Cultural Awareness

We were given the opportunity last week to take cultural awareness training at Jacob's work and I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it was really quite interesting. They did focus somewhat on the business aspect of things and what he can expect from working in Brussels, but they also gave some good information and tips about living and surviving in Brussels...and really in any international assignment.

It was interesting to hear some of the history of Belgium. Based on it's central location in Europe it is frequently referred to as the "heart of Europe" or the "crossroads of Europe". This reminds me of lovely St. Louis...often know as "the gateway to the west" also highlighting it's central location. The upside of this is that it is home to both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). Unfortunately though it's central location is also the cause of Belgium being the battleground of many wars. This has likely led to it's people being somewhat "risk adverse". The term uncertainty avoidance was used quite frequently in our discussion to describe the culture there. We were told they will tend to be very direct in what they say and expect you to do the same. The saying "say what you mean and mean what you say" came to mind as they were describing this aspect of the culture to me.

Some other interesting tidbits I learned are that in Belgium I will be called Maureen Waldron as they do not believe in taking your husbands name when you get married. And typically, unless you are close friends, everyone greets each other using last names. They are very punctual (uh-oh...not exactly our forte!) and tend to be quite formal in dress and behaviors. Wearing a pair of running pants around the corner to the grocer would likely be sneered at by the locals. They love food and typically a meal will last 3 or more hours...oh my...what do you do with a one year old for that amount of time! They are very family oriented and value their personal time immensely.

They also gave us some safety tips, such as registering with the American Embassy, bringing copies of our birth certificates, not speaking "American English" too loudly in public situations (this will likely attract those who are not too fond of America to come and give you their opinion on what they don't like about us), always wear a cross-body purse and carry it in front or on your hip, never place a purse on the passenger seat of your car or when stopped at a traffic light your window may well be broken and the purse snatched up...yikes!

I would say my biggest take away from the entire day though was the "Culture Shock W Curve" shown below...



It highlights many of the emotions and feelings we will be experiencing during this exciting (albeit somewhat scary) adventure! Our instructor said at some point during it all we are for sure going to feel sad and homesick and probably feeling like we made a horrible decision...but to just remember that this feeling will be TEMPORARY. So to just keep our chin up and lean on each other and try to maintain our hobbies...and that this fleeting moment of depression will pass and we can return to enjoying this crazy, awesome opportunity we've been given!