Babel

Babel is the 'international-Belgian' community of Leo XIII.  Hence the name 'Babel', which is the Hebrew name for the ancient Mesopotamian city Babylon. According to the narrative in the Bible, the building of the famous Tower of Babylon was responsible for the multitude of languages in the world. 

This is the reason why we are called 'Babel'. The combination of international and Belgian student makes that there are many languages in our group (not only foreign languages, but Flemish dialects too!). English is the main language and we expect newcomers to be able to communicate easily in English. 

Babel also organizes an annual charity quiz. The first edition was held in 2011 to help Japan and proved to be such a success we decided to turn it into a Babel tradition. This event takes place during the second semester and is open to people from Leo XIII and their friends. Money is raised thanks to the (cheap) tickets, but especially to the dessert buffet. These desserts are made with love by us (so it's very exclusive!).

Other highlights are our annual cocktail evening. Mind you, this isn't a party where you have to boast your drinking capacities! We enjoy some cocktails, play games and if we feel like it, we even dress up just for laughs! The aim is to have a nice evening with Babel.

Of course, life in Babel isn't all about partying and having fun: the most important thing during your stay in Leuven are your studies. But even this can be turned into a social event! We have our own study group which is held all year round, although it is especially active in January and June. This isn't obligatory, but offers a nice alternative to studying alone in your room or in the library. The aim is to support and motivate each other during a somewhat stressful period and to comfort you with the thought that you're not the only one suffering.

What makes Babel special? Besides our international touch, we (try to) have a monthly 'kotmeal'. The most important ones however are the Christmas and Easter meal. For these meals we all go the extra mile to make it special and Babelonians look fondly back at them. The concept of a monthly kotmeal might seem dreadful and controlling, but this is absolutely not the case! The purpose of these is to get together and enjoy eachother's cooking. But what if you can't cook? No problem, these meals are the ideal excuse to pick up the pans and find out how the oven works!

Is this everything we do? Of course not! 
Every now and then (depending how much work people have) we meet up in the kitchen to play cards and drink tea... Come to think of it, we meet up a lot of times in the kitchen to drink tea! We already talked about kotmeals, but every now and then we have a kot breakfast... Although leaving your bed in the morning can prove to be a challenge! We  also go out together: USO and LUK concerts (to support our Babel participants), having drinks, partying, visiting the christmasmarket and much more! It's also a habit to go together to Leo XIII activities, so Babel is never unrepresented. 

This on a webpage is Babel... But you can't describe Babel with mere words, you have to live it. 
So if you're international minded and like to have a good laugh, come and join our little family. 


We're looking forward to meet you!