It has been a busy few weeks with one thing or another. As you are asking what the one thing or another has been, here is the secret(s). For one, Dean and I have signed and sealed the purchase of a house. Keys are now in possession and it feels somewhat surreal. It has in theory and of course practice, cemented our stay in Belgium to be truly long term. I am proud to be living in this creative, cosy, musical, historical part of Belgium. Mechelen contrary to what people may say, is indeed a town that offers the beauty of old and new, traditional and modern, unique and stylish.
This means for the second aspect for being busy, is I have completed 1.1 (een punt een) and successfully passed. I have now started on 1.2 (een punt twee) in Nederlands. Moelijik as it is I am really enjoying the new language skills and slowly understanding the locals. What I find frustrating and embarrassing (probably more for Dean) is that I come out with German or even the odd Japanese word instead of the actual Nederlands word. Here I am trying to integrate and instead bamboozling the locals with foreign words. It makes me chuckle and then get embarrassed. Can someone out there in the wide internet space, design a usb that we can plug into our human brains to download with the ability to upload all the information we require? I will gladly queue up for Flemish lessons like a native please for my first download.
The other busy aspects is finding ongoing treasures of places to visit, businesses to visit and explore and what activities are being held. These will be shared as soon as this post is complete. Actually, writing this blog has been the inspiration in furthering my Nederlands classes and take a real focus in learning and studying.
When learning something new, turning it into something that is enjoyable or fun is so important. Interlinking it with other personal interests and learning the key words are a good start as well. I cannot fault the organisation and support the Flemish Government provide for integrating into life in Flanders and Belgium, at the same time the language as well. My Teacher, Nadine is excellent. Her teaching style is very interactive and gets you using the new phrases in different scenarios. At the same time minimal English and French is spoken which pushes me to listen and also speak. Naturally this has helped to improve my listening skills – it’s getting the words out of my mouth is the problem. Naturally the older you are it can be challenging for the “head” to work, it ultimately helps to keep you in shape.
Moving to another country, experiencing a new culture and languages is refreshing and rewarding. If anything, it is also an honour, to be able to have these opportunities. A sincere thank you to my Teacher Nadine (who I hope reads this blog), fellow classmates, our Notaris, friends who I have met (you know who you are) and the other people who I have spoken to and met and interviewed. Danke u wel.