If you have been following the blog for a while you might know that I’ve been living in Belgium for over four years.

It took more than a year until I had my resident permit. Then I attended their social integration program. I had my Brazilian diploma recognized. I went to several meetings at the VDAB and information sessions about courses and jobs. Until I finally started to settle down. Until I finally found a job in my field.

All the while, I studied Dutch. Morning lessons, evening lessons, summer lessons. I was good, I could speak. But I got tired. I had other things to do.

Nowadays I find myself trying to have a decent conversation and feeling frustrated and embarrassed. It’s been four years! I should be speaking fluently! But I know why I don’t and it’s about time I do something about it.

Here are my reasons/excuses. What are yours?

I speak English at home

Since we met, my boyfriend and I spoke English to each other. I learned Dutch after moving back to Belgium and he learned Portuguese, but as much as we tried we could never make an efficient switch. We speak each other’s language now and then but we always fall back to English. It just feels more natural.

I speak English at work…

… and I can’t believe my luck! I not only get to speak English, I also do something I’m good at and care about.

Most people I know in Belgium speak English

They will likely switch languages when they notice you struggle in Dutch, and thus you’re rarely forced to improve.

I am self-conscious

As a teacher I have always told my students that it’s important to try, that mistakes are okay, that’s how you learn. But I’m terrible at following my own advice. I want to say things perfectly, I’m nervous about making a fool of myself, so I often choose to be quiet.

It hasn’t been a priority

During the first two years here I learned Dutch based on the thought that otherwise I wouldn’t find a job. At the same time I hoped that, being an English teacher, I wouldn’t need it. I kept myself busy looking for work, writing, reading, taking online courses, blogging, volunteering. Very little of that was done in Dutch.

The less I practice, the worse it gets

I forget words. Verb conjugations. Word order. It takes a lot of energy to say something. And then again, the frustration, the guilt, the shame.

These have been stressful years

There is no need to repeat everything I wrote above. These four years have been marked by uncertainty, anxiety, discomfort and low self-esteem. Stress is one of the worst enemies of learning.

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So speaking the local language is not always a natural consequence of living somewhere. It takes effort and time. What will I do about it from now on? I will add a little more Dutch in my life, every day. I will read, watch movies, listen to music, talk to people around me.

One day it won’t be such an effort anymore.

What helped you become fluent? 

I bike to most places in town

You wouldn’t hear me say that three years ago. I wasn’t used to it and I honestly disliked cycling. Arriving tired and sweaty at work or a friend’s house felt ridiculous. However, I had to understand what thousands of other Ghent residents had: it’s faster than walking, cheaper than public transport and simpler than driving. It’s even a good way to stay fit and, I must admit, it’s pleasant.

I check the weather forecast every day

Gone are the days when I could just assume it would be hot and sunny, put on my jeans and T-shirt and go out for the day. Living in Belgium showed me that you might go from foggy, cloudy and cold in the morning, to sunny and pleasantly warm at lunchtime, to rain and hail on your way home, to snow at night. You shouldn’t get out of the house without knowing what to expect and what to wear.

I need to think about what to wear

Is it going to rain? Then I can’t wear these shoes. I’ll need my rain trousers and jacket if I’m biking. Will it get warmer later? Then a lighter shirt underneath this sweater. But let me pack my hat and gloves, just in case.

I rarely bother putting on makeup or jewelry

Back home, girls dress up to go eat pizza. Seriously. I used to stress about where I was going, how I looked, what people would think. Living here I learned not to care, because nobody does. My only pair of high heels haven’t been worn in more than a year and I have foundation that’s probably expired. I do give in to nail polish and lipstick – and that’s the extent of my beauty repertoire.

There is much more to beer than I ever imagined

Oh, the flavors, the textures, the aftertastes, the degrees of alcohol, the food pairing, the culture around it! A new and amazing world for a girl who only knew one kind of beer: the kind you drink “stupidly cold” on a hot day in Brazil.

I never thought I would crave sunlight

I avoided the sun at all costs between 10am and 4pm. You know, skin cancer and all. Sunscreen or umbrella if I really needed to go to work or University (I took the bus and walked everywhere). But here, well, I miss it the way they miss the rain in my hometown. I enjoy the opportunities I get to sit outside and soak it in, to have a picnic at a park or even go to the beach. The winter months can really get you down.

There’s nothing glamorous about living in Europe

Unlike what most people back home think, living here isn’t chic. I was unemployed for a while, now I work hard, I bike to work and get rained on a lot. I have been to Paris, London, Vienna and more, and there I stayed with friends or cheap hotels, bought bread and cheese and sat at a park to eat, only visited free attractions and walked a lot. Not glamorous but definitely wonderful.

I don’t belong in my hometown anymore

They call it reverse culture shock when you go back to your home country after having lived abroad. You don’t quite fit in anymore. You don’t understand people’s behaviors anymore. You changed, they changed. Every time I go back I feel the conflicting emotions of being home (the home of my memories) and being a visitor, a tourist in my own town.  

​Photo: Pixabay.com

1. ​Terraces

“Look, the sun is shining! We must have a drink outside!” In Flanders they call it “een terrasje doen” when they go to a bar and sit outside. We must eat outside too. Study, work, read a book or simply sit under the gorgeous sun.

2. White wine

3. Barbecues

Back home we used to barbecue whenever we felt like it, usually on Sundays. Since I moved here I learned to associate (and appreciate) barbecues to sunny and warm days.  It’s just so nice to be outside, drinking a cold beer and grilling.

4. Beer Festivals

Take a look at this blog post and learn all about the best beer festivals in Belgium this year. 

5. Cyclists

Belgians love their bikes. I bike to work every day, through sun and rain (and often hail), but in spring and summer I see more and more cyclists on the streets and more and more Sunday bikers, as I call them. You know, those people in tight outfits and skinny bicycles.
It’s also time for cycling events, like the Ronde van Vlaanderen and the Tour de France. They watch that like Brazilians would watch a soccer final!
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6. Asparagus
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Here is one way to eat them: White Asparagus a la Flamande. 

7. Ice-cream trucks

They bring joy and remind you that those dark cold days are over. Until next winter.

8. Runners

It’s time to get out, get some fresh air and shed the winter pounds.

9. Sunburn 
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10. Sports events

Marathons, Fun Runs, cycling tours with a beer at the end, yoga at the park, it’s all happening, folks. Check your city schedule if you’d like to participate.

How about you? How are you enjoying the warmer days? 

Images: https://pixabay.com/

On my first year back to Belgium one of my classmates at the Dutch course said: “The first two years are the most difficult”. I braced myself and went on with all the resilience I could muster.

I didn’t know what to expect and I felt completely lost most of the time but somehow, at the end of my third year back here, things are falling into place.

It will take time, but you will get used to everything and start feeling at home. You’ll get your documents in order. You’ll find a job. You’ll make friends. Don’t lose heart.

Let’s talk about Belgium:

On Language

Dutch and the ITNA test 
Again. In another language
Language learning tools
Nergens beter dan thuis

The Process

Diploma Equivalence in Belgium
The integration program in Belgium
Cohabitation in Belgium
Cohabitation in Belgium, part II
The slow process of starting over
The stay-at-home expatriate

Around

Moving to Ghent, Belgium
Carnaval in Aalst, Belgium
Geraardsbergen, the city of pies
Dinant - nature, fun and saxophones everywhere
Summer in Flanders
One weekend, four countries

This and that

8 styles of beer to try in Belgium
Volunteering in Belgium
Feeling like a person

On TripAdvisor

Best food in Brussels
Guide to Brussels outdoors
Museum guide to Brussels

On Fans of Flanders

Clutch that Dutch
That’s what I like about you
Popcorn
My city, my love
Life’s little lessons (for expats)
Love and... Paperwork. Welcome to Belgium!
Immigration: the saga continues
Amazing Little Flanders
Rediscovering Belgium

Interviews
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Small Planet Studio - Re-entry Reality: It's not the end of the world
Wonderful Wanderings - Expats in Belgium
Bright Expats Blog

Fiction

​Home is who you are
A boy in Ghent

Last year I followed the Integration Program for foreigners, which consists of a social orientation class, Dutch classes and work/study coaching. They also intermediate diploma equivalence processes for free.

I have a Brazilian diploma in English teaching and this is what my recognition process looked like:

1. I provided Kom-Pas (now In-Gent) with the following documents:

• A copy of my diploma and a copy of my grades history (they had these translated).
• Official (original or scanned) subjects’ descriptions (provided by my University).
• Translation of the subjects’ descriptions (a summary in English made by me).
• My résumé.
• Letters from former employers or any document proving professional experience (optional).

 
   2.   My dossier was sent to Flemish Universities for analysis.

   3.   I was invited for an interview and a sample English lesson.

   4.   I received an official document saying my diploma is equivalent to Bachelor Secundair Onderwijs - onderwijs vak: Engels.

It seems like a very straightforward process, but in reality there’s a lot of waiting around, of being asked for documents you can’t provide and of more waiting around. This little process lasted a year and a half.

There were moments I completely forgot about it and I never really counted on it. I thought of it as a bonus, if it worked out well.

It did, and now I’m allowed to work as a teacher. And I hope I’m done with paperwork for a while. 

Have you had your diploma recognized? How was it? 

Or are you going to try? 

Here are some useful links: 

National Academic Recognition Information Center (NARIC-Vlaanderen)
​Inburgering (Civic Integration Program)
In-Gent Integratie en Inburgering

Ivna, please tell us about who you are and where you are from.

​I am a Brazilian journalist and writer and I've been living in Belgium since 2005. I was born in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro. I came to Europe in 2003 to do a master's degree and I met my husband, with whom I have a son. 

What motivated you to live abroad?

I wanted to speak a foreign language and I chose French. That's why I went to Strasbourg. I also wanted to know a bit more about the EU. In Strasbourg there is a good University where I could focus on this topic.

What were your expectations before you moved to Belgium? Did the reality align with those expectations?

I did't know Belgium before. I came here because my husband works for Le Parisien newspaper. I also became a correspondent for a Brazilian newspaper and after that I became a Portuguese teacher for Europeans, especially at the European Parliament.
Belgium is a very good country with a good quality of life. The multicultural environment is very attractive and I love this because every day I can learn with them. 

What are the biggest challenges in starting a new life abroad?

I think that it's the integration. We have to be open to the other culture and the other way of thinking. In the beginning it was very difficult because I didn't have friends. In addition, I had to face the reality. I was very lonely, I had never known that in Brazil. I have a big family and many friends.  Now I've made many friends and I am very adapted to the country. 

How has living abroad changed you? What have you learned?

Living abroad is something very special. You get to know many people, you have to speak another language, and if you compare it to Rio, Belgium is very cold.
I've learned to be open minded, more patient, and that people are the same everywhere. I think that in Belgium we have respect for people, the political conscience is more concrete and the relationship between people has to be respected. Teachers, doctors, lawyers and children have to know what they are and respect each other.
 
What do you wish you had known before leaving your home country?

More about politics in Belgium, for example. How this country can function with the complicated system.

Tell us about your writing. What inspires you?

I love to write. I love Portuguese and I love reading. I am a journalist, as I said. My son Elias is my inspiration. I was very happy when he was born and I thought "why not write about the different phases of a baby?".
And then, one day I found out I had breast cancer and he asked me what was happening all the time. So I explained and I presented this idea to a friend of mine, a writer too, Thalita Rebouças. She presented this to an editor and the editor loved it immediately. What´s happening to my mummy? tells my own story of facing breast cancer with my son.  

What are you working on at the moment? 

I am teaching Portuguese to Europeans and I am a French to Portuguese translator as well. And I have finished too books for children, one about King Pedro II and the other about the twins Fábio and Rafael.

Any advice you’d like to share with those who dream of creating a new, happier life?

I think people can live every day with passion. I know that's difficult, but when you almost die because of a disease you see things in another way. Only you can make your life a happy life. Happiness is inside us...

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Ivna! 

How about you? Have you been recreating your life abroad? Feel free to leave a comment! 

The little country of Belgium is a giant when it comes to beer brewing. Not only is it home to the largest brewing company (AB InBev), it also boasts a huge variety of styles and brewing traditions with over 1000 types of beer. For that reason it can seem a daunting task for the uninitiated visitor to figure out which beers to try when in Belgium. Of course you can always ask the bartender or a friendly native, who will gladly help you. For now this list might help to get an overview of what’s out there.

​1. Trappist beers

Some Trappists probably rank among the most well-known Belgian beers. Trappist is a protected trademark and the beers are brewed by Cistercian monks in a monastery. Only 11 Cistercian monasteries in the world brew Trappist beers, six of which are in Belgium. Although they are all labeled as Trappist, each of these beers has its own style and taste. The Belgian Trappists are Westmalle, Westvleteren, Achel, Chimay, Rochefort and Orval.

You might recognize Westvleteren because its “12” has been consistently rated as the best beer in the world. This one might be a bit tricky to find. Some people get it straight from the monastery (http://sintsixtus.be/) but most specialized beer shops should have it.

A personal favorite of mine is Orval. It is a bit of an odd one out among the Trappists. Only one type is brewed, which is an amber, dry hopped beer of 6,2%. The scent is fruity and hoppy. The taste is lightly sour due to wild Brettanomyces yeast involved in the brewing process. Some bars will serve different ages of Orval because the taste evolves as it ripens in the bottle. Young Orval has a fruity and hoppy aroma, while year-old Orval will start to develop a more complex bitter taste.
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For a stronger hit you can try Westmalle tripel (9,5%) with a strong taste and rich aroma, Chimay bleu (9%) with a smooth and malty flavor or Rochefort 10, a full-bodied, complex dark brown beer.
Just in case you are curious about the other Trappist beers there is Gregorius from Austria, Spencer from the US, Tre Fontane from Italy and Zundert and La Trappe from the Netherlands. La Trappe was actually the first Cistercian monastery and started this brewing tradition in 1685, hence the term Trappist beers.
 
 
 
2. Spontaneous fermentation

Another typical Belgian product are the beers of spontaneous fermentation. These beers are produced in the region around Brussels called Pajottenland and along the Zenne river. What makes these beers unique is that they get fermented by wild yeasts from the environment, like Brettanomyces. The first fermentation produces lambic beer, which is aged on oak barrels. Lambic is a flat beer with a sour refreshing taste. Because aged hops are used in the brewing, there is little bitterness.

A second fermentation with a blend of young and aged lambic produces Gueuze. It ferments further in the bottle resulting in strong carbonation. This gives the beer a crisp sparkly taste and is the reason why it is often called the Champagne of beers. Other complex flavours and aromas derive from the wild yeast and aging process. Fruits like sour cherries or raspberries are macerated in the lambic to produce Kriek and Framboise respectively.  

Some well-known Gueuze makers are Cantillon, Oud-Beersel, Girardin, Boon, Lindemans (try the cuvée René), Timmermans, Hanssens and 3 Fonteinen.
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Most bars in Belgium should have one or more beers of spontaneous fermentation but to have the real experience, a visit to the Pajottenland region is advised. A personal recommendation is a little bar in the Gueuze heartland called In de verzekering tegen de grote dorst. This bar also hosts a biannual international festival of spontaneous fermentation attracting many foreign beer enthousiasts. One town over you can also visit De Cam, a nice bar and small-scale Gueuze-blender where you can taste the local cuisine and drink the locally produced Gueuze, Lambic, Kriek or Framboise.
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3. Flemish red

This style of beer is remarkable for its fruity taste and red color despite any presence of fruits in the brewing process. The beer originates from the region “West-Flanders” and owes its distinct color and taste to a combination of the use of malt and the aging on oak barrels. The classic to try is Rodenbach, if possible in combination with some fresh grey shrimp at the Belgian seaside. Another Flemish red ale is Duchesse de Bourgogne.
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4. Old brown

The region of East-Flanders also has a typical style of beer. Old brown is a beer with a long aging process in stainless steel tanks. The color is more brownish than red and the taste is smooth and malty with a light sourness. Liefmans Goudenband and Brouwers Verzet Oud Bruin are great examples of this brewing style.
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5. Saison 

Going to the French speaking part of Belgium, in the region of Henegouwen, we find the origin of saison beer. This used to be a seasonal beer that was brewed in winter to provide a thirst quencher for the harvesting period. Saison beers tend to be ambery blond with complex flavours coming from hops and yeast. Saison Dupont is a standard in this genre.
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6. Speciale Belge

This type of beer is an amber ale of about 5 to 6%. Caramelized malt is used in the brewing, which gives this beer a smooth taste with a gentle hoppy aroma. Palm is the most well-known and can be ordered in any bar by showing the palm of your hand to a waiter. De Koninck is another great example of this style, usually ordered as a “bolleke Koninck”.
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7. Belgian white

​Belgian white or “witbier”, is named after the light blond, hazy look of the beer. This is caused by suspended yeast and wheat proteins in the beer. Beside hops, coriander and orange peels are used in the brewing process and give the beer its fresh characteristic flavour. This type of beer was revived by Pierre Celis who started the Hoegaarden and later the Celis brewery in Austin Texas.

 
8. Abbey beers

Aside from Trappist monks there are several other monasteries that produce beers.  Certified Belgian Abbey beers are brewed by non-Trappist monasteries or under license of a monastery. Like Trappist beers there is no single style for Abbey beers but most breweries make strong blond triple and lighter brown double beers. One of my favorites is Maredsous triple, a well-rounded 10% amber beer with fruity aromas. There are some 23 certified Belgian Abbey beers but many more brewers brew following the Abbey tradition. Some of these uncertified ones to try are Triple Karmeliet, Witkap triple and Sint-Bernardus Abt 12 (this last one is a good alternative if you can’t find Westvleteren 12).

Guest post by Robrecht. 

Immigrants in Belgium are sometimes required to follow an Integration program (Inburgering, in Flanders) which consists of a social orientation class, Dutch lessons and work guidance.

Some people are obliged to do it, some don’t have the right to it and some are allowed, like me. I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. Why? I thought I could learn something. I also heard it’s an important requirement for the citizenship application.

So after months on a waiting list, there I went and sat through a three-hour class, twice a week, in the middle of the afternoon, for three months, and was taught how to sort my trash in Belgium, who is who in the Belgian government and nobility, where to go if I need to request welfare and how the school system is divided. 

Seriously.

It’s all nice and interesting if you have just arrived here and have a lot of time to spare. Or if you are unable to find things out on your own. Some of my classmates have been living here for more than ten years, for god’s sake! What were they doing there? What was I doing there?

I do admit that I learned new things about social security, work and education. We also had an individual appointment with the teacher to discuss our chosen goal and the steps to take. Mine was to find work as a teacher and translator and she advised me to study more here in Belgium. Great.

Now that I’m done with social orientation, I have an appointment with someone from the VDAB for the third and last phase: work guidance. It’s what I was looking forward all along, but I’m not really that hopeful. I doubt she will have a solution for my situation.

My request for diploma recognition has finally been sent (another advantage of the Inburgering program) and it should take about six months but I’m not hopeful about that either.

All in all, I’m glad I did it and I’m glad it’s over. It’s the end of my second year back in Belgium, two years full of uncertainty and things to get done. People say the first years of immigration are always the worse but things do get better. I will trust that and hope 2015 comes with a feeling of “normal life”.

When I arrived in Belgium I didn’t have a single document except for my passport. Then I got the famous orange card, which says nothing but “take a seat and wait while we decide whether you’re welcome here or not”. I felt like a nobody.

No bank account, no local driver’s license, no identity card, nothing. It was like I had no existence in this country that I hoped would be my new home.

Every time I had to show my card people looked at it – and at me – funny. It was about half a page in size, folded in half and tucked in a plastic sleeve. Oh, and a nice blend of orange and pink. I could almost hear their thoughts: “What the hell is this? Is this even legal? Who is this girl?”

But my worst memory is definitely the first day of school, over a year ago. I was finally signed up and excited to learn Dutch. My boyfriend even enrolled for Portuguese classes so we could go to school together on Monday evenings. However, a few days before that I had my visa request denied and the damned orange card taken. Again, I only had my passport.

I sat through the first half of class, then everyone had to go downstairs to the office to buy some course material. They checked my file. They needed some identification, I showed them my passport. Drama. The school couldn’t accept it, there was nothing on it but my entrance stamp.  

“But the guy from the Huis van het Nederlands said any document with my picture on it would be okay!”

“Sorry, we’ll have to cancel your enrolment.”

But I just want to learn. I cried in front of the crowded office. I’m not ashamed. I was so fed up with being pushed around. I went up, found my boyfriend’s class, got him downstairs so he could give his account number and get the money back (I didn’t even have my own bank account at that time!)

Now we all know that everything turned out okay but that feeling of rejection scarred me a little and I’m always grateful to have a national id to show and all the rights that come with it.

Today I have a bank account, a driver’s license, a health insurance card, a resident permit. It seems a little ridiculous to lay your “being a person” on a bunch of plastic cards, but for some people it might make sense. Those plastic cards give you rights and freedom.

And you know what gives you more freedom, more choice? Work, money.

Not having a job or an income for almost two years has done things to my head that I hope turn into wisdom of some sort. Having everything I need to survive and more, I still feel a lack of purpose, of energy, of excitement, of identity. I feel less.

I know deep down that I am who I am and that is beautiful and enough, but it’s hard to shake off the idea that I need to work and make money to feel more like a mature, independent and free woman. 


What makes you feel more or less valuable? How do you deal with it?

I’m back!

August was a very busy month and I didn’t do any writing, which made me feel anxious and frustrated. However, I did a lot of Dutch-learning, which made me feel proud. When I say a lot I really mean it: I had three-hour classes five days a week plus a shit-ton of homework plus newspaper reading plus talking with the Flemish boyfriend. I was constantly busy with Dutch.

It all started with me not wanting to sit at home for two months letting all I’ve learned slip away from my brain. The school where I studied didn’t offer summer courses, but the University Language Center did. It’s quite expensive (€375 per month/level) but I got hold of this valuable piece of information: the City of Ghent grants you a discount if you meet the following requirements:

"1. To reside in one of the sub-districts of the City of Ghent
2. Being a legal resident and have a real and permanent judicial residence expectation
3. The gross monthly family income is below 4000 euro
4. Reference of the Huis van het Nederlands Gent vzw."

All I had to do was go to the House of Dutch with my identity card and some pay checks and get the paper. After I enrolled paying only €99 I took an entrance exam and – no shit – passed for their highest level! Maybe I’ve been underestimating my skills.

Passing that exam shifted something and I immediately started speaking more Dutch with the people around me.

Classes were fast paced and my classmates really motivated. I realized how behind I was on vocabulary and fluency and worked my ass off at home. I was challenged and I was learning, yay! The one thing I didn’t know was that at the end of that level everyone was supposed to take this ITNA test (Interuniversitaire Taaltest Nederlands voor Anderstaligen). It’s a proficiency test for those who want to go to University here.


Proficiency! Hello?!

The whole month was ITNA this, ITNA that and a lot of anxiety on the part of people who depended on it for their visas. I tried to relax and just learn the most I could because that was my goal to start with. We did a lot of reading and grammar/vocabulary exercises in order to prepare for the first phase: the computer test. If you pass that you can take the oral test. That annoyed the shit out me. The oral test was composed of a presentation and an argumentation. You get diagrams and you have to interpret the information and present them. Boring.

I did the best I could, all the while thinking that I didn't know half of what everybody else did and that I wouldn't pass. 

I was wrong.

Proficiency, people!

Of course I need to learn more and I’m going back to the CVO, twice a week. I took a new level test and they let me enroll on level 9. Nine! I just skipped four levels, bam!

Bragging is the least I want to do with this post. What I want to say is: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF. Cliché but true.

What is your experience learning languages?