Leuven, Belgium is a thriving town that hosts tourists and students alike. KU Leuven has been a staple of the town for almost 600 years and will celebrate the anniversary in 2025. The school attracts visitors from around the world seeking an education. The town has a dual role in integrating an international community while retaining its cultural heritage.
Leuven has a unique community because of the large student community hailing from across the world. As of 2016, there were at least 50,000 students living in the country and originating from six different continents. Leuven is unique because it allows each culture to display their heritage for everyone to participate in.
The town is about a twenty-minute train ride to Brussels. Brussels is a cosmopolitan city that hosts many international organizations. Students can travel to the city and find enclaves of people with a similar ethnic background, find food and other goods that remind them of home. This weekend I went to Brussels with my friends to visit the Muslim quarter and try some Arabic food. Some of the people living in this area have recently arrived to the country and are bringing their recipes straight from home.
