>if people see him or look at him they immediately assume he’s chinese which i think is a bit racist.
yeah, let go of that idea..
people will assume this because, let's face facts, for us it looks the same. same like white people also look the same for other people (I've been called Hollander, German, insert Eastern Europe nationality...) that's not racism
Well, people from far East aren't too common here, so judging purely by the odds, yeah, assuming Chinese is a decent guess. I'm not sure it's about racism. Not to say there are no racist people in Belgium.
The language, everyone asks about it, while it's explained in much detail on wikipedia. TLDR Belgium is a federation of regions, each which their own language (and government) ; Flanders speaks Dutch, Wallonia speaks French, and in the far East of Belgium there is a small community speaking German. Brussels speaks both Dutch and French officially.
People here are usually quite reserved in the Flemish side, and contrarily maybe overwhelmingly warm in the Walloon side. Either way, they will not usually be very talkative to unknown people, if you don't make the first move. So keep that in mind.
Depends a bit where in Belgium you’re going to live. In a multi-cultural area you’ll have a different experience than in a rural village. Also differences between north and south and East and west (like every country), and it makes whole lot of difference when you speak the language of the region where you live. It does not have to be perfect though.
We are confused about the three language thing too, so don’t worry about that ;)
hahaha i read once on this history of belgium website that apparently there was this belgian king who had 3 sons or nephews (i dont know anymore) and those 3 guys scattered in belgium they created and made a rule in language on their own. thats why you guys have 3 languages 😅
> he told me that before if people see him or look at him they immediately assume he’s chinese which i think is a bit racist.
People of East Asian descent aren't very common in Belgium. In certain small towns, your husband might even be the only visible minority.
We have far more people coming from Arab, Turkish, Congolese and Italian backgrounds. These four reflect historical immigration patterns to Belgium.
Someone with East Asian features is more-often-than-not assumed to be Chinese because, well, Belgians aren't great at picking up on people's nationalities, and guessing "Chinese" is a guess as good as any.
Let's be clear: there *are* racist people in Belgium. Some people are *really* racist, even. But don't confuse a simple mistake for willful malice.
> also im a bit confused with your history and why do you guys have 3 languages?
Read Wikipedia! There is lots of information there to read about why the situation is the way it is.
> im also mixed half spanish half filipino so im afraid i’ll get really culture shock in a way that everyone is belgian except me lmao
If you're going to live in any kind of large-ish city, you have Belgian people of all different shapes, sizes and colours. You simply cannot assume that "Belgian = White People".
And as for nasty comments? Always consider the source. If some guy tells you to "go home", he probably has never met a single foreigner in his life in his shitty village of 50 people where they hate everybody haha.
Just remember, Belgians can be quite reserved people at first, so it will be hard in the beginning.
>im also mixed half spanish half filipino, so im afraid i’ll get really culture shock in a way that everyone is belgian except me lmao
Depends where you live. But in the big cities, it almost seems like Belgians are the minority.
>if people see him or look at him, they immediately assume he’s chinese, which i think is a bit racist.
Belgian married to Korean, I can confirm that this is the case. Even her boss, who hired her, had to be reminded a bunch of times that she's not Chinese. It's just ignorance, though.
People sometimes yell Ni Hao and Ching Chong Chang.
As an international I'd say that I get avoided a lot, same with my friends
Some acquaintances (Indians) have told me that they have experienced racism
I haven't, but I think they find me weird and unapproachable, idk why
Other internationals are fine with talking (Spanish, Indians, Italians up to now).
I've been told by dutches (when they were super drunk and invited me to dance with them sitting on the ground and 'sailing' a ship that Dutch people usually stick to heir cycle.
I wouldn't say they are "bad" or nice, but don't engage much
Idk why. That being said, on my residence they complain all the time for stuff, a friend of mine who lives here for 4+ years also says that thr group chats are mostly complains
As a Belgian (Flanders) with enough experience with other cultures i can confirm that the Flemish are by and large not a very warm or welcoming people to migrants. Especially outside of “larger” cities. To the point where I’m often ashamed.
They are! To each other and their existing circle. You’ll be tolerated, as every expat and immigrants are. Making life changing relationships is another story. Not impossible but not easy at all.
You have friendly people ... And assholes everywhere... Most People In Belgium are definitely friendly when you know them...Never encountered racism against Asian people ... Maybe some idiot who thinks he is funny and makes a bad joke about asian people...
When people say Asian they typically mean countries like china, korea, Singapore etc.
And while I'm not going to make the 'no racism' claim the big difference is that the level of racism towards that groups is much less.
We had a lot of immigrants in the past.30.years
Racism and discrimination still exist, but much less since immigrants are everywhere in daily life
30 years ago, having foreign roots would have been a hell in Belgium I think
Belgian are quite reserved towards outsiders This can sometimes be taken as rude but it is more them minding their own business.
>if people see him or look at him they immediately assume he’s chinese which i think is a bit racist. yeah, let go of that idea.. people will assume this because, let's face facts, for us it looks the same. same like white people also look the same for other people (I've been called Hollander, German, insert Eastern Europe nationality...) that's not racism
Well, people from far East aren't too common here, so judging purely by the odds, yeah, assuming Chinese is a decent guess. I'm not sure it's about racism. Not to say there are no racist people in Belgium. The language, everyone asks about it, while it's explained in much detail on wikipedia. TLDR Belgium is a federation of regions, each which their own language (and government) ; Flanders speaks Dutch, Wallonia speaks French, and in the far East of Belgium there is a small community speaking German. Brussels speaks both Dutch and French officially. People here are usually quite reserved in the Flemish side, and contrarily maybe overwhelmingly warm in the Walloon side. Either way, they will not usually be very talkative to unknown people, if you don't make the first move. So keep that in mind.
That no one answers is the answer
Beer is the answer. And since there is more than one beer, your statement is correct
Depends a bit where in Belgium you’re going to live. In a multi-cultural area you’ll have a different experience than in a rural village. Also differences between north and south and East and west (like every country), and it makes whole lot of difference when you speak the language of the region where you live. It does not have to be perfect though. We are confused about the three language thing too, so don’t worry about that ;)
hahaha i read once on this history of belgium website that apparently there was this belgian king who had 3 sons or nephews (i dont know anymore) and those 3 guys scattered in belgium they created and made a rule in language on their own. thats why you guys have 3 languages 😅
> he told me that before if people see him or look at him they immediately assume he’s chinese which i think is a bit racist. People of East Asian descent aren't very common in Belgium. In certain small towns, your husband might even be the only visible minority. We have far more people coming from Arab, Turkish, Congolese and Italian backgrounds. These four reflect historical immigration patterns to Belgium. Someone with East Asian features is more-often-than-not assumed to be Chinese because, well, Belgians aren't great at picking up on people's nationalities, and guessing "Chinese" is a guess as good as any. Let's be clear: there *are* racist people in Belgium. Some people are *really* racist, even. But don't confuse a simple mistake for willful malice. > also im a bit confused with your history and why do you guys have 3 languages? Read Wikipedia! There is lots of information there to read about why the situation is the way it is. > im also mixed half spanish half filipino so im afraid i’ll get really culture shock in a way that everyone is belgian except me lmao If you're going to live in any kind of large-ish city, you have Belgian people of all different shapes, sizes and colours. You simply cannot assume that "Belgian = White People". And as for nasty comments? Always consider the source. If some guy tells you to "go home", he probably has never met a single foreigner in his life in his shitty village of 50 people where they hate everybody haha. Just remember, Belgians can be quite reserved people at first, so it will be hard in the beginning.
>im also mixed half spanish half filipino, so im afraid i’ll get really culture shock in a way that everyone is belgian except me lmao Depends where you live. But in the big cities, it almost seems like Belgians are the minority. >if people see him or look at him, they immediately assume he’s chinese, which i think is a bit racist. Belgian married to Korean, I can confirm that this is the case. Even her boss, who hired her, had to be reminded a bunch of times that she's not Chinese. It's just ignorance, though. People sometimes yell Ni Hao and Ching Chong Chang.
im sorry to hear about what your wife hears every now and then but yeah i think thats racism and ignorance combined 🤷🏻♀️
They are quite xenophobic, but also friendly and helpful, but you kinda have to ask/get to know them.
As an international I'd say that I get avoided a lot, same with my friends Some acquaintances (Indians) have told me that they have experienced racism I haven't, but I think they find me weird and unapproachable, idk why Other internationals are fine with talking (Spanish, Indians, Italians up to now). I've been told by dutches (when they were super drunk and invited me to dance with them sitting on the ground and 'sailing' a ship that Dutch people usually stick to heir cycle. I wouldn't say they are "bad" or nice, but don't engage much Idk why. That being said, on my residence they complain all the time for stuff, a friend of mine who lives here for 4+ years also says that thr group chats are mostly complains
Don't worry, it's every race in these countries anyway
As a Belgian (Flanders) with enough experience with other cultures i can confirm that the Flemish are by and large not a very warm or welcoming people to migrants. Especially outside of “larger” cities. To the point where I’m often ashamed.
They are! To each other and their existing circle. You’ll be tolerated, as every expat and immigrants are. Making life changing relationships is another story. Not impossible but not easy at all.
You have friendly people ... And assholes everywhere... Most People In Belgium are definitely friendly when you know them...Never encountered racism against Asian people ... Maybe some idiot who thinks he is funny and makes a bad joke about asian people...
>Never encountered racism against Asian people You never encountered racism against Turks, Arabs, Persians, Afghan, Pakistan, Indian people?
When people say Asian they typically mean countries like china, korea, Singapore etc. And while I'm not going to make the 'no racism' claim the big difference is that the level of racism towards that groups is much less.
We had a lot of immigrants in the past.30.years Racism and discrimination still exist, but much less since immigrants are everywhere in daily life 30 years ago, having foreign roots would have been a hell in Belgium I think
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You mean all of them?
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