Couleur Café

I had never been to a music festival here in Belgium. I hate crowded + loud concerts, so I avoided them. I know it can be fun and I love live music, but I never thought it was worth the stress.

Couleur Café was different, though. All our friends who had gone last year told us how cozy and laid-back it was and they were right. There were many stages and lots of people, but it was ok (except for the Mackelmore concert, of course).

Throughout the three days, we saw:

Trixie Whitley, Aloe Blacc, Skip the Use, Wycleff Jean, Jimmy Cliff, Zaz, Andy Allo, Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis, Mos Def, Die Antwoord and CeeLo Green.

I didn’t know most of them, only Jimmy Cliff, Mackelmore and CeeLo Green. Jimmy’s show was my favorite – the energy, the songs, and his presence on stage. It was really fun and I was amazed by the 65 year old party man! He really delivered a joyful concert.

Aloe Blacc was SO smooth and sexy!

Skip the use was super upbeat and fun. One of the best.

Mackelmore’s show was over packed with hysterical fans and I got trapped in the crowd. We could barely move and the girls behind us pushed, danced with no respect for our space and were too loud. The girls in front of us almost got in a fight because one of them climbed on a guy’s shoulders and blocked the other’s view of the stage. Can’t people just listen to the music and chillax? Anyways, his show was super!

It is difficult to explain Die Antwoord, so I’ll use my friend’s words: “They’re crazy fucks!”. My jaw dropped so many times, trying to make sense of them! Buuuut, they make a good party!

I was disappointed by CeeLo Green. A bit too whiny. The best part of his show – the last of the festival – was a spontaneous flash mob: a guy was dancing and really enjoying himself when people behind him started copying his moves. The crowd got bigger and bigger and we even joined for a while. Teehee!

Aaaaaand! I can’t forget to mention the FOOD HALL! OMG, delicious food from everywhere! South American, African, Japanese, Thai, Lebanese, Tibetan, Moroccan… There were also big tents were they served fresh mint tea and we could sit on puffs and carpets. Next year they should really have a Brazilian food stand as well as Belgian fries. Oh, and better beer and cocktails (they were made from bottled juice, bleh!).

The festival gathered so many beautiful people of every color, style, age and culture having a great time in peace. It reminded me that I must stop comparing myself to others, because we are all unique.

Belgian Beer Festivals

Arriving at the venue in Leuven.

Beer is one of the top things that come to mind when we talk about Belgium. I’ve met tourists that came here only for tasting the special Trappist beers.

Being from Brazil, I didn’t know many different kinds. I hadn’t learned to appreciate the tastes and textures. Our relationship with beer is more like “Let’s hit the bar and have a super cold one”. There are different brands, but they’re all pretty much the same.

And then I came to this beer paradise. And learned. And have yet much to learn. My friends try to teach me about how the beers are made, why it tastes like that, etc. Over my first year here I tried and loved my beers. And chose my favorites, of course.

However, only recently I went to my first – and second – beer festival! Woohoo! Can you imagine? A kid in a candy shop!

The first one was in Leuven, just outside town in a huge market hall. All the beer stands were inside and the food stands, outside. The first impression is the size of it all. Such a big place and so many stands you can’t possibly taste them all. When you enter you buy your chips and your glass. We bought 14 chips: I had 6 beers and Rob had 8. I was too overwhelmed to make my own choice, so I went with the flow and tried whatever they would choose for me.

It also impressed me how open it is. I saw young and old people, children, pregnant women (!), tourists, dogs, whole families, beer club people wearing matching T-shirts. It is indeed a cultural thing.

The list below was composed by Robrecht. They are all the beers we both tried that day. (I appreciate beer but I can’t describe them well).

- Shark Pants: nice hoppy double Indian pale ale (triple IPA) by de Struise Brouwers; (Rob's favorite)

- Hoppa hontas: as its name suggests, also an Indian pale ale. Hoppy and fresh by Brouwerij Maenhout;

- Jessenhofke: tasty brown organic beer by Brouwerij Jessenhofke; (Ana's favorite)

- Saison Dupont: nice fruity and spicy Saison-style beer from Brasserie Dupont;

- Turnhoutse Patriot: patriotistic Saison-style beer by de Scheldebrouwerij;

- Hof ten Dormaal barrel aged: very smooth and tasty beer, aged to perfection in old oak barrels. (A bit too sweet for me, Ana)

- Rio Reserva: nice quadruppel by de Struise Brouwers with a rich and complex palate;

- Framboise De Cam: a fine raspberry lambic by Geuzestekerij De Cam in Gooik. Tart, smooth and fruity;

- Schuppenaas: The ace of spades, rich and tasty amber beer by Brouwerij Het Nest;

- Kleveretien: The ten of clubs, black and strong beer by Brouwerij Het Nest;

- Brouwersverzet oud bruin: nice tart and fruity sour-red (oud bruin) style beer. Typical for this style of beers are the tastes of red fruit;

- Rebel local: rebellious Indian pale ale by Het Brouwersverzet.

The second festival was much smaller and cozy. We sat at a table and were served. We bought big bottles and shared among us four. We forgot to take notes, but I remember we had a very good Geuze, a raspberry beer, a cherry beer and the only one I didn’t like was made with prunes (it tasted like prune juice with too much water in it).

I look forward to the upcoming festivals - even the Toer de Geuze, where they rode their bikes all day going from brewery to brewery!

Drinking beer back home will never be the same…

Random facts that made my day

    1.       Amazing free live music at Brussels Jazz Marathon: Tribute to Etta James at the Grand Place. It was colder than winter, but I’m grateful it didn’t rain!

     2.       There was a guy wearing a red bandana, big moustache and a quilt and he totally rocked, dancing non-stop. At some point he even took his shirt off (!) and found a moustache buddy to dance with.     

    3.       An old couple hugging and swaying to the sound of jazz. I totally want to be like that when I’m grey-haired!

     4.       There was a girl standing in front of us during the show. She was alone the whole time. When the band wrapped up and she started walking to the back, a boy held her arm and asked: “Excuse me, would you like to have a coffee?”. It was right in front of me and I couldn’t help listening. It was so out-of-the-blue! She said: “Mmm, maybe… where?” and they walked away. I was left trying to picture how it was, if they had a nice time and if that would lead to something.

     5.       We stumbled upon a bagel place! We’ve been talking about bagels for a while and how unusual it is here in Belgium. We were looking for a place to eat and trying not to end up at a kebab/fries joint and Rachel bagels magically appeared. We had chicken, bacon, cheese filled bagels with salad and fried potatoes on the side. I almost couldn’t finish my plate, the ingredients were so fresh and delicious and the menu was super fun (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Chicken Run, Speedy Gonzales, Nicole Guacamole, etc).

It's simple to find joy :)

The Waiting Game

Home is where your heart is - Part 2

So what have I been doing with all the free time?

At first I thought I would focus on learning Dutch and exercising. I couldn’t apply for a job just yet and I would use these months to learn as much as possible. Everyone leaves for work in the morning and I spend my days alone. I’m ok with that, I even enjoy it.

I used to look for workout videos, move around the living room, take a shower and start studying. I found a book called “Curso básico de Neerlandês”, which is a self-study book for Portuguese speakers and it helped a lot with the basics; I watched tv in Dutch, especially cartoons and cooking shows; I listened to some music in Dutch and I read comic books like Suske en Wiske and Kuifje (Tintin). Sometimes I feel tired and frustrated and I give up, thinking that I will never be able to speak this language. Then I realize how much more I understand now and I’m sure speaking will naturally come. Eventually. 

Even though I have to wait for the Visa to be allowed to work, I have been searching for jobs. I want to know what opportunities are out there and what my chances are. I made a list of places I am interested in and I keep following their news online – language schools, study abroad organizations, Brazilian government organizations. I really hope I can find something good according to my skills and experience, but it’s frustrating that I am not a native English speaker (as most schools require) and that I am not fluent in French and Dutch yet.

During this search I found an association for English teachers in Belgium and became a member and volunteer. It keeps me informed about any TEFL event and it hosts webinars and workshops. It’s great to meet people and network. I have attended a couple of events and even wrote a review for their blog.

Speaking of networking, I started volunteering for a Brazilian association that teaches language and culture to children. Some of them were born here and others came from Brazil with their families. They offer workshops every Wednesday and Saturday and on school vacations. It’s great to be part of the Brazilian community here in Belgium and see that the kids stay in contact with our language and culture (holidays, festivals, music, arts and crafts, food, etc). It felt so good to get out of the house, be busy and contribute!

One more thing I’ve been doing during the week: reading blogs (about traveling, living abroad, teaching English, online business and other things that interest me), contacting people (email, Facebook, Twitter), asking around and learning. Although things are a bit uncertain now and I can’t really make plans and set dates to them, I have been thinking, writing and preparing for when it’s time to take action. I’m sure I will get a clear picture of what I have to do in my new life as an expat.

Leave a comment or question if you like and share this with a friend who might relate. Cheers! :)

Home is where your heart is – about my return to Belgium

Part I

     Deciding whether or not to come back to Belgium wasn’t hard - as the months passed we realized that we really wanted to be together. We hadn’t made any plans or promises when I went back home, we always said “Let’s see what happens”. And what happened was that 3 months later he was visiting Brazil and it became obvious that I would return to Belgium. How? When? We had no clue.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

     At first I thought I would just visit, keep the long distance relationship going, take things slowly in order to be really, really sure before taking such a step. Who was I kidding? I knew, my family knew, all our friends knew that I would stay here. Voor altijd. I got those familiar conflicting feelings of being afraid nothing would work and being certain we would figure things out. However, the biggest conflict I had to sort out in my heart was: I am abandoning my family. I felt like I had already been so absent and missed so much of their lives and that I absolutely had to be there with them. I thought about it all the time (and still do) and I understood that 1. I didn’t have to be physically present to be part of their lives; 2. If I lived in another city or state in Brazil, for example, I would see them a few times a year or less; 3. I wouldn’t be happy if I stayed. They started talking about my leaving even before I did. They gave us their absolute support and that made things a lot easier.

     I got a job and started saving as much as I could and researching any possible way of living legally in Belgium. My first idea was to find a job as an English teacher and apply for a work visa. I believed it would work - there are dozens of language schools in Brussels and other major cities and I trusted my skills and experience. I wrote ALL the schools I found but only a few of them replied saying that (my words) they wouldn’t hire a non-native speaker (I could rant about it on another post) and that they wouldn’t go through the trouble of applying for a work permit and bringing an instructor from abroad. I was frustrated, but I understood.

     I considered applying for a student visa but I wasn’t sure what to study and I would much rather work, since I intended to build a life here. There was always the “easy way” – getting married, but I didn’t want to base that decision on visa issues. Boy, sometimes I wish I had European ascendants so that I could get a passport!

     Finally, after a lot of research and considering the requirements, we decided to apply for a cohabitation visa (I’ll write all about it when the process is over. One thing you have to know: it takes TIME!). We found a lot of incomplete and conflicting information; we wrote the municipal administration, the Belgian Consulate in Brazil, the Immigration office and friends who had gone through the same and we are still learning on the go.

     I finished the semester at the English school I was working, packed my bags and flew off on Christmas night (you know, cheaper tickets). We drove home under heavy rain (so cliché, Belgium!) and had an amazing Christmas dinner with gift exchange. Sometimes I looked around and couldn’t believe I was here again but on the other hand it felt like I had never left. I saw my friends again, went to my favorite bars, met new people, met his whole family and started getting used to living with his parents and brother. It’s been fun and full of love and support.

     I visited my host family, hugged and kissed and squeeeezed the kids. My host mom said: “It’s like you were here yesterday” and we had an epic moment when the past, current and future (Brazilian) Au Pairs had dinner with the family.

     We spent New Year’s Eve in Vienna. It was great to have some time alone and catch up and it was fun because neither of us had ever been there.

Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

   When we returned we immediately started putting our file together and visiting the town hall. Many declarations, translations and a couple of fees later, we signed the application and started the waiting game (it can take up to six months for them to give us a response). It really IS a waiting game for me, because while he works I stay home trying to keep sane and trying – once again – to figure out what to do with my precious life. 

___

Useful official links: 

Belgian Immigration Office: https://dofi.ibz.be/sites/dvzoe/index.html 

Foreign Affairs: http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/

Belgian Embassies and Consulates abroad: http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/services/embassies_and_consulates/belgian_embassies_and_consulates_abroad/

Leave a comment or question if you like and share this with a friend who might relate. Cheers! :)