los Españoles...

Third week

And again the lake...




Preparing for the party at our appartment...

Bart with his own creation!

Bart D. when he was young...

the flame carrier during OS Turin '06


night of the Public Transport


the 'Ateliers'

Strange things about Switzerland...

After two weeks in Switzerland I get to know the mentally and how things work here... They love paperwork here and for every small thing you need a even smaller paper, but of course for everything you have to pay! For example to get a subscription for a mobile phone you need a 'permis de sejour'. That's around 100 francs but you have to wait at least a month before you get it. To rent an appartment on your name you need an earning in Switzerland or parents who live and work here. So for foreign people only 'colocation' or 'maison des etudiants' is a valid option. Well finally I found an appartment right in the centre with very nice colocs, 5 minutes from the metro and if you put your head out of the window you can a small strip of the beatiful lake! Only minus, it's not equipped so the first days/weeks I will have no more than a matrass on the ground. But Swiss people are very rich and from time to time they throw their 'old' furniture on the street. So thanks for that, Switzerland! (see pic) The courses, yeah the courses... It's all in French so not so easy in the beginning. I have a lot of courses (8 in the first semester) and the project. It will be hard to keep the Erasmus-spirit high! :p But I don't have to complain, Bart (the other Belgian guy) has 46,5 credits. Have fun, Bart! ;) With the system here you get sometimes strange situations. The local students have an obligatory block and a lot of optional courses. I have to same program as in Belgium so nothing is optional for me. One of the optional courses was 'Architecture du paysage'. The last time we were 3 students and maybe next time I will be the only one! The professor says he doesn't care so much about the evaluation, we can choose the form of evaluation ourselves. Last remark of strange things here, everything is organised and counted, even every single urinoir has a number to find it back.

Pictures first 2 weeks!

newspaper pic (Hans, Henrik & Bart)


Lake of Geneva

Olympic Museum

Wireless in parks is marvellous, hmm...

Pascal and Bart


Henrik moving to my appartment, crazy Sweden...

Come on, who doesn't want to play rugby with this scene!

Campus EPFL

Arrived...

Well, where can I start... I'm already more than a week here in Lausanne and I found a place till the end of october. It's very nice here with 2 nice colocs (now 3 because a swedish guy is sleeping on the ground in my room) but unfortunately we have to move out later.
But let me start with the first days! I arrived with the plane in Geneva and next to me was sitting a Belgian diplomate who was working in Zurich. Nice guy and if I ever go to Zurich I can sleep at his place. The first day I slept at a hotel with a incredible view on the lake. But that's the good thing of Lausanne, it's built on the hills so a lot of houses have a marvellous view on the lake. The day after I met to a guy, Pascal that I met through couchsurfing. A lot of people don't know this concept but it works really good, especially for me. You offer your 'couch' in your hometown and in return you can ask the same to people all over the world. You have to get an invitation so if someone wants you can ask me and I will consider the application! :) I slept there for four days tell I found a very nice appartment with two nice colocs as I told. Only problem I have to get out end of september because the contract was already given to other persons 5 months ago!
The school started last week and it's really impressive what you all have there to work with. Everybody has his own table in the 'Ateliers' and they are talking of giving everybody a extra screen to connect your laptop to! The campus is 10 minutes away of the centre with the metro but it's really good connection! Like everything here it's strict and sharp on time, thoses swiss! Also for everything you need stupid papers, exchange students now what I'm talking about... It's not so easy for foreigners here! :) But still I love the Erasmus-mentality and till now the weather is extremely good. Except one day we had all the time sun! I heard it's a little different in Belgium! :)

Before leaving...

Well, I never made a blog in my life and so this will be my first post... Don't shoot me if it's too boring, I think it could be a nice way to communicate in the future. I'm leaving saturday to Lausanne, 'finally' I heard from some people back in Antwerp... :) Others thought I was going to Riga on Erasmus, NOOO! It's nice there, but one year, no way! :p I don't have a place to stay there yet and will take a hostel at least the first 2 days. I heard from people it's not easy and especially not so cheap to find already in September a normal room or comparted appartment. We will see, I have one week before the classes start so I think I will manage. In the days left here I will have to organise the papers and stuff, let's say the more boring part... I hope the other part of my Erasmus-year will be more fun, but I think that won't be the problem! The picture is from the Summer School in Riga where i went to in August. See you!