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On the tribulations of an expatriate in Europe
Friday, November 27, 2020
The Lord is King
Thursday, November 26, 2020
The Return of Christ
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Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Some European Culture Shockers
Gerard van den Akker
Europe is quite diverse, and even though I am a European, I did get some culture shocks by travelling to other European countries, especially outside of western Europe. Most answers go into details about visits to western European countries, but there is more to the continent than that. There is a huge difference between countries in Europe, and travelling across half the continent can shock even an European. The distance Amsterdam (the Netherlands) to Tirane (Albania) by car is about the same as San Fransisco to New Orleans (USA), or New Delhi to Madras (India), or Bejing to Hongkong (China), or Saint Petersburg to Krasnodar (Russia). I hope my perspective might prove useful.
First off, I am from the Netherlands, a very densly populated western European country where almost everyone speaks English as a second language and has at least some proficiency in German and/or French. As a kid my parents took me to most other western European countries on holidays (Belgium, France, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Luxemburg, Switzerland), so there aren't many shockers there. Except the Belgium roads: for a rich, western European country their roads are so bad, that it keeps me wondering every time. Even in northern Albania the highway (I only spotted one over there) was much better. But maybe I'm a bit spoiled with the Dutch roads: with all the travelling I've done, especially during my last Eurotour, the Dutch roads were the best I've encountered (and perhaps I'm biassed because I'm Dutch, but I found them even better than the German ones).
Last summer I travelled to Eastern Europe, the Balkan and Scandinavia, and there are a few shockers (in random order):
- In the Balkan you can hardly use English: you'd be better of with German. Even some kids in Kosovo spoke better German than I did (which isn't that hard though).
- In former Yugoslavia, and especially Bosnia, you can still see quite a bit of war damage from the war of two decades ago. My country hasn't seen any war on home soil since the Second World War, so actually being confronted with war damage was a bit confronting.
- In Greece, I picked up a hitchhiking American couple: they had missed the only bus that was going that day (or maybe it didn't ride at all). This was a bit of a shocker. We are dissatisfied if a bus only goes once an hour in the Netherlands, let alone if it only rides once a day (maybe).
- When some Russian friends visited me, they remarked how clean Amsterdam was. I couldn't see it back then, I thought it was quite dirty. But when I was in Macedonia, I saw to my shock and dismay how people tended to garbage: they threw it just everywhere, with no regard to anyone or anything (screw the environment). I guess my Russian friends were right: Amsterdam isn't that bad after all ...
- Also in Macedonia, I stayed one night at a camping where there were no toilets: just holes in the ground, above which you had to kneel. That was alien by itself to me, having spend all my life using regular toilets, but the biggest shocker by that was the fact that there was no siphon: you could smell the pile of shit from quite a distance.
- In the entire Balkan there seems to be a kind of disregard to traffic rules (Italians seem like nice law-abiding road users compared for example to Bulgarians), but one big shocker I got in Albania. I quickly discovered that if a sign says for example '80', you should add 20-50 km/h to get the average speed you are expected to drive. So I was driving around 100ish on a road, when I was passed by by a teenager on a scooter: he was riding in just his t-shirt and shorts, barefooted, without helmet, and riding at least 140ish.
- Another shocker from Albania: the amount of horse + cart-use. For me as a western European that felt really different.
- In the Netherlands you can hardly walk for a few kilometers without stumbling accross some sort of house, farm or whatever. When I was at the highway through northern Albania towards Kosovo, I couldn't see anyone. No house, no sign of civilization - except for the highway: I even spotted only two or three other cars during the 155 km long ride. Ok, except for some wooden stairs at some points at the middle of the highway. But for the rest, it was definitely the most lonely place I had encountered in Europe.
- When I was in Romania, an elderly women insisted that I had breakfast with her when I was making photo's in her street; in Serbia, when I couldn't pay for the museum entrance because I hadn't been able to get money yet, I had to enter for free (they even wouldn't accept any donation in euro's); in Macedonia an elderly man just started walking with me and wanted to show me around the city; in Germany, when my car broke down, there was help from all sides, and the garage owner got it fixed within no-time. Maybe it's the difference between the country-side and urban life, but the general friendliness towards total random strangers I encounterd all over Europe did surprise me.
- In Slovakia, when I visited the castle Bojnicky Zamok, I saw a carousel where small live horses were being used to seat small children: they had to walk round and round in the same small circle, their noses against the other horses asses, for the entire time. Seeing that was a bit of a shocker.
- When I visited Prague in 1999 with highschool, the hotel room I stayed in had a bullet hole, allowing me to look into the other room (unfortunately no girls there). I later also held a large chunk of the wall in my hands, because it was falling apart. Those two facts were a bit of a shocker back then.
- When my car broke down on a Saturday in Norway, I learned that all garages were closed on both Saturdays and Sundays, so I would have to wait until Monday. That fact did shock me a bit.
- A frozen supermarket pizza costing around ten euro's in Norway: I had expected Norway to be expensive, but this was really a shocker.
- For someone growing up in the Schengen area, crossing borders with actual border guards is something exciting. I did expect that of course, and I even got used to being searched (or well, at least my car: I learned about so many places to hide stuff by just looking at where the guards were looking!). But I was a bit shocked that at the Kosovo-Macedonian border I had to actually bribe someone in order to enter Macedonia. I was also really surprised that when I crossed the German-Danish border (both Schengencountries), I was put aside the road by the Danish border guards: they wanted to search my car for drugs (which they of course didn't find: I don't do drugs).
And some shockers about western Europe:
- When I was 19, I visited England and was a bit shocked by how strong they make their tea. When I drank without milk and sugar, they called that 'black tea', and not without reason: the tea was more black than coffee!
- When I returned from my South Africa trip, I really had to get used to riding at the right side of the road again. I found it easier to getting used to riding at the left side of the road than to getting back to riding at the right side of the road. Thát was a shocker!
What was your biggest culture shock going to Europe?
Anup Singjh
There have been many instances since I moved to Belgium last year which have yet kept me in the culture shock process.
1. Being naked is normal: I still remember the day when I went to the gym locker room. There were around 10 people changing clothes. I was shocked to see two naked guys talking to each other confidently in the middle of the room. A similar instance happened the very next day as well. A few days later, I went to the university sports complex and there it happened again: footballers were naked in the changing room and I was the only one there with clothes on. A few of my Belgian friends told me that it's normal to be naked in the change room if you are into sports.
2. Ketchup: My roommates find it weird to see me using ketchup with instant ramen noodles or pizza. Belgians prefer to use ketchup only for eating fries and nuggets as far as I know.
3. Salt is no sugar: I noticed that the regular salt used in Belgium(or in Europe) looks similar to the coarse sugar(large crystals) which is sold in India. The typical salt consumed in India looks like tiny particles(finer than sugar). One day, I was having lunch with my office colleagues and one of them asked me to pass the salt. I immediately replied, with confidence, that it's sugar, not salt. Everyone seemed to laugh at me and I realized what just happened right now. Later, I also wondered why the hell would there be a sugar bottle instead of salt. This is what salt looks like:
4. Relationships: Europeans are liberal-minded towards relationships. There was an Australian guy with whom I shared an apartment after I arrived in Belgium. He was regularly visited by a kid and his mother. After a few days, I came to know that she was his ex-girlfriend with whom he never got married and they are still great friends raising a kid together.
5. Not dependent anymore: I know a few Belgian guys who stay at their parents' house and paid their room rent.
6. People strictly follow rules and regulations: They are ashamed if they don't do so. Here, almost everyone follows the traffic rules even at late night when there isn't a single car on the road. In Europe, priority is always given to pedestrians, as opposed to in India, where the vehicles(who do not want to stop) are allowed to pass before we even think of crossing the road. Also, there is almost no honking of the car horns.
How do I get six pack abs in one year?
Aleksander Federer
Six pack abs aren’t so hard to achieve. But most people are doing it all wrong. The abs are not like the biceps of chest or shoulder. They are unique and you need to train them differently.
Most of the fat is stored in the belly, that’s why so many people are struggling with belly fat, yet they are not realizing that. One day you will see your abs and the next day they are gone. Unlike biceps for example where bad nutrition doesn’t affect them that much.
So it’s really important to focus on your abs.
Now we will cover some common misunderstandings about abs training.
- First of all, you will need to get your nutrition in check. This is the most important step. Because what you’re eating will determine how your abs will look. The nutrition plays crucial role in building your abs. That’s means no drinking juice or soda, no sweets and candy, reduce your daily sugar intake, avoid pizza, French fries, deli meats, bagels and other unhealthy food. You should know by now which foods are good and which isn’t. You can make your own research on internet as well. Change the way you eat and you will be one step closer to getting your abs. Diet Plan for 6 Pack Abs (STEP BY STEP!)
- Frequency. This is important as well. So many people are wondering how often you should train your abs. Abs are just one part of our core and strong core is important and you will have better posture as well. So how often should you train your abs. I think that the most appropriate is 7 days a week. I mean Bruce Lee worked on his abs every single day and he had one of the strongest abs of all times. And here I don’t mean only on direct abs training. You can train your abs indirectly as well while targeting other muscle groups by contracting your core. Watch this video and you’ll see what I mean. How to Get a 6 Pack (WITHOUT "Ab Exercises")
- Intensity and time. Some guys will say that you should dedicate 15 to 20 or more minutes on training your abs. This is bullshit!! Great set of abs are build with HIGH INTENSITY WORKOUT. Which means if you are doing high intensity ab workout, then it should be short. Believe me guys, I’ve training my abs for 7–8 min a day high intensity and I can tell you that there is no way that you can do it for 20 and more minutes. That’s the key, short and intense workout and try to be as much consistent as possible.
- Breathing. One last thing you need to cover. The breathing is really important. If you don’t do it right then you won’t be able to contract your abs as much as possible and you can cause a bloated abs. What do I mean by that? When you’re doing basic crunches for example most people just focus on lifting their shoulders up of the ground and doing the crunches. But they’re not contracting their abs enough to cause a change. I dare you to try this at home. Before you start doing your crunches, breathe out, contract your abs and then perform the crunches, You will see how much more effort is provided when you’re contracting your abs versus just lifting your shoulders up. That’s the key for every ab exercise. Breathe out, contract your abs and than do the rep. You won’t be able to do much reps, but you don’t need to. Forget about the reps, focus on your form instead. It’s better to do 7 reps with good form than 20 reps with bad form.
Follow this simple tips, be consistent, train all abs muscles, lower, middle, upper abs and obliques and you will start to see the changes.
If Belgium as a country didn’t exist, would Brussels be part of the Netherlands or France?
“If Belgium as a country didn’t exist, would Brussels be part of the Netherlands or France?”
Alternative history, tricky!
Obviously, it depends on why Belgium didn't exist.
And to answer that question, we first have to answer another one: in our actual history, why does Belgium exist?
The above has puzzled and continues to puzzle historians and laymen alike ever since the country was born.
All of us familiar with the country Belgium can't help but wonder every now and then: “Why is this even a country?”
That's not meant to insult the Belgians. I'm sure they themselves ask the same question regularly.
So, let's give it our best shot!
The region that is now Belgium has not always been an independent country. Rather, it has gone through quite a few “owners” over the century.
I'll start the story at the Duchy of Burgundy.
In the map below it looks like a country, but it was more a random pile of states and cities that happened to belong to the same dude:
In 1477 this dude died, and the smattering of states and cities realised they weren't a country at all.
So, part of them decided to be French, part of them decided to be Spanish, and some others tried to go for it themselves (didn't last long).
The region that is “Belgium” became Spanish.
And, this is important: they stayed Spanish until 1714. That is, for 250 years.
Even when the cities and states to the North of them said: “Fuck this, we're independent”, they stayed with the Spanish.
Those independent states became The Netherlands, and they offered the Belgians to join quite a few times. But the Belgians didn't want to join. The Netherlands were Protestant and/or Secular and disliked Royalty and had shitty food and they didn't have mountains and all their land was boggy swamp and - in short - The Netherlands sucked
Over the course of those 250 years of Spanish rule, the Belgian region was quite the battlefield.
France tried to invade several times - didn't work out. The Netherlands tried to invade as well - didn't work out. All kinds of Germans tried to invade - didn't work either.
In the end, in 1714, Austria gained a hold of the region. Why did this work out? Because they were Habsburgs as well, just like the old Spanish King.
So, even though “The Spanish Netherlands” now became “The Austrian Netherlands", nothing really changed.
The lesson here, though, is that the Belgians don't like being part of the neighbouring countries:
France, no. Netherlands, no. Germany, no.
Spain or Austria, sure.
Somewhere around 1800, the French had themselves a revolution. They chopped off the head of the king, and Napoleon became emperor.
He annexed the Austrian Netherlands and the Independent Netherlands and made them part of France.
Again, the Belgians didn't like this. See also above: France, no.
They staged some uprisings and rebellions, and by the time Napoleon was beaten (on Belgian soil, no less!) the Belgians were pretty clear that they did not want to stay part of France.
But then the weirdest thing happened: instead of allowing the Belgians to re-join Austria, the great nations of the world decided together that they had to become part of the Netherlands.
But, see above: Netherlands, no.
It didn't last long. Belgium was made part of the Netherlands in 1815, and left (after a bit of a fight) in 1830.
If people ever say “Belgium should become part of the Netherlands “again””, remind them that “again” was only 15 years.
So, the Belgians kicked the Dutch out.
That was all fine and dandy, but it left them with a very real problem: who owns the region now?
Obviously, the French, Germans and Dutch sucked - but Austria had already made clear they didn't want Belgium.
So what do you do if you don't want those who want you, yet those you want don't want you?
The only other option was independence.
So, even though “Belgium” didn't really exist; even though there was nothing like a “Belgian identity”; even though they spoke three different languages and had several different ethnicities; even though the people of Belgium didn't really like each other - they became an independent country.
And that answers the first, main question:
Why does Belgium exist?
Because, even though an independent Belgium is a shitty country, The Netherlands, France and Germany are even shittier.
Belgium only exists for lack of better options.
So, let's get back to the Alternative History and the actual question:
“If Belgium as a country didn’t exist, would Brussels be part of the Netherlands or France?”
As said, this depends on why Belgium doesn't exist. There are a few points in history in which Belgium's independence was on the line.
Here are our four options:
1. Napoleon wasn't a brilliant conqueror.In this Alternative History, Napoleon is a bit of a doofus. He doesn't conquer the Austrian Netherlands; doesn't beat Austria; doesn't dismantle the Holy Roman Empire.
Belgium stays a part of Austria - which, still important and relevant because it didn't get smacked on the head by Napoleon, keeps a steady hold on the southern German states.
When Prussia finally unites Germany, some parts of it (Belgium included) decide they'd rather stay a part of the great Habsburg Motherland.
2. Napoleon was an even more brilliant conqueror.
In this Alternative History, Napoleon is even less of a doofus than in actual history. He beats several coalitions against him, ravages Moscow, and then returns from the Russian wastelands without letting half his army starve. The British Empire falters under the Continental System and Napoleon is unchallenged master of Europe.
Eventually he dies, of course, and eventually some kind of doofus becomes emperor, at which point the Belgians will once again repeat what they have said for centuries now: “France sucks”.
And, just as in our timeline, The Netherlands and Germany suck as well and Austria doesn't want to get involved, so Belgium becomes independent for lack of better options.
3. The Netherlands stay relevant.
In this Alternative History, The Netherlands actually manage to stay a relevant, modern world nation, instead of becoming a sloppy backwater.
When the Belgians say “You suck, we're independent”, the Dutch beat them down.
But, come on.
Come on.
I know this is an Alternative History scenario, but… yeah. The Netherlands suck. We all know it. There is a reason why, after eighty years of war, Belgium didn't join the Independent Netherlands.
There is a reason why The Netherlands couldn't hold on to Belgium even when they were given the land by all the European powers.
There just is no valid scenario in which Belgium would be Dutch.
4. The Germans win a world war.
Twice during the 20th century, Germany invaded Belgium.
The first time, they took all of it except for a tiny sliver. The second time, they took it all.
In this Alternative History, Germany wins either of the world wars and become the new political engine of Europe.
However, Belgium will still be an independent nation. Germany has no interest in Belgium (they probably inherited this disinterest from Austria).
Both world wars were based (partly) on German nationalism. In a German nation state, there is no place for Belgians.
In neither of the world wars, annexing Belgium was part of the German post-war plan. A German-aligned Belgium, sure. A puppet state, probably. But Belgium as an integral part of the German state? No way.
So, the way I see it, there are four possible alternative scenarios in which Belgium as a country doesn't exist:
- Belgium stays Austrian.
In which case, Brussels would be Austrian as well. - Belgium stays French.
In which case the Belgians would kick the shitty French out and Brussels would be Belgian. - Belgium stays Dutch.
In which case the Belgians would kick the shitty Dutch out and Brussels would be Belgian. - Belgium becomes German.
In which case the Germans would kick the shitty Belgians out and Brussels would be Belgian.
So, yeah.
Those aren't actually four possible scenarios in which Belgium doesn't exist. It's actually only one scenario.
There is no way Belgians would ever accept Dutch, French, or German rule.
Only Austrian rulership would be accepted by Brussels.
And this makes sense. Nobody likes their close neighbours, and France, The Netherlands and Germany are objectively shitty countries.
Austria is the only country the Belgians were ever voluntarily part of, Belgium itself included.
The only reason Belgium is independent at all is because the Austrians didn't want them anymore.
Belgium is the world's equivalent of a spurned lover who says “well, I'll just stay on my own, then”, not entirely happy, but hey, what can you do? It still beats marrying the crazy cat lady that lives on the corner.
So, to answer the question:
“If Belgium as a country didn’t exist, would Brussels be part of the Netherlands or France?”
Neither.
It would be part of Austria.
The Coming Persecution
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Tuesday, November 24, 2020
The Chaos to Come
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Monday, November 23, 2020
Doing “Great” Things!
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The Richest Gift
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Sunday, November 22, 2020
The Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
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Saturday, November 21, 2020
The Truth Wins!
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