Ana Miranda
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The Integration Program in Belgium

5/1/2015

2 Comments

 

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”.

2 Comments
Katia
1/2/2015 07:05:32 am

Ola, Ana! Gostei de ler seu blog e me identifiquei com voce em algumas situacoes que voce viveu e esta vivendo.Quando me mudei para Escocia, terra do meu marido, eu ja estava com 37 anos e com 39 quando nos mudamos para a Irlanda. Na Escocia, a integracao foi mais facil devida aos amigos do meu marido que me apoiaram muito. Com 39, nos mudamos para a Irlanda por causa do trabalho dele e achei muito mais dificil me adaptar aqui.Foi ai que realmente eu comecei a experimentar o verdadeiro sentido of living abroad.Apesar de ter tido sorte em entrar no mercado de trabalho rapidamente, eu me deparei com a situacao de nao ter o luxo de cometer erros em programar minha carreira, por ja estar acima de 35. Eu tambem fiz Letras e trabalhei muitos anos como professora de ingles no Brasil, mas nunca pensei em trabalhar na minha area aqui, Pelo menos nunca me passou pela cabeca ser professora e ingles num pais de lingua inglesa.E para ser uma tradutora, eu teria que voltar a estudar, que na epoca simplesmente estava fora de cogitacao.Foi ai que entrei para a area de turismo, que sempre contratam pessoas que falam mais de uma lingua.Ja moro 10 anos na Irlanda e ate hoje tenho career crisis.rs. Bom, era para ter sido uma short message e acabou ficando enorme.rs.Voce ainda eh jovem, e as coisas vao se encaixando naturalmente. Va em frente, e saiba que voce nao esta sozinha nessa caminhada.Best wishes from Ireland!

Reply
Ana Elisa Miranda
17/10/2015 05:51:23 pm

Oi Katia, não sei porque, "perdi" seu comentário. Sorry!
Obrigada por ler e compartilhar sua experiência aqui. :) Abraço!

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