Visiting KU Leuven: First Meetings and New Friends

By Victoria Prince

Illinois students and staff explore Brussels with representatives from Leuven

Our semester of exploring transatlantic relations happened not only in two separate classrooms across the world, but were intertwined when students from each side were able to personally travel this distance. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the University of Illinois delegation that traveled to Leuven, Belgium to meet our international classmates in person. The trip was filled with amazing experiences and unforgettable people that have made a huge impact on me and whom I hope to maintain friendships with throughout my lifetime.

I would say that the first full day of the program best exemplifies how incredible the entire journey was. On the Monday morning of our trip, we met in person with the professors of our course and the five students that would be our counterparts traveling to the United States a few weeks later. We saw the diversity in the student body and the impressive program at KU Leuven. We were then escorted to a lecture by the Leuven students and even during the short walk, began to create bonds that would deepen throughout the week. Professor Kolja Raube led the lecture and we were again impressed by the knowledgeable student participation in the course. We gained insight into the understanding of EU governance by citizens of the European Union. The lecture was then followed with a walk through campus to lunch at the university dining hall. Again, giving us an opportunity to bond and learn more about the Leuven students and faculty.

With a short break after lunch, the day continued to amaze us with the CEURO Roundtable on Transatlantic Relations. The panels consisted of brilliant professors, including the author of one of our program's required course's textbooks; officials from the different European Union institutions, and a representative of NATO. The panels covered many different topics concerned with transatlantic relations in the spheres of politics, security, economics, and the environment, just to name a few. Needless to say, I learned a lot from the panelists and was excited to continue learning from them during our dinner together following the event. Here I was able to have conversations with these intellectuals and explore even further the topics discussed in the panels, while also enjoying pizza! The bright side of the restaurant taking forever to serve our food was the opportunity to network with people from all over Europe and who are well informed in the affairs of both the EU and the US.

The exciting, albeit long, day did not end at dinner. Even though many of us were feeling the jetlag, we persevered to explore the campus nightlife with the Leuven students. Again, giving us an opportunity to bond with our new friends and realize that an ocean apart does not mean a world of differences.