culture shock in Belgium

Culture shock in Belgium

                                                                      by Ms. Warathchaya Pengthong

            Belgium is a country in Western Europe. It’s land of chocolate. Brussels is the capital city in Belgium. Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. Its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region, officially bilingual, is a mostly French-speaking enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of government.  This country is very various. For this reason, there are three culture shocks in Belgium : food and drink, place and festival.

          First, there are many kinds of food and drink in Belgium. Belgian chocolate has been a lure for lovers, the indulgence of kings and today, everyone's favorite sweet. Over 172,000 tons of chocolate is produced per year with more than 2,000 chocolate shops throughout Belgium, a country the size of Maryland. Next, Moules Frites is a popular main dish of mussels and fries originating in Belgium but also popular in France and in the rest of Northern Europe. The title of the dish is French, Moules meaning mussels and frites fries, with the Dutch name for the dish meaning the same. It is sometimes considered the national dish of Belgium.                    ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moules-frites)  Then, Belgium has a lot of beer band loyalty. Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 180 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Belgium)

          For another thing, there are many culture shocks on place in Belgium. Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It’s the city of the most romantic place for honeymoon. Next, The traditional tourist attraction is Grand Palace in Brussels is a remarkably homogeneous body of public and private buildings, dating mainly from the late 17th century. The architecture provides a vivid illustration of the level of social and cultural life of the period in this important political and commercial centre. Then, The Cinquantenaire Museum is an art and history museum that occupies most of the southern part of the complex. It is part of the Royal Museums for Art and History. This is a Belgian federal institute of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office. The museum consists of several parts, which include a national collection of artifacts from prehistory to the Merovingian period (751 AD), and a collection of artifacts from theantiquity of the Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinquantenaire)

          Finally, there are many culture shocks on festival. Belgium has various of festival such as, Brussels Flower Carpet, a major event on the Grand Place. This magnificent multicoloured carpet can be admired from the balcony of the City Hall, which will be open to visitors.The Flower Carpet only happens every two years. Next, Tomorrowland is one of the biggest electronic music festivals held in the world, taking place in Belgium. It used to be organized as a joint venture by the original founders together with ID&T. The festival takes place in the town of Boom, 16 kilometers south of Antwerp, 32 kilometers north of Brussels, and has been organized since 2005. Tomorrowland has since become one of the most notable global music festivals. Last, Ghent Light festival, every three years the Light Festival lights up the city with works by international light artists. The city’s nights will become the backdrop for a surprising spectacle, ingenious installations, spectacular performances and beautiful events, all based on light. 

As the result, there are three culture shocks in Belgium : food and drink, place, festival. It is a wonderful country. This country is very various. There are many tribes and culture. Belgium has the interesting things such as, Chocolate, Moules Frites, Beer, Bruges, Grand Place, Bussels Flower Carpet, Tomorrowland and Ghent Lightfestival. It is the new experience. This is a theme of Belgium.

References

Chocolate Lovers. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :

       http://www.visitbelgium.com/?page=chocolate-lovers.

Moules Frites. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :             

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moules-frites.

Beer in Belgium. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Belgium.

Bruges. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruges.

Grand Place. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :

       http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/857/.

The Brussels Flower Carpet. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :

http://www.opt.be/informations/events-bruxelles-the-brussels-flower-carpet-a-major-event-  on-the-grand-place/en/E/19372.html.

Tomorrowland. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrowland_(festival).

Ghent Light festival. Retrieved on November 24,2015. Retrieved from :

      https://visit.gent.be/en/event-light-festival-ghent?context=tourist.