One month in Belgium!

 In 3 days, we will have been in Belgium for one month! 

We even have a house that we've been in for a week now, which seems fast in my mind because we were told it could take a very long time. When the man gave us their list, along with the websites of other homes to view, we were told that as soon as we found a home, we could move in, in as little as 1.5 to 2 weeks. I said to Arturo, "We will have a house in two weeks!" to which he laughed, doubtful. He should know me better because I was very true to my word!

As I've just said, I am a very efficient person. When something needs to be done, I make it my focus. When God was handing out patience, I must have been sleeping in. ;) Belgium is going to teach me to relax, though, and for that I'm grateful. Nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING happens quickly here. Well, except for getting an appointment. That seems to be a piece of cake. However, while you are at the appointment, no one hurries anything along.

One example of patience here is eating out. It doesn't matter if it's McDonald's or a fancy restaurant, you're not going to be in and out anytime soon. We have started taking our UNO game with us to restaurants because we know we will be waiting. You are never rushed here when eating a meal, or to get you out for another guest. You are almost expected to make it a long, relaxing process, and I'm growing to like it! 

Rules are a big one here as well. There are a lot of rules, and they are different than what we are used to. One example is last Saturday. It doesn't get dark here until 10:30 pm. I was in the backyard and decided to mow. It was 7:50, and sunny as could be. I asked the landlord if I could borrow the mower for my lawn. (Ours still hasn't arrived.)  She told me no, because the law doesn't allow mowing after 8pm.  I then asked if I could mow tomorrow, on Sunday, and said I could if it was between 10 am and noon. Quiet Sundays are a thing here, so I was glad I at least had those two hours. In the U.S, we have always bagged our grass because if you don't, the grass clippings get tracked all through the house with the dogs. When I asked what to do with our grass clippings, the landlord took me to the back field and showed me where to empty it. This is good for two reasons. One, I won't have to buy trash bags anymore for this, and two, I won't have to buy a "special" trash bag for this. 

This brings me to another topic. Trash bags. We are used to having two trash cans. One for recyclables and one for everything else. That is not the case here.                                        Here, there are FIVE different bags:

• White bin: Bread bags, pasta and rice bags, cling wrap, plastic bags, biscuit packets, frozen food bags, green recycling bags, confectionery bags, and bubble wrap.
• Blue bin: Paper.
• Green bin: Organic waste.
• Red bin: Specific plastic-coated waste or hazardous material.
• Yellow bin: Mixed recyclables.
• White bin: Soft plastics

Each municipality has different color bags, and the bags must be used correctly so as not to incur a fine. Fines are handed out for incorrect waste management. This includes fly-tipping, incorrectly sorting out trash, or taking out waste bags outside the permitted schedule.  The most common fines are not separating trash correctly (€75), placing glass in waste bags (€100-125), and placing waste bags outside at the wrong time (€50-75). Waste-related fines can reach up to €62,500. Each week, the pick-up for the different bags varies. Some are once a week, some are every other week, while some are twice a month or once a month. In our first week here, we set the wrong trash bags outside, and an animal tore into them. After re-bagging them, Arturo saw the trash truck drive right past our house without picking up the bags. We called our landlord, who told us we had put the wrong color bags out, and we had to hurry and bring them in. We now have an app on our phones that will help with all the trash rules and schedules to remember. 

This week, we signed up for French lessons. A language school here offers the first year of lessons for free. We will go twice a week for 3 hours a night from September to May. I was asked about the language here in Belgium. For us here in Wallonia, it is French, but if we drive an hour away, it changes. Here is the chart of Belgium languages. You will find us on the map, right next to Mons. 

The population of Wallonia is 3.7 million. Since living here, we have met and run into people more often in the first month here than the entire time living in Washington State. I think it's great, and it makes you feel like you are very connected to the community. 

After our first month of living in Belgium, I can honestly say that it's everything I wished for and more. If you're ever scared of making a big change in life, I say to 100% GO FOR IT! You only regret the things you didn't do.