Hello everybody!
As promised, here is some news from Maastricht.
The educational system here is very different from Namur. The year is divided in blocs of eight weeks. In each bloc we have only one course; that means a mere six hours of class… but contrary to what you may think that does not mean that we have nothing to do! It is actually very demanding and a lot of self-study and research is required. We have to read and to find a lot by ourselves so that we remember it better afterwards. I am now in the middle of the second bloc. As far as the first bloc is concerned, I had chosen a course about Greek tragedy and philosophy. I found it very interesting even if I did not expect so much philosophy in the lectures and in the texts. I met some very interesting Dutch-speaking people in this course and I try to keep in touch with them even if we do not see each other a lot any more now since the course is finished. I took the exam two weeks ago and I am still waiting for the results… Now, in the second bloc, I have a course about the European institutions. It is interesting but I am almost the only one who does not study politics in its home country, which means that I do not have the same background as the others and that it is sometimes difficult for me to follow. I also met some interesting people but I would have liked to stay with the people I met in the first bloc and I find it weird to start everything again after eight weeks.
Concerning extra activities, I have continued my table tennis training here. I have enrolled in a table tennis club, where I met some very nice people too. There are free trainings, where you have the opportunity to talk more with the other players and this is also a good opportunity for me to speak Dutch the whole evening.
In my student apartment (the Guesthouse), people come from everywhere in the world and I like the mixing of cultures. Every Wednesday of September, we organized “international dinners” in which everybody cooked for the others; I cooked meatballs and crepes to represent Belgium :-).
So, now you have a little overview of my stay in Maastricht!
As promised, here is some news from Maastricht.
The educational system here is very different from Namur. The year is divided in blocs of eight weeks. In each bloc we have only one course; that means a mere six hours of class… but contrary to what you may think that does not mean that we have nothing to do! It is actually very demanding and a lot of self-study and research is required. We have to read and to find a lot by ourselves so that we remember it better afterwards. I am now in the middle of the second bloc. As far as the first bloc is concerned, I had chosen a course about Greek tragedy and philosophy. I found it very interesting even if I did not expect so much philosophy in the lectures and in the texts. I met some very interesting Dutch-speaking people in this course and I try to keep in touch with them even if we do not see each other a lot any more now since the course is finished. I took the exam two weeks ago and I am still waiting for the results… Now, in the second bloc, I have a course about the European institutions. It is interesting but I am almost the only one who does not study politics in its home country, which means that I do not have the same background as the others and that it is sometimes difficult for me to follow. I also met some interesting people but I would have liked to stay with the people I met in the first bloc and I find it weird to start everything again after eight weeks.
Concerning extra activities, I have continued my table tennis training here. I have enrolled in a table tennis club, where I met some very nice people too. There are free trainings, where you have the opportunity to talk more with the other players and this is also a good opportunity for me to speak Dutch the whole evening.
In my student apartment (the Guesthouse), people come from everywhere in the world and I like the mixing of cultures. Every Wednesday of September, we organized “international dinners” in which everybody cooked for the others; I cooked meatballs and crepes to represent Belgium :-).
So, now you have a little overview of my stay in Maastricht!
3 comments:
I love Maastricht... especially that famous Chinese restaurant close to the central staion called Wen Chow!!!!
Hi Anne!
I also play table tennis here in Cork!
Of course, the players are not as good as me (appreciate my modesty...), but it is a nice opportunity to meet new people!
Hey Michaël, good to hear from you! How's Cork? How about posting some news on the blog?
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