Is there more to Belgium than waffles and beer?
Two international students talk ‘About Belgium’
“Belgium’s motto is ‘unity is power’. Isn’t that just a little bit ridiculous? There are seven governments, four regions and three languages. Belgium must be a really powerful place.” On 8 December, stand-up comedian Nigel Williams hosted the last evening in About Belgium, a series of evenings organised to introduce and integrate (new) international students to Leuven and Belgium. The hall was packed and the audience rolled about laughing.
“I thought Williams was great,” Spanish PhD student Pedro Feijoo told us afterwards. “He really hit the nail on the head. Everything he said about Belgium corresponds completely to my experiences here.”
“I didn’t really have any preconceptions about Belgium before I arrived. I had been here once before, as a tourist. I visited all the usual tourist sites – Bruges, Gent, Antwerp – and was struck by how beautiful the country and the architecture is. But I didn’t really learn anything about the history or the people. I left with stereotypical ideas about Belgium: excellent beer and chocolate. I decided to come back for an internship at IMEC because of how important the company is – IMEC conducts world-leading, cutting-edge research in nano-electonics.”
“I discovered a lot during the About Belgium evenings. For example, I didn’t know anything about the colonial period and Belgium’s activities in Congo. A university, named Lovanium after Leuven, was even founded in what is now Kinshasa by Belgian missionaries. After the lecture, we visited the ‘Mayombe. Masters of Magic’ exhibition, which was fascinating."
That is one of the things I liked so much about the series; you discover things that you wouldn’t necessarily find out about otherwise.
“I also gained interesting insight into the political tensions between the Flemish and Walloon communities in Belgium, during the political evening in the series. The situation here is very complicated and it is very strange that Belgium has not had a government for such a long time. It is very interesting, though, that most people I meet don’t really seem to mind. I am impressed by how cordial the discussions between the communities are. I think there are a lot of places in the world where much less political tension would result in much more aggression and violence. Belgians are very polite. Having said that, Belgians are often also quite closed and distant. It is difficult to get Flemings to open up, but once they do they are great fun.”
Mia Joniakova, an anthropology student from the Czech Republic, disagrees: “Maybe I’ve been lucky, but all the Flemings I’ve met have been really open, kind, genuine and helpful. I was a bit nervous about coming here because a lot of people back home had told me that Belgium was boring and that it was basically a waste of time. That is completely untrue, as I discovered when I arrived. I did come with all the same stereotypical preconceptions: beer, chocolate, waffles. And that Brussels is the home of the European institutions, of course. (laughs)"
“I love it here. The education is very different from in the Czech Republic. I feel as though I have a lot more insight into the material and am not just expected to learn everything by heart. But Leuven is not only a nice place to live in terms of the education. It is also a great place to relax and enjoy. There are so many events, activities, parties, guest lectures, etc. This evening, for example, there were two or three other things I would have liked to do, but I’m glad I came to see Nigel Williams because he was hilarious.”
“The other evenings were very interesting too. The lecture about art and culture was fascinating. Belgium has an incredibly rich cultural history despite how small it is. I particularly enjoyed the gastronomy evening. As it turns out, Belgians do care about food after all, I thought it was just fries, mussels, chocolate, waffles and beer. (laughs)"
“Would I ever want to come back? Definitely. After I graduate, it is my dream to get a job at the European Parliament.” Pedro emphatically agrees: “I would too, I love it here.”
The About Belgium Series is co-organised by K.U.Leuven’s International Office. Klaartje Proesmans: “The series is organised for international students who are eager to learn more about their host country and its culture. There are seven lectures and one performance. Knowledge about one’s host culture stimulates integration and intercultural exchange and helps international students to enjoy their time here all the more.”
John Arblaster
