Tuesday, December 14, 2010

I applied for a visa to Belgium but I have not received it yet. How can I facilitate it?

I applied for a visa to Belgium but I have not received it yet. How can I facilitate it?
Several weeks ago I applied for a Begium visa at the Washington Embassy. I have not received it yet I am a student and have arranged to study in Belgium. They have my passport and the embassy keeps putting me off and I am running out of time. Is there some way to faciltate it?
Belgium - 2 Answers
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1 :
Good luck, my friend. Both governments do everything in their own good time.
2 :
You have arranged to study in Belgium? How about contacting your school/university in Belgium and ask them to get involved by sending a Letter of Urge to the embassy? You will need to give that school all your personal data, so that they can speak on your behalf. Problem is, all institutions in Belgium are now closed for the hollidays.

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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Any tips on vacationing in Huy, Belgium?

Any tips on vacationing in Huy, Belgium?
My wife and I hosted an exchange student from Belgium last year. We are planning to visit her and her family in Belgium this summer. She lives in Liege and her family is in Huy (very close to each other). Is there anywhere we really should go see or anywhere we should really eat in Huy or Liege? I'm already prepared to sample the waffles, chocolate, french fries and beer. It is, after all, Belgium.
Belgium - 1 Answers
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1 :
In Huy, I can advise you to go see the citadelle (fortress). The little shopping streets of Huy are also extremely charming. In Liege, you may want to check out Place Saint Lambert. There is also the steepest staircase street in the world: Montagne de Bueren. There is next to it is a network of old passageways, which is absolutely worth it as well, look for les impasses... As for food, waffles (Liege and Brussels waffels, they are 2 different kinds), definitely try a Kwak beer, French Fries, Caracolles/ In Belgium, it is always more expensive to eat on the main square. You will find better food at better price in the side streets of the main square. Enjoy!

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

How hard is it to get accepted to an exchange student program?


How hard is it to get accepted to an exchange student program?
I am 17 years old from MN, USA and I want to take a semester or year in Belgium, Germany or France. I am an A student, involved in track, cross-country, and wrestling. I am an intern at the MN Capital and I work part time for the American Red Cross. I am wondering how hard it will be for me to get accepted into an exhange program, the odds, and how hard the scholarships are to get. Anyone been through this and have some tips?
Studying Abroad - 3 Answers
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1 :
I have not been through it, but my guess is that you are an IDEAL candidate for being accepted. Can your parents afford it? Most of the exchange students tat I have come into contact with have come from well-to-do families and the experience has been WONDERFUL for the whole family, plus great for the receiving families.
2 :
I've vetted several candidates for exchange student programs and, at a glance, you seem to be a good one. However, a lot depends upon the personal interview. That's where the major decision making is done. The interviewer will be looking for maturity, independence and problem solving ability. Also, openmindedness. As far as scholarships are concerned, that depends upon the program. If money is an issue for you, I suggest you begin with Rotary Youth Exchange. It's a very good program and one of the best bargains as well. Other top rated programs are AFS and YFU. I'll add a caveat here. Since you have mentioned both Belgium and France, you may NOT be eligible for these countries. The French parts of Belgium and Switzerland as well as France all require 2 years of high school French. If you've not had those, you may need to revise your country choices. Good luck! What I see so far looks good!
3 :
I was an exchange student to Belgium and am happy to see this lovely country listed among your choices!!! I would highly recommend pursuing exchange through Rotary International for several reasons. First of all, Rotary does a very good job keeping tabs on their exchangees. You will be accepted by a host club and will likely have at least monthly contact with them. You will have a designated Rotarian who is your liaison and will help you with any issues that might arise (such as a problem with your host family, school, travel issues, banking, etc.). Some other programs assign you to a host family, charge you a fee for doing so, and that's the end of their relationship with you. (I won't name names, but exchangees I met who were traveling through other programs often voiced that they wished they had gone through Rotary - we had good support, activities with and through Rotary/Rotex, and contact with our home and host clubs.) Also, if there is a financial concern, Rotary usually provides a monthly allowance for the exchangees in their program. Your host club will provide this to you. I had several very good exchangee friends who got by on the money they earned from their summer job and their monthly Rotary allowances. Others were a little more fortunate and had additional money coming from home. Some host families gave their exchangees money, but usually not on a regular basis. Not all exchangees come from well-to-do families, and that's a good thing, as the purpose of the exchange program is to promote international understanding, and not everyone in the US is loaded. (Especially now!) Based on the information you provided above, it sounds like you would have a good start in the application process. However, be aware that all reputable programs are going to be concerned about your ability to handle the challenges of living abroad, away from your family, for a year. Just because you are successful in your home environment does not mean you are emotionally equipped for an exchange - some of the people who struggled the most were the ones who lost their "status" by being abroad and didn't know how to be the new kid, how to be alone in the cafeteria the first day of school, etc. Are you parents supportive? (Parents are interviewed, too, so these are things to discuss with them!) I recall that my parents were asked things like, What would you do if your child called and said she wanted to come home? They may ask how you think you will do around the holidays, do your parents plan on visiting you while you're on exchange, if you've ever been away from home before. Demonstrating that you've taken baby steps towards being away from them for an extended period of time can only help you. Also, we were advised that choosing the least common/popular country would increase our odds of being assigned to a country of our choice. Ex: I knew I wanted to go to a French-speaking country, but France was really popular (and therefore spots were being competed for) and Switzerland was more expensive, so I ranked Belgium as my first choice and got it. Someone else who ranked France as their #1 ended up being assigned to Hungary (which she ended up loving). This is something else to consider - the program may ask you if you're willing to accept placement in a country other than those you've listed. Discuss this with your parents to find out in advance if there are any countries they would be opposed to & why. Some countries have age limits for their exchangees, too - if you're going to turn 19 during your year abroad you may find that certain countries will not accept you and your choices may be limited. (I took a gap year between high school and college & was 19 most of the time, but fortunately dear sweet Belgium was okay with that!) If you get assigned to a country with a more unusual language (let's say Norway, for example) they may ask if you'd be willing to go to Concordia or some other language camp in advance of your departure. Just an FYI: Belgium's Rotary has a wonderful Rotex program that provides travel opportunities for the exchange students outside of Belgium, including trips to the UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Czech. These trips would need to be paid for by you/your family - host clubs don't usually sponsor them. This would be an expense to consider if you're devising a budget. Also, your home club might sponsor you - it's worth investigating. As far as how hard it is to be accepted, that just depends. My home club pretty much sent anyone who applied and was found to be appropriate to go - they accepted as many foreign students as they sent out, so the year I was gone my high school had eight exchange students. Other people I met were from areas where the home club only sent one student per year, or only three students per year, etc. So the degree of competition for spots will vary.

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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Are People to People student ambassador programs good or bad?

Are People to People student ambassador programs good or bad?
I have the opportunity to go to Ireland, England, Wales, the Netherlands, and Belgium with the People to People student ambassador program. I have heard a lot of really good things about this and a few bad things. I just want to get some opinions from other people that aren't trying to sell this opportunity to me. One bad thing is that it is really expensive, but if it is worth it that's not a problem. So if you know anything about it, what do you think of these programs?
Studying Abroad - 1 Answers
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1 :
cool! im going to australia(: i know alot of people have said thats its bad cuz its a scam and they only want your money...NOT true! its only expensive cuz it pays for everything! air plane tickets, food,transportation, activities and etc... its pretty cheap compared to my trip to NY cuz i paid 3,000 for only 3 days XD and people to people trips are like for 20 days! i think its worth going, it looks like alot of fun:D you'll learn so much and make alot of friends(:

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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Student Working Under the Table In Belgium


Student Working Under the Table In Belgium
How can I find a Job working under the Table in Belgium. I know it is easier in Barcelona and Rome because of all the tourists. I need to find a job in Brussels. Anyone have some real concrete ideas. I know about bars and hostels. I am looking to find a network of people.
Belgium - 3 Answers
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1 :
Look up the "Agences d'Interim" but this will make it official. You could clean in a private house, hotelrooms or clean dishes in a hotel/restaurant/café. Anything that has to do with a job "behind the scene" in the horeca sector really. Be aware that certain bosses pay only part of what was negociated - or do not pay at all - their people who work "in black" and that you won't have any way to complain, to get your money paid or sue them. Why don't you try to work openly...students don't pay taxes..if they work under a certain amount of hours per month. Check out agencies dealing with "temporary work". There are several of them on the Place de Brouckère (downtown) and also on the Avenue Louise (Uptown). Carrefour, Colruyt, Delhaize or any other supermarket are always looking for students during the holidays to replace their regular staff who are off. Be aware also that students can only work 'officially" during certain months. Unless you are already doing the full amount of hours legally allowed to a student, you have absolutely no advantage in working "sous la table!" I wish you all the best and hope I could be of some help.
2 :
Belgian students (and I suppose this is the same for foreign students) can work 23 days during in July/August/September and 23 days between January, October-December without losing their student status. As a non-resident you only need to pay taxes if you are in Belgium more than 183 days...maybe that's the case for you. The advantage of official work is that you are sure you will be paid plus you get paid for the legal holidays during your contract PLUS you get also an end of year bonus (legal) and part of your holiday for Y+1 is paid. For each month you have worked as an employee you get 2 days extra paid for your holidays in the year after that.
3 :
Do the walk and be bold. Go into the places that look as if they might and ask if they have work. Only after they have said yes you could ask them if it is under the Table or not. I can only assume you would need a working permit and that would be the reasons you are not going through the agencies. There is under the table work in Belgium but but I would imagine it is getting fewer especially in the horeca. When caught you AND the employer will get a fine

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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Is there anyone living in Belgium willing to have me as a Exchange Student...I fell in love with that country?

Is there anyone living in Belgium willing to have me as a Exchange Student...I fell in love with that country?
i fell inlove with that country, and I really like to come back... I'm a student in Chile, South America, and very interested In Lenguages, Economics and Politics.
Other - Europe - 1 Answers
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1 :
hey, true that belgium is kind of charming, but you'll never find a place to stay by asking on yahoo answers! the best way is to go with an organization (ef, wep, etc), but maybe you already knew this... anyway, good luck in your research, hope you'll succeed in coming back.

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Monday, November 1, 2010

Prefer age of highschool students in belgium?


Prefer age of highschool students in belgium?
hi guys!! i really need to know what age are highschool students in belgium is?? is it ok if i go to high school there at age of 21 (im exaggerating) is not that awkward? or i'll better go to night school?
Studying Abroad - 1 Answers
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1 :
Most people start their first year in Highschool or University directly after they've finished Secondary school. This means that most first years are 18-19 years old, some will be older if they doubled anywhere in their career. Most people probably won't even see the difference in age because it's so small.

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