Brussels – in many ways, my favorite city so far!
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What I love about Brussels is the mix of many different cultures.
In the US, we are very used to food from a variety of cultures existing side by side, but in Brussels, this happy mixture includes not just food, but everything from architecture to the languages people use to communicate each day.
Merci or Dank U?
I am used to most people speaking only English in the US. Spanish is getting more common, and I notice it all the time on automated systems. But even though this is true, many people express annoyance at this accommodation made to people whose native language is not English.
In Europe, on the other hand, most people seem to know more than one language and are happy to help you in English, even if you don’t know more than “please” and “thank you” in their language…and, in fact, even if you don’t. Besides that, there seems to be a general openness to other cultures and people. I am sure some of this is because we are in major cities where there is a lot of tourism – but NYC is a major tourist city, and I haven’t noticed many people helping tourists in their own language there.
In Brussels, this is particularly true. The first morning we were there, Alex and I ventured out in search of food to bring back to the girls for breakfast and an ATM. After a man at the bakery helped me – mainly in English – I asked him how to say “thank you” and he said, “Merci”. I had expected him to tell me how to say it in Dutch (which was the language used on signs in the bakery), but he was so used to speaking French also, that he told me in French.
Three official languages
I later found out that the official languages are Dutch, French and German. Imagine how much more world savvy we would be in the US if we had such an open attitude toward other cultures and languages, rather than insisting that we don’t want to use any another language, in case it should deter newcomers from learning English.
The trip has certainly changed my attitude. Languages have never come naturally to me – I am more of a math and science person – but I have decided that I need to learn at least one. I think I will start with Spanish since I think it is the one that is the most useful second language to speak in the US.
46% of residents originating from foreign countries makes Brussels so diverse
What I have said about language in Brussels is just one example, now apply that to all other aspects of culture and you’ll get an idea of what it is like to visit Brussels. Some say that the extreme mix of architectural styles makes the city ugly, but I disagree. I think it makes the streets that much more interesting to explore. Take a look at some of our pictures in the gallery and see if you agree.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtwwithus/sets/72157624894939474/
The other aspects of Brussels that I truly enjoyed were the friendliness of the people, the quaint, narrow cobblestone streets bustling with little shops and cafes, the balconies overlooking those streets and the outdoor markets.
New multi-use outfits – suitable for any occasion – even an ice bar?
Meagan, Bella and I each bought a new article of clothing at the outdoor market. They are combination skirts / dresses that can be worn about 15 different ways – perfect when you only have a few pieces of clothing – we used them the next evening at the ice bar in Amsterdam…dresses at an ice bar?!..I can’t believe we even went to an ice bar…but that is a story for another post 
Posted on: September 7, 2010 | Categories: Belgium, Fun Facts - Cultures and Countries
Love the pictures! It looks like you all are having a great time! It boggles my mind every time I try to wrap my head around all that the kids are learning. This will be in their memories forever. How’s alex doing? It seems like his blogs are getting shorter and shorter… It looks like Bella finally warmed up the the experience and is having an amazing time. And we always knew Jenny was made for this sort of thing :} Hope everything keeps on the poI miss you all and wish you well. <3 J
Thanks, Julie! We miss you very much – wish we could have you over for dinner, conversation and beautiful music just like old times
The blogs are probably getting less frequent and shorter because the kids started school work. They are busy doing a math lesson now, and then working on essays on nuclear power and Anne Frank. We are all looking forward to the volunteer aspect – not just for the obvious reasons – but because we will have more time to get to know people, post to the website and catch up on things. Alex and Bella don’t really that they didn’t want to come on the trip anymore…I think they are both having a great time and they found out that the rest of the world is not made up of “weird foreign countries” as they once thought.