Berkley Center

After a few weeks in Brussels, there is so much to talk about: for example the food and the culture; but I want to talk about the factors impacting the actual makeup of Belgium, and its effects on the modern country. When in Brussels, it can be difficult to remember where you are. History, culture, language, and society have over the years turned this country into three “communities” held together by a constitutional monarchy. Those three “mini-countries” are: Brussels-the capital in the center, the Flemish-speaking north known as Flanders, and the francophone south called Wallonia.

The areas that now make up Belgium have at times belonged to different kingdoms, including the Netherlands and France, but have only been a part of the independent Kingdom of Belgium since 1830. These regional differences began as religious and linguistic divisions but have evolved into stark political differences. In the parliament, there is a political party whose platform is secession. Over the years, these differences have led to the regionalization of pretty much everything the country does: education, health care, transportation, social services, etc. Recently, the political differences have prevented the parties from even being able to form governments. These periods of no government once last for 541 days, making the most recent US government shutdown look like child’s play. But not many people seemed to mind, as most of the actual governance had by then been devolved to the three different communities.

This regionalization means that going just outside of bilingual Brussels into Flanders seems like going to another country. Being in the south means being surrounded by French, and in the north it’s all in Flemish (pretty much Dutch). When in the north, one would not want to be speaking French and vice versa, unless you want to be given nasty looks and, in some cases, rejected service. In Brussels, however, because of its bilingual status everything is in French and Dutch, and because it is also the seat of most major European Union political bodies, most things are also in English. Interestingly, some advertisements are made exclusively in English in order to not offend either the French- or Dutch- speaking populations.

These qualities have given the inhabitants of Brussels a certain pride in being Bruxelloise, a quirky sense of humor, and a certain anti-authority flare to their lives. When it comes to the monuments seen here, it takes an odd city to highlight a small statue of a little boy relieving himself, Manneken Pis, as one of its must-see sights. Furthermore, that boy has a sister, Jeanneke Pis, and farther into the city there is a life-size statue of a dog, you guessed it, relieving himself on a post, Zinneke Pis.

Everyone aggressively jaywalks in Brussels (think your typical New Yorker), but when I was visiting Antwerp (in the Flemish north), we were clearly tourists, as not a single local could be seen jaywalking. Street art is visible in many parts of Brussels, but the inhabitants support its spread instead of taking active efforts to curtail it. Brussels’ inhabitants like to value all the quirks in life. When the tram was held up in traffic, no one complained (but me) about the fact we hadn’t moved in close to 10 minutes. It becomes pretty easy to understand how this is the city that gave the world surrealism.

As with anything there are countless arguments to try and figure out where the Bruxelloises get their general attitude on life, but the longer I’m here I’ll learn to continue appreciating the disorder that comes in everyday life.