My Erasmus Experience in Belgium

Written in 2022 for Bournemouth University, Turing Scheme

Hey there, I'm Sophie and I'm in my second year of Bachelor of Marketing Communications at Bournemouth University. I am now following the International Communication Management program at Thomas More in Mechelen, Belgium.

I heard about the study abroad program for the first time during the middle of my first university year. It was mentioned by a lecturer and following that I did a bit of my own research about the opportunity and decided to go for it! I have always had a passion for travelling, discovering new cultures, places and people, and seizing every opportunity available, which made this program ideal for me.

In terms of the process, it was much harder and longer than I originally expected. At first, it was very exciting. However, as we got closer to the time and as my studies started again in September at BU, I became very overloaded. There were numerous time-consuming documents to be filled in, as well as making unit choice and all practical arrangements in terms of accommodation, travel, budget… all while navigating the ongoing COVID restrictions. I am lucky to be a very proactive and organised person, as well as being used to high levels of pressure and stress, so I still managed to get everything done in time.

My exchange experience did not start as planned. A day and a half before my planned departure, I tested positive for COVID, and so had to cancel all my arrangements and rebook my travels. It was a very stressful and frustrating time, as it made me miss out on the induction week with introductory sessions, icebreaker activities, tours and guides… Luckily, Thomas More had set up live streams of some of the sessions so I managed to follow along a bit.

When I finally made it to Belgium, it was a big relief, and I was very excited. When I arrived in Antwerp, I immediately noticed something completely different to Bournemouth: the use of bikes as main transportation mode. Cyclists are everywhere, bike racks always full, and nearly every road has its own bike lane. So, I decided to also get a bike of my own, and now use it daily! What I also noticed was the cultural diversity: at Thomas More students are all from different countries and speak different languages, which makes it very culturally diverse.

Both in Mechelen and Antwerp there is an organisation called ESN (Erasmus Student Network) who organises activities and events specifically for Erasmus students. However, my timetable is a lot fuller than at BU and so the workload is much heavier, which is something to get used to. I also have to commute everyday by bike, train and foot which is much longer than the walk I had to do in Bournemouth.  But the city of Antwerp, and the interesting and varied courses at Thomas More are definitely worth it! Antwerp is a great place to live: it is a big city with lots to do, but also feels safe and is student-friendly!

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It is now the beginning of April, and the exchange is still going very well. I am fully settled in and used to life here in Belgium.

One Friday night I had the opportunity to experience a typical Flemish tradition organised by the ESN: the cantus. It is an event full of singing, dancing, drinking beer and doing drinking games. The theme for this cantus was ‘Eurovision’, and so the songs were in various languages, and everyone was dressed up to represent their country. It was a great experience.

It is now mid-June and my time in Belgium is coming to an end and I am so happy I went on this exchange. It was a great opportunity for personal development and cultural awareness, and an eye-opening experience. I developed my independence, adaptability, discovered a new culture and a different way of higher-education teaching.

Studying abroad can be a scary thought for many, but it is definitely worth it. It is not an opportunity that will arise at any point in time, so I would recommend anyone to go for it. It is also only for one semester and Belgium is close to the UK, which definitely made the experience easier. In addition, whatever partner university you choose, there will always be other Erasmus students there which is a good starting point in meeting people. It is a great addition to your CV, and if you do not plan on living in the UK your whole life it is a perfect starting point in learning how to live abroad.

Thomas More is such a culturally diverse university, I got to meet people from all over the world. I had also never visited Belgium before choosing it as my Erasmus location. So overall, spending 5 months here has a great cultural advantage. In addition, the courses I took were very diverse and I believe I gained a lot of additional academic knowledge by being here. For example, I took a course which taught all about UX/UI and wireframes, and how to use WordPress. I also had a course which taught me how to set up my own business, and another where every week we had a different professional guest speaker come in!

Belgium, I will be visiting again soon!