23 September 2008

First Impression Leuven

at 9:37 AM

I have been in Leuven for a week and it is about time I report my first impressions. I waited as long as possible with forming a definite opinion because it would not be a good one, but I cannot wait any longer. So, Leuven is a disaster. This week has been a constant tragedy. Leuven is more Dutch than the village I come from, the Dutch culture that I have been trying to get away from has found me and is now punishing me for running away. Leuven has the Dutch pettiness and distance together with a French arrogance, it is really sad. The professors are extremely formal and we have been told serveral times we should never ever address them by their name. The introduction week from the university was a complete failure, being a Dutch speaker, I did not belong in the international erasmus crowd of Spaniards searching for constant fiesta and Chinese being lost in the traffic. I hardly spoke to anyone this whole week, I gave up somewhere in the middle. And then there is my room, for your pleasure: I do not have any heating, I share my shower and toilet with 14 people, this shower by the way is in the kitchen two floors down, and then there is a techno nightclub on the other side of the block so I have to sleep with earplugs almost every night, which also protect me from the bells of the many churches around here. The people of the house act surprised when I introduce myself to them, they silence when I walk past them and continue talking when I am gone. And because I feel so incredibly out of place, other things go wrong. I missed the important information sessions of my faculty where they gave all the important forms and booklets. I got locked in the park where I was reading a book, after which I got scolded at because they thought I climbed over the fences to enter their stupid parkfestival for free. I can go on and on like this, the bureaucracy, the level of my classes, my funding problems. Probably the worst of everything is that Leuven does not inspire me like the other places I have been; give me anything, beautiful nature, a cold city or some cute kind of village life, but Leuven is neither of these, it is confused and my pictures are blurry and boring. Leuven is a shit-hole and I am already desperately working on my applications for next year, to some place far away from here.

 

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4 Comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
    7:20 PM  
    I'm in a similar position and I agree 100%. Before coming here I'd read a lot of comments online depicting Leuven as some sort of fantastic student city and a great place to be. It's not. Most things I like about university life just don't exist here. I like being around a diverse group of open-minded, intelligent people who are curious about the world around them and who enjoy meeting people with different experiences and ideas. You can find this at any major university campus in the U.S., Canada, Australia or the U.K. ...but not in Leuven.

    Even though Brussels is dirtier and not as beautiful as Leuven, I'd much rather live there. There's more diversity and people tend to be a lot friendlier, especially to someone who isn't a boring cookie-cutter clone of themselves.

    So, yes, Leuven is a shithole.

    p.s. On a positive note, KUL staff appear to be nice...especially compared with staff from other Belgian universities.
    Sokol said...
    1:44 AM  
    it feels impossible to grasp the indifference with which you seem to have approached this place...
    Anonymous said...
    12:06 PM  
    In comparison with students at other well known, world class universities, KUL students and Leuven as a whole seem fairly homogeneous. There appears to be much less variation among the ages, backgrounds and interests of students. People are usually polite (though not necessarily considerate), but they have little interest in outsiders and can be quick to exclude them. Their indifference can sometimes be hard to take.

    Anyone who stands out in some way would probably feel more at home at a major English-speaking university, where diversity is seen as a positive thing.
    Unknown said...
    2:06 PM  
    In a way, I think you are right Soho, when you say that I aproached the place with an indifference, although I do not think this is so impossible to grasp. It is the sort of indifference with which you aproach any new environment or culture; it is simply being open, neutral or receptive to what the place does to you. There might be a sense in which you are responsible for the impressions you have, it is still important to be clear what the effect of reality itself is. This effect has been simply shitty, only honestly reporting what I feel about the place. Yet it is only a first impression, and thus now the work starts for me to make something out of it, but that is going to be my own doing, my own energy being put in to make a difference, instead of receiving it (which might hopefully come later). I hope this explains the indifference.

    @ Anonymous: it is, ironically, good to hear I am not the only one having some difficulty. About standing out, I guess we have to realize KUL should not be compared to ivy league universities, there is simply no selection procedure; it is an open public university and in that respect this university is similar to all the other public universities I know, there are people who are not sure what to study, or care more for the studentlife. I have been guilty of this myself a little and it is good that there places to do this. Still it is shitty, to be into your studies and surrounded by people who aren't, I get a similar feeling on the philosophy faculty and it sure adds to the shit-hole impression...

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