I notice that time to time I compare my experiences from St.Petersburg to the experiences in Belgium. That is kind of weird, since they literally are to different worlds in many ways. Why to compare?
...
Well, it comes automatically... I guess it is human nature to compare life to the past and make conclusions whether this is better or worse. But Russia and Belgium are different - or are they really?
The political scene is mysterious in both countries (at least the unprofessional, not deeply interested point view of mine is this). In Belgium the system is highly bureaucratic and complex apparently due to the three languages (Dutch, French and German). There is provincial and local governments, regional and community governments (for different languages) and finally the federal government. And they have a king who has the final say in things. Well, I checked all this information from Wikipedia and I´ve talked with my Belgium friends about this but still it´s not quite clear..
In Russia the political system is also quite mysterious, but that´s because I´m not sure who is really pulling the strings in that country and is it really democracy there.. Well, I have to be honest, I haven´t looked into the system so deeply. But in conclusion, the amount of bureaucracy is amazing in both countries, maybe that is the curtain of mystery there...
It´s both beautiful and ugly at the same time in the two countries. Brussels is weird city, but I like it. The architecture is quite inconsistent and it´s a bit dirty to what I´m used to (and my expectations towards the capital of EU). But the parks and the art deco -styled houses are absolutely beautiful. St.Petersburg is absolutely beautiful except the Soviet styled buildings, and it is extraordinary how something so different and adventurous is so close to Finland (again, I had different expectations to ex-Soviet city). Yes, it was also a bit dirty and ugly there but still I liked the city a lot.
In both countries I should watch my back when walking alone, specially during the evening/night. Oh, and the stability of the internet access is not guaranteed in neither of the countries, or even sometimes the availability of warm water. I´m not sure actually are these issues only guaranteed in the Scandinavian countries or have I just been lucky for the first years of my life.
The food... mmm, the food... It is different in both countries, but it is so good in both countries. In Russia, I loved the soups and the pies with a cup of tea or a glass of sparkling wine. In Belgium, it is the sweet stuff, waffles, chocolate and cherry beer...
Well, the differences.. Firstly, language of course, due to EU and NATO offices, there are a lot of foreigners working here who don´t speak French or Dutch, so almost everywhere you´ll get customer service in English. In Russia, you need to speak Russian.
Belgium is more multicultural than Russia (although in Russia there are many nationalities and "clans" inside that huge country, so maybe this issue can be debated). The shops are open longer in Russia (which is nice), although as a similar thing I´d say that the variation of shops (specially clothing) is so much better in both countries than in Finland.
In Russia, I had my very own, close MITIM group (which I always miss). Here in Belgium I don´t have constant same group to go to the lectures with, but still I´ve met really good new friends. And I´ve had so great time with an old friend of mine, E.
In conclusion, there are obvious differences and there are unexpected similarities, but in both places I´ve felt at home (or I still feel)... Both cities will always have a special place in my heart.
<3
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