A colourful back-to-school season for Erasmus students!
Mexicans, Taiwanese, Italians, Latvians, Danes, Norwegians, Argentinians, to name but a few, have arrived for a semester or a full year to deepen their knowledge of communication and journalism, but also to discover a new culture and to immerse themselves in it.
To help them integrate, the IHECS International Exchanges Office organised an integration week. The agenda was filled with a wide range of courses and activities. Thus, the mornings of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were led by IHECS professors giving introductory talks on Belgium, Europe and cultural specificities.
This was deemed important information for these students who will spend 6 months in a country that is foreign to them. The aim was to arouse their curiosity, but also to provide them with points of reference.
A visit to IHECS was also scheduled during this week enabling the students to meet in the various buildings, corridors and classrooms.
This week forms an integral part of the arrival of our international students and helps them navigate our institution smoothly. Arriving in a foreign country is often an ordeal for these young people who are sometimes travelling overseas for the first time. The aim is to provide them with the resources with which to make the most of their Erasmus experience.
Finally, a week of intensive French language followed the week of integration. Students wishing to enhance their knowledge were thus afforded the opportunity to immerse themselves in this new language before classes began.
And how about activities?
Our new students were able to kick things off with a welcome session to get to know each other. This was followed by a visit to the centre of Brussels and in particular to the Galeries de la Reine et du Roi, with the traditional tasting of our Belgian fries.
They also had the chance to visit the Parliamentarium (the visitors’ centre of the European Parliament) and the Chocolate Factory, where they were able to try their hand at the delicate art of making praline chocolates. They also visited the Magritte Museum, an ideal place to discover Belgian culture and surrealism. The week concluded with an evening visit to the Toon theatre.
We are very grateful to the team at the International Exchanges Office for organising this wonderful and fun week for our Erasmus students!
