State of Fear

One thing that I never have had the chance to explore in my life is Arab culture. In Belgium, like many other places in Europe there is a very strong influence from that part of the world. However, it brings a lot of dispute when the question of integration into society is brought up. One of the things that Belgian citizens are concerned about is having people from the middle east and northern Africa come into their county to "exploit" their system and refuse to integrate into their society at the same time. Because of the high number of people from these parts of the world it is easy for them to come and not even have to learn the language of the area. In certain parts of Charleroi, one can stumble upon neighborhoods where the signs are no longer in French; only Arabic can be found. Another element that frightens the Belgian community is that they worry that this lack of commitment to their way of life from these immigrants is a push to impose their way on the already established society. It is not even specifically the "Arab" way of life, which frightens them, but more so the religion brought with them.

In today society Islam is perhaps the most feared religion in the world. In countries that were formed by predominately Catholics it is not hard to imagine why this contrast in beliefs would cause a problem. Although countries in the European Union cannot discriminate based on religion, they still have difficulties permitting certain acts. For example the wearing of a head scarf in schools is forbidden in some places despite the fact that it is written in the Qur'an that it must be worn. As one Muslim girl in my class pointed out. "that is discrimination because it is written that they (head scarves) are to be worn. It is covering your whole body that is a choice." She thought that it was alright for schools and public spaces to say that the burka was not allowed because it was a personal choice by a family. However by forbidding the head scarf, they are talking away their right to practice their religion. Another boy in my class responded that he felt it unfair that when he takes his vacations to Muslim countries, his mother and sisters are forced to cover themselves even at the beach because they have to respect the Muslim practices and beliefs, which are practiced there. "If we have to follow their rules in there country, they must do the same thing !"

On a governmental level there is the situation of Turkey. Turkey is a long standing applicant for joining the EU, however due to many different reasons, they have been kept on hold. One of the reasons against having this country part of the European super power is that it is a Muslim run state. The EU offers religious freedom and does not "favor" one religion. In Turkey, the government gives money to  practitioners of one branch of Islam. It is a crime to be a Muslim and change your mind. In addition to other restrictions brought onto every day life by the prevalence of religion in the Turkish government, the EU is extra hesitant to adding a country such as this. Turkey would become one of the most populated countries in the union, which would give the Muslim population a very large say in proceedings. They are afraid to give this much control to this group of people, and therefore Turkey remains on the waiting list.

Islam is a very sensitive topic in both the U.S. and in the E.U. and with so many strong opinions on the subject, it can be difficult to find what things are true and which ones are simply rooted in fear. Though at it's base Islam is one of the most peaceful religions, it is sad to me that a group of extremists and corrupted it's image. I hope that I can learn more about this religion before returning home.

Shalom from Belgium

In 1933 Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg. From this point forward life for the Jewish people in Germany began to be more and more difficult. By the time World War II came to a close in 1945 approximately 6 million Jews had died. But what happened to the practitioners of said religion after the war?

Currently, France is the European nation with the highest Jewish population with 483,500 Jewish citizens (or 3.6% of the global Jewish population). This is severely lower than say the population of the United States with 39.3% of the global Jewish population. This is not a particularly surprising fact considering the devastation which the religion faced only about 70 years ago, however it came to me as quite a surprise when I found myself no longer surrounded by this genre of religious practitioners.

An incident occurred in March of this year when an armed gunman entered a Jewish school and France and open fired, killing three students (Arye, 6, and Gabriel, 3; and Miriam Monsonego, 8, the daughter of the school principal) and 30-year old Hebrew teacher Jonathan Sandler. It was the worst anti-Semitic incident in France since August 1982, when six people were killed in a grenade attack and shooting soon after at the Goldenberg restaurant in a Jewish neighborhood on Rue des Rosiers in central Paris. Racial discrimination was a major topic of discussion in the recent presidential election in France, as incidents such as these continue to emerge with greater frequency.

"This act is horrific and cannot remain unpunished," said Sarkozy

Meanwhile, I have recently had the opportunity to travel to Spain. There were many towns that we visited that had a huge Jewish contribution at a point in time where the country was being constructed. Once one of the most flourishing Jewish communities of the world in 1492 under the orders of the Catholic Monarchs King Ferdinand and Isabella their options became convert to Catholicism or die. Needless to say, many of them renounced their faith at this point in time and the influence became little more than an under current of the culture. In the town of Toledo, a synagogue still stands, despite the  harsh religious persecutions, which were held against the Jews by the Visigoths. A town which changed from the hands of the Muslims to the Jews to the Christians is now a place where the three can find peace together. However, today the synagogue serves as an educational center and no longer a place of regular services. It was certainly one of the more beautiful building I saw on this trip.

One of the most impressionable things that I never quite realized before this trip is the magnitude of  persecution practitioners of this religion have faced over the years. It is very impressive that there are still so many people that remain devout to something that is not easy to remain faithful too. It is something that I hope to continue investigating this year.

You are Under Arrest.

A topic, which has recently (and frequently), presented itself has been prisons and punishment for crime. One day as we sat around the dinner table there was a news report about a local prison and it's decrease in the number of prisoners. This provoked further questions as to the conditions of Belgian prisons. From what I have read about prisons in France and Italy, I was expecting the worst. Although they have made great progress in the past several decades, the conditions are still considered to be lower than those of American institutions. For those who have read Catch Me If You Can, or have seen the movie, recall the moment when Frank Abagnale, professional check fraud, is captured in France. He is sent immediately to prison where he is sentenced to one year. After six months of his sentence, he is "released" and sent to his next detention center. However what is most shocking about said story is that Frank, almost didn't make it to the next step. Upon his departure from the French prison, where he spent his time in a dark isolated room without facilities, he was malnourished, had lice, and was clinging to life with all his might. This concept is terrifying for me to know that that kind of inhuman treatment was enacted in 1969 (less than 50 years ago !!) Being that Belgium and France are so close in proximity to one another, I feared that perhaps their prisons would be similar. My host mom who is a judge explained to me that it is the contrary. In Belgium the prisons are some of the nicer places. In fact they are nicer than some of the other places for less fortunate citizens. One of the problems that Belgium has is homeless people committing minor crimes during the winter in order to secure a warm place to sleep, and guaranteed meals.

As for being arrested and tried, things like bail exists in principle under the law but is granted rarely. Approximately 40 percent of the prison population consists of pretrial detainees. Pretrial detainees receive different privileges from convicted criminals, such as the right to more frequent family visits. Arrested persons are allowed prompt access to a lawyer of their choosing or, if they cannot afford one, to an attorney appointed by the State. More and more frequently acts of terrorism are being found in, or traced back to, Belgium. This is clearly a major issue and such acts are punished by incarceration. Drug trafficking has lessened in the past couple of years as well as the human trafficking industry. In the grand scheme of things, petty crime is most common. This includes pick-pocketing and purse snatching. Things like mobile phones and music players are the most common thing stolen. In fact just the other day there was an incident at the school where several students wallets and ipods were taken from their bags while they were in gym class.

Although there are always exceptions, I feel as though Belgium is a generally safer place the the U.S. and treats their criminals with a greater hospitality.

CARNAVAL !! (partie 2)

This year I had the privilege of attending several carnival celebrations. Among those has been the Carnaval in Binche, Belgium. This is a very traditional and famous carnival located in the west of the country. It is an event that takes place each year during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding ash Wednesday and the symbol of this event are the Gilles. The Gilles are characterized by their brightly colored dress, wax masks and wooden footwear. In some cases there can be up to 1,000 at any given time, and can range in age from 3 to 60 years old. Another aspect of these vibrant characters is that they are traditionally all men. The honor of being a Gille at the carnival is something that is to be aspired to by many of the local gentlemen. From dawn on the morning of the carnival's final day, Gilles appear in the centre of Binche, to dance to the sound of drums and "ward evil spirits away with sticks."As the day and the Gilles march on, the men can be found with large hats with ostrich feathers. Like many traditional carnival costumes they can become very pricey. For example the hats of the Gilles can cost up to $300 ! Another tradition of this specific carnival is the throwing of oranges into the crowd. There were men standing around with the only goal of hoisting people into the air to entrap the flying oranges, which are a symbol of good luck.

The pre-Carnival festivities begin on Sunday, six weeks before the "shrove" days. At first, there are the drums rehearsals, then drums are added with music. This happens one of the two Sundays so that all the "societies," or groups that make up the cultural fabrication of the town, do not rehearse on the same day. During the drums rehearsal, the societies listen to their own drums in their own meeting room and then they walk the streets to the rhythm of the beats. During the rehearsals  with percussion, the societies gather together in a café out of the city center and then they join the center with accompaniment of the drums and the bass drums. The Gilles-to-be put then their clogs on and wear their apertintaille (a belt with small bells). They dance and shake their ramon (stick) .

Fat Tuesday comes around and the people are woken in the morning to a breakfast around 7.00am of eating oysters and drinking champagne. Then at 8.30 am and during all morning the societies of Gille and of Peasants meet up on the Grand-Place. The Gilles and the peasant wear their mask of wax and are received at the city of hall by the local authorities to get their jubilee medals. Then the festivities begin once more when the procession starts from the intersections of Battignies at 13:00. This procession travels all the way to the Grand-Place.

Next to those festivities, some galas are organized by the Youths or by the Shrove Monday Association, on Saturday night : the ball of Children, the ball of the Socialist Youth, the ball of the Liberal Youth and the ball of the Catholic Youth. Those balls are entertained by orchestras and people wear often costumes.

some of my friends just had some really great costumes. Here we have Alex from Cananda and Chelsea from South Carolina

This was just a really cool thing to go and witness. I saw all kinds of exchange students and was dressed as a cowgirl. Had such a good time too ! If you ever get the chance Belgium is a great place for carnival ! (:

CARNAVAL !! (partie 1)

This year, I had the pleasure of experiencing the magic of Carnaval. Given my location in the south-east of Belgium I am also fortunate enough to have many big events within a short distance (insert Belgium scale) The festivities began in Eupen on Thursday with the Day of Women. This is a day when all of the women are free to do whatever their hearts desire. Amongst these activites is lots of drinking and cutting the ties of all men that they see. The idea of the day is to turn over the roles and is a tradition that originated in Germany. This carnaval has been celebrated since 1696, and is the oldest carnaval in Belgium. In this town, the traditions surrounding this day are not taken lightly.

At the start of the day the women meet the mayor of the town who hands over the keys of the town hall therein by sacrificing complete control. They women then leave their homes or their job and parade in the streets in various costumes. A major element of this costume are the sisccors, which are worm around their necks in order to cut the ties of every man they see. They then exhibit it as a trophy, because the tie is a phallic symbol, that represents the virility of men.

In the beginning carnaval was celebrated at teh end of winter to welcome in the springtime and the emergence of nature. Then when teh Catholic church took a reintigrated role in the lives of the populous, the celebration was turned to put them in a more favorable light. To this day, carnaval is celebrated in line with the Catholic calendar and falls just before lent. However, just because these festivities are in line with the church, does not eliminate the reversal of roles and the complete chaos of carnaval. All that is normally forbidden is permitted during this period of time, through all of the parades and the costumes and tradition. 

This was such a wonderful start to the Caranaval celebrations !!  In addition we have an entire week off of school to celebrate in our own way. Catholic school does have it's benefits !

Make Scores not War

Throughout the scholastic year in Belgium, I strive to obtain the best possible points in my classes with the limited knowlege of the language in which the courses are taught in. It was very surprising for me to find that I am able to keep up with the pace of most of my classes and maintain, more or less, the average scores of the class. That being said, by my American standards I am not doing well. The majority of my test results are scored in the 50% range, as in I am passing, not doing well in my classes. However, this is a fact that astonishes the kids in my class. Students here all receive points around that range despite the fact that they are producing intelligent and correct work. It seems as though the schooling system, though more rigorous is entrapped in a mindset which forbids for students to succeed. Perhaps it is not a benefit in State College for 90-100% to be as attainable as it is, at the same time, I feel as though the thought that such a grade is possible serves as a motivational tool for the challenge of success.

This is me with my very successful 55% History test.

There is another aspect in which has made itself increasingly present as my comprehension of French has increased. This discovery would be the great and wide divide between the students and the teachers. For the teachers their job is to give the lesson. Their expectation is that the students will copy their lecture word for word because any element may appear on a final. In addition the believe that if the students are unsuccessful it is their own fault because they have done their job. There seems to lack a discussion about how the methods of the information delivery effect the level of absorption of knowledge. On the other side of this battle lies the students. The students, I have found, are a force that moves together to support each other. This can be obviously be a good and bad thing for a teacher. If for example there are students who don't understand a lesson, their classmates are their to guide the others to a point of understanding. Although, there have been many cases where the students show resistance and band together to make a lesson impossible. For example, the other day we had a presentation that was due. We knew in advance when it was due, but when we were not allowed to work on it during the school day, the students refused to work outside of the academic hours. The next day when it was time to present, all of the students refused. When the students do not want to complete an assignment, there is nothing that the teachers can do.

I can't imagine the difficulty that the teachers have in the schools in Belgium. It seems to me that they lack a lot of respect and therefore their interactions with the students are difficult. The task of enforcing rules and regulations is near impossible making for a rather hostile and tense learning environment. Student life can be plain and simple, however once emerged in a classroom becomes all out war. It is times like these when I am so grateful that I success is not necessary in Belgium for graduation in America. Otherwise I fear it would be impossible.

Grève Générale

Something unique that I have experienced during my time in Belgium are strikes. Periodically strikes with occur throughout the country for various reasons. However, on January 30, 2011 Belgium experienced a "General Strike," which halted all public transportation, schools, and major production companies throughout the country. But why would a country choose to shut down almost completely for one entire day? Unions called the general strike, Belgium's first since 1993, over government plans to raise the retirement age along with other measures designed to save 11.3 billion euros.

"We are angry because they want to attack our pensions," said Philippe Dubois, a railway union member outside Brussels' Midi station. "We want to make some noise."

One side of the argument is saying that they should raise the taxes so that people are paying to cover up the costs in order to continue living the lives that they currently have despite the changing conditions. Like many countries currently in the European Union, Belgium is struggling to control its budget, and unions are angry over plans to cut spending and raise taxes. The battle lines are being drawn for that debate. The Socialists saying the rich should bear a greater burden, while the pro-business Liberals are arguing higher taxes would push the country into recession and it is in fact the government spending that should be taking more cuts. With the current economic crisis that has hit the European Union hard it becomes more and more evident how the countries in the EU are interdependent on each other. One of the problems that some see happening is that the wealthier countries are angered by the fact that they are being called in to come to the aid to the countries (such as Ireland, Portugal and Greece) who are struggling. They do not want to take some of the harder hits to their country because they are prospering while others are falling into great debt.

General strike in Belgium as EU leaders arrive in Brussels | euronews, world news

At the same time Belgium has it's own ideas for how the EU can escape the financial crisis, which plagues the area. The three main unions have called for efforts to reinvigorate the European economy by centering on taxing multinationals and boosting public investment instead of cutting down on public services and making a pension reform that forces people to work longer and lowering payments in certain cases.



Strikes are an interesting part of the culture and happen more frequently here than I have experienced in America. One of the strikes that comes to mind in the United States was the writers strike in 2007-2008 however that strike lasted until there were changes made to the system and a negotiation was reached. In Belgium the strikes are more frequent, generally one day, and the public is aware that they will happen before they arrive. I remember as an eighth grader not being aware that there was a writer's strike, just that I thought it was strange that there were so many reality TV shows that had appeared on the television. Meanwhile in Belgium it is more clear, and many more people know about the strikes. As a whole I find that the young people are more informed about the politics of their country and the countries surrounding their area.