Greetings from Antwerp, Belgium!
My exchange in Belgium began at the end of January and is now coming to an end.
I studied business management at Artesis Plantijn at the Meistraat campus right next to the famous shopping street of Meir and also very closeby to the central railway station of Antwerp. I had courses in marketing, finance and environmental management. Studying in Belgium is definitely more demanding than in Finland, but it was all worth it as the subjects were mostly very interesting and useful for me. For example the course of content marketing is something I can implement right away in my current job.
As courses were more demanding, I did spend a good chunk of my spare time studying, too. However, I did have time for fun things as well! Sometimes we would go shopping and to have coffee with my friends, other times I would be going to different kinds of events. For example, I went to a chocolate fair in Brussels (the dress in the picture is made of chocolate!) and to Ru Paul’s drag show. I participated in a few workshops related to coding that I had found through Facebook. It was fun, as coding is something totally new to me but it interests me a lot. I also visited the Tutankhamon exposition in Paris, which was absolutely spectacular. I would totally recommend going to see it if you get the chance – it’s extended until September of this year!
I feel like students are quite relaxed in Belgium – which really is curious as teachers can be a lot more strict and courses a lot more extensive. It was not uncommon that students came to class somewhat unprepared, even if there was a presentation for example. Of course it was not the case for all students but this laid-back attitude was a lot more common there than in Finland. A lot of times, my fellow Erasmus students and I were more stressed over assignments and such than the local students appeared to be. The “hierarchy” between students and teachers was also more noticeable in Belgium than in Finland, which is not necessarily a bad thing but just something that I noticed.
Overall, my time in Belgium has been nice. I believe Antwerp has a lot to offer for students. It’s a nice city with a nice mix of different cultures and generally very friendly people.
Tot ziens!
P.S. Sorry that my card is arriving a bit late! The Finnish postal system is not always the fastest… 😉
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