I've been simultaneously studying both French and Flemish (Dutch) for a full 8 weeks now - whew! Balancing the two has been challenging at times, but so far it's gone pretty well, and I plan to continue studying both of them for at least two more months.
Observations so far: Dutch is pretty cool, kind of a cross between English and German. Some of the pronunciations are challenging - for instance, "G" and "CH" are pronounced somewhat like the sound of a hissing cat...an easy sound to make on its own, but not so easy to incorporate into your regular speech pattern. It shares a lot of similarities with English that make it somewhat easy for me to learn, but I have a feeling that it's going to get more complicated as time goes on, particularly when it comes to grammar (that's where the German influence comes in). Oh, and this is kind of funny; one of our German friends described Dutch as sounding "cute" to him, because it resembles a softer, simpler version of German. However one wishes to describe it, I like it!
French - now here's an interesting language. I've finally begun to master the pronunciation, to where I can usually determine how to correctly say a word upon reading it. Learning the grammatical rules is another matter, because while it's not that complicated on the surface, French grammar seems to have even more exceptions than English! There is a huge emphasis on aesthetics, making it a very melodic, pretty language to listen to and speak...on the other hand, that means it tends to favor beauty over consistency, making it a bear to learn! I do like it though, it's just been a little harder than I had expected at the beginning.
I doubt that just one year here will make me fluent in either language, but I'm sure gonna try! That brings me to the internal debate I've been having...I think that I definitely need to continue with French, because it's by far the most spoken language in Brussels and a good one to know for life in general. Should I continue with Dutch however, or focus more on trying to perfect one language rather than becoming a mediocre speaker of both? Another thing to throw into the mix - there are also cheap Spanish courses available through one of the universities here, which would help me refresh some of my rusty knowledge of that language. For those who don't know, I studied Spanish for years in high school and college, but to my regret fell just short of becoming fluent. I've always felt like I left Spanish sort of "unfinished", so this may be a great opportunity to finally reach a level of fluency in that language.
So that's my dilemma, and I really am undecided about what to do! Any opinions or suggestions out there?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Happy (slightly belated) Thanksgiving!
I'm a day late, but Happy Turkey day everybody! It feels different being overseas where it's "business as usual" on Thanksgiving day, but we did celebrate with a large gathering last night with a bunch of students from Carl's program. Most of us were American, but there was also representation from Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic - so it was Thanksgiving with an international flair! We enjoyed a potluck style dinner with turkey and all the fixings, and it was excellent. I'm definitely hitting the gym today to work off all that food I ate! Silly me forgot to take my camera, but several people were taking photos so if I receive any I'll be sure to post them.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday, and I hope you all have a great weekend!
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday, and I hope you all have a great weekend!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Pablo the Belgian Mexican
This past weekend we finally got around to trying the most popular Mexican restaurant in Brussels, Pablo's. The restaurant's website proclaims: "Our food is so authentic that many ex-pats from the United States keep coming back, as well as others who appreciate this level of quality and authenticity."
Generally speaking, we agree - sort of. As you can see in the photo, they've definitely got the decor right, and while it wasn't the best Tex-Mex food we've ever had, it was good. The only problem - it's freakin' expensive!! I ordered a basic chicken burrito with rice and beans, and it was €18. At the current (all-time low, ouch!!) exchange rate of about $1.48, that works out to $26.64...for a BURRITO!! The total bill for our two dishes, two beers and tip came to a whopping €48, or about $71! Unbelievable - and it goes without saying that no matter how much we're craving it, we cannot afford to "keep coming back" like the website says. We'll just have to settle for the Mexican meals I put together at home, which will taste even better now knowing how much cheaper they are than the alternative! :-)
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Rome-ward Bound
Exciting news: we've just booked the plane tickets for our first big trip since arriving in Europe, to Rome for New Year's! Our flight leaves early in the morning on New Year's Eve, and we come back on the morning of January 8th, so the trip will be just over a week. We plan to take our time, soaking in everything Rome has to offer for the first five nights, then we'll probably head down to the Naples/Sorrento area to visit Pompeii and see some other sights in the area before coming back to Rome to catch our return flight.
We chose to go to Rome for a few reasons - first, it's one of the great cities in Europe and we didn't want to miss it. Second, it's the low season there and once New Year's is over the crowds (and prices) should be quite a bit lower than at other times. Finally, it's far enough south that it shouldn't be too cold to enjoy things. It won't be beach weather by any means, but as long as we don't get a cold snap we should see temperatures in the mid-50's, or higher if we're lucky...and after the past few downright chilly weeks in Brussels, that sounds wonderful! :-)
I know some of our family and friends have been to Rome before, so if any of you "veterans" have any suggestions for places to visit (or avoid), areas to stay in, etc...by all means do share them! I'm just starting the work of finding our lodging and planning our activities, so there's definitely time for me to incorporate your recommendations into our plan.
We chose to go to Rome for a few reasons - first, it's one of the great cities in Europe and we didn't want to miss it. Second, it's the low season there and once New Year's is over the crowds (and prices) should be quite a bit lower than at other times. Finally, it's far enough south that it shouldn't be too cold to enjoy things. It won't be beach weather by any means, but as long as we don't get a cold snap we should see temperatures in the mid-50's, or higher if we're lucky...and after the past few downright chilly weeks in Brussels, that sounds wonderful! :-)
I know some of our family and friends have been to Rome before, so if any of you "veterans" have any suggestions for places to visit (or avoid), areas to stay in, etc...by all means do share them! I'm just starting the work of finding our lodging and planning our activities, so there's definitely time for me to incorporate your recommendations into our plan.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The things we miss - and the things we don't!
Despite the relatively easy time we've had adjusting to life in Belgium, there are undoubtedly some things that we do miss about "home". On the other hand, there are nearly as many things that we really don't miss at all. Here's a rundown...
Miss
-Family & friends (of course!)
-Good, inexpensive Mexican restaurants
-Gatorade, especially as our marathon training ramps up
-Having more spending money (as long as we're being honest...)
-Dishwasher/washing machine/dryer (again, just being honest!)
-A couple of American TV shows, but not too many
-Twizzlers in the movie theatre (it's the little things...)
Don't Miss
-Driving (we've surprised ourselves with this one)
-Strip malls and parking lots (goes along with driving I guess)
-Fast food joints in every neighborhood (except maybe Chipotle - see Mexican restaurant reference above)
-Tipping - it's so much easier here because you really only tip for a few things
-The "rush rush" way of life - slowing down a bit has been great for our health!
-Americans; don't take this the wrong way, it's just that it's been great to meet people with backgrounds and perspectives that are different from our own
Miss
-Family & friends (of course!)
-Good, inexpensive Mexican restaurants
-Gatorade, especially as our marathon training ramps up
-Having more spending money (as long as we're being honest...)
-Dishwasher/washing machine/dryer (again, just being honest!)
-A couple of American TV shows, but not too many
-Twizzlers in the movie theatre (it's the little things...)
Don't Miss
-Driving (we've surprised ourselves with this one)
-Strip malls and parking lots (goes along with driving I guess)
-Fast food joints in every neighborhood (except maybe Chipotle - see Mexican restaurant reference above)
-Tipping - it's so much easier here because you really only tip for a few things
-The "rush rush" way of life - slowing down a bit has been great for our health!
-Americans; don't take this the wrong way, it's just that it's been great to meet people with backgrounds and perspectives that are different from our own
Saturday, November 10, 2007
The Belgian divide
I apologize that it's taken me this long to get this post published, after promising it more than ten days ago. It's a complex subject, so composing my thoughts into a post that wouldn't turn into a long and boring lecture was quite a challenge. Let's hope I've succeeded - here goes!
As one might expect, since moving here we've learned a lot of things about Belgium that we didn't know before, and the politics of the country have been particularly interesting. Although I've known for some time that Belgium was a multilingual country, I truly had no idea that the divisions ran so much deeper than that.
The country is composed of two main cultural groups: the Flemish in the north, who are Dutch speaking and comprise about 59% of the citizen population, and the Walloons in the south, French speaking and about 40% of the population. A small number of German speakers live in the eastern part of the country, and Brussels is officially bilingual and also has a large number of non-citizen residents who speak a myriad of mother tongues. The country was only established in 1831, and so while the two groups have lived side by side for centuries, they have only shared a government for the past 175 years or so - not very long when you consider the length of European history!
On the surface the two groups have a lot in common; the majority share the same religion (Roman Catholicism) and a similar history of domination by other groups (Romans, Hapsburgs, etc.). They also share credit for many of the things for which Belgium is known - chocolate, great beer, and of course Belgian waffles (though the way they're prepared differs between the regions). It really is a place where north meets south in terms of western European culture, and the result is quite intriguing.
However, in a lot of ways they live completely separate lives; within Brussels, for instance, the comunities operate separate schools, so even Flemish and Wallonian children living in the same neighborhood do not go to school together. The political parties also operate completely separately according to language, adding even further to the divide and making political progress slow and painful. The Flemish economy has also been significantly stronger than Wallonia's in recent decades, and many Flemish are increasingly frustrated at what they see as forced subsidization of the Walloons on their part. Lastly, the Flemish tend to be more free-market oriented, while generally speaking the Walloons have stronger socialist leanings. The result is a host of political differences and few areas of agreement.
So what does this mean for the future of Belgium? At several points in recent history (including now) these divisions, and smaller political arguments resulting from the underlying resentment and separatism, have threatened the existence of the country. The latest crisis (which has essentially shut down the national government entirely) has been going on for over 150 days since the June 2007 elections. Thus far there are few signs of progress towards a resolution, and I'm seeing more and more news articles begin to consider the split-up of the country as a real possibility. On the other hand, since we arrived here we've seen an impressive number of Belgian flags flying from windows and balconies throughout the city in a show of citizen solidarity, so it's really hard to say what's going to happen. An 11th hour compromise is a possibility, but from what I can see it certainly won't come easily.
One final observation: I'm quite surprised at the complete lack of coverage of this situation by the U.S. media. On my recent visit to the States I watched a lot of news programs, and I constantly monitor several American news websites from here...and I have yet to see even a single mention of it! It's rather disappointing that I can get multiple daily updates on the Britney Spears trainwreck, but not one word about a major political crisis affecting the country that hosts not only the EU government, but the NATO headquarters, of which the United States is a key member. It makes me wonder what else goes on in the world that we don't hear about? Sorry to go off on that tangent - I don't intend to turn this blog into a political soapbox, but I find it a little embarrassing that I was completely ignorant of this situation when we arrived here, and would likely still know nothing about it if I weren't living here. Kinda sad!
As one might expect, since moving here we've learned a lot of things about Belgium that we didn't know before, and the politics of the country have been particularly interesting. Although I've known for some time that Belgium was a multilingual country, I truly had no idea that the divisions ran so much deeper than that.
The country is composed of two main cultural groups: the Flemish in the north, who are Dutch speaking and comprise about 59% of the citizen population, and the Walloons in the south, French speaking and about 40% of the population. A small number of German speakers live in the eastern part of the country, and Brussels is officially bilingual and also has a large number of non-citizen residents who speak a myriad of mother tongues. The country was only established in 1831, and so while the two groups have lived side by side for centuries, they have only shared a government for the past 175 years or so - not very long when you consider the length of European history!
On the surface the two groups have a lot in common; the majority share the same religion (Roman Catholicism) and a similar history of domination by other groups (Romans, Hapsburgs, etc.). They also share credit for many of the things for which Belgium is known - chocolate, great beer, and of course Belgian waffles (though the way they're prepared differs between the regions). It really is a place where north meets south in terms of western European culture, and the result is quite intriguing.
However, in a lot of ways they live completely separate lives; within Brussels, for instance, the comunities operate separate schools, so even Flemish and Wallonian children living in the same neighborhood do not go to school together. The political parties also operate completely separately according to language, adding even further to the divide and making political progress slow and painful. The Flemish economy has also been significantly stronger than Wallonia's in recent decades, and many Flemish are increasingly frustrated at what they see as forced subsidization of the Walloons on their part. Lastly, the Flemish tend to be more free-market oriented, while generally speaking the Walloons have stronger socialist leanings. The result is a host of political differences and few areas of agreement.
So what does this mean for the future of Belgium? At several points in recent history (including now) these divisions, and smaller political arguments resulting from the underlying resentment and separatism, have threatened the existence of the country. The latest crisis (which has essentially shut down the national government entirely) has been going on for over 150 days since the June 2007 elections. Thus far there are few signs of progress towards a resolution, and I'm seeing more and more news articles begin to consider the split-up of the country as a real possibility. On the other hand, since we arrived here we've seen an impressive number of Belgian flags flying from windows and balconies throughout the city in a show of citizen solidarity, so it's really hard to say what's going to happen. An 11th hour compromise is a possibility, but from what I can see it certainly won't come easily.
One final observation: I'm quite surprised at the complete lack of coverage of this situation by the U.S. media. On my recent visit to the States I watched a lot of news programs, and I constantly monitor several American news websites from here...and I have yet to see even a single mention of it! It's rather disappointing that I can get multiple daily updates on the Britney Spears trainwreck, but not one word about a major political crisis affecting the country that hosts not only the EU government, but the NATO headquarters, of which the United States is a key member. It makes me wonder what else goes on in the world that we don't hear about? Sorry to go off on that tangent - I don't intend to turn this blog into a political soapbox, but I find it a little embarrassing that I was completely ignorant of this situation when we arrived here, and would likely still know nothing about it if I weren't living here. Kinda sad!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Here it is!
The picture is a little fuzzy, but here's what all the hassle has been for - a sticker small enough to fit inside one page of my passport! It's an important sticker though, because it allows me to remain here legally and to obtain my identity card...though that'll take another 6-8 weeks, thanks to the slow progression of the Belgian bureaucracy. That's one thing we've learned for sure - NOTHING happens quickly here when it comes to the government or services like utilities, cable and internet. For instance, we were lucky to have our internet and cable up and running within 10 days; others we know have had to wait 4 to 6 weeks!!
Anyway, let's just say that we're both thrilled to have finally completed this part of the process, and to be able to focus on other things, like figuring out the French language! :-)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
It's on its way!!
Happy Halloween!!
Just a few hours ago I received word that my passport, with the visa sticker inside, is on its way to me via UPS overnight!! After months of waiting and worrying, and waaay to much expense and hassle, this saga is FINALLY coming to an end! Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to be able to upload a photo until I get back to Belgium next Monday, but I'll be sure to put one up on the site then, so everyone can see what the big deal was all about!
Also on tap for next week, a little history/current events information about Belgium's political and cultural divisions. It doesn't get much coverage at all here in the States, but Belgium has had (and continues to have) its share of disagreements between the Flemish and Walloon communities, and it's been interesting for us to learn more about what's going on. More on that later!
Just a few hours ago I received word that my passport, with the visa sticker inside, is on its way to me via UPS overnight!! After months of waiting and worrying, and waaay to much expense and hassle, this saga is FINALLY coming to an end! Unfortunately I don't think I'm going to be able to upload a photo until I get back to Belgium next Monday, but I'll be sure to put one up on the site then, so everyone can see what the big deal was all about!
Also on tap for next week, a little history/current events information about Belgium's political and cultural divisions. It doesn't get much coverage at all here in the States, but Belgium has had (and continues to have) its share of disagreements between the Flemish and Walloon communities, and it's been interesting for us to learn more about what's going on. More on that later!
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