Human Chapters: Parent Tip Swap

Are you a parent in Leuven with tips, tricks, and funny stories to share? Share your parenting journey and help build a supportive community! 

Sign up as a human chapter by emailing us: expatival@leuven.be

Hosts for the Parent Tip Swap:

Hannelise was born and raised in South Africa (and has lived in 5 different provinces). In May 2024, she left the mother city (Cape Town) with her husband, Wessel and their (now 3 year old) daughter, Luna for Belgium and moved into their house in Kessel-Lo, Leuven.

Topics for Tip Swap:

• Events in Leuven (Rode hond, Cinema Zed, Shopping Sunday, Sinterklaas, etc.)

• Favourite Playgrounds in Kessel-Lo area

• Kid Friendly Outings - (Restaurants, parks, etc)

My name is Jasmina Risteska. I am originally from North Macedonia and have been living in Belgium for more than 10 years now. I first moved to Brussels because of work, but it is my family that has brought me to Leuven via a family reunification. I guess a known move for a lot of expats here. 

We live on the ring of Leuven with my family of three, my husband Anton and the little cute Matej. He is already becoming a real Belgian. I am an active member of the international parents community in Leuven and I am organising monthly walks and coffee gatherings for international families as a volunteer for the International House. I highly appreciate the community and feel great to return something back to it. 

During the Expatival festival I will gladly share tips about best playgrounds in the area and other fun kid activities. Also happy to share more information about the parents meetups. 

Meet you at Expatival!

Melissa is originally from Paraguay and met her husband, Spencer, in Canada while studying in college. Over the past 10 years, we have lived in Israel, New York City, Vancouver, and now Belgium. Together with our 7-year-old daughter, we moved to Leuven in November for Spencer’s postdoc at KU Leuven. Although we are still new to the country and the city, we have quickly found a wonderful community that has made the challenge of moving much easier!

We currently live inside the ring, but soon, we will be living at the Groot Begijnhof! At Expatival we'll share tips on finding your community, exploring the city as a family, making friends, stepping out of your comfort zone and learning alongside your children. 

Karen Berelowitz was born in South Africa but since age 7 has lived in California, Costa Rica, Washington DC, and the Hudson Valley, New York. In 2023 she and her partner, both self-employed, decided to move to Europe, and chose Leuven because Stephen has a lifelong Belgian friend nearby who first introduced him to the city over 20 years ago. 

Leuven is a perfect size and lifestyle for us. We love walking and biking everywhere, the beautiful architecture and fascinating history, the lively student vibe and family-friendliness, and easy access to travel adventures.

We spent three months here to check it out when our son was 1, and moved here full time in July 2024 when he was 2. We rent an apartment inside the ring and our son started school at 2.5 years old so he'd start to learn Dutch. His first word was, of course, "nee"! I'd be happy to share my experience with preschool (specifically Freinet schools), moving here as a non-Dutch-speaking family, and traveling with a toddler.