While on my study abroad ‘Flowers and Photography’ we went around to several different countries in Europe we were able to spend a week in Belgium. While there we got to experience the differences in some of their cities, such as Antwerp, Brussels, and Bruges. Each of these cities had a variety of different things to offers. While in Antwerp we stayed in an area where the predominant population are Orthodox Jews, and it was very neat to see how trusting they all were with one another and did not seem to live in the same amount of fear. As opposed to in the United States and even just in Athens, Georgia where you would never leave your child alone outside on a bike or in a stroller while you went inside the store for fear that something would happen to the child. It was really interesting to see just the difference in that one area as opposed to even just a different part of town only about a mile away where you did not see such a trusting community of people leaving their children outside. While in Bruges it was very different from Antwerp the town was much smaller and looked like a small story book town. There was a town square and lots of smaller shops within the city. Bruges was really similar to some of the smaller beach towns along the coast. It reminded me of the more traditional side of when you think about Europe. Then Brussels was more similar to the larger cities like Atlanta but without the feeling of being in a town with all the skyscrapers. The people there were also not as trusting as in the neighborhood in Antwerp. They were still friendly people, but you did not see the same with people leaving their children outside. I think that was the biggest culture shock and difference that I really saw while abroad.
Belgium Culture
