One month away

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog!

In one month (minus one day), I'll be on my way to Belgium to begin a three month study exchange (aka: best three months of my life) at l'Université Catholique de Louvain. At a friend's suggestion , I have begun a blog to keep everyone back home posted on my adventures.... in particular, those gearing up for winter exchange can marvel at what awaits them.

At this point, exchange is starting to become very 'real'. A few of my classmates have already left, or are days from departure. Since classes don't start until September 20th at UCL, I'll be finising the summer with everyone else. Nothing, however, makes a lengthy trip feel more real than a visa application.... which proved to be more complicated than expected. First, I quickly learned that visa matters are taken care of at the consulate in Montréal, not at the embassy in Ottawa. Next, it was easy enough to find the list of documents required, although some items were difficult to decifer... a medical certificate following a TB test that needs to be certified by the College of Physicians in Toronto, financial guarantor's (parents) three consecutive pay cheques to prove a certain level of income, a police check, proof of transport arrangements  (including return ticket). For the entire list, people travelling to Belgium can find it here. I suggest getting a start on that at least a month before departure.
 http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/services/travel_to_belgium/visa_for_belgium/long_stay/study/

Other than that, I know I have room in residence at UCL but contrary to other schools, they have yet to let us know what our schedules will look like (even after classes are chosen)... Hopefully, I can get me some four day weekends!

Soon enough, I'll be posting my 25 things to do on exchange list and playing around with the layout and colours. Stay tuned!

Peace&Love.