I sent the bank draft for 332euro to Lippmann (for insurance) yesterday. I hope they accept it! The Royal Bank here says that it will be drawn from their account with the ABN-AMRO bank in Amsterdam - so hopefully it won't be a problem.

Also got my legalized birth certificate in the post this morning. Only took one day!

Not sure how I am going to pay the rent - probably will just break down and wire it. I'll only be paying my tuition when I absolutely have to though. No point in sending them money when I'm not even a registered student yet!

Guys just doing a check of things that need to be done. They seem to add a new requirement every day. I just had a look at the latest pre-departure information site http://www.leiden.edu/prospective/index.php3?m=1&c=205 and it says we need:

"A copy of your registration in the municipal registry in your home country" for the purposes of opening a Dutch Bank Account. Any idea what this is?

"A copy of your registration in the municipal registry in your home country" for the purposes of opening a Dutch Bank Account. Any idea what this is?

thank you hathureliya for informing us. I know how to get it here in Lithuania, so i'll better do that asap:)
btw i have received my schedule allready (for EU law ofcourse)- it seems there is only one week on Xmas and no Easter holidays..hmm...

I managed to call the Int. Office. I include below a verbatim account (sorta) of the conversation for your enjoyment.

Me: "What is proof of registration in the municipal registry? I have never heard of this - it doesn't exist in Canada"
IO: "You need it to open a bank account in Leiden?"
Me: "Yup"
IO: "You don't need it anymore, you don't need to bring it. We have that here in Leiden and around here, but the banks have realized that it is a big problem for international students since they don't have it in their country, like Canada. You don't need it."

So, you don't need it says IO lady.

yeah thats good news about registration. i got a proof of enrolment on the electoral roll - i thought that might be the closest thing to what they need - guess i dont need it after all.
another question - i thought we didnt have a choice with when the lease started - they just said it starts on the 16th august. they didnt give me an option.

I think we had the choice of the lease starting on August 16 or September 1....

I can't wait for all this red tape to be sorted out...

anyway i guess it has to stay that way cos im arriving on the 30th so having it start on the 1st will be no good. ah i'm so over it (this admin,. stuff that is) not Leiden!! :)

hahah! We haven't even gone yet, and we're already ready to go home.

yeah well they dont make it easy do they!!! at least when we're all settled in we can actually start to enjoy ourselves .....

I hear they have some delightful adult beverages and smokable plantiferous material available for our amusement.

and a new terrorist threat .... should provide some inspiration for a thesis topic ...

Terror? Really? Oh how boring. "Terrorism" doesnt even exist as such - it is simply a state of mind and not an object reality. I honestly don't know what else can be said about the baddies doing mean things which in turn make us scared...

It's 3:30am and I've been up since 7 last morning and yet I'm strangely awake. I almost feel like going outside and changing the oil on the car! hahaa

Dear Chris,

Thank you for your email.
Please note that this document is not required anymore. So you do not have to obtain and bring such a document along anymore.
I hope we have informed you sufficiently.

Kind regards,


Jessica van Loosbroek
International Communications Officer

Hey guys,

I just got the msg that the Housing Office was not
able to find a room for me, so I'm looking for an apartment
in The Hague/Leiden. Somebody else who suffers the same fate? :)
Anyway I hope to see you all in September in PIL class ;)
My coords are:
Mail: Donatas.Kupciunas@gmail.com
Skype: dexter3d
Facebook: Donatas Kupciunas

cheers

Hello!
I am very sorry for you but I have to say that the housing office people are not very efficient: I have just been told that they gave the same housing offer to 2 persons, including me! so they try to find a solution, but I wonder: how can someone make such a mistake?

good luck for your housing quest (maybe i'll have to do the same soon!)

Hey I just thought that both of you could ctc SLS Wonen (the agency) yourselves, as far as I can remember, a week ago or so they sent me an offer for 550 euro in some Hooigracht 15. I sincerely hope thay still have the offer- you should call them asap:)
Good luck for everybody! We'll meet soon:)))

pfiou! after a week end of worries, I finally got the mail: I can stay at Hugo de Grootstraat room n°83! such a relief! so I hope that you will all be able to find a place to stay, I know how difficult it can be!!

see you all soon :p

The housing office could be a bit better, but they also say very clearly that the housing market in Leiden is very tight, so they also probably have a big job of dealing with all the students requesting a place to stay.

An early application seems to have been the key here. Too bad they don't state that your priority in queue is determined by when you sent the 500euro housing deposit. I sent mine in at the same time as I accepted my place in PIL - which was way the hell back in January.

In any case, anyone who is stuck should absolutely telephone the housing office ASAP on +31 71 527 5330 and discuss your options. Also keep in mind that cheaper accommodation likely tends to go first, so consider raising your housing budget to a higher price range, at least for the first few months. This might open more options for you, at least temporarily.

The housing situation seems to be main issue for international students at Leiden and from the websites of the other Dutch universities I was looking at for PIL it seems to be the same everywhere... they just don't seem to have the same amound of university owned/controlled spaces as in the UK or US... I know from speaking to some friends from Leiden that the places we've all been put are really good and we're lucky to get them, but obviously there's still some of us to be sorted :(