Christmas in Europe!

Let it snow , let it snow, let it snow!!!Well, sadely, not here in Belgium!:D

I missed my country so much before the holidays and I was so sad that I couldn't find plane tickets to go home but in the end I'm glad I've stayed here with all these wonderful people to celebrate Christmas together. It was a different experience and we shared so many international dishes and traditions that I've felt like I was spending Christmas in Romania, Poland, Greece, Hungary, Spain and so on all at once!

We all got up early in the morning and started cooking something specific for our countries. My mom sent me food already cooked from Romania because I do not know how to do it :)))) Usually on Christmas we eat "sarmale", that is a dish made out of meat rolled in pickled cabbage and with cream on top!You can see it in the picture:

Also I've tasted other delicious dishes from other countries like:

• halászlé, a traditional fish soup from Hungary
• something similar to sarmale from Poland
• baclava, a decicious honey cake from Turkey
• a salad from Greece

and this is all I can remember but it was soooo tasty.Then we shared gifts, a common tradition in all European countries. Russians are different though, they have a different calendar so they celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January and for them Christmas in mainly a religious event unlike many other western countries.But the Russians celebrated Christmas with us and it was nice to be all together, we had a lot of fun even if we missed being surrounded by family.

Romanian culture vs. Belgian culture

I've spent some of my most beautiful moments here in Belgium during Erasmus but I can't help missing my country...so I unintentionally compare it to Belgium sometimes... that's why I've decided to write a bit about the difference between my home country and Belgium- that has become my second home :)

First of all, we are latins so by definition we are more emotional. Belgians are supposed to be emotional too but I feel the difference between the two nationalities, I think Belgians are more realistic, more pragmatic, at least this is the impression that I have. That's why it was very easy for me, coming from Romania to make friends very quickly among the Spanish people for example, we are more alike.

Secondly, romanians are more religious than Belgians. I don't say this in a good way nor in a bad way, religion is always a touchy subject to discuss, I just felt this difference and I have to say it since it was a shock for me to see a public toilet just outside a church. I think this is related to the first difference, we tend to be more emotional instead of pragmatic.

Then of course we do have that manana attitude that latins have, but I realised that Belgian people are sometimes easy going too, they are not so serious as they look at first sight. :)

The meeting etiquette is similar in Romania and in Belgium, a brief handshake is the common greeting among people who do not know each other. Once a relationship is developed people kiss 2 times in Romania and 3 times in Belgium but men don't usually do that with other men. 

Also the gift giving etiquette is similar in those countries, usually people bring flowers or chocolates to the host. Just remember to bring flowers in an uneven number. In Romania you can also bring a bottle of alcohol, in Belgium that happens only between people who know each other well as I've heard.

In referrence with the business etiquette, this is not a big difference, both countries are somehow bureaucratic, there are many decisions an a great deal o paperwork. Punctuality is appreciated in Romania as well but when dealing with state companies be prepare to wait :D Also, beware of Romanian negotiators, we are very good at this, mostly because there is a fear of not being taken advantage of us by foreign negotiators :D Besides that  ,Romanians tend to tell people in a meeting what they want to hear and they are more oriented to high context communication that Belgians.

In conclusion there are similarities and differences between the two cultures and I think similarities gave me a warm, familiar feeling when being here in Belgium while the differences made it interesting to be here!

Bruges - a city of love

There are many romantic places to visit around the globe...I've been to Paris, I've been to Venice, and I've been to Bruges! And although it is maybe not as famous as the previous two, Bruges is all about romance! So, I've said to myself, "since I'm a dreamer, that's the perfect place for me to go". In addition, I took my best Erasmus friends and we've decided to spend a beautiful day exploring the city.

We had a nice walk through the old part of the city and had a beer in the oldest cafe in Bruges, Vlissinghe,  while sitting in a famous writer's seat. On our way back to the city center we stopped and visited the chocolate museum. Yummmmmmmy! Speaking about museums, I've been dying to see the diamonds museum but sadely it was closed :( I really loved the carriages, they made me feel like I was living in another times and I heard there is one bridge in Bruges called The Lovers Bridge that people say that if you meet a person on that bridge you will probably get married to him/her. Legends+romance= my favourite!!! So, I had to find out MORE! And I did! :)

It seems like a long time ago , like 500 years ago, there lived a girl called Serena. The story says that:

Serena was a young lady who lived in the fairytale town of Bruges. Serena was madly in love with a young man, named Arnout. However, Serena could not marry Arnout because she had to work all day at the spinning wheel. Serena's father had died, and she had to help earn money for her mother, fours little sisters, and brother.

One day Serena went for a walk through the streets of Bruges. She went to a park by the canals. She fell asleep, and started dreaming about Arnout. In her dream, she saw silvery threads fall from the trees into a beautiful pattern of flowers. When she woke up, she rushed home. She started making lace with the same beautiful pattern of flowers she had seen in her dream. When the lace was finished, she sold it to a wealthy merchant for a lot of money. Soon Serena became famous and everyone wanted some of her lace-work. Serena became rich and married Arnout.And of course they lived happily ever after! :)

I can't help it, I'm hopelessly romantic and I looooved Bruges!Definetely planning to go there again when I have the chance!

International superstitions! Boo Hoo!

Erasmus is all about international activities and living all together in a student residence makes it much more fun! So let me tell you about the evening we decided to watch a movie together. Before we knew it, the nice movie turned into a horror movie and the movie lead to a chit chat about spooky stories and...Superstitions!

It was interesting for me to find out about superstitions from all over Europe...I was mainly surprised about the fact that some that I've considered to be Romanian superstitions were actually present in more countries. Mainly this is what I've found out:

• Spilling salt - this is a Romanian superstition that is also a common belief in Bulgaria. It is said that if you spill salt, you will have a quarrel with somebody. In order to avoid that, you must throw some of that salt over your shoulder.
• Knocking on wood - this superstition is present in almost all Europe's countries and it is thus well known. People knock on wood in order to prevent bad luck.
• The black cat - another very popular superstition is the black cat. It is said that if a black cat crosses right in front of you, you will have bad luck. In Romania, in order toa void that, you must take 7 steps back to get your luck back. England is an exception of this superstition because in that country, the black cat actually brings good luck.
• The broken mirror - Romanians, English and some dutch people believe in this superstition. It is said that if you break a mirror you will have bad luck for 7 years and if you are a woman, you will not get married for 7 years.
• Sitting in the corner of the table - Dutch people believe that if a girl sits in the corner of the table she will never get married. This is a popular belief in Romania as well.
• Walking under a ladder - brings bad luck or danger almost in every country in Europe.

Now, I must say Germans have some creepy superstitions. Here are some that I've heard:

• Do not answer a witch's question, or else she can take something from you. 
• Old women often cut out a foot-long piece of sod that their enemy has just walked over, and hang it in the chimney. Then their enemy will waste away. 
• He who carries the tooth of a harrow found on the street will always recognize a witch.

So, my conclusion is that we all have our own superstitions. Some people believe in them, some don't. Personally I only believe in the good ones in order to feel better about my day. That's it. I don't get scared if I see a black cat and I sit in the corner of the table because from there I can get a perfect view of everybody. But the thing is, contrary to all paradigms that say that one nation is more realistic that the other or one is more spiritual or that only Eastern Europe people believe in this kind of stuff, every country has its own superstitions and it was actually pretty interesting to talk about them.

Antwerp - the city of Brabo and Antigone

Oki doki, I will start by saying that I come from Romania, a country where the legends are still alive...remeber Dracula? :-)

So, whenever I visit a city, I come back and I do my research to find out more about that city. Most of the people do that before but I enjoy doing it afterwards, that way I can associate the information with my personal opinions and memories and just daydream about what I saw. Also, in Belgian Culture studies I had to choose a subject specific for Belgium and do a project about that and of course I picked up Belgian legends....So there will be more posts about that but for now, I'd like to share something that I've learned about Antwerp - the legend of Antwerp!

Since it includes heroes and villains and I'm still a child on the inside, of course I like it! ;-)

So, here goes!

Salvus Brabo was a local representative of the Roman  Empire, he's pedigree went back via Romulus to Priamus of Troy who himself was a descendant of Jupiter (Zeus).

In the Roman times, trade ships had to pay a toll at the place where the river Scaldis (now Scheldt) made a U turn. It was just a fee for passing the river; it usually meant a few percent of the value of the stock being transported. Nothing exceptional, this was the norm everywhere. These days, locals pay 45 percent taxes to their government. So a few percent did not make a big difference.

As this was a very profitable business a giant, Druon Antigone, wanted also a piece of the action. He attacked the local castle and killed everyone who stood in his way.

Since then, the giant was the master of the area. He exploited the land and terrorized the shipping industry. He tolled all ships 50 percent of their stock. (even worse then the current Belgium government ;-) )

If a skipper rebelled to this unjustness and refused to pay the toll - he had to fight Antigone for safe passage. As Antigone was a giant, naturally he easily won all the fights. As a penalty and a warning to all future dissidents, he would cut off the hand of the beaten sailor and throw it into the river.

The stories of the violence and cruelty finally reached the ears of Salvus Brabo. When our hero learned of the unfairness and terror, he decided to put an end to the giant’s rule. 

Brabo took his sword and set out on his journey. He traveled for days and days. And then one day… in the distance he finally saw a castle.Our hero didn't wait any longer – he pushed his horse into a swift gallop. Within moments he arrived at the castle and stood face to face with the unreasonable giant.

Without hesitation Brabo drew his sword and a terrible fight followed. The gods themselves heard of the battle and intrigued looked down upon it. They fought for days and days.

To make the story shorter then it could be… Against all odds - Brabo finally managed to slay the giant. Then he cut off Antigon’s hand and threw it far into the river. Today you can see a replica of the giant's hand on The Meir.

So, it's always better to see a city and also know the insights. The more you know, the more misterious it gets, the more interesting, the more you want to know and in my case, the more attached you get to it!

Besides, knowing Belgian legends decreases the culture gap - at least that is my feeling, the more you know, the more at 'home' you feel!