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Let's not go into the details of 'racist' or it will turn into a debate and thanks for all your replies, let's continue discussing more about European countries in detail. Belgium sounds great!
Hello! I moved to Belgium from North Carolina in April 2016 when I got married to Belgian citizen. I even brought over my 15 year old dog over - and wrote a book about it. So if anyone wants advice on moving your pet to the European Union, feel free to message me. I live in the Wavre area, about half hour outside of Brussels. There's a large pharma company located here, and this whole area is a commuter suburb for Brussels. However, I work independently on my remote university budgets consulting business.
Here's some info on Belgium based on deankendrick's original post. Feel free to ask questions and I'll edit this original post to include them.
Belgium Economy/Jobs - like the USA, it depends on the area. The northern and middle part have more jobs because of the cities and industry. Also, these parts pretty much have people that also speak English in addition to Flemish. The southern part is the French part of Belgium, and not as many people speak English. If you plan to just move without having an avenue already (like getting married to a citizen), then you pretty much need a job offer in hand. Moving to retire is different of course.
Transportation - there's more trains in middle and northern areas than the rural areas. My husband took train and then metro into Brussels everyday with no problems. And we've taken trains to Amsterdam, Paris, and London.
Friendliness - I am still learning French, but I find most people very friendly. I just attempt it . . . and we figure out what's happening. Google translate helps us both! Most people then want to chat about Florida and that they have a relative that has visited/lives in NYC or Orlando. I find that if you're friendly and make an attempt at speaking the language, then so will the other person!
Immigration - Belgium is considered to have the quickest path to citizenship, which then entitles you to state pension/healthcare. Citizenship is granted after 5 years from the date you apply for a residency card (that gets approved). My first application was rejected on the last day of the 6 month application period, but my second application was approved. This happens with almost every residency application. Your local commune (town hall) manages your immigration application and deals with the State government for you. The commune staff is not allowed to speak a language other than they regional dialect (French or Flemish), so you will need to learn or have your spouse/partner help you. The website expatica is helpful with learning requirements, but of course, consult official sources. Be very nice to the staff at your commune - the nicer you are and they more you use the local language, then you're more likely to get a right to work while your application is being considered.
Cost of living - again, it depends where you live. Brussels and northern areas (Flemish area) are more expensive than the rural areas. We pay about $500 less per month for our 3 bedroom brick house (with garage and big yard) than we'd pay in Raleigh-Durham area. The food is about the same cost - but it so much better quality! Gasoline/diesel is more expensive but most cars here are diesel, so they go further. Veterinary care/Grooming is more than I paid in USA. Human healthcare is much cheaper and easier. You can buy a healthcare plan once you're here. I could go on and on about how great the healthcare is, but that's a whole book practically!
Moving costs - it is expensive to more anything over here that doesn't fit in a suitcase. After several quotes, I just couldn't justify spending $9k to move over a few small pieces of furniture and boxes. So I sold everything but my clothes and dog. My husband and I used our full baggage allowance and invested heavily in those air suction travel bags. I also found a website called sendmybag that allows you to send luggage that is heavier/bigger than those allowed on planes. There's more paperwork, but we also used this to send over my items. In retrospect, I'd halve what I'd brought over.
Shopping/Clothes/shoes - more expensive than USA. If you're outside of Brussels, there's not a big selection. H&M is the cheapest. I miss the nice consignment stores for ladies and kids in the USA! And the good sales at department stores. And ebay.com (the Belgian and French ebays aren't as good). Amazon.com shipping costs are too much, so Amazon UK ends up being used a lot by us - but a lot of stuff isn't shipped outside of UK due to tariff/ship costs. The French Amazon isn't as big or good as USA and UK.
Haircuts/personal care/massages - these are more expensive than in the USA. Funny thing about pedicures here - your foot just gets propped up on your provider's knee, which is different than USA. Both also take much longer than USA.
That's really helpful @raleighkc Belgium seems a good option for people to move, depending on their circumstances of course. So, people are helpful if you don't know French or Flemish? I was visiting Germany last year and I had hard time with fewer people when I tried talking in English but rest were good at communicating.
That's really helpful @raleighkc Belgium seems a good option for people to move, depending on their circumstances of course. So, people are helpful if you don't know French or Flemish? I was visiting Germany last year and I had hard time with fewer people when I tried talking in English but rest were good at communicating.
Hi, you're welcome for the info! And EddyCordie had good points too. You need to first make an attempt to speak Flemish or French. It's just polite! I found that most people in the Flemish regions then start talking English. And some people in the French areas speak English - and as EddyCordie said - it is just some people (outside of Brussels). But if we can't understand each other, then we go to google translate, charades, whatever to get the point across. I do love Belgium. The food, healthcare, countryside, buildings, etc....
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Belgium sounds great!
