Hello my faithful readers:
It has been exactly 1 week since I last updated my blog and to be honest I've been too busy to give serious thought about what I could share here on the blog with you all. My classes are Monday - Friday from 9 AM - 17:30 (5:30 PM). I'm in 2 lectures per day, both approximately 3 hours long if you include the breaks we get. This past week we've gone until almost 18:00 in my last class of the day. I've already completed one class (Economics) and will be starting two new classes next week. Typically we get an hour and a half lunch break which never seem long enough. Today for example most of my lunch time was spent sitting through a presentation from the government run health insurance company (more about that in another blog, once I experience the system first hand). After classes are done, I meet with my group to discuss whatever projects we have together; then I get a bite to eat or start studying for the next days classes. There have been a few days where I walked in at 9 AM didn't leave campus until almost midnight. Intense schedule huh? Most of my classmates are experiencing similar situations!
Now that doesn't mean I'm not having a good time here, but I will say that the sheer amount of reading is overwhelming. I've started to become a lot more strategic about how I spend my time so I don't burn out too quickly, but it is tough. It's also a challenge for me to make sure that I'm getting enough quality time in with my new friends (not always as easy as it might seem). Getting things done personally is almost exclusively reserved for the weekends. I went to Ikea last week and only had time/resources to purchase half of what I need here in my new studio. I'll focus on buying the rest of it this weekend if I have the time.
We watched a video yesterday in my "Managing Across Cultures" class; the film highlighted 3 distinct stages of culture shock. Stage 1 is the honeymoon phase, Stage 2 is crisis and Stage 3 is the adjustment phase. I think that I'm somewhere between the honeymoon and crisis stages. I just hope that my crisis stage will be a short one, but so far my biggest frustration is dealing with my banking situation and not knowing how to quickly get things done here without a lot of run around. All of the running around of late has me quite tired, but I hope that I'll build up some endurance to the intense schedule soon.
I'm still waiting for my student loan money to clear the bank here - I deposited over two weeks ago now, but the money still hasn't posted to my account. To add insult to injury, I'm frozen out of my banking software (why I can't just do it online like I did in America mystifies me) and when I called about it they actually told me I would have to call back because I didn't enter the right code. When I tried that (about a week ago), I couldn't get back in touch with them. I haven't had the time to attempt more direct contact with the helpdesk from the bank, but if I don't get some help by tomorrow I'm planning to shift my money to another bank when (and if) it ever appears!
As far as figuring out how to get things done- I think that will come with time for me. I just need to be patient and make an effort to simply learn more of the Dutch language (at least enough to understand all of the bills I'm starting to get in the mail). Making friends who have lived in Leuven for a while would be a good start for me.
That's about all I have to say for now. I like my classes a lot and have to say that I'm impressed by the caliber of students and professors this program has recruited. I learn something new every single day both about business and myself. I'll have a few growing pains, but for now I'm savoring the honeymoon.
Mwuah,
Georgia Peach
Showing posts with label banking in belgium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banking in belgium. Show all posts
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A different way of doing things
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
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
Sunday, August 23, 2009
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
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