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Brussels... try to understand

This really is a city that people either hate or love. It’s so peculiar, as the population is international to an extent I’ve yet to encounter elsewhere. In Vienna, you know you’re in Austria. In Berlin, you’re still (arguably) in Germany. Brussels is different for two main reasons – the insane amount of foreigners working in international (EU) institutions, and the Belgian divide between Flanders and Wallonia. This is like the 3rd culture kid with a permanent identity crisis.

I was in Bxl (Bruxelles) for five months as an intern in the European Commission. The EC itself has 33 000 employees, and around 700 interns twice a year. Then you have the Parliament and the Council, the embassies, the permanent representations, the lobby organisations… You see what I’m getting at? It’s a huge melting pot and it’s supercool to be part of! For me, five months was definitely enough, while others get hooked. I just found that Bxl is so massively career focused and that quality of life is really poor, outside of work, and a lot of people aren’t happy there either (one person actually committed suicide by jumping out of a window in the Commission while I worked there, apparently because he didn’t get the promotion he expected/deserved). But, this means that you have a chance to meet absolutely brilliant people, all the time, and this of course is very stimulating.

The other reason, the Flanders/Wallonia divide, is affecting another group of people more than the international professionals. Bxl is in between the two regions of Belgium, both politically and culturally. You will hear more French spoken in Bxl than Flemish, but there are also events organised specifically in Flemish. The divide is more complicated than I’m willing to go into, but I want to point out the consequence that this have for another type of immigrants. There are a lot of African immigrants in Bxl, which has to do with language and the colonial past, and maybe other reasons too. So there are a lot of young people who were born in Bxl by immigrant parents, who struggle to find an identity in Bxl. It has been argued that because there isn’t really a national spirit that this group can relate to and identify themselves with, they kind of fall between the cracks in assuming an identity – because what does it mean to be Bruxellois? Some believe that this identity crisis is what has led to the radicalisation of young Muslims in Bxl, like the men involved in the Paris attacks one year ago and in Bxl this year.

So I think Bxl is a place where you have to find your own story. It is politically and bureaucratically very complicated (you might recall that they went 589 days without a government in 2010-11), the police have a bad reputation (and let’s not even get into the church…), but there is always a Belgian solution! (Seriously, klick the link, you won’t regret it!)

Not every solution is the answer to a problem

Moreover, something has to be said about the climate in Bxl. The first time I was there in 2013 I hit a few nice days of summer weather. October through February though – not so much. It’s just constantly raining or very humid, to the point where you think you might begin to grow mould. It’s not as cold as Scandinavia though, so for a girl like me from the rainiest part of Sweden, it’s manageable. What I really did miss is nature – Bxl is very much paved, uneven cobblestones and very few green areas. The fact that the most centrally located park is called ‘Parc’ kinda speaks for itself. In terms of city planning, Bxl is a complete disaster, but in terms of architecture and buildings it has some hidden gems. The area around st Katherine is quite nice, and of course the Grand Place (main square) is elaborately decorated. Another appealing feature is that the city is doable by foot – I sometimes walked 45 min to an hour to get to places, but then you really can’t go much further. Also the metro system is decent. They do have a city bike system, but I never used it because the cobble stones get slippery, there are a lot of one way streets and people drive like crazy here. Stopping for red lights is not always the case, and for pedestrians more of a gentle recommendation than a rule (haha Vienna!). Plus, I worked on top of a hill and I like wearing skirts to work…

Use-it map

So when you find yourself in Brussels (because I’m sure you’ll have to go for some reason sooner or later) – focus on the social aspect! Enjoy the bars, the gluttonic lifestyle and do the main sights in 1-2 days.

#brussels #travel #belgian solutions #identity

"Knipoog in het Frietmuseum van Brussel dat dit weekend deze gesigneerde foto ontvangt. Clin d'œil au Musée de la frite à Bruxelles qui recevra cette photo dédicacée ce week-end."

—Charles Michel