You were in the dark, you were in the pain

Countdown has seriously started for our flights back home... 4 weeks and 4 days and we will be making that oh-so-familiar trip home... probably downing a cocktail or two hoping to shorten the journey by a few sets of 40 winks!

Another addition to our group of friends occurred this week: Annemie and Hans (landlords/work colleague/friend of Tom's since he was in highschool) have had their first child, Lisa. So many a 'suikerboon' was eaten and enjoyed - and maybe they will even be home for the election on Sunday - probably won't be a repeat performance of the elections from last year (if you remember, ended up with me and tom drowning our hallway with our stomach contents...)

I am not sure if I ever mentioned the suikerbonen tradition yet...

Not that the mother has enough to worry about... but when a child is born, it is tradition to hand out little packages of suikerbonen (translation = sugar bean - sugar coated chocolate) to all visitors, family, work etc. BUT - the colours are very important (they must match the geboortenkaart/birthcard), along with the design of the packages they come in! It can be seen as 'stingey' if you only give white suikerbonen in a cheap-arse basket...

My first experience with the suikerbonen came when I had first started working in Belgium. When I first started, I replaced one of the girls (Inge) on maternity leave (incidently, she has already had her 2nd...) and shortly after she gave birth, a lovely little wooden box was delivered to work with the name and birth date of her son burned into it, and it was filled with black and white sugar beans. BUT - they look remarkably like pebbles (especially when they are neutral colours!) so I thought it was slightly odd, but took one and put it in my bag to take home. LUCKY nobody saw me do this, because I later found out they were to eat (after I had informed everyone that the little pebbles from Inge had arrived...)

I need to learn to write down all of the subtle cultural differences before I forget them though, otherwise they blend into day to day life and I don't want to forget them!

P.S. - Big elections this weekend - if you are at all politically minded, and at all interested in a more-than-two-party-preferred system...click here!

Look at the stars, look how they shine for you

Back to some politics. Elections are looming (again? I hear you ask!) - this time its the big time: The feds - so I will have two elections this year (plus, not to mention the exciting coverage of the US shortly after...) to follow. Currently, Belgium is led by a 'purple' government: a coalition between the socialists (which are strangely enough coloured red) and the liberals (not to be compared with the so-called liberals they have in Australia - coloured blue). Interestingly, there are more than 2 political parties in this country (yes, more than 2) which makes politics a total other ballgame than the 2 major right-of-centre parties we are confronted with in Australia (yes, there are others, but lets be honest - the day that the Greens finally take over, it will be snowing in Emu Park). If you even know something remotely about me, you will have probably picked up that I am somewhere in the realm of a khaki voter (can't think of another colour to resemble a mix between red and green) so it drives me bananas to see the stupidity of the extreme right parties here....

Let me explain! Last year, the provincial (like state) elections were held, and in Antwerp (not just a city, but a province as well) the socialists won, (no landslide however) with their biggest contenders being the absolute right, Vlaams Belang (Flemish Importance party. Ring any bells? Pauline?) I am a big fan of the mayor (I'm sure Tom also voted for him because they both back the same football club...) as he has campaigned using only positive reinforcement. Never complaining about the other parties, people, problems, rather promoting the beauty in an otherwise not so lovely province. One such campaign is the 'zonder haat straat':

Signs you could hang in your window, which look exactly the same as a street sign, with 'without hate street' written on them. Especially in Antwerp, where probably 10% of people are first or second generation Belgians, but still have a 'brown' appearance and constantly the butt of such hatred and racism, the signs are a nice gesture.

So, considering the Vlaams Belang contender did not become Mayor of Antwerp, he has decided to run in the federal elections to represent Antwerp. Why he thinks the public will vote for him now, I'm not sure... But, his latest campaign is: Wait for it... Zonder Jihad Straat (without Jihad street). You can imagine how people are reacting to this - especially since he hung the signs everywhere in the middle of the most multicultural suburb of Antwerp.

For more info...
Zonder Jihad Straat

10 Points to you, De Winter. I look forward to being sent home - oh that's right, I can stay because I'm not brown. At least I will be able to stay in your new country, Flanders (who needs that horrible French speaking lumpy part, which actually has some trees) and being a stay at home mum with my 5 children (because women are not meant to work).

And you think the brown people cause problems...

Get out of bed, pick up the phone, time to tell the press

Quite a notable absence - yes I know! Doesn't really help that our internet provider decided to do some work in our neighbourhood, and change some details without us knowing. But, we are back on track now and ready to update the last two, not-so-eventful weeks!

I suppose the highlight of this week involved tom making spaghetti bol with a twist... On my birthday, my parents-in-law bought me some delicious oils and vinegars in a set, and although these weren't labelled, it was quite clear to me (via the use of my olfactories) which was which. Tom didn't realise that the provençal oil had run out, as so had the wok oil, leaving raspberry vinegar. So, thinking this was also oil, he seasoned the pan with the raspberry vinegar (thinking it was oil) then threw in the mince, herbs and the rest of the bol ingredients. I came into the kitchen somewhat later and thought that something was wrong with the meat, but didn't comment until later when I noticed that the bottle which formerly held the raspberry vinegar was now empty. Only then did he realise his boo-boo. The spag bol was ok, but there has been a lesson learnt here...!

Philippe became an uncle/god father this week - the third child for philippe and jan! Gay people must be attractive to give as godparents - surely they won't have their own!! Congrats philippe!

Received my invitation for the school reunion as well. After much arranging, and sorting out dates, plus some crap planning on my behalf, I discovered that I was a matter of a day too late letting the organisers know that I could indeed make it on a particular date, only to discover that the date had been changed to 2 weeks after I leave Australia. So girls and boys - considering I wasn't originally too phased whether or not to go, I was surprisingly cut up about it this week. I considered throwing a barbecue while I was back in Australia, but then thought that it would be stupid to invite everyone back to Rocky for one weekend, when they have to come back for the reunion 2 weeks later anyway...

It is funny - I know I will offend people with this, and if I do, this is not the intention, just a passing thought: When you move to another country, another lifestyle/culture, you regard your friends from 'home' higher than anyone you meet while you are away: They know you, have seen you grow up, go through all sorts of changes, crushes, first-times etc. But, this isn't fair on anyone - not on the old friends or the new ones. I have come to realise that I am not as important to my friends back in Australia as I thought I was, (as they are probably not as important to me), the world does not revolve around me, and that I should be more open with my new friends because who knows what could happen tomorrow.? I still love all of my friends from school so dearly, and look forward to catching up with whomever I can, again, but will attempt to feel less jealous when they are all together without me.

So, no hard feelings anyone. Have a drink or two for me, and I may see some of you again soon
xxx