Crack your knowledge of Belgium with free online course

Inspired by her guest contribution to the Bulletin’s autumn issue deciphering Belgian politics, Mirella Marini came up with the idea of offering expats a free online course.

7 Unexpected Reasons Why Expatriates Don’t Understand Belgium answers the questions that Marini sees people asking on expat forums. “The answers that I came up with are maybe not what you would expect,” she says. “You will not read anything about why Belgium is such a good (or bad) country to live in, or what goes right (or wrong) in this country. This course is not intended to be a moral discussion on living in Belgium. Instead you will read about Belgian culture and history.”

Marini runs the Belgian Academy of Culture and History, providing courses explaining how and why Belgium works.

After studying history in Belgium, she conducted doctoral research in Amsterdam and later worked as a researcher at the University of Antwerp. It was her experience as an expat in the Netherlands that forged her interest in explaining the underlying cultural motives of a country. “A better understanding leads to less misconceptions, less conflict, less communication problems, as well as an improvement of the relation you have with your cultural surroundings here. It also helps you to become a happier person,” she says.

So, if you want to improve your knowledge of Belgium and can devote some time to learning about it, register for her ongoing email course.

Photo: Ommegang (c) Eric Danhier visit.brussels