14 February. Valentine’s Day. An occasion to show you the extra benefits that are possible when you go abroad to study. For Sanna and Emir, going abroad meant coming to VUB on an exchange, and besides enjoying their studies at VUB, discovering (and loving) Brussels, they also found each other, and love.
Cupid’s arrow hits
Sanna is originally from Finland; Emir from Turkey. They both arrived in Brussels in the Autumn of 2022 to do an exchange at the VUB in the Bachelor of Social Sciences for a semester, and both had rooms at U-residence on the VUB’s main campus.
“We met on the first day of the exchange as we were neighbours on campus, in the same study programme and we had a common group of friends,” Sanna explains. “I ended up spending more and more time with Emir, because my room didn’t have a stove, and his did.” By December 2022 they were an item.
So, what happened when the exchange at VUB came to an end? Did any plans form in February 2023?
Sanna: “We knew two things: that we wanted to continue our relationship, and that we wanted to come back to Brussels. We got organised, and during the one year and a half apart, we ensured we talked to each other over the phone every day, and I planned trips to Turkey.”
Emir: “Because of visa requirements for me to travel to Finland from Turkey, it was easier for Sanna to travel to see me, so that’s what she did: every 4 months she came out to see me. Our friends were sceptical to be honest, but we made it work, because we had a plan.”
In September 2023 Sanna was back in Brussels for an internship and is now six months into her first permanent job, and after various application rounds, Emir is now back in Belgium as well since September 2024. He’s now doing a prep year at the University of Ghent before starting his Master’s in Conflict and Development studies, next academic year.
An exchange at the VUB in Brussels
Emir had options to go do an exchange in Germany and Czech Republic, “but it didn’t include big cities, and then Brussels came up. My professors in Turkey advised me to study in Brussels as it is the centre for international and European political structures, given my study programme.”
“I was looking to go somewhere to improve my French,” says Sanna, “but also for a university that had English-taught programmes, with a good mix of Bachelor’s and Masters’s programmes, and Brussels and VUB came up. I’d also heard that the student culture at VUB was good.”
How was the exchange experience at VUB, other than finding love, of course?
Sanna: “Very good! I made some very nice friends, and we went to classes together. I really enjoyed living on campus as well; it was a very nice experience. The exams were harder here than in Finland. But the student culture was indeed great; I was told correctly!!
Emir: “After the COVID pandemic I was very keen to be out and about and in classes. I loved being on campus. There was a great student culture with parties, hanging out in the cafeteria. And like Sanna, the exams were different at VUB than we have in Turkey.”
What was your favourite spot on the VUB campus during your exchange, and what was your favourite place in Brussels?
Sanna: “For me the running track was great; I went running there every week.”
Emir: “I had two favourite places – the study guidance centre and the cafeteria (which we didn’t have in Turkey).”
Sanna: “Our favourite place in Brussels was without a doubt the Cinquantenaire park’”
Any advice for VUB students reading this?
“Yes, go on an exchange abroad. It’s an eye-opener, a wonderful experience. At the very least you will learn self-love and it is character-building, and, who knows, maybe like us you will meet the love that will change your life for the better?”
Have Sanna and Emir inspired you to go abroad for your studies, internships, or to do volunteer work? If so, check your options on the website, and speak to your faculty exchange coordinator.
