My Erasmus Experience in Leuven, Belgium. By Monica.

Why did you choose to go to Leuven, Belgium?

After much deliberation, as I explained in my first blog post, and speaking with my university professor, I chose Leuven because of the subjects on offer, because although it was a city, it was very close to Brussels and for the good university atmosphere that the city is known for.

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

My stay is four months, but not because I decided that, but rather because there is no possibility of doing a yearly Erasmus placement at the University of Deusto. In fact, in Economic Law you can only go in the first four months of fourth year.

The grant I receive is for 5 months through the Ministry of Education, in total it is €1, 750, which equates to €350 a month. The Ministry grant can be received by all those who achieve a B2 level in their language which they will take in their exams. If that's not the case, you can receive the general Erasmus grant from the European Union, which is €250 per month.

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What is the student lifestyle like in Leuven?

I don't have words to describe it, you have to really live it and be here to be able to believe it.

There is a party everyday in Leuven, from the moment you touch down to the day that you leave, there is not time to get bored and there are so many options.

Of course, there are organisations such as LOKO or ESN that organise activities and parties for Erasmus, but Leuven is full of bars and terraces where, even though it is cold, you can always find good vibes.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Leuven to other students?

Of course. In fact, my friends who unfortunately didn't have the opportunity of Leuven, they would recommend any Belgian city because the student atmosphere in these cities is so desirable, from Brussels to Gante, Amberes or Liège.

The university is renowned, without a doubt. The truth is that I feel very fortunate to have been able to study at a university that is in the Top 100 Worldwide and in the Law field there are professors with very well-known professional experience.

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What is the food like there?

The star dish in Belgium is potatoes, more than a dish, food and they prepare them how they want; the most common is fried and it is very typical to order a cone of chips and choose a sauce (there are millions) in the afternoon. However, especially when you are coming back from clubbing, you enter into a wonder, as well as just Oude Markt, the square of bars, has a few establishments of potatoes.

Another typical food is Metraillete, a sandwich with a type of hamburger steak, lettuce, tomato, onion, chips with your chosen sauce, it's great! But you stay more comfortable than a bush.

I have only eaten one of the typical dishes, the Vol au Vent. With chicken and pastry and of course? Chips, the truth is they are delicious.

The mussels are also quite famous, but I'm not much of a fan. They give them to you in such industrial portions, with chips too.

For sweet-tooths, Belgium is paradise. Belgium is to chocolate what Germany is to sausages, all the cities are full of chocolaterías and how beautiful they are - they are decorated with such good taste. And the chocolate, you have the famous waffles with fruit, sugar, chocolate fondant, white chocolate, fruit sauces... There are a thousand possibilities.

And lastly, the beer!

I am going to do a post soon about where I recommend to go out to eat these delicacies.

Was it difficult to find your accommodation in Leuven?

The truth is that I, and the friend who I went with, we were very relaxed about it. We didn't look much and the little we looked at didn't convince us since there were hardly any pages of the residences or photos, the truth is that there's very little information.

A few days after the deadline we applied for the subsidized residences provided by the uni, but with time and seeing that the answer was going to be late and that the Belgians have first choice and we did not have any plan B, my friend who went in June took the opportunity to look at the residences we had requested and some more.

So we found the residence that we are in, the PML, next to the famous Goede Herder, it's 2 years old and impeccable, it's quite expensive but totally worth it.

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How much does it cost to live in Leuven?

Without counting travel, it was €1, 000 a month including accommodation, but the truth is that I travel a lot, so it has to be increased. In general, Belgium is a lot more expensive as a country than Spain is, especially in terms of food (meat and fish), but there are a lot of affordable options of supermarkets.

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

The language is the famous Dutch that has nothing to do with flyers or polka dots, it's kind of like a badly spoken German, in fact people who know German may understand part of things.

I personally don't like the language at all and I don't understand anything at all, but luckily everyone here speaks English, more or less, even the traditional establishments, so there's no problem with communication.

The university offers a free Dutch course for 4 hours a week. I went to the first class to try it and I laughed, it did not compensate me for only one quadrimestre to go and waste 4 hours of my life on a language I didn't even like. I was not going to contribute much professionally, and to advance it would need quite a lot of time.

In fact, I have friends that have arrived out of nowhere in November, because it takes up so much time and you'll see that time is just what you'll need on your Erasmus placement.

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

I'm from Santander, which has a direct flight to Charleroi airport with Ryanair, so the prices are cheap and Brussels is also a city that is quite cheap to travel to. The problem is with the Charleroi airport which is in the south of Brussels, in the town on Charleroi, so you need to get a bus or a taxi to the station Brussel-Midi and get a train from there to Leuven.

Another option is to go to Bilbao and from there, fly to the National Airport of Brussels where you can get a direct train to Leuven that takes 15 minutes.

Where would you recommend for a night out in Leuven?

Oude Markt, "the longest bar in Europe", is a square full of bars and terraces, and inside there, there are the best and most frequently visited places: Ambiorix and De Rector to go out to the "disco" and the Cafe Belge for a few beers.

In Leuven there is a type of bar that are called Fakbars, faculty bars, each faculty has one and organise parties, they are spread over the city and you enter with the uni card The most famous is the Economika, Dulci in Naamsestraat.

Another place that we Erasmus should not forget is Albatross in Brusselstraat, where the ESN has organised a few unforgettable parties.

And, finally, Villa Ernesto. This is somewhat unknown for most people in Leuven, but I have had amazing times here. The truth is that it is quite hidden and far away from the party area, somebody discovered it by accident and it has been passed around by word of mouth until the point where the bar is open every Thursday just for us.

The secret? A Spaniard owns it, and the music they play is only Latin and Spanish, and that's a lot for us.

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And to eat in Leuven?

What are some of your favourite places to go?

I will answer with a street, Moonstraat, until I learned the name it was the street of restaurants, there are all kinds, burgers, Italians, Mexicans, Japanese, Belgians...

My favourites were Ellis, Baraca, Domus, and Dwerf.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

The truth is that Leuven in Belgium has a lot of competition, it is not one of the prettiest cities ever, but it has its own charm.

The best buildings are the library, it is majestic and huge, as well as the plaza in front of it, it has beautiful views, and then there is the Town Hall in Grote Markt, in a Gothic style and a symbol of the city.

Bejinhof is also worth visiting, it is the neighbourhood where the widows lived during the war and the monks. They have quite a lot of Belgian cities, but Leuven is the prettiest.

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Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Leuven in the future?

Come here excited and relaxed, because the rhythm of life here is non-stop. You are very fortunate to come to Leuven, and you are making me very envious!

You won't forget anything about this place!