also ambitiously assigned us several books to read prior to our arrival here in Leuven. Out of the 3 classes we are to take online I have completed one and classes begin less than a week from now. I see a future with lots of nights spent here in the school (where I currently am) in my little study cubby.
I'll admit that in undergrad, (and even high school) I was never much of a disciplined studier. Nothing seems to motivate me more than an impending deadline and usually it is less than 24 hours away. With the workload that we're going to cover in this 1 year MBA program I will have to change some of my bad habits. I'll have to figure out more efficient ways to manage my time and spend less time surfing the web, checking my facebook page or just tweeting about how much studying I'm NOT doing.
Today was a poor study day for me, but I feel like it was time (mostly) well spent with getting other important tasks completed. I picked up my disbursement three checks from the International Office here at the school and learned that the student loan process for US based loans is very different here in Belgium than it is in the US. The biggest difference is that I got the first half of my loans (1/2 tuition + 1/2 living expenses) and I am responsible for making the payment to the school for my tuition. I took the checks to my bank and I was hoping that I could use a portion of my living fees expenses to pay the deposit on my studio. No such luck, apparently because of issues with check cashing fraud no Belgian banks allow you to cash checks. Ever! I deposited all of the money into my ING account, although the lovely woman couldn't give me a specific timetable of when I would have access to the money. One other (important) lesson learned at the bank today is that you should be very specific with them about the currency of the checks you're depositing. You should also keep in mind that here in Europe- the comma in currency is used in the same way as the decimal point is used in the US. I was glad that they checked with me because I would have been quite upset if they had assumed I was depositing checks for small dollar amounts(e.g. $5). That would have been a really bad exchange rate!
After doing the banking thing, I bought a few things that I needed in my room and went back to my kamer to grab a bite to eat and take a nap. That evening I needed to pay the deposit + 1st months rent to my landlord so I had to call and make special arrangements with my US based bank. I also set up my renters insurance since the same company has my current US renters insurance and luckily my rate is a little lower here in Leuven than it was in NYC, which is great considering Leuven is one of the safest cities in the world. I went to a couple of ATM machines here to withdraw the money and stopped by to pay the deposit to my new landlord. I also realized later that the exchange rates seem to be a whole lot better if you're withdrawing directly from the ATM machines.
Although I didn't get my intended studying completed, I learned that there are many differences in the ways that Americans and Belgians get things done. I think overall I'm going to learn more patience and become a lot more laid back after my experiences here. Plus I'll need to carry lots of cash around because lots of places don't seem to accept debit/atm cards here! That's enough of my rambling for tonight - I'll try to squeeze in at least one more blog this week, but for the rest of this week I'm all about getting my Statistics and Accounting courses completed!
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Living out of a suitcase
Hello my faithful readers:
As promised here is my blog about finding new temporary housing. I have been here in Leuven since August 13th. Counting today I have been here for exactly 12 days which is more than enough time to be living out of my suitcase. My suitcase living will end on September 1st when I move into my new studio. In the meantime here's a little bit about the adventure I had when I moved out of the guesthouse I was staying in during my first week here last Friday (August 21st).
Initially I wanted to travel during the weeks between moving into my studio, but a visit to the City Hall here in Leuven quickly dampened my plans to see any countries other than Belgium. Our Visa only allows a single entry into Belgium and until we get our residence card we're not allowed to travel outside of the country (technically). This bit of news was a huge bummer for me because I really wanted to get to see some of my neighboring countries before getting bogged down with classwork. Last night some of my fellow classmates informed me that they were able to travel to Morocco with no problems for their honeymoon this past week. It should be noted that the lucky groom has an Italian passport which might have worked in their favor.
As a substitute for my (imaginary) trip to Amsterdam, Germany and maybe France, I'd planned on doing a nice leisurely tour of Belgium (yes I know it's a small country)!! Quickly I realized that:
1) I'm not working full-time anymore which means I have no more regular income
2) I'm not fully comprehending the fact that I'm spending euros right now and not US dollars
3) I wasn't going to find an inexpensive hotel that was up to my lofty standards in such a short amount of time.
Back to the drawing board and I'm scrambling last Friday to find temporary accommodations here in Leuven. I needed something that I could move into that very night because if you read my blog yesterday, the folks at the guesthouse were eager to have me move out so the next guest could move in.
I had a few options to choose from. One of my classmates (a fellow American) generously offered to let me crash on her couch. There is a property in town called Condo Gardens which is basically temporary studios and apartments where I knew some of my classmates are staying. K.U. Leuven (college that our MBA program is a part of) Housing Service has a listing of temporary housing that is called summer rentals which is a list of landlords and students that are subletting their rooms, studios and apartments during the summer vacation months. I decided the best option was to try to find a room since I needed a place to stay until September 1st (essentially 11 nights). I called and e-mailed a few places (Condo Gardens and places from the summer rentals list and finally got a call back from one of the summer rental landlord's after about an hour. I took the place over the phone (BIG MISTAKE) without going to see it because at this point I just wanted to move into something immediately - the clock was ticking for me.
I have some of the best classmates in the world because a couple volunteered to help me drag my bags to the new place. We arrived and the address listed on the summer rental sheet was wrong because the number they had listed was the address to a "social services office." Not exactly the best first impression, but thankfully the landlord happened to be standing outside and asked if I was the person coming to take the kamer (dutch word for room). We hustle my 4 bags up the 3 flights of stairs and my first thought was wow this building has lots of stairs and it sure seems a little rundown. The room itself wasn't horrible it was at the top of the building, but the shared kitchen, bathroom (toilet) and shower areas she showed me made me nervous. I didn't think much of it and to be honest took it because I couldn't stomach the thought of dragging my bags all the way downstairs again.
I tried to get the woman to agree to the price of 100 euros for the week as listed on the summer rentals sheet, but she hedged and said that the price was normally 30 euros per night. She said we'd be able to work something out, but she couldn't come down as low as the 100 euros. I said ok and because we had dinner plans that night with the rest of the group we headed over to Oude Markt right after I grabbed the keys.
Later that night, I arrived at the new building and it was super dark. I didn't see any light switches so I just walked up the 3 flights of stairs in the dark. I got to my floor and fumbled around until I found a few switches that worked in my hallway. I unlocked the door to my room and flicked the light switch. It didn't work! I flicked again just in case there was some error on my part and it definitely did not work. Because it was so late (almost midnight here), I decided to just wait until the morning to let the landlord know about the problem. I used the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face in the sink in my room by the light of the hallway.
I turned in after my nightly rituals and tried to go to sleep. I couldn't do it. I tossed and turned for about 30 minutes. Then I felt my neck and back start to hurt. Sleeping on that bed was like sleeping on a hardwood floor. I also kept hearing some sort of bee/fly/mosquito buzzing my ear every few minutes. By 3 AM I was wide awake and (angrily) texting my best friend in NYC about the situation.
That whole experience was enough to make me realize that I was going to have to find another room. I remembered during one of my text rants that another man had called me in response to one of my e-mails shortly after this woman so I woke up and matched the number from my call log to his number on the summer rentals sheet. I took a shower (at 7:15 AM) and the shower confirmed to me that I needed to move! The shower didn't drain properly and for me that is a big no-no. I hate it when the water just sits there around your feet - the last time this happened to me was at a horrible hotel in Detroit and I didn't pay for that room.
I waited until 10:03 AM to make the call to the other guy. We agreed to meet so that I could take a look at his place for 11 AM, luckily it was less than a block away from my current room. I walked over and arrived about 8 minutes early I was so eager and he showed me my potential room and I took it. It was very clean, modern and not too small. The landlord seemed like a nice guy and I took it without even asking what the price was...the big bonus is that he only charged me 85 euros for the rest of the month (roughly 8,5 euros per day). This room has a shared kitchen, bathroom (toilet) and shower which I have to walk two flights of stairs to use, but I have slept like a baby in this room since Saturday night. I like this space and I don't mind making the compromise of walking up a few flights of VERY narrow stairs to use one of the most magnificent showers I have ever experienced. I'll miss it when I have to leave and end my few weeks of living out of my suitcase.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
As promised here is my blog about finding new temporary housing. I have been here in Leuven since August 13th. Counting today I have been here for exactly 12 days which is more than enough time to be living out of my suitcase. My suitcase living will end on September 1st when I move into my new studio. In the meantime here's a little bit about the adventure I had when I moved out of the guesthouse I was staying in during my first week here last Friday (August 21st).
Initially I wanted to travel during the weeks between moving into my studio, but a visit to the City Hall here in Leuven quickly dampened my plans to see any countries other than Belgium. Our Visa only allows a single entry into Belgium and until we get our residence card we're not allowed to travel outside of the country (technically). This bit of news was a huge bummer for me because I really wanted to get to see some of my neighboring countries before getting bogged down with classwork. Last night some of my fellow classmates informed me that they were able to travel to Morocco with no problems for their honeymoon this past week. It should be noted that the lucky groom has an Italian passport which might have worked in their favor.
As a substitute for my (imaginary) trip to Amsterdam, Germany and maybe France, I'd planned on doing a nice leisurely tour of Belgium (yes I know it's a small country)!! Quickly I realized that:
1) I'm not working full-time anymore which means I have no more regular income
2) I'm not fully comprehending the fact that I'm spending euros right now and not US dollars
3) I wasn't going to find an inexpensive hotel that was up to my lofty standards in such a short amount of time.
Back to the drawing board and I'm scrambling last Friday to find temporary accommodations here in Leuven. I needed something that I could move into that very night because if you read my blog yesterday, the folks at the guesthouse were eager to have me move out so the next guest could move in.
I had a few options to choose from. One of my classmates (a fellow American) generously offered to let me crash on her couch. There is a property in town called Condo Gardens which is basically temporary studios and apartments where I knew some of my classmates are staying. K.U. Leuven (college that our MBA program is a part of) Housing Service has a listing of temporary housing that is called summer rentals which is a list of landlords and students that are subletting their rooms, studios and apartments during the summer vacation months. I decided the best option was to try to find a room since I needed a place to stay until September 1st (essentially 11 nights). I called and e-mailed a few places (Condo Gardens and places from the summer rentals list and finally got a call back from one of the summer rental landlord's after about an hour. I took the place over the phone (BIG MISTAKE) without going to see it because at this point I just wanted to move into something immediately - the clock was ticking for me.
I have some of the best classmates in the world because a couple volunteered to help me drag my bags to the new place. We arrived and the address listed on the summer rental sheet was wrong because the number they had listed was the address to a "social services office." Not exactly the best first impression, but thankfully the landlord happened to be standing outside and asked if I was the person coming to take the kamer (dutch word for room). We hustle my 4 bags up the 3 flights of stairs and my first thought was wow this building has lots of stairs and it sure seems a little rundown. The room itself wasn't horrible it was at the top of the building, but the shared kitchen, bathroom (toilet) and shower areas she showed me made me nervous. I didn't think much of it and to be honest took it because I couldn't stomach the thought of dragging my bags all the way downstairs again.
I tried to get the woman to agree to the price of 100 euros for the week as listed on the summer rentals sheet, but she hedged and said that the price was normally 30 euros per night. She said we'd be able to work something out, but she couldn't come down as low as the 100 euros. I said ok and because we had dinner plans that night with the rest of the group we headed over to Oude Markt right after I grabbed the keys.
Later that night, I arrived at the new building and it was super dark. I didn't see any light switches so I just walked up the 3 flights of stairs in the dark. I got to my floor and fumbled around until I found a few switches that worked in my hallway. I unlocked the door to my room and flicked the light switch. It didn't work! I flicked again just in case there was some error on my part and it definitely did not work. Because it was so late (almost midnight here), I decided to just wait until the morning to let the landlord know about the problem. I used the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face in the sink in my room by the light of the hallway.
I turned in after my nightly rituals and tried to go to sleep. I couldn't do it. I tossed and turned for about 30 minutes. Then I felt my neck and back start to hurt. Sleeping on that bed was like sleeping on a hardwood floor. I also kept hearing some sort of bee/fly/mosquito buzzing my ear every few minutes. By 3 AM I was wide awake and (angrily) texting my best friend in NYC about the situation.
That whole experience was enough to make me realize that I was going to have to find another room. I remembered during one of my text rants that another man had called me in response to one of my e-mails shortly after this woman so I woke up and matched the number from my call log to his number on the summer rentals sheet. I took a shower (at 7:15 AM) and the shower confirmed to me that I needed to move! The shower didn't drain properly and for me that is a big no-no. I hate it when the water just sits there around your feet - the last time this happened to me was at a horrible hotel in Detroit and I didn't pay for that room.
I waited until 10:03 AM to make the call to the other guy. We agreed to meet so that I could take a look at his place for 11 AM, luckily it was less than a block away from my current room. I walked over and arrived about 8 minutes early I was so eager and he showed me my potential room and I took it. It was very clean, modern and not too small. The landlord seemed like a nice guy and I took it without even asking what the price was...the big bonus is that he only charged me 85 euros for the rest of the month (roughly 8,5 euros per day). This room has a shared kitchen, bathroom (toilet) and shower which I have to walk two flights of stairs to use, but I have slept like a baby in this room since Saturday night. I like this space and I don't mind making the compromise of walking up a few flights of VERY narrow stairs to use one of the most magnificent showers I have ever experienced. I'll miss it when I have to leave and end my few weeks of living out of my suitcase.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
Banking in Belgium
Hello my faithful readers:
It's Sunday here in Leuven and now that I finally have a semi-permanent home (for the next 9 days) I have a little time to blog. Last Friday was the day that I had to check out of my guesthouse room and they knocked on my door at approximately 7:42 AM. Luckily I was awake because I knew that I had to check out by 11 AM and I had an appointment at the bank for 9 AM. I was already starting to pack my things together and the guy at the door wanted to get in and clean. AT 7:42 AM!!! I told him that I had an appointment (at the bank) for 9 AM so I'd be leaving my room at 8:30 and suggested he come back for then to start his cleaning. I got everything packed back into my suitcases and jumped into the shower so that I could make it to the bank on time.
I made my way to the bank where I ran into one of my classmates who was also setting up his account. If I hadn't seen him there I'm not sure I would have realized that the bank is also a branch because at first appearance it looks like it could be, but you can't see any of the office areas because they have a wall that pulls down overnight. The only thing visible to us customers is the bright orange wall and a weird door. This entrance also houses the ATM machines.
After walking in I visited the Info desk where the young woman told me to have a seat while I waited for my personal banker for the day. Just to explain a little about the process, I began the process of opening my accounts by calling the ING Expat Center; they were very helpful here for a fee of around 30 euros. The expat center required scans of my passport, rental contract and letter of registration from the school before they could set me up with an appointment to open up my account at the branch here in Leuven. The man helping me to open my account was very nice and we spent an hour with him explaining everything to me (he also shared some of the potential scenarios/fees for taking out insurance with ING - they offer renters, fire and car insurance to their customers in addition to their banking services here in Belgium.
Banking (at ING) seems to be slightly different here in Belgium than in the US. The main differences are:
-- they don't have routing numbers here - their numbers are called IBAN and SWIFT codes
-- banking online (especially for ING means something different as well (particularly for ING you have to download special software to your computer and you have to pay a fee if you want to bank online from multiple computers
-- bills are paid by wire transfers more often here and I haven't heard mention of checks at all
-- ING can receive transfers in multiple currencies and keep them in that currency (e.g. US$) should I choose to set my account up in this manner
One special note for my Indian friends considering opening an account with ING - one of my Indian classmates called the ING expat helpline and was told that all Indian expats have to go all the way to Brussels to open up their ING accounts.
Getting my banking situation straightened out it was a great relief for me and at the end of my appointment I had successfully opened my current (like a checking account without checks it seems) and savings accounts. So far this was the only thing that I could open without having moved into my permanent accommodations. I couldn't register yet with the city because I haven't moved in, nor could I set up the data plan for my blackberry so opening my bank account was a huge boost for me. After opening the bank account I hurried back to the guesthouse to move my bags into one of my classmates room. I needed to leave them there until I figured out where I was going to stay for the next few weeks. After moving my bags I went to check out of my room and settle my final bill with the guesthouse. I spent the rest of the day finding a temporary room here in Leuven. So that's exactly what I did.
I'll share a little bit more tomorrow about my new living situation, that's a whole new blog topic! Tonight I'm off to another round of dinner and drinks in Grote Markt with my new classmates. Did I mention that I'm loving it here in Leuven???
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
It's Sunday here in Leuven and now that I finally have a semi-permanent home (for the next 9 days) I have a little time to blog. Last Friday was the day that I had to check out of my guesthouse room and they knocked on my door at approximately 7:42 AM. Luckily I was awake because I knew that I had to check out by 11 AM and I had an appointment at the bank for 9 AM. I was already starting to pack my things together and the guy at the door wanted to get in and clean. AT 7:42 AM!!! I told him that I had an appointment (at the bank) for 9 AM so I'd be leaving my room at 8:30 and suggested he come back for then to start his cleaning. I got everything packed back into my suitcases and jumped into the shower so that I could make it to the bank on time.
I made my way to the bank where I ran into one of my classmates who was also setting up his account. If I hadn't seen him there I'm not sure I would have realized that the bank is also a branch because at first appearance it looks like it could be, but you can't see any of the office areas because they have a wall that pulls down overnight. The only thing visible to us customers is the bright orange wall and a weird door. This entrance also houses the ATM machines.
After walking in I visited the Info desk where the young woman told me to have a seat while I waited for my personal banker for the day. Just to explain a little about the process, I began the process of opening my accounts by calling the ING Expat Center; they were very helpful here for a fee of around 30 euros. The expat center required scans of my passport, rental contract and letter of registration from the school before they could set me up with an appointment to open up my account at the branch here in Leuven. The man helping me to open my account was very nice and we spent an hour with him explaining everything to me (he also shared some of the potential scenarios/fees for taking out insurance with ING - they offer renters, fire and car insurance to their customers in addition to their banking services here in Belgium.
Banking (at ING) seems to be slightly different here in Belgium than in the US. The main differences are:
-- they don't have routing numbers here - their numbers are called IBAN and SWIFT codes
-- banking online (especially for ING means something different as well (particularly for ING you have to download special software to your computer and you have to pay a fee if you want to bank online from multiple computers
-- bills are paid by wire transfers more often here and I haven't heard mention of checks at all
-- ING can receive transfers in multiple currencies and keep them in that currency (e.g. US$) should I choose to set my account up in this manner
One special note for my Indian friends considering opening an account with ING - one of my Indian classmates called the ING expat helpline and was told that all Indian expats have to go all the way to Brussels to open up their ING accounts.
Getting my banking situation straightened out it was a great relief for me and at the end of my appointment I had successfully opened my current (like a checking account without checks it seems) and savings accounts. So far this was the only thing that I could open without having moved into my permanent accommodations. I couldn't register yet with the city because I haven't moved in, nor could I set up the data plan for my blackberry so opening my bank account was a huge boost for me. After opening the bank account I hurried back to the guesthouse to move my bags into one of my classmates room. I needed to leave them there until I figured out where I was going to stay for the next few weeks. After moving my bags I went to check out of my room and settle my final bill with the guesthouse. I spent the rest of the day finding a temporary room here in Leuven. So that's exactly what I did.
I'll share a little bit more tomorrow about my new living situation, that's a whole new blog topic! Tonight I'm off to another round of dinner and drinks in Grote Markt with my new classmates. Did I mention that I'm loving it here in Leuven???
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
Thursday, August 20, 2009
It's just getting started
Hello my faithful readers:
I have been a little lax in posting updates here, but it's amazing how quickly the days seem to fly by here. Each day a few more of my classmates arrive and there is a flurry of activity as we all try to set up plans for dinner, drinks or whatever just to get to know each other before classes begin. Last night was a fine example. We ended up having dinner at one of the Japanese restaurants on Munstraat here in Leuven, before grabbing beers at one of the local Oude Markt pizzerias.
The social scene here in Leuven seems to be pretty hopping on nice nights. I wish I had pics, but the battery in my camera died last night. I'll try to give you a (very) brief word picture of the scene. There are rows and rows of tables and chairs (sometimes 15 deep), some underneath over-sized umbrellas. All of the people, tables, chairs and umbrellas are spread out across the Grote and Oude Markt areas of town. There is beautiful architecture surrounding you on all sides. Close your eyes a little more and you'll hear the roar of a thousands of conversations happening at a time. Personally, I find that gentle roar comforting and relaxing, it's reminiscent to the sounds you might hear walking through Grand Central Station in NYC. This is the best location for people watching at its finest- in the heart of Leuven.
I realized yesterday that while I am busy getting into the social activities, I am here for a much better reason than just hanging out in a beautiful country. That reason is to study, learn more about other cultures and obtain my MBA. Leuven has a deceptively bland atmosphere that relaxes you and pulls you into its' spell without you fully realizing it. I know that personally my diet has gone to hell in a hand basket here because I'm eating way too many pasta, beers, and sweets. I'm learning that Leuven has a bit of a reputation as a college party town. The past week and a half has given me a bit of a glimpse of why it is referred to as the city of beer, sports and chocolate.
This week I began the process of studying (again), but I haven't fully given it the attention I should. Currently I have two more pre-course work classes that I need to pass before classes officially start on September 1st. Hanging out with my classmates last night also made me realize, I have more than just the coursework to get done. In addition to what is assigned in classes if I am to get all I hope for out of this program I need to do more research on what it is really like in the rest of the world. I freely admit here that I arrogantly thought I had a solid understanding, but sitting there between my classmates from India, Jordan, Turkey and Mexico I realized at that moment, that I know nothing at all. (I was also shocked to hear that American Idol is HUGE in Jordan). I'm excited, but also more than a little overwhelmed by the thought of the amounts of information that I'll be processing over the next 13 months. Quite simply put, I've got a lot of work to do.
Thanks for reading today's blog. I look forward to sharing more with you over the next year.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
Monday, August 17, 2009
Settling in...
Hello my faithful readers:
Today I spent most of the day running around trying to complete some of the necessary errands I could not complete this weekend because we had a holiday. Holidays here in Belgium mean that many of the stores and shops close up completely. To top the fact that it was All Saints Day here, there was also a two-day open air festival called RockMarket here in Leuven. I got to hang out at RockMarket on the first night with some of my fellow classmates and had a blast. :) I have posted a couple of pictures from the night above. We all sampled the beer and friet saus (pommes frites or french fries) that night, while getting to know each other, in a laid back environment. My only thought is that I wish there had been more of us here to see the city of Leuven during such an exciting time.
The thing that I really love so far about my program is the sense of community we as Vlerick students have with each other. Today I also met a couple of my classmates for the first time which for me is very exciting. So far everyone has been super supportive of each other and willing to share helpful information amongst the group. I found my studio because of a list one of the other student compiled and one of my other classmates shared another list of possible leads from past Vlerick students earlier today. I was quite surprised to hear that our class size will be huge at a whopping total of 90 students. To give you some perspective on my surprise last years class size was 45 students. I really hope that we can continue our sense of community with such a large group. There are over 38 nationalities represented in the entire group and I believe there are a total of 7 American students including me.
Today my errands including going to the Housing Office at the school so they could review my lease (it's written in Dutch) and trying to get a SIM card for my blackberry. I also attempted to get my student registration card today and extend my stay in the guesthouse that I'm currently staying in. Unfortunately the only things I could completely cross off my list were purchasing converter adapter plugs (Van Eyck's) and getting my lease (or contract as it is called here) reviewed, signed and back to my new landlord.
The one thing that I've found highly ironic here in Leuven is that there seems to be an abundance of Italian Restaurants and Pizzerias that serve pasta! I am not a huge fan of pasta and on average I eat it once or twice per month if given the chance. Today I insisted that I was NOT going to eat pasta today and I kept that promise to myself by grabbing a lunch at Quick (one of the burger joints here in Europe) and eating dinner with my classmates at a Thai Restaurant (I got steamed rice with my food). I've been looking around, but have yet to run into a place that sells waffles or a chocolate shop here in Leuven. I'll keep looking for that as well as a restaurant that isn't Italian.
That's about all I have time to blog about today, but I'll try to log in and share a little bit more about life here in Leuven. I hope that tomorrow I'll get a few more things crossed off my to-do list. Now I'm about to catch up on some of my American TV shows tonight before I go to bed. I spent a lot of time walking around today so I think I'll sleep very well tonight. My body clock is still adjusting to the six hour time difference, but I have started setting my alarm for 8:00 AM each day so that I'll get used to waking up at a normal hour.
Thanks everyone for all of the love, support and good wishes on my move. It's been an amazing experience so far. It's a lot of adjustment for me too and I'm realizing just how much I took for granted living in America. Things are different for me here, but in surprising ways (had no idea how much I really hated eating pasta until I was faced with it every single meal)! So I just have to say thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing some of my experiences with you.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
Friday, August 14, 2009
Flight & Day 1 in Belgium
Hello my faithful readers:
I write this from my lovely guesthouse room in Leuven, Belgium. I made it here without too much trouble. I departed JFK airport. My flight was delayed for a couple of hours, but it actually made things easier for me on the back end. I watched Star Trek on the tv screen in the seatback in front of me while waiting so it was a pleasant delay although I was hungry (starving). I didn't sleep nearly as much as I would have liked, but by the time we landed in Brussels it didn't matter so much.
The airport in Brussels was a very easy experience - I breezed through the passport control area (no issues here) and then headed to baggage claim. All of my luggage arrived intact and I was quite relieved (our flight was delayed was because of a HUGE baggage system outtage at JFK). I also was relieved because during check-in the nice woman behind the counter didn't charge me the normal fee of $150 to check my 3rd bag. Instead she checked the bag as a carry-on, but told me if it got lost then the airline wasn't responsible. After loading my luggage onto the FREE baggage cart (take that JFK), I rolled through customs (they didn't stop me at all) and down to the train station. I bought my ticket and was thankful to see that a train was leaving for Leuven in 4 minutes. Thankfully I made the train and the trip to Leuven was very quick. I made it there in roughly 20 minutes.
At the Leuven train station I pulled all of my luggage together as best I could. This was probably the roughest part of the luggage experience because they had no baggage carts on the platform at Leuven and no one offered to help. There weren't all that many people on the platform at Leuven. Once I finally got the luggage straight - I wheeled everything over to the front of the station where there was a row of taxi's waiting. I got in the 1st taxi waiting and he was willing to make two stops which I needed so that I could pick up my keys from the Resident Office at Student Housing. I'm staying in one of the guesthouses offered by the University here and it's a good value for the money. I have my own bathroom and a private room for 25 euros per night. The room is clean and the building is relatively modern looking.
I decided to take a bit of a nap and then shower before getting out and walking around a little bit. Around 14:00 I walked out of my building and headed over to the school because I felt I needed to see the location before searching for places to live. Leuven is a small city, but if I lived too far away I'd need to rent a bike to get around. I still might need to in order to get around anyway, but I'd prefer to live within easy walking distance to our building. The school is in a relatively central part of town so my hope is that I'll find a nice studio not too far away. After seeing the school I was quite surprised to realize that it's really only one building and not too large. Our other building in Gent seemed much larger and more like a college campus.
After viewing the Vlerick Leuven Building, I walked over to the housing office and checked in with them. The Housing Services counseler gave me some advice. One thing I didn't quite fully realize before my arrival here is that most rental contracts don't start until September 1st or September 15th. School begins for me on September 1st so ideally I would like to get situated before then. She mentioned that they have some listings called Summer rentals that I should check out. After speaking to her I went to the computer room that the Housing Office has available. I was able to set up a few viewings yesterday and one guy had 3 spaces that I saw. I liked one of them and I'm considering taking it although it wouldn't be available until September 1st. The price was right and it was located right off Grote Markt which is one of the busier areas in the central part of town. Grote Markt has lots of restaurants and shops.
The one thing that remains on my to-do list is to find a place that sells converter plugs. I finally found a place that sold a Mac travel kit with lots of adapters in it so that I could power up my macbook, but I still need a converter for my blackberry and camera chargers. The one thing that I have to get used to is the lack of convenience that I've become accustomed to by living in NYC. The big stores that sell everything aren't easily found here in Leuven. Most of the little shops and stores here close by 17:00 or 18:00 (even the large grocery stores).
Tonight I am headed out for drinks with some of my new classmates. I have to say that Facebook has been great in making this huge world a lot smaller for me. We connected via our group on Facebook and it's been a huge resource in keeping me sane throughout my move. I can't wait to get back to you with more updates about my adventures here in Leuven.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Packing, selling and tossing
Hello my faithful readers:
I am smack dab in the middle of trying to move my life to Leuven, Belgium and at this point I'm proud of myself. I'm on the edge though, I'm tense because so far I've donated all of my bedroom furniture, two tv's and air conditioner, but I still have a living room set to sell (even though I've sold some of my other furniture). I'm even thinking of having a stoop sale this weekend to get rid of the remaining things.
This process is harder than I thought it would be because I have a problem. A big problem. No, this is a HUGE problem. I'm a pack rat. I keep any and everything. Christmas cards, tote bags, cd's, books, small children (ok maybe not small children), but you get the general idea. I also have another issue - although I'd like to be able to focus in on getting this done I hate the idea of selling and giving my things away (no matter how little I need them) so instead I find other diversions for my time instead of packing, selling and tossing (which is happening more than I like).
I have collected many things in my 9 years of living here in Brooklyn, NY. By NYC standards I have a large 1 bedroom apartment with an office. I have been working on getting rid of things now for a long time. It all started with my books and CD's nearly a month and a half ago. On one of my favorite websites in the world, Craigslist, I found a guy who was willing to come by and pick my books, CD's and DVD's up. When all was said and done I had sold him almost 350 books and nearly 60o cd's and 30 DVD's. That was a tough day for me because selling these things (especially the books) was like selling off my children. In my head, I dramatically said "They will have a better home now, I couldn't take care of them anymore." Which is true in my case because I'm physically moving away from them.
This packing, selling, tossing process has me thinking about materialism and how my attitude might change by taking a few steps back and getting into the mindset of living as a frugal student again. I have been known to buy a few (LOTS) of shoes, clothes or handbags that I rarely if ever wear. It's like a bit of what I call retail therapy for me and just the little act of purchasing these things (within reason - I don't go into debt for them) makes me VERY happy. So what will I do with a limited budget and limited space in my new environment?
I'm hoping that my experience of scaling down my life will help me to become more streamlined. It's something that I think a lot of Americans could use. We drive big cars (well I don't own a car, but if I did it would probably be HUGE), we eat too much (I definitely do this) and we live beyond our means a lot of times (although I'm proud to say that this isn't an issue for me). I know I'm making lots of generalizations here, but I really hope to learn and grow during my time abroad. I'd like to live and see a different way of life, before I'm too old to appreciate it.
As I continue packing, selling and tossing (through next Tuesday) I urge you to consider a little streamlining in your own life. I know it's something I should have done a long time ago, but complacency kept me thinking oh I can do it at anytime. Now that I have to drill my life down to four bags, I'm taking it a lot more seriously. Take a little time to do an inventory it could change your life!
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
P.S. Tonight is my going away party at Volt de Nuit (Belgian Beer bar). If you're in the NYC area you should stop by to say bye to me in person.
P.P.S. I still have a living room set available for sale - my buyers backed out on me Tuesday. If you have friends who need good furniture have them to contact me.
It shouldn't be
I am smack dab in the middle of trying to move my life to Leuven, Belgium and at this point I'm proud of myself. I'm on the edge though, I'm tense because so far I've donated all of my bedroom furniture, two tv's and air conditioner, but I still have a living room set to sell (even though I've sold some of my other furniture). I'm even thinking of having a stoop sale this weekend to get rid of the remaining things.
This process is harder than I thought it would be because I have a problem. A big problem. No, this is a HUGE problem. I'm a pack rat. I keep any and everything. Christmas cards, tote bags, cd's, books, small children (ok maybe not small children), but you get the general idea. I also have another issue - although I'd like to be able to focus in on getting this done I hate the idea of selling and giving my things away (no matter how little I need them) so instead I find other diversions for my time instead of packing, selling and tossing (which is happening more than I like).
I have collected many things in my 9 years of living here in Brooklyn, NY. By NYC standards I have a large 1 bedroom apartment with an office. I have been working on getting rid of things now for a long time. It all started with my books and CD's nearly a month and a half ago. On one of my favorite websites in the world, Craigslist, I found a guy who was willing to come by and pick my books, CD's and DVD's up. When all was said and done I had sold him almost 350 books and nearly 60o cd's and 30 DVD's. That was a tough day for me because selling these things (especially the books) was like selling off my children. In my head, I dramatically said "They will have a better home now, I couldn't take care of them anymore." Which is true in my case because I'm physically moving away from them.
This packing, selling, tossing process has me thinking about materialism and how my attitude might change by taking a few steps back and getting into the mindset of living as a frugal student again. I have been known to buy a few (LOTS) of shoes, clothes or handbags that I rarely if ever wear. It's like a bit of what I call retail therapy for me and just the little act of purchasing these things (within reason - I don't go into debt for them) makes me VERY happy. So what will I do with a limited budget and limited space in my new environment?
I'm hoping that my experience of scaling down my life will help me to become more streamlined. It's something that I think a lot of Americans could use. We drive big cars (well I don't own a car, but if I did it would probably be HUGE), we eat too much (I definitely do this) and we live beyond our means a lot of times (although I'm proud to say that this isn't an issue for me). I know I'm making lots of generalizations here, but I really hope to learn and grow during my time abroad. I'd like to live and see a different way of life, before I'm too old to appreciate it.
As I continue packing, selling and tossing (through next Tuesday) I urge you to consider a little streamlining in your own life. I know it's something I should have done a long time ago, but complacency kept me thinking oh I can do it at anytime. Now that I have to drill my life down to four bags, I'm taking it a lot more seriously. Take a little time to do an inventory it could change your life!
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
P.S. Tonight is my going away party at Volt de Nuit (Belgian Beer bar). If you're in the NYC area you should stop by to say bye to me in person.
P.P.S. I still have a living room set available for sale - my buyers backed out on me Tuesday. If you have friends who need good furniture have them to contact me.
It shouldn't be
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Visa Application Challenge (pt. 3)
Hello my faithful readers:
The past few weeks have gone so quickly that I barely have time to keep up with everything. Each day is a flurry of new activity, but yesterday I'm happy to say I picked up my VISA! It's official - I can now go to Belgium officially to begin my program! I'm very excited about this and now I just have to finish wrapping up my life here in NYC.
In my previous blogs about the visa application process (part 1 & part 2 ) I shared with you the challenges of getting the proper medical certifications and the drama of getting the financial declaration letter approved. Today I want to share a little bit about the ever changing rules of the Belgian government. When I started this whole process back in May the application cost was $126 + a few additional fees (financial declaration letter processing etc). By the time I physically submitted my application last week the fees for the Visa application had doubled to $252. That's a big difference when you're working within a budget. Once all was said and done this whole visa application process (erm investment) was approximately $514.
I also had the luck of happening to call the Belgian Consulate in NYC on a day when they were requiring all applicants to complete an 8 page interview form about why they were requesting a student visa. Being the overachiever that I (think) am I typed my form, pulled out my transcript from college, printed out other supporting documentation for this form. All for naught it seems; when I handed that in as a part of the application last week, the woman behind the glass window was like - "Oh, we don't need that form, that was only a requirement for a couple of days." Yes - I was a little annoyed, but I was happy that for once in this entire process things were proceeding smoothly. She flipped through all of my papers and said "You'll be able to pick your visa up next Tuesday!
So now I have my visa and the way that it works is they give it to you for 3 months. You have to take it to the city hall of the place where you're planning to live and sign up for a resident card. They provide the card to you (with your picture) and you can use that to travel within Europe. They also warned us that the local police in our city (Leuven) will stop by within the week to make sure we actually live at the address we provide when we register with the city.
So that's the visa application challenge for me in a nutshell. Should you ever decide to get a visa to Belgium - I hope you have a much easier time than I had getting mine. I really think that it all depends on where you make your application. My classmates in other (American) cities seemed to have a lot less issues than I did in obtaining their visa's. I'll try to get another blog in this week maybe about my packing process. I fly to Belgium next Wednesday - for me it's just starting to feel more real.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
PS - If you're in the NYC area you should stop by my Going-Away celebration on Thursday August 6th @ Volt de Nuit down in the West Village.
The past few weeks have gone so quickly that I barely have time to keep up with everything. Each day is a flurry of new activity, but yesterday I'm happy to say I picked up my VISA! It's official - I can now go to Belgium officially to begin my program! I'm very excited about this and now I just have to finish wrapping up my life here in NYC.
In my previous blogs about the visa application process (part 1 & part 2 ) I shared with you the challenges of getting the proper medical certifications and the drama of getting the financial declaration letter approved. Today I want to share a little bit about the ever changing rules of the Belgian government. When I started this whole process back in May the application cost was $126 + a few additional fees (financial declaration letter processing etc). By the time I physically submitted my application last week the fees for the Visa application had doubled to $252. That's a big difference when you're working within a budget. Once all was said and done this whole visa application process (erm investment) was approximately $514.
I also had the luck of happening to call the Belgian Consulate in NYC on a day when they were requiring all applicants to complete an 8 page interview form about why they were requesting a student visa. Being the overachiever that I (think) am I typed my form, pulled out my transcript from college, printed out other supporting documentation for this form. All for naught it seems; when I handed that in as a part of the application last week, the woman behind the glass window was like - "Oh, we don't need that form, that was only a requirement for a couple of days." Yes - I was a little annoyed, but I was happy that for once in this entire process things were proceeding smoothly. She flipped through all of my papers and said "You'll be able to pick your visa up next Tuesday!
So now I have my visa and the way that it works is they give it to you for 3 months. You have to take it to the city hall of the place where you're planning to live and sign up for a resident card. They provide the card to you (with your picture) and you can use that to travel within Europe. They also warned us that the local police in our city (Leuven) will stop by within the week to make sure we actually live at the address we provide when we register with the city.
So that's the visa application challenge for me in a nutshell. Should you ever decide to get a visa to Belgium - I hope you have a much easier time than I had getting mine. I really think that it all depends on where you make your application. My classmates in other (American) cities seemed to have a lot less issues than I did in obtaining their visa's. I'll try to get another blog in this week maybe about my packing process. I fly to Belgium next Wednesday - for me it's just starting to feel more real.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
PS - If you're in the NYC area you should stop by my Going-Away celebration on Thursday August 6th @ Volt de Nuit down in the West Village.
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