I had wonderful time in Belgium during my exchange studies. I have a lot of wonderful memories in those five months I spent there.
(Broeltorens, Kortrijk)
I will tell you now about my typical school day in a small town called Kortrijk. So I woke up in my little room at the dorm and made myself ready for the day. I always carried my birdy backpack with me as I do also in Finland. That’s a backpack that travels with me almost anywhere I go. Usually I tried to eat something for the breakfast at the dorm. Then I headed out, took stairs to the cellar and took my bike. When I got my bike in the spring time I almost every day cycled to school and I enjoyed it a lot. Good exercise and it only took like 20ish minutes to get to school. I often listened to some music and I can still go back in my memories to those moments. Somehow I felt really so free. I used to tell a friend of mine that the moments I felt most free in Belgium was while I was cycling. Or bikling, as we had this funny joke combining cycling and riding a bike with my Scottish friend. At the uni I always changed my clothes and got ready for the upcoming day. Sometimes I got a coffee from the main building Forum from a Starbucks coffee machine.
(A lovely bike and a dog in Brugge. I didn’t have exactly that bike 😀 but it was so nice that I wanted to add this picture to my blog.)
In my study program we had many different courses and very different kind of days. So it’s actually hard to describe a typical uni day since sometimes it started with Henk’s philosophy lesson and sometimes we had art labs which meant drama/theatre, sound, visual or dance and movements lessons for the day. Sometimes we had a study visit day when we visited some work places or art galleries in Kortrijk or even travelled for example to Brussels, Ghent or Brugge. The meaning of the visits was to learn to know about places that combine arts with social services or art in social settings and getting some inspiration for our future and working life. I really enjoyed all the courses especially the art labs.
(Trying new techniques at the visual art lab)
The last part of our studies was a project work that we literally worked from nine to five in a cooperation with an organisation helping them out with the ongoing project somehow. Our project was about Silent Struggle statue in Kortrijk that spreads awareness about the topic of suicide. It’s also a place where people can memorise their lost loved ones. We arrranged a picnic event and planned some other future events around the topic and the statue too. We also had some happenings before the actual picnic that were concluded and pursued.
(Stille Strijd, Silent Struggle statue made by an artist called SAZZA)
After my studying days I mostly spend the rest of the day doing my schoolwork, resting a bit or seeing my friends. I got to know people from all over the world and the most important friendships were made from my study program or the people living at the same dorm as me. I felt that it was wonderful to share such a team spirit in my studies and such a community that was built at the dorm. I could go anytime to knock the door of my neighbours and best friends and ask to go out together, eat together or just chat and relax. We also had a nice garden in the backyard that we sat on a wooden table-chairs complex and made the world a bit better place together. I really miss those moments.
(Everything is better when together, some of my best buddies during my exchange studies)
What I learned about studying and living in Belgium was that the living part didn’t differ that much from Finland. I thought that the architecture was nicer and the cities and buildings were many times more beautiful but I really missed the Finnish nature. There’s not enough nature in Belgium in my opinion. The studies were very exciting but also very tough. We had way longer school days than in Finland but on the other hand we usually started a bit later. But because of the many group assignments we needed to come early to school time to time and then we still had a big list of tasks to do at the free time. I think that’s also one reason why I just simply didn’t have the time to do these assignments during my exchange studies. We worked so hard that sometimes it felt like I barely had time to do all the assigments asked if I also wanted to have some free time. What I’ve heard from the other exchange students in Belgium and also some other people I’ve talked to, who have done their exchange before or at the same time, they have usually had much less studies. Maybe they haven’t picked up so many courses and have had more free time, more holidays and more time to relax. Also we didn’t pick up courses but the S.P.A.C.E. program was a scheduled program that all the courses was on the program and already given to us. So there was no choice and the course was super intensive and full. We were warned about the intensity but it still surprised many of us. One of the pitfalls was that even when we had our holidays, we also had all the tests and presentations just after those, so even on holidays we couldn’t just fully relax. I think that was one of the reasons I’ve been so exhausted after coming back. If I could change something I would make the schedule a little bit easier. But on the other hand, the courses were really interesting and I really enjoyed all the courses. With a little less work it would have been even greater but we made it and I think I wouldn’t change any content of the program since I love arts and creativity and the program was really made for me.
(Me in S.P.A.C.E.)
After this experience I strongly recommend going to Belgium, joining S.P.A.C.E-program and just scheduling everything as soon as you can. And taking no courses from Finland: just focusing on the courses abroad and then enjoying the international atmosphere for all the time you have rest. Belgium is a small country so I strongly recommend to explore it and go to see different cities. Everything is quite near when you travel by train.
(At the beach in Oostende)
Altogether I had such a wonderfull time and experiences in Belgium, so probably that’s why it’s been quite hard to adapt back to Finland. Basically I wouldn’t miss this opportunity and I really enjoyed my time abroad. Even though the hard working, my experience was more adventurous, amazing and fullfilling I could have ever imagined I would experience! <3
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