Living in a foreign country has many challenges.
Belgium has no shortage of them.
Currently I have just moved from probably one of the most amazing neighborhoods in northern Europe, that of the Zurenborg area of Antwerp to another beautiful neighborhood, but without the dynamics of life that my former place had. I am sad, but at the same time, the move was necessary. I am closer to my daughter's school and she has more of her own space.
However, I am in a fog about where exactly I fit in in this society. Am I an ex-pat? Yes and no. Am I a conjugal EU citizen? Yes and no. Am I merely an American who has found himself as a stranger in a strange land? Yes and no.
Recently there were elections for the local level and Bart De Wever was voted in as the new Mayor of Antwerp. Make no mistake, Mr. De Wever is extremely intelligent, but I question his motives. Being part of the nationalistic movement, he wishes that Flanders succeeds to its own "country". Now, not that it could not do so, but it is a bit odd being mayor of one of the few cities that literally has representation from almost every country on the planet. There are residents from 173 countries in this city. Think about that. Seriously, let that sink in.
And, yet, the city just elected an elitist, exclusionary mayor. I am confused. Antwerp has been a world center for 500 years. I seriously doubt that Rubens, a friend of the Mayor at the time would have supported such exclusion. Known to be fluent in about 8 languages and was the diplomat par example, Rubens was what made Antwerp a city on the map.
I don't know what will happen with Antwerp and/or Flanders. I fear the tribalism that is rampant, but it is a sign of the times. All the while, Europeans are criticizing America for being narrow minded, Europe in the background is becoming more and more limited in its scope.
People in glass houses should not throw stones I guess is the motto... Or, when in a Fog, don't drive too fast...
Rubens was 8 in 1585. I think he knew what it meant for a region to try to separate itself from its parent country. "Cosmopolitan" is a tribal affiliation as well. As a thought.
ReplyDeleteWell, not sure where the dating comes from, I was referring in general to Antwerp being one of the most multi-national cities on the planet, and Rubens supported that. Not when he was 8, but when he was an adult. He knew the power of Flanders at the time, to be sure, but also realized how important it was to keep communications open. Europe has always been "tribal," just now so here, and it is not a good history when that happens.
ReplyDeleteThe Fall of Antwerp..circa 1585...fine, so be it, it has been written. Again, I wonder how Europeans can so confidently criticize the US... I still seriously doubt that Rubens would wish for his city to be mono-lingual, mono-cultural.
ReplyDeleteI seriously doubt it.
Depends on how you define culture. The whole point of 1585 was that the Protestants had to leave. That was a much bigger issue at the time than what language people spoke (except in church, of course).
ReplyDeletethis is an extremely interesting intersection, thank you! I will consider it in my future posts....
ReplyDelete