Before arriving to Belgium I hardly knew anything about this country except the song “J’aime la vie” of Sandra Kim that I sang in a million versions of my own, as I knew no French whatsoever… I definitely knew nothing about Belgian culture nor history.
But faith introduced me to my Belgian husband who brought me to Belgium. I started to get exposed to the new culture… basically to two: the Walloon and the Flemish.
I discovered a whole new culture, different of mine.
Every culture designs the person who is born or grows up in it, in its way. I think it also applies to those who arrive at a later age.
Every culture shapes the person born into it and I think the one who comes to it as well. One of the most prominent example in cultural integration is the "Jewish story." Everywhere in the world "a different Jew is created." The Jews of the United States, as a group, are not similar to the Jews of Europe and also in Europe, the Jews of Western Europe are different from those of Eastern Europe and so on. The Jews of Antwerp are not like the Jews of Brussels. So the culture we come to has an impact on us and our way of life.
When we are exposed to a new culture we are no longer who we used to be. It allows us to ask questions about the way we function. We often act automatically: "this is how we are used to do this", or can another way be good for us?
A new culture brings growth and great opportunities for development. We can pinpoint our place and take what is good and accurate for us. Personally, I learned new things and adopted some of them. Because they are comfortable for me. Preserving peace and quiet that I appreciate a lot.
What did you learn from the cultures you met in your way? What did you adopt?
Dr. Efrat Tzadik, Personal development coach
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