Window shop in Berlin
Some impressions of volunteering abroad
Volunteering in Belgium
Living in Antwerp - during winter
Winter depression? I hardly knew what it was before I came to Antwerp - Antwerp please accept my apologies for saying such bad things about you! You are still an interesting city, just a bit wrapped up in clouds during winter.. - The thing is that in Antwerp you do not get to see a lot of sun during the winter. It is all about the clouds, sometimes snow.
Another thing is that in Antwerp buildings are built densely one next to another. The whole city centre is built like this. You can walk through the entire city centre and to the surrounding neighbourhoods and all you get is buildings and narrow streets without trees.
There are three parks. The two biggest ones are quite far from the centre. If you work until 4pm and you live in the centre, there is no point in going there in the winter. Because by the time you get there it is already dark. There is a smaller park in the center, but because of its size it does not offer so much joy as the other two. This means that winter in Antwerp means spending your days without sun and trees, locked between grey streets and buildings.
Morever, If you are new, you can experience the feeling of inaccessibility of the people. But as it is said by many, once you are accepted by the Flemish they are the best friends ever imaginable. The thing is just that you have to suffer a lot at the beginning to get to that wonderful final stage...
On the other side, let’s not forget that Antwerp has as a very flourishing and interesting cultural life. There are thousands of free activities that you can join, like street festivals, workshops, nice art galleries, second hand book shops and vinyl stores. Not to forget the flee markets and many antiques shops. Also the multicultural mix of people living in Antwerp is remarkable: more than 160 nationalities live in Antwerp. In 2006 it was the second city in the world with highest diversity according to nationalities, and ranked even higher than New York! Antwerp is also home to the biggest Jewish Orthodox Community living in Diaspora.
Another plus for Antwerp: it is a fashion city. There are so many different stores to choose from! People are very aware of fashion and that makes things even more interesting…being a single female means that you have something to look at here: Flemish guys can be very good-looking and they are very friendly. :-)
Nonetheless, Antwerp is very interesting city to experience, explore and live in. It has a lot to offer and you can be happy there, as long as you keep in mind that you should not: look up to the sky in winter; search for open space and nature if you live in the city centre; or expect an immediate click with the local people.
PS. I now understand why old Flemish painters were making such dark paintings!