Solo Flights, SCOPE Insights

July 2024

Hi there!

I assume you are curious about my summer internship in Belgium during July 2024. There is definitely much to share! But first make yourself comfortable as I am not planning on leaving anything out.

Are you comfortable with traveling alone?

If you wish to take your chance and gain valuable medical experience in a foreign country but you have never travelled solely by yourself, Belgium might be exactly for you! My advice would be to stay organized and avoid last minute decisions. Other than that, I highly recommend not to over pack. You only have 2 hands and you will probably hold your phone in one of them most of the time. However, don't forget to take your raincoat and at least one umbrella - phrase ,,changeable like weather" was probably invented here.

It was quite easy to find my direction around the airport but you can always follow the crowd - that has never betrayed me. I was very lucky that none of my flights got cancelled or delayed and buses from/to the airport were punctuate. I met another exchange student on the train to Antwerpen (my final destination) and we immediately became friends.

Is a good CP more valuable than gold?

Definitely! This person was my first contact with Belgium and the good impression she made stuck with me throughout the whole exchange. I am so thankful to my contact person for being welcoming, kindhearted and always promptly responding to all of my questions before the journey. Never take anything for granted! I must point out that all of our CPs were very hospitable and caring indeed, I highly appreciate their hard work. They spent lots of their free time with us, incomings, and planned wonderful trips for each of our weekends. My personal favourites were Knokke-Heist beach day and Gentse Feesten (famous festival in Gent). Moreover, I was absolutely never let alone in a difficult situation as we overcame them all together. I wanted to study a little bit so I asked the local exchange officer if she could secure a tablet for me to use it throughout the month and to my big surprise she gave me her own. I mean how nice of her, right?

How does it feel like sharing your room with another student?

I am asking cause I didn't have to! Every student received their own good-size room with a spacious fridge as a bonus - very important necessity not only during hot summer days. I know from some friends of mine that fridge might be actually a luxury in other countries. I was accommodated with a few other incomings in a nice student's lodging which consisted of the ground floor with shared kitchen, 1st floor where 2 male incomings were staying, and 2nd floor where I was staying with one other female incoming. Important note - each of the floors had their own bathroom and toilet so there were no traffic jams in the morning. My room shared a cute balcony with that other girl's room so we often had little yapping sessions over there while watching warm summer sunsets - it was a vibe. What I loved about this accommodation was the fact that I could keep my own privacy and be on my own if needed but whenever I was in the mood for socializing I just came downstairs to the kitchen where we watched football matches and played all kinds of games till late night. The housing was situated in a peaceful quarter around 15 minutes away from the hospital by bus. On the other hand, everything has its perks and this was no exception. The only thing I missed was a washing machine inside the house, laundromats were not my cup of tee at all.

Do you think your tutor is better than mine?

Think again cause you are wrong! By a stroke of luck, I was assigned to the Nuclear Medicine department in UZA (University Hospital of Antwerp) with one other incoming from Estonia. I enjoyed spending time with her and I highly recommend putting students together like this in the future as it was honestly so much more fun. This specialty was not on my list of preferences but I regret nothing and looking back I would definitely include it now.

My tutor was very kind, patient and gentle with us - I heard that some other students had to wake up early in the morning and quickly hurry up to the hospital but were not allowed to leave before 5 pm whereas my work day started at 9:00 am and finished around 3:30pm. I spent my mornings following the nurses around in order to understand the whole process of creating images for nuclear medicine but my evenings were reserved for discussing various patients with my tutor. He really put in some effort and even prepared lists of interesting findings and diagnoses so we could see in a short amount of time as much as possible. He also planned for us an excursion around their research center (which was actually very informative) and took us to their operations as observers. To spice it up, he let us mark sentinel nodules and make images under his guidance. I never felt like a burden, quite the opposite as he liked sharing his knowledge, supported our critical thinking and created a stress-free environment. What's more, my nurses were very pleasant and talkative, they liked joking around and keeping me busy so I dint get bored. Even though they were at first little bit worried that their English isn't very good, I felt no language barrier at all. Such a wonderful and inspiring people, I truly couldn't wish for a better team!

I took some Fridays off in order to explore other cities during the weekends. I was usually accompanied by fellow medical students. Over time we became such great friends and I must admit they really grew on me.

Is Belgium really that expensive when it comes to food?

Let me just say I gained 3 kilos during my internship and that speaks for itself (my guilty pleasure was chococino-coffee with chocolate). Because we had 10€ on our hospital badge every day, I was able to buy solid lunch and dinner at the hospital canteen so I didn't have to cook as much. I enjoyed lunches very much since we could meet with other incomings and discuss our days at the departments. The food was mid but I appreciate the variety. To sum it up, you can find expensive options and you can find cheaper options, it depends on your personal preference.

Not many people know that fries were actually invented in Belgium. Belgians definitely love their fries and you should ask locals for some recommendations when it comes to that. Other from that, beer tasting is a must have but don't forget to keep track of your glasses. Quick pit stop for Belgian waffles is always a good idea, I absolutely loved them!

Is there room for improvement?

Life-saving essentials regarding public transport:

Download DeLijn app to track your busses, they are very likely to have a delay but they can also come earlier.

Don't forget to wave at the bus driver if you want him to stop at your bus stop, they can easily pass you without even slowing down.

Don't forget to press the red button when you are on the bus otherwise you will travel little bit longer.

Don't be scared if people start smiling at you or talking to you, keep calm and trust your gut.

Give your seat to an older person, pregnant woman or mother with children.

Always keep an eye on your personal belongings, not only on the bus but also when you are walking around the city.

Negativity doesn't suit me therefore I would like to emphasize that traveling by train, on the  other hand, was very enjoyable as the trains were clean and not crowded at all.

Would I recommend medical internship in Belgium?

Yes, what are you even waiting for?! It flew by very quickly but I will cherish all my memories and I am looking forward to meet my new friends again. It made me come out of my comfort zone and completely changed course of my life.