Brochure Living in Leuven

132 Pages·2013·4.29 MB·English

DOC_KAF_LIVINGINLEUVEN_DOC_KAF_LIVINGINLEUVEN 7/06/13 09:26 Pagina 1
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LEUVEN
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WWW.VLERICK.COM/MASTERS
20130430_LivingInLeuven_A5.indd 1 3/05/13 13:49
Your holiday starts
at Omnia Travel.
You are welcome
in our shop at Ladeuzeplein
Openinghours
Ladeuzeplein:
ma-vr 9-17 u.
Schoenmarkt 35 J. Eggermontstraat 12 Mgr. Ladeuzeplein 15
2000 Antwerpen 9050 Gent 3000 Leuven do 9-19 u.
Louizalaan 285 de Schiervellaan 9 Polenplein 17a
www.omniatravel.be 1050 Brussel 3500 Hasselt 8800 Roeselare
adv_omnia_studentengids_2012.indd 1 25/04/12 15:52
Content
1 Foreword ............................................................. 5 4 During your stay ........................................... 49
4.1. Ofces & services for
2 Introduction ........................................................ 7 international students .................. 49
4.2. Studying in Leuven ......................... 61
3 Upon arrival ...................................................... 19 4.2.1. Educational system .............. 61
3.1. Formalities ........................................... 19 4.2.2. Libraries ................................... 66
3.2. Accommodation .............................. 27 4.2.3. Agora Learning Centre .... 68
3.3. Health Insurance & other types of 4.2.4. Language schools .............. 69
insurance ............................................. 34 4.2.5. ACCO ......................................... 71
3.4. Money matters ................................. 42 4.3. Day-to-Day Life ................................ 72
3.5. Living Cost ........................................ 44 4.3.1. the Health Care System .... 72
3.6. Welcome and integration 4.3.2. Student Restaurants ......... 74
programmes ..................................... 46 4.3.3. Shopping ................................ 74
4.3.4. Laundrettes ........................... 76
4.3.5. Environment .......................... 76
4.3.6. Transportation ...................... 79
4.3.7. Communications &
Postal Services ................................ 84
4.3.8. Sports ....................................... 88
4.3.9. Culture .................................... 90
4.3.10. Religion & Worship ........... 96
4.3.11. Births, Marriages, Deaths .99
4.3.12. Schools & Child Care .... 100
4.4 Student organisations ................ 105
4.5. Police, safety .................................... 119
5 Leaving Leuven ............................................ 125
5.1. Formalities while leaving for
a short time ...................................... 125
5.2. Leaving Leuven defnitely -
formalities and practicalities ... 125
2013-2014 Living in Leuven 1
STUDENT ROOMS
FOR RENT
Useful phonenumbers
emE gr en yc eS vr iec s utS ed n t eS vr iec s eG ( ne)la r
es( e osla no .p )121 -91
• KU Leuven tel. [phone]
• Ambulance and Fire Department 100 • KHLeuven vzw Studentenservice
• Police Emergency 101 tel. [phone] and 016 37 57 48
• GROUP T - International University
College Leuven tel. [phone]
ipsoH lat – eem gr en yc
• LUCA – Campus Lemmensinstituut
ed emtrap n t eopS( gd evela n) (W&K) tel. [phone]
• Go to the emergency department at
the Regional Hospital ‘Heilig-Hart’,
uoH is ng eS vr iec
Naamsestraat 105 or wity Hospital
Gasthuisberg, Herestraat • For students of KU Leuven,
• KU Leuven Emergency KH Leuven, GROUP T, LUCA –
tel. [phone] Campus Lemmensinstituut
• Medical Centre for Students tel. [phone]
KU Leuven, GROUP T, LUCA – • City of Leuven tel. [phone]
Campus Lemmensinstituut and
Vlerick management school
(working days 8 am - pm) icoS la eS vr iec
tel. [phone]
• KU Leuven, KH Leuven, GROUP T,
• After hour family doctor LUCA – Campus Lemmensinstituut
(night, weekend, holidays) tel. [phone]
tel. [phone]
utS yd vd A iec eS vr iec
eS vr iec s ro f inet nr ita no la
uts ed n st na d guests • KU Leuven tel. [phone]
• KU Leuven International Admissions
and Mobility Unit tel. [phone] eM id lac eC nert ro f utS ed n st
• Pangaea, International Meeting
(KU Leuven, GROUP T, LUCA – Campus
Centre tel. [phone]
Lemmensinstituut and Vlerick)
• LOKO International tel. [phone] • tel. [phone]
• LOKO Central (Student Body
Council) tel. [phone]
• Foreigners’ Ofce (City of Leuven) ehtohc y sP epa r uit c ec nert
tel. [phone]
(KU Leuven, GROUP T, LUCA – Campus
• Student Cop tel. [phone] Lemmensinstituut and Vlerick)
• Anti-Discrimination Centre (Meldpunt • tel. [phone]
Discriminatie)
tel. [phone]
2013-2014 Living in Leuven 3
LHK euven
• tel. [phone]
• Business Studies student secretary
tel. [phone]
• Health and Technology student
secretary tel. [phone]
• Teacher Education Heverlee student
secretary tel. [phone]
• Social Work student secretary
tel. [phone]
PUORG T – nI ternational
nU iversity College Leuven
• Leuven Engineering College
tel. [phone]
• Leuven Education College
tel. [phone]
LCU A – Camup s
Lemmensinstituut
• tel. [phone]
eR gistrars’ c�O e
• KU Leuven tel. [phone]
• KHLeuven tel. [phone]
- Business Studies student secretary
tel. [phone]
– H ealth and Technology student
secretary
tel. [phone]
– T eacher Education Heverlee stu-
dent secretary
tel. [phone]
– S ocial Work student secretary
tel. [phone]
• LUCA – Campus Lemmensinstituut
Tel. [phone]
4 Living in Leuven 2013-2014
1 _ Foreword
The City of Leuven and the Institutions of
Higher Education welcome you proudly to
this city and its various educational institu-
tions. We have joined forces and eforts to
produce the booklet that you now hold in
your hands. “Living in Leuven” has been writ-
ten for all those who come to Leuven to pur-
sue studies, research or further teaching and
training. It contains information concerning
Belgium, daily life in Leuven and the various
institutions of higher education in the city.
This brochure also contains information that
will help you to deal with the practical pro-
blems that everybody has to face when arri-
ving in this country. It will also help you to
better understand the Belgian idiosyncrasies uP ilb ehs :r
Bieke Verlinden,
and life-style so that your day-to-day life here Alderman for student afairs,
soon becomes a positive and fruitful experi- City of Leuven
ence. (Professor Van Overstraetenplein 1,
B-3000 Leuven).
Although “Living in Leuven” will not answer
every specifc question, this booklet will be idE iro t la et :ma
City of Leuven, KU Leuven,
of most help to you if you read it calmly and KHLeuven, GROUP T – International
carefully. While doing so, take account of all University College Leuven,
the cultural, administrative and practical in- LUCA – Campus Lemmensinstituut and
formation contained in it. We wish you every LOKO.
success and a very fruitful stay. noC :tcat
Sociale Zaken
tel. [phone]
6 Living in Leuven 2013-2014
2 _ Introduction
1 .2 eB gl ium High living standard and excellent social
security system
ID Belgium Historical and beautiful towns: Antwerp,
Bruges, Gent, Tongeren, Tournai, Liège
Date of birth: 1830
National Feast Day: 21 July Highest point: 694 m above sealevel
Kingdom: King Albert II & Queen
Paola, crown prince Filip
etca rahC r fo eht eB gl ina ? s
11.082.744 inhabitants (Jan 2013)
with 360 people/ km2 • Belgians enjoy their “creature com-
6,37 million live in Flanders (North), forts”
1,14 million in Brussels, • most own their own homes and
3,56 million in Wallonia (South) spend a lot of time and money in
constantly renovating, decorating
10 provinces with Leuven as the
and improving them
capital of the province of Flemish-
• love good food and drink
Brabant
• beneft from an excellent social secu-
6 governments: 1 federal, 5 regional rity and health-care system
Prime minister is Mr Elio Di Rupo • insist on having their roads and
(since Dec. 2011) highways brightly lit at night (the
3 ofcial languages: illuminated “Belgian Window” can ap-
Dutch, French and German parently be seen from space)
Political structure: Federal Govern- • have the art of compromise: when
ment they disagree, they try and fnd the
middle ground
3 Communities
(Flemish, French, German)
Climate
74 000 people speak German
The Belgian, maritime climate is cha-
3 Regions
racterized by abundant precipitation
(Flemish, Brussels, Walloon)
throughout the year. The temperature
= 5 regional governments
is fairly variable and moderate (average
In Leuven, people speak Dutch
temperature in January: 3,3°C, in July:
Brussels = capital, and capital of the 18,4°C). Average temperature 11,2°C. Ex-
European Union. treme temperatures can occur in sum-
mer and winter time.
Ports: Antwerp and Sea-Bruges
“You must have a lot of patience with
Religion: mainly Catholic (75 %), but
the Belgian weather, as the winter is
massattendance is very low, Muslim
long, cloudy and cold...” (student from
(4%), Protestant (1%)
Greece)
2013-2014 Living in Leuven 7
• Scientists: Gerardus Mercator
© Toerisme Leuven
(cartographer), Adolphe Quetelet
(founder of statistics, inventor BMI)
• Other famous Belgians: Victor Horta
(architect), Adolphe Sax (inventor
saxophone), Saint Father Damian,
Jean-Claude Van Damme (action-flm
hero)
“There Are No Belgians”
“Your Majesty, there are no Belgians” –
a Belgian politician once famously ex-
claimed to the king. This statement ex-
emplifes the attitude of many Belgians
towards their own country. Although
the politician in question meant to refer
to the fact that Belgium is divided into
diferent linguistic groups, it also refects
the high degree of self-criticism charac-
teristic of almost all Belgians. There is
no such thing as a patriotic Belgian. At-
tractively modest though this attitude
might seem, it does lead to a distorted
image of Belgium abroad. After all, who
Name some famous Belgians? will take a country seriously when even
• Artists: Hieronymus Bosch, its own citizens deride it? As an interna-
Pieter Brueghel, Peter Paul Rubens, tional student or scholar in Belgium, you
René Magritte, Jan Fabre, will fnd that most Belgians will agree
James Ensor wholeheartedly with any criticism you
have to ofer of their country, customs
• Musicians, singer-songwriters: Milow,
or politics.
Selah Sue, Axelle Red,
Johnny Halliday, Jacques Brel, Hel- To redress the balance, we would like
mut Lotti, Soeur Sourire, to reiterate that the standard of living
Django Reinhardt (jazz), in Belgium is among the highest in the
Toots Thielemans world, its citizens beneft from an excel-
• Sports men and women: lent (almost free) educational system,
Eddy Merckx, Justine Henin, universal healthcare and social-security
Kim Clijsters coverage, usually own their own homes,
• Politicians: Herman Van Rompuy and have never started or engaged in
(First President of the European an armed confict, either internally or
Council) internationally, except for a courageous
• Fashion designers: Dirk Bikkembergs, attempt at self-defence against the Ger-
Walter Van Beirendonck, mans in World Wars I and II.
Dries Van Noten,
Ann Demeulemeester
• Fictional: Hercule Poirot, Tintin,
Smurfs
• Writers: Georges Simenon,
Hugo Claus
8 Living in Leuven 2013-2014