BELGIUM II

The population of Ghent is very young. You could also call it a student city. They expect everyone to speak English. Well, that's true. Even if their native language is Dutch or Flemish, there is a high percentage of English speaking community. They are also happy to help you with any language problems you may have.

There are three languages spoken in Belgium. Flemish (Dutch), French and German. The country is divided in a Flemish, French and a small German speaking part in the east. Ghent is located pretty much in the center of the Flemish-speaking community in Flanders. Flemish or Dutch is a language very similar to German, but somehow it looks like they are making fun of German. Joking aside, understanding or reading the language is very difficult for me. It always happens that I mispronounce or misunderstand something when I try to correct other people. The most memorable moment was ordering Take Away when they asked me if I lived on Blah Blah Street and I said, "No, I live on Blah Blah Street." They continued with "That's what I said." In my daily life, I try to use my knowledge of German to understand the language, but it is very difficult. I often find myself looking up French characters to understand what they mean. I have a history with Italian and Portuguese, which helps me to understand the French grammar, and then I try to understand the words that are there in either English or Turkish. It's quite a bit of brainstorming to figure out what they're are saying or have written. But I understand the minimal context.

It is easy to talk with people in here because of their proficiency in English. However, you are friends until they switch to Dutch. Most of the time I find myself talking to friends in the dormitory or university in English but all the sudden they change to Dutch. You are sitting there waiting for someone to translate. Most of the time, we have to tell them that we do not understand them or if it is in our kitchen group, we ask them to speak English if it is important. English is important to all Erasmus students. In my international close friend bubble, there are students from Italy, Sweden, Norway, France, Poland, Denmark, Spain and Turkey. Our main language has become English because even if we can talk in our language, we prefer to include everyone.

Our culture is reflected in our language. It can be difficult to speak English in an international group. The way you express yourself in your own language sometimes translates directly into English. One time, my Swedish friend sent me a message "I am going to get a beer, tell me if you want to come too". To me, going for beer means going to the supermarket or something similar to buy beer and come back home. But to my Swedish friend it means "going to a bar". I misunderstood what he meant and missed an opportunity to go out. This made me question my English skills.  Also, by communicating with other cultures in English, I was able to improve my social skills . I have noticed that in some languages, pronounciation is similar. I asked my friends if they like to speak their own language just to pronounce the "r." My Italian, Spanish, and Turkish friends and I said yes, but my Danish or Swedish friends said they would mind. Nothing at all against it. I think that learning a language that is somewhat similar to one's mother tongue can be a source of motivation.

At the beginning of the semester, I was interested in learning Dutch, but I didn't succeed because I decided to study languages that I already had started to learn, such as Italian and German. While I was in Belgium, I realized how important French is. I think that since there are fewer Dutch speakers, learning this language will be less important for me. Besides, the vast majority of them can speak English very well. In addition, there are some community organisations which help you to integrate into the society faster. I.e. the Turkish community in Belgium is so large and I received a letter from them in Dutch as well as in Turkish about how to find a job, how to register at the tax office etc. New things in a newplace being explained to you in your mother tongue is really helpful.

 Cemil Kaan TAKA Gent, 12th of December 2021