Meet Pez: host of game night

Pez is originally from the UK and has lived in Leuven since 2020. Pez works fully remote, so they host events like International House board games or group trips to keep life social and to help other internationals find their people.

International House Leuven

15 January 2026

Get to know Pez

Pronouns: He/they
Country of Origin: UK
Time in Belgium: Since 2020
Interesting thing about home country: British “national food” is a mash-up. Loads of our comfort food has international fingerprints, especially curry house culture, plus plenty of classics have immigrant roots or influences.
Activity: Game night at IHL
Languages: English and some Dutch
Favourite thing from home country: The countryside and rolling hills
Favourite thing about Belgium/Flemish life: How normal it is to bike everywhere, and how set up the city is for it.
Loves: Making
Ask me about: Making, hacker events, organising festivals, running, WhatsApp communities, remote work tips, 3D printing

Pez is a freelance lead web developer and has worked fully remote for 15+ years. He has travelled full-time for a few years, including a few in a self-built campervan in the south of Europe, before settling in Leuven in 2020.

Outside work, Pez is usually building something, planning events, or getting a group of people in the same room on purpose. They are on the leadership team for EMF Camp (a non-profit UK camping festival for makers), where they lead the event operations team. Pez also recently started a side project directory of laptop-friendly coworking cafés and spots around Leuven, because remote workers always ask the same question! Volunteering and hosting give his weeks some structure, which matters when he's working from home.

Learn about the game nights

Pez has helped out with a few IHL projects over time, including the Scavenger Hunt, and as a Welcome Ambassador. These days, he focuses on co-hosting the board games group every two weeks, plus he does admin for a bunch of social WhatsApp groups in town.

Pez says the game nights have had a bigger impact on his life than he expected. Pez works from home, so they don’t get the built-in social life you get from an office. Hosting gave their weeks some structure, and it helped them grow a real network of people to hang out with. Board games also make socialising easier, you get conversation without the pressure of keeping small talk going.

Advice for newcomers

"Network and find friends early. Places like International House and informal WhatsApp groups work really well, but you need to be proactive. Belgians can seem reserved at first, so if you like someone, tell them, and invite them to hang out. Small steps add up fast.

Leuven is super bikeable and properly international, which makes it easy to build a life here. Also, don’t miss the bike lift in Parking Vaartkom on Engels Plein, it’s near the Lidl, and it literally carries you up the steep bit towards Wilsele. It’s a small thing, but it sums up Leuven for me, practical and a bit charming."

Would you like to join the group?

Follow the IHL Meetup page. Game night happens every two weeks on Wednesdays. You can also join the Leuven Social Groups community and ask any of the admins, or any of the IHL ambassadors (including me), to point you at the right WhatsApp group for you.