Friends in Belgium - it is easier to go to the moon

Since 20 years in Belgium, I would say that there is little chance to make friends (apart among other foreigners), even if you speak 3 national languages and have a fine job.

Reasons:
Around the big cities a lot of rich people live who stick to their peer-groups and are not interested to welcome newcomers (unless you pay a high fee to enter their clubs).

Many Belgian people live in the country-side and have a lot of travelling to do to reach their workplaces; there is almost no time for friends. They are very family-based. Competition at work is considerable and it is certainly hard to develop friendships at your workplace (unless inside EU-offices).

Living-conditions in Belgium are very over-estimated; this means many middle class people frequently live in a rather poor environment and do not want to show their interior. It is common to meet in restaurants - this is, however, more and more expensive and people who feel the social pressure to pay for friends, are not willing to spend a lot of money on friends. It is unusual to ask for separate bills in a restaurant.

Belgian people have a "brick" in their stomach; this means that they only live for "my home is my castle". They like to build houses, even if they cannot afford modern service installations, central heating and furniture. There is a real lack of "apartments" and middle-class accommodation to hire. In Belgium, in particular in the big cities, people are "very rich" and even more people are really poor, with little chance for middle-class to gain in prosperity.

Probably living in the countryside - and not in the big cities - opens up for nicer contacts with people.

Apart from "Dance", "Cinema" and "Jazz"-Ralley - theatre, opera + literary culture is not really developed at the base and open to everybody. There are 3 national languages and cultural development in small countries as Belgium does not really create identity and social contacts, it rather segregates and the top events are imports from other countries.

If you do not make part of the rich, this is no place to go.
Unless you are a very talented cook and you have sufficient seduction potential to make people come to your place. (But competition is very hard). People love excellent kitchen.

filet americaine 08 Jan 2009, 02:41 - Report