Belgium - First Impressions
My first impression of the people didn’t start out too good. Before I got to see Drew and Ian, I had to pick up my luggage. I had 4 huge bags, a car seat, two backpacks, a purse, a cat, a child, and a stroller. Not a single person offered to help, and instead as I try to put the 85 pound suitcase on the luggage cart, push my stuff out of their way. I even asked someone for helpand they simply said no and walked on. Welcome to Belgium. Even after I sw drew we were pushing the cart to the car and the luggage fell off twice and got in everyone’s way, and people just used their carts to move our luggage so they could get by. I actually said some choice words to someone and I sincerely hope they understood. To say I was pissed was an understatement.
We get out to the parking garage and all of the cars are very small. They all remind me of the Geo Metros that we had in the States many, many years ago. It’s a really good thing that we didn’t try to bring the truck. It would be an extremely tight fit. We leave the airport and I start looking around. It is very green and pretty. I don’t really see any signs of urban life. It looks very country and in fact that is what it seems to be all the way to our town. Even our town is very rural. It looks like something out of a movie. All of the building look very old and the houses are mainly on the main roads. There doesn’t appear to be any neighborhoods or subdivisions; at least as we know them in the states.
There are canals running throughout the entire country and we happen to live right by one. It looks like a good place to run as their is a sidewalk that follows along side of it.
It really is beautiful here. We may look into going camping this month, just to get out and it will be some place where we don’t need to know French! We are both signed up for a French class for a week, all day long. I am really looking forward to it as it has been rough. They only speak English on post and even there, most peope speak French. It has certainly been interesting around town where it seems no one speaks English. I guess in Brussels (about 45 min away), most people do speak English. I can’t wait to get out and start taking pictures. It will be really nice to do that.
Overall, I guess I like it so far even if it is a little intimidating and scary to throw away everything you’ve known and embrace something new. I guess that is what makes a good experience though!
August 23rd, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Hey guys. Glad to hear you made it OK. Sounds shitty over there…why don’t you guy’s come back to your house in Pooler
We miss you guys already. We are very happy that you guys are together though. All is well here and we will take care of your requests. Talk to you soon.
August 24th, 2006 at 3:04 am
Flippin’ impolite Belgians - you wouldn’t get people refusing to help you in the UK. Oh no, they’d just pretend they hadn’t heard you and walk on by!
Big cars - not so big here in Europe. It seems that we have been weaned on a diet of smaller cars and less pollution. I guess that’s what happens when you have to buy all of your oil from other countries.
Looking forward to seeing your pictures of Brussels. Chin up and keep soldiering on (no pun intended Drew).
August 27th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
If you can learn arabic, I am sure you can learn french. Enjoy every moment.
Love Barbara
October 16th, 2006 at 1:16 am
Well, as a Belgian citizen, I can tell you of many experiences like this one in the UK. Maybe if US citizens would show more respect and knowledge about other peoples and cultures the reaction towards you would have been different.
I have several American acquaintaces here in Belgium and one of them told me last Sunday that after 5 years in Belgium she regrets the way Americans see their own country and how they look to the outside World.
For me, I am proud of being European and not an American.
PS Maybe it would be a good idea if you would learn some Dutch/Flemish, since it’s the language spoken by 60% of the Belgian population. French is only spoken by a bit more than 30%. Just to help you and not to read that we don’t want to help you.
October 16th, 2006 at 6:35 am
Miguel - I think it depends on the American because personally I am very welcoming and accepting of different cultures, but I see what you are saying. That being said.. I\’m an extremely proud American and always will be. And I can say this.. no matter what others think of americans, I will always be extremely open and welcoming to them. That is just the way I am and I\’m sure me being American is part of it. We are called a melting pot for a reason.
The reason I am studying French is because I live in the French part, Walloon. It wouldn\’t do me any good to learn dutch/flemish first as I need to initially know how to speak to the people at the market and in my town to ask for directions, etc. Once I get French down, dutch is next I can assure you.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:58 am
[…] to the airport was a stark contrast to my arrival here. When I got here not a single person would help me and I SO needed it. Coming here, I parked […]