To begin with, I would like to mention that all below opinions are from an Asian girl who has been living Antwerp for half a year. I apologize first if anything written here would offend anyone.
1. Weather
Technically, Belgium belongs to temperate ocean climate. Due to the fact that Antwerp is next to the ocean, it is always windy no matter if it is sunny or rainy. A lot of wind also leads to the weather changing rapidly. Why? Because the wind can bring the clouds above the Antwerp city. Then the lovely sunshine can suddenly disappear, and it will begin to rain. Thus, a gentle tip to always check the weather before you go out. When it does not rain heavily, you may find many local people don’t use umbrella. I guess that it is because they already got used to the weather.
2. Language
As you might know, Belgium has three official languages, which are Dutch (more accurate, Flemish), French and German. I know this fact before I came here. However, I didn’t know the whole story behind it. It is really complicated to explain how they use these languages and their opinions of these languages. The undeniable thing is that three official languages contribute to the fact that almost every Belgian are language experts as they can speak Dutch, English, French and sometimes German as well. If you come here and experience by yourself, you will figure it out.
3. All shops are closed on Sunday
In my home country, weekends including Saturday and Sunday are days for hanging out and shopping with family or friends. However, here in Belgium, actually in most European countries, almost every shop is closed on Sunday. On one hand, it is understandable that these shop assistants need to relax and take a rest. On the other hand, it is argued that shops can make more profits on Sunday because more clients can come on Sunday and spend more money. The lifestyle and population are probably the key points to explain this fact.
4. People are in good body shape even though they eat many high calorie food
Waffle and fries are originally from Belgium. Also, Belgium is famous for its chocolate and beer. It is obvious that all these kinds of food have high calories, which makes it more difficult to keep a good shape of body. Belgium people really love these foods. However, I notice that Belgian are not fat at all. On the contrary, many of them are in good shape or even quite skinny. At least, this is true for the Belgium students in AMS. I believe it is because their eating habits are in general healthy. Besides, they spend a lot of time on sports such as jogging and biking.
I hope such an interesting country is attractive enough for you to come and explore by yourself, just like what I am doing here now.
Thanks for reading！
