• Home
  • About
  • Contact
0 Items
Living in Brussels
  • Articles
    • Life in Belgium
    • Life in Brussels
    • Food and drinks
    • Expats of Brussels
  • Free stuff
    • 101 weekend ideas
    • Belgian citizenship
  • Downloads
    • Applying for a Belgian job
    • Translation tax form
  • Services
    • Belgian citizenship
    • Register at commune
    • Other services
  • Shop
  • 101 Weekend ideas
Select Page

Cart

Your basket is currently empty.

Return to shop

  • Home
  • Articles
  • Free stuff
  • Downloads
  • Services
  • Shop
  • About
  • Contact

Living in Brussels

hello@livinginbrussels.eu
VAT: BE 0731 754 835
Bank account: BE22 0689 3501 4147

  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

Follow us

Expats of Brussels - #24 Ceyhun (22), from Turkey Expats of Brussels - #24 Ceyhun (22), from Turkey, in Brussels since 2020 “Studying abroad has always been my plan. At the start of high school, I decided to take the International Baccalaureate track, to acquire a diploma that is recognised around the world. It was part of my long-term plan to move abroad, discover new things, meet people, and learn about other cultures. Looking around for a suitable higher education, I found KU Leuven. They have a campus in Brussels, where I study Business Administration. The quality of the degree is high, and the cost is low. I have lived in the same neighbourhood for nineteen years of my life and letting go of my friends and family, of everything I was used to, was very hard. I had never before been separated from my parents. Suddenly I had to learn how to cook and do the laundry. It felt like diving into an ocean, without any snorkelling experience – but I am handling it quite well. I grew up in Istanbul, a city with 20 million inhabitants. Compared to that concrete jungle, Brussels feels very small and green. In Istanbul, it takes at least two hours to get somewhere. Here I can just walk and everywhere I look, there are parks. People go jogging before or after work – that is a lifestyle that I had not seen before. Where I grew up, big city life felt too exhausting to add sports to the equation after a tiring work day." (part 1) 📸 @cem.pictures #expatsofbrussels book out now 📖 livinginbrussels.eu/book
This week, we got to know Sabrina 🤩 Want to re This week, we got to know Sabrina 🤩 Want to read more stories? The book #expatsofbrussels is out now! Portraits of 50 different expats in images and text. Some of them have lived here for ages, some just arrived and some are on the way out. They are between 8 and 51 years old and come from every continent and corner of the world. Get the book now ➡️ livinginbrussels.eu/book
Expats of Brussels - #23 Sabrina (30), from The N Expats of Brussels - #23 Sabrina (30), from The Netherlands, in Brussels since 2015 "I never thought I would stay that long in Brussels. After graduating, I had fallen in love with the city – it became like a second home to me. Despite that, I still feel very Dutch. In The Netherlands, you identify with being Dutch from a very young age. That is something which is different from Belgium, it is hard to pinpoint what it means to be Belgian. Even if I stay here for another twenty years, I will always feel Dutch and be proud of my identity. I miss the openness, the lack of drama, the talking to strangers on the street. When I am ‘too Dutch’ here, it kind of drives people away. They are not used to the directness, the talking without a filter of politeness. I am comfortable here. I have a wonderful life, a good job, and a circle of close friends. It would take a tempting job offer or an intense urge for adventure to lure me out of Brussels. But it would need to be a good place – I do not think it is easy to find the diverse environment that Brussels has anywhere else.” (part 2) 📸 @cem.pictures #expatsofbrussels book out now 📖 livinginbrussels.eu/book
Expats of Brussels - #23 Sabrina (30), from The N Expats of Brussels - #23 Sabrina (30), from The Netherlands, in Brussels since 2015 “I was born and raised in The Netherlands, as a child of Moroccan parents. My sisters and I were raised in a liberal Islamic household, and I never thought I would leave my home country, which I loved so much. When I was 13 years old, my mother sent us to a Belgian Catholic boarding school. Looking back, I realise her reasons were rational and manyfold. The level of education was much higher in Belgium, she wanted us to learn French because of our roots and she wanted to expose us to a different lifestyle and upbringing. She was not the only parent to consider a better education, because about eighty percent of the students at the boarding school were Dutch. That decision changed my life, it was one of the best decisions my parents ever took for me and I am grateful they invested their savings into our education. My sister convinced me to continue my higher education in Brussels. At the time, Brussels had a negative connotation for me – I thought it was dirty and unsafe for a young girl. But she took me around, showed me the cultural side and the student life, and changed that image in just three days. So, I started studying here, and have not left since." (part 1) 📸 @cem.pictures #expatsofbrussels book out now 📖 livinginbrussels.eu/book
This week, we got to know Saquib 🤩 Want to rea This week, we got to know Saquib 🤩 Want to read more stories? The book #expatsofbrussels is out now! Portraits of 50 different expats in images and text. Some of them have lived here for ages, some just arrived and some are on the way out. They are between 8 and 51 years old and come from every continent and corner of the world. Get the book now ➡️ livinginbrussels.eu/book
Expats of Brussels - #22 Saquib (36), from United Expats of Brussels - #22 Saquib (36), from United Kingdom and Pakistan, in Brussels since 2017 “Brussels is very diverse and welcoming – for white Europeans. When you look like me, it is not necessarily the easiest place to live. Being male, from a certain background and a native English speaker, I get away with a lot of things. But as multicultural as it seems, it is still so very segregated. Passing comments like “what is a good area to live?”. I personally have not ever had any troubles in Brussels so for me it is relatively safe. But I have lived in London and Paris, so Brussels seems like a walk in the park from a safety perspective. This view of good and bad neighbourhoods creates divisions, where all expats move into the same neighbourhoods. It gives them a narrow perspective of what life in Brussels is and makes them avoid other parts. There are nineteen communes in Brussels, but only two of them have a dominantly expat population - that doesn’t make sense. When you live in Brussels, you don’t have that glamourous lifestyle like you would have in London or Paris, but I have lived that way before – and it is exhausting. I am so happy I traded that for the excellent quality of life you find here.” (part 2) 📸 @cem.pictures #expatsofbrussels book out now 📖 livinginbrussels.eu/book
Follow on Instagram

© 2022 Living in Brussels | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Designed with a smile

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT