Second time around....

I've been thinking about the things I'd do differently given my previous experience living in Leuven.

First off, there is no need for snow boots. It doesn't snow. So I could've saved myself the hassle of them not fitting in my lugagge and wearing them on a transatlantic flight with a 7 hour layover.

In close relation to that, you don't need 10 sweaters. Really. The key to surviving Leuven is layers. Cause inevitably, you will find yourself in a bar. If you get there early, it'll be cold, or you might want to drink a beer outside. But later, the bar will be full and you will be drunk and very, very hot. You can't dance salsa in thermal pants. I learned that the hard way. But if you're not gonna dance salsa and are cold, thermal pants are still ridiculous...so how do you get rid of them? Embrace the power of thights and leggings.

A raincoat or waterproof jacket is essential. Make sure it falls below the waistline of your pants and you will be safe from drafts.

Pack your bags, remove half the clothes you packed originally, replace with food from home. For me, that means powdered chili for snacking on fruit, dried beef for machacado, green salsa (cause I can always make the red one but you can be sure you'll never find tomatillos in Belgium), gum, snacks, cigarrettes, etc. Packing or finding the right spices means you can cook anything you did before. I once cooked picadillo, Mexican red rice, frijoles charros, guacamole with pico de gallo, and quesadillas for 10 people. The hardest part about organizing this dinner was estimating how many days before I'd have to buy the avocados for them to be perfectly ripe. There are several Asian grocery stores that carry fresh fruits and vegetables you'd otherwise never find.

Choose a GREAT backpack and buy foldable, reusable bags for those unexpected trips to the grocery store.

Wake up early on a weekday and explore the town. There is a great Target-style (HEMA) store that I found probably halfway through the semester. If I had found this earlier, I probably would have invested in good cooking pans and utensils.

Don't settle for the first (or second) kot/studio you visit. I was pretty satisfied with the location and cost of my kot, but later, as I met new people, I realized I could've had a roomier...err....room.