In Belgium

I arrived three days ago, via Frankfurt and on to Brussels. It has been great to see Eva after 2 1/2 months, and settle back into the apartment. It was even sunny the day I arrived. Of course it is generally around 9 c in the day time, but I survived Antarctica, and I will survive here.

Yesterday was only my first weekday in the country, but already a very busy day. I went to the city hall to register that I am lving here. The condition of my visa said that I had 8 days within arrival to register, but why wait. They will send the police around ( a normal procedure I am told) to check if I am really living with Eva, so she and I changed the name tags on the door buzzer and post box. After that I will go back to the city hall to get an ID card, and then start the process to get my work permit.

After city hall, I went to a language center, and they signed me up for a course. They also told me that every one who moves to Belgium must take an intergration course, which I think may be 60 hours long. Thats a lot of integrating, and I can't imagine what all they will tell me, but apparently it is required, and allows the language course to be free. Recently I picked up (at the Belgian consulate in LA) a copy of a magazine called Newcomer. It had a FAQ section, and some of my favorites were:

1. Is Belgium Flat and Boring?
2. Is it always raining?
3. Are all Belgians miserable?

So I guess in the integration course they will do their best to dispell these ideas.


After the language center, I went to the school itself. It is about 20 minutes walk form the apartment, short for Belgians, long because I am American. Its not that bad really, and it will be good to get the exercise. In fact just by default I have already lost about 3 pounds, in 3 days by living as a European. More walking less processed crap eating. So I had planned to take the morning classes, which sarted yesterday, but when I got there yesterday afternoon, they told me the afternoon class had half the amount of people. So I took that one, and started right away. There are 12 people in my class, from every continent except Antarctica. One Aussie, one Brazilian, one American (me), and the rest Asia or Africa and Eastern Europe. I will go 4 days a week for 3 hours a day. When I signed in, the guy at the desk, suprised to see my nationality, said "oh are you here for politcial assulym?" Maybe I should be after the last 7 years of politics in my country, but George will be gone in less than a year now.

Well its off to class.

Goed Dag!