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Do and don't in Belgium

expat.com
#1

Are you living in Belgium? We need you to share your experience of the local customs :)

Is it difficult to adjust to the local customs in Belgium?

Could you please share with us a list of the do's and don't's in Belgium?

Thanks!
See also
BEIMMO
#2
I would say there are probably more do`s than dont`s in Belgium. Ignoring the odd issue that can arise between Dutch and French speakers most topics of conversation are acceptable.


Just be yourself, Belgian`s are friendly people they do not bite, but be careful not to fall into the old trap of always saying how better everything is outside Belgium !

Regards

Paul

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La D
#3
I think that is very easy to adjust to life in Belgium. It depends how "open" to new things you are; In my case, i spent a year cursing the weather and the "lack" of spicy food.5i'm mexican). Now, i just enjoy all the variety of restaurants and products in the supermarket i can find and i stopped nagging about. Life in Belgium is quite good.
Symona
#4
Hi, i would like to know if is difficult to find a job in Brussels if u are a foreigner and how expensive can be a rent there. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks :)
lapetite
#5
first thing comes on the list French and Dutch speaker dont聽 compare the 2 comunities聽 or cities transport systme ,education systm we all know that they are different...

try to learn both languages or at least ahve an idea sometimes its really usufull...

take into acount聽 in which city u r willen to live (Flamish or French region) transport systeme is different also channels on TV聽 are differen,education...

do not care about weather ,igonr nagging and be cool.
ILoveBelgium
#6
the most Do are on this blog about belgium:

ilovebelgium.be

love

the ilb-team
JAMESGERAL2010
#7
I will be in brussels in few days , any body any advice
will be appreciated to jamesgeral2002@gmail.com
Julien
#8
Hi JAMESGERAL2010, a longer presentation would be appreciated ;)
eddyrose1
#9
My wife and I moved to Belgium five months ago, we lived the past 35 years in Florida and needless to say when we arrived here we thought for sure we took the wrong plane and ended up in Siberia! Other than the cold weather in the winter months, we absolutely love it here! Life is so much better, the cost of living is so much cheaper and the food... I think I died and went to heaven! People are kind of distant at first, once they know you and see that you are at least making an effort to speak their language, they welcome you. Now, everywhere I go, they want to speak English with us although we both speak French fluently and manage pretty well in Dutch. One thing for sure: Do not ask for "french fries", that would be an insult since the Belgians (in my opinion) make the best fried potatoes in the world.
Just be polite, respectful and smile a lot. In no time people you deal with will treat you as one of their own.
Belgium is indeed a wonderful place to live!
FeeAcer
#10
Hello Eddyrose1 and most welcome on board of 天美麻豆! :)
and many thanks for so many compliments on my home country!
Melby
#11
Eddy, you have most certainly never been anywhere near Siberia if you thing Belgium is similar!! Chicago is far colder in the winter than it is here. It was rarely more than 2掳 below freezing! Heck, Florida was even down in the single digits this winter! And 5 months ago? That was March, not winter! In March it got warm and the sidewalk eating all opened back up again!!
eddyrose1
#12
to Melby:

I have been to several places in the world where it is extremely cold: Alaska, Minnesota, Iceland and Greenland to name a few... I worked in the US merchant marine for a few years and I know what cold feels like! The reason I wrote "my wife and I thought we got on the wrong plane and ended up in Siberia" was to describe the huge difference between Southern Florida and Belgium. More precisely we live on the North Coast where the wind is blowing constantly. Although we experienced one of the coldest winters back home (Florida), but when it is only 5潞 Celsius here and the wind blows at 35 km per hour, it feels bitter cold. Nothing like Siberia of course, that was only an exaggerated allusion.
Our heater was still running in the middle of June!
I do not wish to sound like I am complaining but when you compare present summer temperatures of 40潞 average in Florida to your 18潞 here on the coast, that is a difference of 22潞!
We both love Belgium, its people, excellent food, best beers and chocolates in the world, I simply do not like cold weather and I have a feeling that I will have no other choice but to get used to it because I have NO INTENTION to return to the USA ever.
My interest in this topic is to make people aware of how nice it is to live in Belgium and that - in my opinion - this country is far better than what the US became recently.
I feel so lucky that thanks to my wife's Belgian nationality I am able to retire here.

Vive la Belgique!
Melby
#13
The avg varies by month, of course, but in June (1.5 mos ago) there were 30+掳 days here aplenty! So I'm rather confused by what you're saying, haha.

I am also American, and I've spent plenty of time in FL, though I prefer to avoid it during hot months! lol. Personally I find the weather here to be wonderful. Very noticeably milder winters than I'm used to, plenty milder summers, but still all four seasons in full, it's the best of all worlds! lol. And I, too, agree with your sentiments of Belgium and definitely have no intention of ever returning to the US to live. I may go to visit family/friends, but I'm rather reluctant to do that as well. Again, I too thank my lucky stars that I happened to meet a nice European boy and that we fell in love, and I therefore got to live a dream I didn't realize I'd previously had! Europe is amazing, and Belgium is incredibly wonderful, for sure! =)
FeeAcer
#14
Could we please re-concentrate on the subject of this post :
"Do and don't in Belgium"?

If you want to discuss other matters, kindly start a new discussion.

Thanks
Melby
#15
:/
S
#16

BEIMMO wrote:

I would say there are probably more do`s than dont`s in Belgium. Ignoring the odd issue that can arise between Dutch and French speakers most topics of conversation are acceptable.


Just be yourself, Belgian`s are friendly people they do not bite, but be careful not to fall into the old trap of always saying how better everything is outside Belgium !

Regards

Paul


This is SO true! The fastest way to make a non-friend is to say the weather or whatever is slightly better in for instance The Netherlands. Belgians live in a fantasy world. They were told they are among the richest people on the planet, and they believed it. They used to have a solid social support system. They used to have a working government. All that is history now. Like Paul says, stay clear of making comparisons, and feed into their delusion that Belgium is like the Garden of Eden. Make one mistake against that rule, and you will find one less friendly.

globetrotter
#17
I am a (Flemish) Belgian serial expat, wife and mother, currently living near Paris.聽

I've always loved living in Belgium and we often go back to visit the family, but these last couple of years the racism is getting worse and worse. Especially people from Arabic countries are extremely mistrusted. I know there is an increasing feeling of unsafety, but it saddens me that so many of my countrymen judge by groups and not by person.
S
#18
When faced with a non-friendly, congratulate yourself a little, then prepare yourself to run your humility routine. Non-friendly Belgian, that is, if there is such a thing, I know I know, I'm just trying to get to sleep here. So blah blah. Humility routine. Get used to it.
S
#19
Several years ago, I was in treatment for a drug addiction I did not have, Mrs Heidii Devos picked up from a newspaper, the one statistic that starts to explain a lot. No purchases of toothpaste were made in Belgium, in the past year. Go easy on my eardrums, will you?. -- Stefaan Meeuws
Yud
#20
Hi Stefaan_meeuws :),

Can you please stick to the initial discussion please. If you want you can also launch a new discussion.

Thanks you for your kind comprehension.

Yud
S
#21
:)
notorious cat enthusiast
#22
Don't pay for the metro - they never check!! :cool:
valbona
#23
hahhaahahah
Melby
#24

notorious cat enthusiast wrote:

Don't pay for the metro - they never check!! :cool:


:mad: First of all, they do occasionally make random checks, and you will be getting a major fine if they catch you (and in Flanders at least, there are several video cameras on every bus/tram/metro). :rolleyes:

Second of all, why would you encourage people to illegal immoral activity? :/ Don't you know that stealing only makes the price go up for everyone?? :mad:

YES folks, DO do the right thing and PAY for the services you utilize.

Julien
#25
惭别濒产测听 :one
Melby
#26
:D Thanks Julien.
W
#27
Hats off Melby!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks
Melby
#28
:shy:)
Another Sean
#29
Do drink Belgian beer slowly. Don't guzzle it, or mix different types, such as Duvel and Kriek :D
T
#30

Another Sean wrote:

Do drink Belgian beer slowly. Don't guzzle it, or mix different types, such as Duvel and Kriek :D


haha indeed!

G
#31
Do pay your taxes - there are a lot of them because the legal mafia is fat, growing, and allways hungry.


The public debt is more than 99% of GDP. All this debt is an IOU to private banks and the interest is running. Why Belgium does not own a bank and borrow money from it's own bank?

And why belgians do not take the power from the mafia? Are they too afraid to make decisions by themselves?
Melby
#32
:blink:
Yud
#33
Hello GhentCommuter,

Your message seems very weird :/ I'm wondering whether I shall moderate this or not :whistle:
O
#34
Hi, from my own experience, I realize belgians do not use to talk laud anywhere... I am spanish, and I know we spaniards talk lauder that most of the people on the planet, but what I experienced in Belgian restaurants was deadly silence... I was talking and somebody even made "Shhhhh" to me. I felt very ashamed but also though that the person was very unfriendly (honestly, I was not even talking laud, but of course I was not murmuring either). I believe this is a huge cultural difference. Also, at the office, is so silent that the office seems to be empty. But I am sure you will notice this difference more if you come form a latin country.
bigtdevon42
#35
MOST OF EUROPEANS ARE QUIETLY SPOKEN WE FIND AMERICANS ARE USUALLY LOUD ALSO SPANISH IT聽 CAN BE ANNOYING ON BUSES AND RESTAURANTS EXT NOT EVERY ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR PHONE CONVERSATION SO ITS POLITE TO TALK QUIETLY
O
#36
I dont think the point here it what is right or wrong, but Do's and dont's. So the message is "dont talk loud in public places". No more than this. Maybe you are right. But some people that comes from different cultures, might not be aware of this, or might have different definitions of what "loud" means. A cultural difference does not mean being unpolite.
hannahhadman
#37
Werid Ive never heard of that one but then again ive only used trains but yes they r indeed usealy very silent
hannahhadman
#38
How do you mean eversunshin
NedC
#39
HI everyone,

I'm looking to move to Ghent from the U.S.

Was wondering how expensive it is and how difficult it is to learn 3 languages....which one to focus on?

All advice would be greatly appreciated on the transition to Ghent and what to expect.

Thank you.


--Ned
Dobe-Dave
#40
Hi Ned, I am an Englishman and currently stay in Belgium. There are a few things you should know before you enter the EU. I would be happy to skype with you if you would like to chat. Just PM me.

Dave

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