Erasmus Experience in Gent, Belgium by Ebru

Why did you choose to go to Gent, Belgium?

My home university had only two bilateral agreements for the Erasmus program and in my application period, I wrote Gent as my second preference, first one was Berlin. All the applicants wrote it as second because we did not have enough information about Gent. Also, there was limited quota (2 students for each university) and according to my GPA and language score average, I won right to go Gent university. I had never been to Belgium before, so it was a nice experiment, zero regrets.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with the living cost?

The total amount of your scholarship is calculated according to your departure and arrival dates or in other words, it depends on how many days you stay in the host country. You can never take the total amount. You can just take some amount of it before your departure from home country and after returning if you pass 80 % of your courses, your home university pays the remaining amount of your scholarship. The amount of scholarship was 448 euros per month. To survive, it could be enough, but for living not. You need absolutely extra financial support.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Gent?

I found my accommodation thanks to my ESN buddy. He helped me. He arranged some appointments with landlords, and with his help I found accommodation in 3 days after I had arrived in Gent (but be ready see terrible places while you are searching, but don't demoralize. Sooner or later it will be found because Gent is the city of students). The rent was 350 euros per month including all costs. It was a furnished room and a shared bathroom/kitchen in a Belgian family's house. The location of the home was perfect, so close to Sint Pieters station (train station, tram, and bus- all public transport was near there) and Waterspoortban. There were also two other Erasmus girls (German and Spanish) at the home, so my home was international. I was lucky! While I was searching, I stayed for a period at De Draecke hostel, it cost 20 euro per night including breakfast. But I strongly recommend the Uppelink hostel, which is at the heart of the inner city, near Graslei and Korenlei. Managers of hostel Uppelink is really helpful and cheerful. Even if you cannot stay there, you can go there for having breakfast or just for drinking red wine in its warm and historically decorated atmosphere.

How much does it cost to live in Gent?

The highest amount of my expenditure was accommodation rent. I paid nearly 1500 euros for rent during my living in Gent. In addition to rent, kitchen expenditure was almost 25-30 euro per week but it depends on where you go shopping and what you buy. Laundry was also a total of 5-6 euros for one machine including drying. These were just basic needs. If you need using public transport within the city, you can buy a single ticket for 2 euros, it is valid for one hour and you can change your transport from the tram to the bus, etc. But purchasing Lijnkaart makes you better off if you will use public transport regularly, but many students hire out bikes instead of using public transport.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available in the university?

Dutch is the language of Gent, where is the capital of the Flanders region and if you know German and English it is easy to understand people speaking in Dutch, or at least you have a general idea about the topic. When you travel Walloon region, be ready to hear French sounds around you. Belgium is a multilingual state but doesn't forget Belgians speak in English masterly. You can attend Dutch courses given by the university language center with a discount. It was 60 euro and it is useful for you to know that they are not accepted as course credits in your transcript. However, the demand is so high for courses so you should hurry up after completing your university registration.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to gent from your city?

To travel from Turkey to Belgium by plane is the easiest and safest way. The flights are only available from Istanbul and summertime from Eskişehir. In Istanbul there are two airports, one is on the Anatolian side (Sabiha Gökçen) and the other (Ataturk airport) is on the European side of Istanbul. Pegasus airlines using Sabiha Gökçen is more economical relative to Turkish airlines using Ataturk, but only if your free baggage is less than 20 kg. Flight ticket prices are like an exchange market, it changes day by day, generally become more expensive. Buy your ticket at least one month before! Both of them fly to Brussels national airport (BRU). But to reach Get you to have to take a train on the bottom floor of the airport. You can buy go pass for 50 euro for 10 times using trains, (you will need geo pass for your future journeys so don't be upset about paying 50 euro for your first transportation expense) it is cheaper than buying single tickets each time.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Gent?

Overpoortstraat is the main place for students' nightlife. You can find different bars, snack bars, etc. Porter's house is famous for parties for Erasmus students. Also, I can recommend Charlatan. If you are a cinema lover, Gent has several cinemas. Kinepolis Gent was my favorite.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Gent?

Unfortunately, restaurants are really expensive for a student's budget. Most of the students buy sandwiches as taking away at Panos or cook in their dorms or homes. However, it is possible to find a cheap and delicious Fritz on every corner. De Graleslei restaurant I can recommend you, you can eat, taste all kinds of delicious foods and its location is super (google it and you will see).

To be honest I could not try every food in Gent because of pork meat or bacon. If you are not eating pork meat or also eager to taste Turkish cuisine, you have many opportunities. Prices are economical and they are tasteful. Go Sleepstraat and enjoy your food and of course Waffle... They are small but really sweet. Neusjes is a candy special to Gent. You should try. And beers... Belgium is the home of beer, you can find a very different taste of beers. All of them are great I think.

Is there any other advice that you could give to future students who are going to Gent?

• Before going demand an ESN buddy.
• After going there, register for ESN. ESN team organizes most gorgeous parties, events, trips.
• Go to Gent in spring term because winters are really cold and it rains almost every day (I presume that most of the days like that but it never be as cold as in December, January)
• Take warm clothes with you or you can find them in cheap second-hand shops.
• Have an umbrella!
• Rent a bicycle. Go to Cidatel Park or Waterspoortban.
• Drink a beer, eat fries and chocolate but don't put on weight.

Photo gallery