Author: Ilse

Belgian, to be or not to be…

A while ago my best friend surprised me with a very thoughtful post about our country. I’ve been mulling it over in my head ever since. What if Belgium suddenly no longer existed? What would I be?

Though Bram and I have been contemplating getting the Australian nationality, it is only on the condition that we can also keep our Belgian one. If we had to choose between the two we would stay – and always will be – Belgian.

But lately I’ve felt nothing but shame.  What does it say about us if my best friend cannot call her country home because her mixed race is met with equally mixed response? On our first evening in Wellington, Bram and I talked with our Somalian taxi driver about fleeing his country. His refugee status. His long wait for a new country to call home. And then more hardships as he tries to build a new life in New Zealand. His silence, when we said we were Belgian, spoke volumes. Of course I wasn’t the one who hurt his people. But my people did.
And then more recently, talking to our local Belgian baker. Both excited to be Belgians abroad sharing a connection. And in my enthusiasm I didn’t understand what he was trying to ask me, in Walloon. And he could not understand my Flemish.

Us Belgians are famous abroad for our language skills. But something else has been added to that list now: our new world record. The longest time taken to form a new government. It even has a Wikipedia entry. I bet if we had been told at the start that democracy would be so slow, nobody would have voted. But as life seemingly goes on, the ‘absurd’ becomes the ‘normal’.  The old government continues to deal with the on-going tasks and nobody notices that science funds are drying up or new companies are no longer interested in investing in the future.  And I have been guilty of total apathy myself. Who still understands Belgian politics? With only as many inhabitants as London’s metropolitan area, our country has at least 50 ministers (all of London only has one mayor). I know it’s only a simple comparison. But nobody can argue the political system has become so big it can no longer come to an agreement – remind anyone of parasites slowly killing it’s host? Brussels especially being at the center of the feeding frenzy.

But there are also times I am proud of my country.  When Denis Mukwege’s work was recognized with the King Baudouin prize. When that said king died, and everyone in the country lined up to pay their respects at his funeral. When the whole country united to march for justice.  Why can we not do this now and fight for our country and a more efficient government? I have to say I was in limbo for the longest time about Belgium. Did I care whether or not it split? It didn’t make sense surely, but what was it to me? I’ve never had a passion for politics. History, science, maths and music yes. Politics no.

Then yesterday one of our Australian friends gave me a present for our national day.  Partly in jest I’m sure. Truth is, Australians go all out each year on January 26th. Australia Day.  Barbecues galore. Parties. Waving the flag. I can’t remember ever having celebrated July 21st that way. I woke up last night and mulled over it a bit more. Then this morning I read the King’s speech. This is not a crisis. It is a cancer slowly killing a people. It would have been easier if there was an economic crisis. Then at least people would know what to protest.

As Aung San Suu Kyi said after she was freed in November: “The people themselves must want change enough for it to happen, it cannot be up to the politicians.” It’s always the people.

I have made up my mind. I will fight for Belgium. Personally that means more effort in reading Walloon newspapers again, instead of staying up-to-date with the Flemish ones. It means voting for whichever party says they will simplify the governing structure, because really that is what is killing us most now. It means defending our new cross-culturalism to my father, who like so many Belgians feels threatened by the influx of African and East European asylum seekers. It means going to talk in French to my baker again this weekend – I don’t care whether he speaks Flemish – and together lament the state of OUR country. Because to be honest, us Belgians are good at complaining. If this post hadn’t already convinced you 😉

Below something to lighten the mood, I can’t help but feel Dennis was getting to something important at 1’00 …

Hmm, so what’s new since the last update? Let’s see, new blog layout, new URL, new year, new home, new job… in a nutshell. Wonder what’s new with you?

I’ve been on quite a journey since July. Didn’t start with a particular destination in mind, though I had a vague idea of where I wanted to go.  I quit my full-time, well-paid job. The hardest part was not making that decision, though it took me 3 tries. The hardest part was dealing with people’s judgement. After all, much of who we are in this age is defined by what we do. And if you’re not doing anything…well, then…the conclusion often ends with nothing!
I wasn’t nothing. I needed to look back a bit to see what got me here, what I could still take onwards with me and what I needed to leave behind. Those who know me will testify I’m not the fastest decision-maker in the world – understatement. So I’m really grateful to Bram for his support and patience. Especially since my emotions side-tracked me here and there. But it’s all part of the journey, in the end this is the part where I needed to follow my gut feeling and not think too much about what others expected of me.

To cut a long story short, my focus now is on travel and photography. I can only travel part-time as Bram is still based in Sydney. So in June I am photographing 2 weddings, one in Mexico and one here in Sydney.  I am really looking forward to this. I love love. Weddings make me happy, especially when couples plan the wedding themselves and it reflects their unique personalities, like Bram and I did.  So fingers crossed it will go well and I don’t suck. Meanwhile I am also learning about Australian taxes and how to make a business plan i.e. marketing, financial plan, operational plan and all that jazz. If it sounds interesting, it really is ;-).

And Bram and I have also submitted our application for permanent residency! If all goes well this should be approved by September and we can apply for citizenship next. Europe allows for dual citizenship so we can keep our Belgian passports and also acquire Australian nationality at the same time. Win-win.

But first…New Zealand! Bram and I are leaving for Wellington tomorrow.  Our first holiday with just the 2 of us since…well since erm April last year? Can’t wait to count all the sheep and make fun of Bram’s fuzzy Hobbit feet.  No bungee  or airplane jumping this time. We’ve rented a campervan and will see where the road takes us. To happy places for sure :).