Culture shock is something that I knew we’d have to navigate. No matter where you move to, they probably do a few things differently. When you move internationally, that adds a whole other layer. The most typical things to consider are language barriers, social cues, and unfamiliar customs.
Here is what I have found to be the biggest differences in our time here so far:
- Every one and their mother (literally) smokes cigarettes here. People of all ages, ethnicities, social status, at all times of the day…the secondhand smoke exposure is real
- The first floor here is called the ground floor, and the second level is actually the first floor. Our temporary apartment is unit 702, but we’re actually on the 8th level
- Belgian’s wear their engagement ring on the ring finger on the left hand. After you are officially married, the wedding band replaces the engagement ring on the left hand and is moved to the right hand
- When you dine out, you have to pay for water. You have the option between still and sparkling in a half liter or a liter. Oftentimes, wine or beer is cheaper!
- You are legally required to sort your garbage, which is referred to as rubbish. Blue bags are for plastics and metals. Yellow bags are for paper and cardboard. Green bags are for leaves, weeds, and grass cuttings. Orange bags are for food waste. White bags are known as the catch-all. Don’t even get me started on sorting glass! This is a whole other category.
- Not only do you share the road with other cars, but also with trams. (pretty sure this happens in San Francisco, but definitely not where I’m from in Illinois!) Traffic here is also notoriously bad, as Brussels ranks the 3rd most congested city
- The driving age is 18, not 16
- Speaking of age, the legal drinking age is 16 at bars, and 18 for liquor with over 20% alcohol
- Dogs are off-leash, roaming freely at parks and on the streets. This is still so crazy to me!
- It isn’t that hard to find an apartment with an in-unit washing machine, but forget about a dryer. Because of the cost of energy, hang-drying is the most common method
- Because bills already include a service charge, you don’t tip at restaurants, hair dresses, or if you take a taxi
- Speaking of restaurants…even in a nice sit-down restaurant, you go up to the front of the restaurant and pay your bill to the cashier
- Most refrigerators are extremely small, resulting in people going to the grocery store each day. And freezers? If you’re lucky, maybe you have one shelf
- Public transportation is clean (relatively)
- “Cafes” aren’t coffee shops, they’re actually bars
- Doors open inward and locks work differently. For example, in order to get out of our apartment, we have to use the key. Talk about a fire hazard!
- Instead of saying “I’m so hungry I could eat a cow”, the expression is “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” Some people actually eat horse here 😦
- Instead of saying, “Kill two birds with one stone”, the expression is “Catch two flys in one clap”
- Air conditioning in apartments/homes is essentially nonexistent due to cultural, territorial and climatic reasons. In fact, less than 5% of all European households have AC. An actual picture of me this Summer…
Life with Liv 