Moved from Sheffield to Belgium?

[poppylamb 10]

I would be really interested to hear the experiences of anyone who has moved from Sheffield to Belgium as myself and my husband are considering the move.

 

How long did it take you to get over the culture shock ?

 

What did you miss most about Sheff?

[Strix 11]

I worked on a project with a bunch of Belgian engineers

 

one of them jumped ship and stayed at the factory the project was based in

 

I'm quite keen on what I've heard about their attitude towards dogs

[Jossman 10]

I served at the NATO HQ in Mons for 2 years and lived with my family in a village called Soignies 11 km's away. We found the life good but it was necessary to have a smattering of French for every day use. There is a definite diference between the Flamons (Flemish Speakers) and Wallons (French speakers) to the point where some flamons will not pass the time of day with you. Supermarkets were great but again all in french. French I found was easy to pick up having done it at school, but, the dialect is different to " Parisienne" french as taught in school. You are very near to many interesting places to visit. The Ardennes, Ninove where the fortress is and of course Holland. Many WWII POW Camps are held intact and quite eerie to visit. Brussells is a lovely city as is Liege.

 

Things may have changed over the passing years, but I have no regret having lived there and experienced a different culture. The drinking habits are very different to UK and many families visit bars en masse for a meal and a social evening. As the bars and cafes are open until the last one leaves, there is never a rush and most people start a social evening around 8.30 - 9.00 pm. Most people are very friendly and like to share experiences with you.

 

Laws are quite different, i.e. there is no law against peeping toms. People pee alongside the road and never be the first to attend a motor crash as you become immediately responsible for any deceased persons if you give assistance. I served in the Naval Police at the NATO HQ and have experienced some very peculiar laws.

 

Hope this helps.

[DIDO 11]

I used to know a couple who owned a bar/B&B in Belgium, and they would never come back to England. They lived in a small village, and they loved the lifestyle.

 

Whenever I stayed at their bar I always took them things like Asprin, Hendersons Relish, things they couldnt get or were very expensive.

 

One year she was told that she would need a hip replacement, the Doctor told her that there would be a delay in getting it done, but the earliest they could do it was 10 days later. I had to wait nearly three years for mine to be done in Sheffield.

[Jossman 10]

I used to know a couple who owned a bar/B&B in Belgium, and they would never come back to England. They lived in a small village, and they loved the lifestyle.

 

Whenever I stayed at their bar I always took them things like Asprin, Hendersons Relish, things they couldnt get or were very expensive.

 

One year she was told that she would need a hip replacement, the Doctor told her that there would be a delay in getting it done, but the earliest they could do it was 10 days later. I had to wait nearly three years for mine to be done in Sheffield.

 

We did a NAAFI run once a month to Wegburg in Germany, just to buy sausage and HP sauce and other ex pat things you miss when abroad.

[poppylamb 10]

Thanks for your thoughts and experiences. I have only been to Brussels once, for a very wet weekend and struggled with my French, I think this may have clouded my view of the place slightly.

 

At the mo we are very fortunate to be living in a leafy suberb of Sheff with a slow pace of life and would really want to replicate this in a suberb of Brussels, do you think thats possible or would we need to be lottery winners to get that sort of lifestyle.

 

Almost all the places I have seen to rent are apartments.

[Jossman 10]

Thanks for your thoughts and experiences. I have only been to Brussels once, for a very wet weekend and struggled with my French, I think this may have clouded my view of the place slightly.

 

At the mo we are very fortunate to be living in a leafy suberb of Sheff with a slow pace of life and would really want to replicate this in a suberb of Brussels, do you think thats possible or would we need to be lottery winners to get that sort of lifestyle.

 

Almost all the places I have seen to rent are apartments.

 

There are loads of links on Google, try this one :-

 

 

http://www.vlan.be/en/immo/real-estate-to-purchase.html?type=vente&gclid=CL2u6uaipZICFQVuMAodWmN1MQ

[SaveUK 10]

 

I'm quite keen on what I've heard about their attitude towards dogs

 

Was in a shopping center just outside antwerp and someone was pushing a dog around in a baby pram